The so-called "hidden" island wasn't actually hidden. Kumogakure had specifically chosen this location for the negotiations because it was strategically positioned—if anything went wrong, reinforcements could arrive quickly.
As a precaution, the Fourth Raikage had set up a rapid-response unit for the talks.
Fifty elite shinobi.
They had a secret communication link with Darui. At the first sign of trouble, they could rush to the island immediately.
By the time they arrived, however, all they found was devastation.
Not a single corpse in sight.
Leading the squad was Jonin Seigetsu. He carefully inspected the battlefield.
Scorch marks from black lightning. Deep fissures from Earth Release techniques.
The signs of an intense battle were clear. But something didn't add up.
The number of footprints and the damage suggested that only a small number of fighters had been involved.
And yet…
It had been less than fifteen minutes since they received the alert.
For the entire battle to be over so quickly, and for someone as strong as Darui to be taken down in that time…
Even if he assumed Iwagakure was behind it, that level of firepower could only mean one thing:
"Tsuchikage himself must have come," Seigetsu muttered.
But that didn't make sense.
Iwagakure had no reason to attack.
Unable to find an answer, Seigetsu returned to report his findings.
---
The Fourth Raikage was furious.
"What?! Darui disappeared?! That old bastard Onoki dares to play games with me?!"
"Raikage-sama, please hear me out first," Seigetsu tried.
Ai slammed his fist onto his desk.
"Then talk. Fast."
Seigetsu quickly explained his analysis.
Ai listened. And as much as he hated to admit it, it did seem out of character for Onoki to do something this reckless.
Something didn't add up.
But Raikage didn't care.
"I don't care what the reason is. I want answers from Iwagakure—now!"
He had always hated Iwagakure. He hated Onoki even more.
The ambush. The 10,000-man assault. The war that had pushed his father—the Third Raikage—to his death.
And now, Darui was missing?
Unacceptable.
"Mobilize the troops!" he roared. "I want an explanation from Onoki immediately!"
---
Kumogakure moved fast.
As soon as Iwagakure saw their forces advancing, they did the same.
The two villages squared off.
Tensions flared. Accusations flew.
Both sides knew there had to be a third party involved.
But neither was willing to back down.
Neither wanted to show weakness.
The cold war began.
Now, it was a waiting game.
Who would blink first?
Kumogakure was more likely to. But as long as Ai's temper was running hot, this standoff wouldn't end anytime soon.
During the standoff between Kumogakure and Iwagakure, Tobi had already returned to Akatsuki—dragging along a captured Kumo ninja.
He tossed the captive to Pain's Human Path.
A moment later, the interrogation was complete.
They had the location of the Eight-Tails.
---
Akatsuki gathered for a meeting.
Their figures flickered into place, projected by the slide-body technique.
Pain spoke first.
"We've confirmed the location of the Eight-Tails. Who's available?"
Deidara scoffed.
"I'm busy perfecting my ultimate art. Find someone else!"
Kakuzu shook his head.
"The bounty on my current target is too good to pass up."
Pain turned to the others.
"Then Itachi, Kisame, you'll handle it."
Itachi's voice was calm as ever.
"Understood."
Kisame grinned, flashing his sharp teeth.
"If Itachi's in, I've got no complaints."
Pain nodded.
"Then the Eight-Tails is yours."
With that, the meeting ended.
---
Itachi's consciousness returned to his body. He and Kisame had just wrapped up a bounty mission.
"The Eight-Tails, huh?" Kisame mused.
"Samehada should love that chakra."
Without wasting any time, they set off toward Kumogakure.
What Kisame didn't notice was a single crow with Sharingan eyes taking flight behind them—soaring into the sky before vanishing into the distance.
---
One day later
Deep within Konoha's Root headquarters, Danzo received the message he had been waiting for.
The Eight-Tails?
He quickly read through the intel before speaking in a calm tone.
"They want us to intervene? Root is stretched too thin right now. We'll have to leave this to Tsunade."
---
Danzo made his way to Tsunade and handed her the information.
After a brief discussion, Tsunade got to the point.
"This came from Uchiha Itachi?"
She didn't know the full details of the Uchiha massacre, but Danzo refused to explain further.
That only frustrated her more.
At that moment, the door suddenly swung open, and Kakashi stepped inside.
Danzo frowned at the interruption, but Kakashi ignored him, walking straight up and whispering,
"Danzo… run. The whole place is swarming with Sakiya."
Danzo's expression immediately changed.
Sakiya?!
His usual composure faltered, and without another word, he abandoned the discussion about the Eight-Tails and rushed for the exit.
Tsunade, watching him go, raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Kakashi? What did you just tell him?"
Kakashi smiled slyly.
"Just reminded him of something he's very afraid of."
Meanwhile, Danzo reached the door and yanked it open—only to freeze in place.
Dozens of Sakiya. Everywhere.
Without hesitation, he slammed the door shut.
He needed a new escape plan.
Turning on his heel, he ran for the rooftops. He had to avoid her at all costs.
Tsunade sighed and shook her head.
"At least Kakashi is still the one ninja I can trust to get things done."
Tsunade had placed Kakashi on standby long ago.
In reality, the "Sakiya" Danzo saw was nothing more than Kakashi's own doing. He had used transformation techniques on his shadow clones, aiming to give Tsunade an advantage by scaring Danzo off.
It wasn't easy for Kakashi to mimic Sakiya's unique (and somewhat eccentric) personality, but it didn't matter—Danzo didn't even take a second look. He saw the clones, panicked, and fled without question.
Tsunade trusted Kakashi completely, even considering him a potential future Hokage. That's why she didn't mind if he overheard certain sensitive discussions.
"Kakashi, you should be aware of the situation with the Eight-Tails," she said.
"Our next move is to inform the people in the Hidden Cloud—and bring Sasuke with us."
Kakashi frowned.
"Sasuke? Was this Itachi's request?"
Tsunade nodded.
Kakashi immediately understood.
"Itachi wouldn't make this kind of move unless the situation was extremely dangerous. Why so suddenly?"
Tsunade sighed.
"I don't know, but this intel is solid. Maybe Itachi has already made his decision."
Kakashi recalled his last encounter with Itachi's clone. Even then, he had noticed signs—subtle hesitations, restrained attacks.
A powerful shinobi, a proud Uchiha, the supposed villain behind a massacre… and yet, he had been Konoha's spy all along.
Kakashi could only imagine what had really happened back then. It had to be more than what the world was told.
What was Itachi's true role in all of this?
He exhaled sharply, pushing the thoughts aside.
"For this mission, I'll need to bring Sakiya," he said.
Tsunade nodded.
"That's fine."
"Then it's settled."
_________
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