When the day's training and classes wrapped up, most of the group headed their separate ways—Naruto whining about being hungry, Lee shouting about doing another 500 push-ups, and Sakura still giggling about Sasuke. Kiyomi, however, lingered behind. Her eyes weren't on Sasuke but on Sukuna, who was casually rolling his shoulders like the day's work hadn't even tired him.
Taking a deep breath, she walked straight over. "Sukuna," she called, her tone sharper than usual.
He raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Ice princess is here, actually calling me out? Want another ice? Unfortunately I'm running low on funds, so I have to deny." He waved her off.
"Don't get cocky." She crossed her arms. "I want to know what you told Sasuke. He's been acting… strange for a week. Barely training, locked up with his books, meditating like some hermit. And then suddenly—bam, he's back at it. Early mornings, sweating himself into the ground. That's not normal. So? What did you say to him?"
Sukuna tilted his head, amused at how direct she was being. "What makes you think I said anything at all?"
"Because Sasuke listens to no one," Kiyomi shot back instantly. "Not me, not Izumi. Not anyone. And then suddenly you talk to him and he's another person. What did you do?"
Sukuna gave a short laugh. "Well, you're not wrong. I did have a little talk with him."
Her eyes narrowed. "And?"
"And," Sukuna drawled, stretching out the word just to irritate her, "I just helped him out with his training. Pointed him in the right direction, gave him a shove where he needed it. Nothing more than that."
"That's it?"
"That's it." He smirked. "What, were you hoping I shared some secret forbidden technique with him? Or… cursed him." That last part came out more sinister than even he intended. Kiyomi's body stiffened for a second.
"Relax! All I did was tell him to stop moping and start grinding."
Kiyomi frowned, unconvinced, but she didn't push further. For a brief moment, she had the urge to ask Sukuna for help herself too.
In fact, this had been on her mind for a long time. After all, he was the only one who could actually guide her when it came to cursed energy and cursed techniques.
However, she didn't completely trust him. If possible, she didn't wish to have anything to do with him, just because of his history. However, she understood that this Sukuna was not entirely the Ryomen Sukuna she knew, just like how she wasn't just Mai Zenin anymore.
"Hmph. You're annoying."
Sukuna caught the flicker of hesitation in her eyes but didn't comment. Instead, he leaned against a tree and changed the subject. "Speaking of secrets, I've got a question for you. The whole Danzo and Root mess—how come your clan hasn't said anything? The ANBU have been sniffing around all week, and yet, not a single leak. That's… impressive."
Kiyomi's expression hardened. "Because there's nothing to leak."
Sukuna gave her a flat look. "Don't play dumb. Spill it already. How do you ensure all those who participated stay silent?" Sukuna was genuinely impressed at how the entire clan was able to keep this fact a secret so easily.
She sighed and, after a moment's hesitation, answered in a low voice. "Most of the clan willingly let others erase their memories with the Sharingan."
Sukuna blinked. "…Wait. You're telling me your people literally mind-wiped themselves?"
"For clan survival," Kiyomi explained firmly. "It was a choice. Many volunteered. The fewer people who knew, the safer we all were."
Sukuna stared for a moment, then broke into a chuckle. "That's… actually not a bad idea. You've got shinobi walking around forgetting what they ate for breakfast just so the ANBU can't interrogate them. Awesome."
Kiyomi's lips twitched, almost a smile. "It's not like they erased everything. Just the sensitive parts."
"If you say so. Anyways. I've got a meeting with the Hokage, so bye-bye…" He waved his hand and walked off.
"Wait! What are you meeting the Hokage for?"
…
Sukuna finally made his way to the Hokage's office, just like Hiruzen had asked him to. The old man had told him before, "If there's something you want, come and ask me directly." But with the village still under lockdown, getting an audience wasn't easy. ANBU were stationed everywhere, and the Hokage himself was busier than usual.
It took Sukuna almost an hour of waiting before an ANBU finally guided him in.
Inside, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat at his desk surrounded by papers, his pipe resting nearby. He looked tired, but when he saw Sukuna, he offered a small smile. "You finally came."
Sukuna shrugged. "Took me long enough, huh? You're a hard man to meet, Hokage-sama."
Hiruzen chuckled. "That's the price of being Hokage. Paperwork and endless interruptions."
"I heard Naruto wants to be Hokage. I bet he might change his mind after seeing what it really means." Hiruzen laughed.
"I doubt it. A knucklehead like him won't stop at anything before reaching his goal. As for the paperwork, it would be in the village's best interest not to let Naruto near those things…" Sukuna cheekily replied.
Hiruzen laughed even more.
They exchanged a few words before Hiruzen explained, in that calm tone of his, about the ongoing lockdown. Of course, he didn't reveal anything too important—just the official reason being passed around. "It's a precautionary measure," he said. "We cannot afford unrest inside the village while we're still… investigating."
Sukuna didn't press for more. He knew better than to expect secrets handed to him on a silver plate. Instead, the conversation shifted.
Hiruzen leaned back slightly, curious. "I hear from the instructors that the Academy has been… livelier these days. Especially with you pushing those children to train harder."
Sukuna just shrugged. "All them. I hardly did anything. Naruto especially—he's always shouting about being left out. Nearly bit my head off the other day because I didn't drag him out of bed for morning training."
Hiruzen chuckled, eyes softening. "That boy has spirit, but he lacks guidance. I'm glad he has a friend like you around, even if he doesn't realize it yet."
They spoke a little about the others too—Lee's endless energy, Sasuke's sudden discipline, Hinata's quiet effort, and how the group was slowly becoming something solid.
"Look at this, me talking about useless things again. I'm really turning old. Tell me, my boy. Why did you give this old man a visit?"
Finally, Sukuna leaned forward. "You said if I wanted something, I should just ask. So here I am."
Hiruzen raised an eyebrow. "And what is it you want?"
Sukuna, at this, grinned. He had long had an idea in his mind but no way to fulfill it.
With the Hokage's help though, he could finally follow up on this particular training plan he had in mind.
"It's nothing special…" Sukuna began with a big smile and an innocent face.
…
In Amegakure
Itachi moved silently through the cavernous hideout, the shadows of the Akatsuki's base stretching across the stone walls. His newly acquired cloak, black with red clouds, dragged lightly behind him as he stepped into the chamber where the other members gathered.
From the far side, a tall man with orange hair and strange ripple-patterned eyes sat upon a throne-like structure. His presence radiated command, and the others seemed to defer to him. This was Pain, the leader of the Akatsuki.
He was brought here by Konan. He hadn't wished to at first, even after learning that this was the organization the masked man calling himself Uchiha Madara had spoken of.
The reason was that he was searching for the identity and location of that other masked man—or boy, to be specific—who killed Shisui.
He was personally far more willing to go after Shisui's killer, however, he also had a duty to figure out the real identity of this man calling himself Uchiha Madara and the organization behind him.
Thus, with reluctance, he joined the Akatsuki when Konan found him.
"Itachi Uchiha," Pain's deep voice echoed through the room. "You have chosen to walk our path. From today forward, you are one of us."
Itachi gave a slight bow, his expression calm, unreadable. His dark eyes flickered around the room, memorizing faces—Kisame Hoshigaki, his new partner, grinned with his shark-like teeth. Others looked on with curiosity.
But then his gaze fell on a figure he knew well—Orochimaru. Cloaked in the same garb, a sly smile curved on the Sannin's lips. "Itachi-kun… we meet again. I look forward to seeing your talents up close."
Itachi's face didn't move, though inside he understood immediately—this organization was far more dangerous than he had expected.
Was the one who killed Shisui also from this organization? He had to find out.
xxx
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