Chapter 37: I've Saved Up 140 Pulls Already
"So you're saying the mission failed?"
Shunhi's expression darkened. Knowing they wouldn't be receiving the remaining payment left him frustrated—especially since Denki Kaminarimon had also been taken back by Konoha.
He knew Itachi Uchiha had deliberately leaked the information to Sasuke, but even so, Shunhi couldn't punish him.
First of all, S.H.I.E.L.D. was currently woefully understaffed. At most, it only had four members: Shunhi, Itachi Uchiha, Minato Namikaze, and Kushina Uzumaki.
Secondly, in order to pave the way for his eventual redemption, Shunhi had positioned himself as a high-ranking double agent within S.H.I.E.L.D., so he couldn't reprimand someone like Itachi who was playing the same role.
"...Yeah."
Itachi nodded calmly, as always.
"...Forget it. The mission wasn't all that critical anyway."
Shunhi found an excuse for not punishing the three operatives for their failure. But in Itachi's eyes, this only confirmed his suspicions: this mission had indeed been a test of teamwork for the three of them.
"What's our next mission?"
This was the first time Itachi had encountered such a cautious organization. Even though S.H.I.E.L.D. had the means to control him at any moment, they still hadn't revealed their true objectives.
"...We'll lay low for a while. The recent fight with Naruto and Sasuke will have certainly raised their alertness."
Even as he said this, Shunhi still hadn't decided what they should do next.
---
Konoha Village, Hokage Tower, Hokage Office, Five Kage Conference
"This is the first time I've seen everyone on a computer!"
Black Earth, the Fourth Tsuchikage from Iwagakure, marveled at the novelty.
"Naruto, what exactly is this Five Kage Conference about? You said it's for security reasons that we don't need to meet in person and can just talk via computer."
Gaara asked. Among the current Five Kage, he had held his position the longest, having become the Kazekage before the Fourth Great Ninja War.
"Yes. This time, our ninja world may be facing another crisis."
"Recently, through Sasuke's investigations, we discovered the existence of another world."
As Naruto finished speaking, the faces of the other four Kage on the screen turned grim.
Having experienced war, they all understood the value of peace.
"Another world? I remember Sasuke's mission outside the village was to investigate that, wasn't it? So this is related?"
Darui, the Fifth Raikage, spoke up. He had never believed in the whole 'other world' story.
After all, Sasuke had once been a rogue ninja. Even if he had helped Naruto save the ninja world, a rogue was still a rogue.
Konoha belonged to all its villagers—not just Naruto. So while Naruto may have trusted Sasuke, the rest of Konoha didn't.
To Darui, this whole "other world" narrative was just a convenient excuse for Naruto to keep Sasuke outside the village, both to reduce internal suspicion and to monitor other villages—two birds with one stone.
At first, the other Kage had all thought the once-earnest Naruto had changed—that he was no longer the naïve fool he used to be.
"Yes. The Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, whom Sasuke and I sealed away, once commanded a fearsome army."
Naruto nodded.
"You mean the White Zetsu forces prepared by Madara Uchiha? Yeah, they were a real pain during the Fourth Great Ninja War."
Chōjūrō's expression turned sour. He had thought this Five Kage Conference would be about S.H.I.E.L.D., not something connected to the long-sealed Kaguya.
Still, the fact that Kaguya had only been sealed rather than killed was troubling enough on its own.
"Kaguya herself was incredibly powerful. So why would she bother creating an army of White Zetsu?"
Naruto clasped his hands, face serious.
"Probably because she was wary of the Allied Shinobi Forces and our wide range of jutsu, fearing she might be at a disadvantage."
Darui offered his speculation. On the surface, it sounded like a very logical explanation.
"But that's not the truth. During the Shin Uchiha incident, we uncovered intelligence in Shin's laboratory suggesting that the White Zetsu were actually created long before the birth of modern ninjas."
Naruto stared gravely at the other four Kage on the screen.
"What…"
"This is…"
"You're saying…"
The Mizukage, Tsuchikage, and Raikage all spoke in unison.
"If those White Zetsu were created before ninjas even existed, then what was Kaguya's true reason for making them?"
Not all Kage were equal in insight. While the others merely expressed shock, Gaara cut straight to the heart of the matter.
"That's a good question. Based on the clues we've gathered, we've reached one conclusion: some kind of entity powerful enough to threaten Kaguya is destined to appear in our world."
"What…"
"This is…"
"You're saying…"
Again, the other three Kage echoed each other in surprise.
"Naruto, are you saying that in the future, an enemy even stronger than Kaguya might emerge, and that the White Zetsu army was her preemptive measure to fight back?"
"You kept something this important from us?"
Gaara was clearly displeased. He had always seen Naruto as a dear friend. His village, Sunagakure, was also the first to sign a peace treaty with Konoha.
"Sorry. I felt it was best to keep it under wraps until we had solid proof."
"After all, peace in the ninja world has been hard-won, and the wounds of war haven't fully healed. I didn't want my suspicions to stir up panic or force everyone to mobilize against an enemy stronger than Kaguya based on nothing more than conjecture."
Of course, Naruto could never have come up with such a well-reasoned statement on his own. This entire conference was orchestrated by Shikamaru—he had even predicted the other Kage's reactions in advance and prepared the perfect responses. All Naruto had to do was memorize and deliver them.
"Still, explaining something like this to our villagers is going to be a headache."
Darui rubbed his forehead. Like all past Raikage, he was a man of action. While more level-headed than his predecessors, he was still prone to charging ahead when it mattered.
"Truth is, we can't even be sure when this enemy might appear. So telling the public to prepare for war now and inciting panic isn't the right move."
This too had come from Shikamaru.
"That's the real problem. If it happens during our generation, fine. But if it comes later…"
Chōjūrō's expression grew complicated.
It was an uncomfortable truth: the new generation of ninjas across all villages was overwhelmingly weak—borderline useless.
Konoha, being exceptionally powerful and balanced across all age groups, hadn't felt the effects as much. But the other villages were suffering from a serious talent gap.
"The new generation of ninjas is in no shape to handle a powerful enemy."
"So while we're still active, we need to eliminate this threat that's even more dangerous than Kaguya. Otherwise, the future of the ninja world will be in serious jeopardy. That's what you meant, right, Mizukage?"
Gaara picked up where Chōjūrō had trailed off.
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