If the journey back was free of any more incidents, the trip could be called a resounding success. Not only had Tsunade agreed to return to the village, but they had also rescued the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, from Orochimaru's grasp.
The group set off for Konoha. Along the way, they were intercepted several times by people coming to collect on Tsunade's gambling debts, which made Tobirama's expression turn grim.
Although the misunderstanding was eventually cleared up, Tobirama pulled a thick stack of IOUs from Tsunade's wallet. The number of creditors and the sheer amount of debt made the Second Hokage seethe with rage.
After seeing it, even Hashirama Senju couldn't help but wipe the cold sweat from his forehead. "Thank goodness Tsunade has no intention of becoming Hokage..."
"Great-Grandpa!" the blonde kunoichi pouted.
Tobirama said coldly, "Hmph. Weren't you the one who spoiled her, brother? You owe plenty of money yourself!"
"That's different, totally different," Hashirama said, waving his hand awkwardly. "I only owed Madara some money, but then I killed him, didn't I? And Madara has no relatives..."
Tsunade looked at her great-grandfather with an excited expression. "So, you just got out of your debt like that?"
"Hey, hey, hey... it wasn't like that!" Hashirama shook his head. "Even if Madara hadn't left Konoha, he wouldn't have tried to collect from me. We were good friends for many years..."
Tobirama fell silent.
Naruto Uzumaki scratched his head.
Tsunade's eyes suddenly lit up.
Shizune glanced worriedly at Jiraiya, who stood next to her. The white-haired Sannin suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
After that bizarre debt-collection incident, the group was surprised to find that Tsunade's attitude toward Jiraiya had suddenly begun to improve.
The Second Hokage, who saw through everything, merely sneered.
After resting for a night in a small town, the group set off again on the road to Konoha.
-----
It had to be said, the climate of the Land of Fire was the most suitable for living in the entire ninja world. Even its uninhabited wastelands were covered in dense forests.
By a stream in the woods, Konan sat on a rock, letting the cool water flow over her calves. She gazed through the clear stream at her colorful toenails. Before she started wearing this black robe with red clouds, she hardly ever bothered with her appearance.
Back then, her friends were still by her side. She had strictly followed Master Jiraiya's teachings, focused only on becoming a strong kunoichi her teammates could rely on. Now, she had changed so much.
She heard that Master Jiraiya was part of the Konoha team they were about to attack. She wondered if he would recognize her.
He probably would. After all, that white-haired man was always very perceptive when it came to women.
Just as Konan was lost in memories of her youth, a silver-haired young man leaning on a scythe nearby ruined the mood. "Ha, this makes me a little homesick! Many small villages in the Land of Hot Water are built around rivers. If someone bathes upstream, the poor villagers downstream have to drink their bathwater..."
Swish!
Dozens of paper sheets sharpened into senbon, instantly pinning the silver-haired young man to a tree. Blood gushed from his body, and the rest of his words were swallowed back.
A gray-haired, masked ninja who was busy counting money nearby frowned. "What an idiot," he cursed under his breath.
"How pathetic," Kisame Hoshigaki sneered, glancing at the immortal duo who had arrived as backup. "I feel like you two don't act like you belong in this organization at all."
A true Akatsuki member should be like Mr. Itachi. Kisame was disdainful of Kakuzu and Hidan because he only wanted to be teammates with true shinobi. Unfortunately, in the entire organization, only Itachi was truly qualified. Cold-blooded, ruthless, powerful, and firm in character.
Hidan ripped the paper senbon from his body and charged forward with his scythe. "Hey, shark face, who the hell do you think you are?"
Clang!
The Samehada greatsword intercepted the scythe's path. Kisame casually lifted Samehada, violently flinging the silver-haired man away. "Ha," he sneered, "is that all the strength you have?"
Hidan landed miserably under a tree, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Just as Kisame was about to strike again, an arm suddenly extended, and dense black threads, like living things, blocked his path. A white mask slowly turned, its mouth opening wide at Kisame.
"Newbie, you'd best not be so talkative," Kakuzu said flatly. "Otherwise, I wouldn't mind trading your life for a bounty. The price on the head of the Monster of the Hidden Mist isn't low..."
A shuriken instantly sliced through the mass of black threads.
Itachi Uchiha, lounging on a tree branch, casually tossed another shuriken in his hand. Without even looking up, he had resolved Kisame's predicament.
"How long are you going to mess around?" Konan stood up, slipped on her wooden clogs, her expression cold. "Akatsuki rule: fighting among companions is forbidden."
"Tch!"
"Tch!"
"Tch!"
The three of them backed away, each pointedly ignoring the others.
For a long time, the Akatsuki had been recruiting S-rank rogue ninja. Nearly every member had Kage-level power, so no one submitted to anyone else. Even long-term partners were constantly arguing, let alone two teams that had barely interacted before.
"Alright, let's discuss the intelligence and assign roles," Konan said once they had settled down. "The Konoha team we're targeting has six members. Our intel is severely lacking, so I will assign targets based on each person's situation."
"First Hokage, Hashirama Senju. In this organization, only one person has experience fighting him. Kakuzu, you will face your old opponent."
"Mm." Kakuzu nodded thoughtfully. The leader had sent him as support specifically to deal with the First Hokage.
Konan turned to the shark-faced man. "Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. According to your own request, Kisame, the Second Hokage will be left to you."
"Don't worry." Kisame gripped Samehada, stabbing it into the ground as he flashed a mouth full of shark-like teeth. "I will prove who the strongest Water Style ninja is!"
"Very good." Konan turned to the silver-haired man under the tree. "Tsunade of the Sannin and her attendant. Since they are both medical ninja, they will be your responsibility, Hidan."
"Hahaha, a beautiful woman! The perfect sacrifice for Lord Jashin!" The silver-haired man licked his scythe, ignoring the blood dripping from it. The moment he finished speaking, another paper senbon pierced his shoulder.
"There's no need for so much nonsense," Konan said, then looked up at Itachi, who was still lounging on the tree branch. "The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Naruto Uzumaki. I trust you have no problem handling him, Itachi?"
"Mm." Itachi nodded calmly, then suddenly added, "Konan, did you leave the most troublesome one for yourself?"
Jiraiya of the Sannin.
Of all the ninja present, there wasn't one who didn't know his name. Unlike the First and Second Hokage, who were legends from a distant past, Jiraiya was a living legend, and Konoha's most active Kage-level ninja.
To be honest, even an arrogant fool like Hidan wouldn't dare claim he could face Jiraiya directly. Even Kisame, who prided himself on his fearlessness, was wary of Jiraiya's strength.
As a former Konoha ninja, Itachi had grown up hearing the legends of the Sannin. He knew very well that if Jiraiya had remained in the village, the Uchiha clan would have never dared to speak so lightly of rebellion. What's more, the current Jiraiya was not yet old; he was at the peak of his power.
According to Itachi's calculations, within the entire Akatsuki, probably only the leader, Pain, and the mysterious masked man could handle Jiraiya.
Jiraiya was a true shinobi. A symbol of a ninja living under a different kind of sun.
"Don't worry, I will take care of him," Konan said, her face calm. She instructed in a deep voice, "This is the organization's first probe against a major ninja village. I expect all of you to give it your all."
-----
Bonus:
Itachi Uchiha: Defeated in less than five minutes. Is this what you call "taking care of" Jiraiya?
Konan: Sorry, it was a mistake...
Itachi Uchiha: You didn't even last five minutes. You call that a mistake?
Konan: It really was just a mistake. I ran many simulations of fighting him...
Itachi Uchiha: Little miss, did you really run simulations? Do you even know him? He probably hasn't even used a tenth of his strength, and you're already defeated.
Konan: He's my teacher. How could I not know him?
Itachi Uchiha: ...Fine. Your courage is commendable. But let me just say, I suspect there's a traitor in the organization.
Konan: Who?
Itachi Uchiha: Who performed the worst in this battle? Have you noticed?
Konan: Actually, everyone performed okay...
Itachi Uchiha: ...Everyone except you.
Konan: I think Kakuzu, Hidan, and Kisame all look suspiciously like traitors...
Itachi Uchiha: ...I think you have a point.