In the end, Itachi persuaded Jūzō to abandon his idea, convincing him to attempt negotiations first.
They needed to gauge Konoha's attitude.
If Konoha had no intention of cooperating, it would be like winking at a blind man—utterly pointless.
Although Jūzō was eager, he wasn't foolish enough to personally approach the duo from Konoha. After all, their statuses were not equal.
If he showed up himself, it would implicitly place him at a disadvantage and put him in a passive position.
Left with no other option, Itachi stayed with the anxious Jūzō, keeping him company over meals and drinks, delaying his own return.
Three days later.
Itachi was brought to the office by Jūzō. The crease between Itachi's brows hinted at some deep concern, and he appeared lost in thought.
Jūzō, however, looked visibly upset, which mildly surprised Itachi.
Remembering the Third Hokage's peculiar maneuvers and various attempts at showing weakness, Itachi thought that, given the strategic and economic benefits of an alliance between the Land of Water's Kirigakure and Konoha, the Third Hokage would have readily agreed.
So why was Jūzō wearing such a sour expression?
"What's wrong? You don't look so great," Itachi asked, breaking from his thoughts.
"Ugh, Sarutobi Hiruzen, that old geezer, is asking for way too much. It's not easy dealing with him," Jūzō said with a forced smile.
"Hm? How is he asking for too much?"
Itachi was intrigued. Had Sarutobi Hiruzen pulled off another one of his infamous stunts?
"The people he sent are hard to handle. Forming a strategic alliance between Kirigakure and Konoha is clearly a win-win, but Sarutobi came up with some ridiculous demand, saying that the alliance would require us to pay tribute every year," Jūzō explained, his expression filled with frustration.
For two of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, Konoha's request felt borderline insulting.
"Tribute?"
Itachi was taken aback. This was… an unusual tactic. Refusing a ready-made ally? Was Sarutobi bent on self-sabotage?
For a moment, Itachi couldn't think of anything clever to say.
It was unclear whether Sarutobi himself or the Konoha Elder Council had lost their minds to come up with such a bizarre demand.
"Who are the two people Konoha sent?"
Itachi's curiosity about Konoha's envoys deepened. Only someone with a mindset similar to Danzo's could be so audacious.
"Just a couple of semi-famous Jonin from Konoha," Jūzō said softly.
"What's there to stress about? The Land of Water and Kirigakure are already in a prime geographical position. You're strong in both offense and defense. Worst case, you take a more conservative development route. Growth might be slower, but it would suit Kirigakure's current state," Itachi said, attempting to console Jūzō.
"I understand we're well-positioned, but that approach would significantly slow down our economic progress," Jūzō replied with a sigh.
"Just wait. There's no rush. The path will appear when the time comes. Things will work out in the end," Itachi reassured Jūzō, knowing he wasn't well-versed in politics himself.
"Let's hope so. Compared to the other villages, Konoha is at least somewhat trustworthy," Jūzō said with a resigned tone.
While Jūzō remained anxious, Itachi maintained a more pragmatic perspective.
There was no rushing these matters; strengthening one's power was the ultimate goal.
With strength came control over everything. Without it, hesitation and fear would plague every decision.
"Who knows how their negotiations are going? I didn't expect little Kirigakure to be so heavily guarded—we couldn't even sneak in," said Sasori, standing on a tree branch outside Kirigakure.
He sounded annoyed.
Kisame rolled his eyes at Sasori's complaint.
With negotiations underway, it was obvious that the village would be on high alert.
Sasori refused to disguise himself, yet he still wanted to sneak in unnoticed. Who was he kidding?
"How about we just go in and stir things up?" Sasori suggested after a brief silence, glancing disdainfully at the dense mist around them.
Sasori's words piqued Kisame's interest. To be honest, Kisame had grown tired of sneaking around in the shadows.
This mission was relatively flexible, so they could afford to be bold.
"I think it's doable. But how are we going to pin the blame on Konoha's people?" Kisame asked, agreeing with Sasori's proposal while brainstorming how to frame Konoha for their actions.
Kisame's words plunged the space into silence.
Somehow, they seemed to touch the depths of their souls.
"Imagine, just imagine. What if we wore the Leaf Village's ninja headbands? Do you think that would work?"
After a moment, Sasori spoke softly.
"If we're going that far, why not infiltrate and see what they're discussing?"
Hearing Sasori's suggestion, Kisame responded.
"If we sneak in, we still wouldn't hear anything worthwhile. Such things are highly classified—it's a lot of effort for no reward."
Sasori, exuding an air of wisdom, replied in a calm tone to Kisame's words.
...
Kisame stared at the clever Sasori, his eyes wide, as if seeing his partner for the first time. He hadn't realized how terrifyingly intelligent Sasori could be—truly formidable.
While Kisame was lost in thought, Sasori retrieved a scroll from Hiruko.
After summoning several puppets, he removed the ninja headbands from their foreheads and handed one to Kisame.
Kisame, observing this scene, began to think deeply.
After a moment, he spoke softly, his tone tinged with doubt.
"Wouldn't it be better to control puppets from the Leaf Village to attack the Mist Ninja?"
...
...
"That's an interesting idea, but… puppets are not the same as living people. Even if I can make them use the techniques they knew in life…"
Sasori stared at Kisame, speaking in a calm tone.
He couldn't quite understand how such a strange idea had formed in Kisame's mind.
Was this guy's shark head full of nothing but muscles?
Using puppets for an attack—how did he even come up with that?
If they did that, wouldn't suspicion immediately fall on the Sand Village?
That would ruin the mission entirely.
For all they knew, this mission could have been orchestrated by the Sand Village itself.
...
"Oh, so your puppet techniques aren't all that impressive, huh?"
Without a second thought, Kisame snapped back, deflecting with sarcasm and mocking Sasori's skills.
Sasori stared at Kisame, speechless.
This guy—his words could drive anyone crazy.
Couldn't he show even a shred of respect for his senior?
Of course, Kisame had no idea what Sasori was thinking.
After working with this partner for so long, he still didn't know what Sasori truly looked like, let alone develop any real trust in him.
Without the basic foundation of trust between people…
...
Watching Kisame don the Leaf Village headband and stride boldly toward the Mist Ninja hidden in the shadows, Sasori stood there in stunned silence, gazing at the misty sky.
He couldn't help but wonder: Was Kisame here to torment him?
That shark-like face, paired with the massive Samehada on his back…
And then, from the distance, the sound rang out:
"Water Style: Great Shark Bullet Technique!"
...