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"Did they fail?"
Inside the Akatsuki hideout, Pain stared at the Venus flytrap in front of him, his expression turning strange.
The Akatsuki members weren't always gathered at the base—none of them were easy to manage.
They each had their own business, and Nagato didn't have the time or energy to keep them leashed.
So he simply allowed them to do as they pleased, as long as they showed up when a mission called.
That's why he didn't think much of it when Sasori and Kakuzu didn't return after their mission.
He didn't expect that the Venus flytrap, the one carrying an Akatsuki ring and sticking close to that so-called Uchiha Madara, would show up with this kind of news.
Technically speaking, the mission was a success—they had obtained intel from Konoha—but judging by this creature's account, the two were utterly defeated.
So badly that even Pain found it hard to believe. "There's another... troublesome matter," Black Zetsu said hesitantly.
He didn't want to bring this up. But of course, Tobi, that coward, had backed off at the critical moment, pushing the problem onto him instead. Black Zetsu had no choice.
"What is it?" Nagato frowned. Controlling Pain, he asked coldly, "Where's that Uchiha Madara? Why isn't he here?"
Black Zetsu cursed inwardly because he chickened out and didn't want to be humiliated, and now I have to take the fall for him.
He tried to keep a calm tone as he replied, "He was... rattled. Wood Release is the power of his old nemesis. Seeing it again stirred up old emotions."
"As for the problem we're facing now, it's serious. We need to deal with it properly." Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama were sworn enemies.
The clash between Wood Release and the Mangekyō Sharingan defined a generation.
So spouting this nonsense wasn't completely baseless, even if Black Zetsu himself felt embarrassed just saying it.
"What's the problem? Speak plainly."
"It's about Shigenari Shuuzawa—or rather, Senju Shuuzawa. He seems to have figured some things out. More precisely... our location."
"Hm?"
"This kid is incredibly smart. He once analyzed the state of Sunagakure and pinpointed its weaknesses, putting it at a disadvantage. So—"
"..."
"He also suspects that Uchiha Obito is part of our organization, since Sasori and Kakuzu are rogue ninjas. So..."
At this point, even Black Zetsu didn't know how to continue. Because the truth was—Uchiha Obito was in Akatsuki.
Would Konoha buy it even if they tried to lie and claim otherwise? Not.
Obito was the one behind the Nine-Tails incident. Whether or not they had solid proof, Konoha would keep digging.
If you look at it from a darker angle, even if Konoha believes Obito isn't involved anymore, following this lead could help them infiltrate smaller nations.
Why wouldn't they take the chance? They might even use it to cover up some of their secrets.
"So now Konoha's got their eyes on us?" Nagato's expression darkened. At this stage, Akatsuki needed to stay under the radar.
The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path wasn't ready to consume the Tailed Beasts yet. That process would take several more years.
They needed to remain quiet, recruit new members, and gather funding. And now? One mission had ruined all that.
"Yes. They even captured Kurotsuchi. Most likely to dig up more intel," Black Zetsu said helplessly.
He glanced at Pain and continued, "I know we won't be giving more information to Iwagakure, but who knows what that brat might uncover?"
"I've gathered that he's already shifted his focus toward the smaller nations."
Nagato fell silent. That kid... was that much of a threat? A threat like that would derail their plans—something he could not allow.
"So, what's your suggestion? Assassinate him?" Nagato was quiet for a while before he had Pain speak again.
"No. Killing him is difficult. He uses the Flying Raijin Technique." Black Zetsu was annoyed. That damn jutsu was too unfair.
Honestly, any space-time technique was ridiculously broken—just look at Obito, swaggering around with Kamui.
"What we need to do is deceive him. Make sure they never suspect Amegakure. And we have to move faster."
"Recruit more members and have them operate in different villages, so we can scatter Konoha's attention."
He paused, then added, "To sweeten the pot, we could even recruit someone proactively. What do you think about Jūzō Biwa?"
"Jūzō Biwa?" Nagato furrowed his brows. He knew the name—one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
Wielder of the Executioner's Blade. A solid warrior. But as Nagato recalled, that guy had lost his drive long ago.
A Konoha genin defeated him during the Third Great War. Not just him, the whole Seven Swordsmen group was crushed—dead or scattered.
Could someone like that still be useful?
Nagato voiced his doubts directly. "That's not enough. I don't know what shape he's in now. I'll need more support."
"What do you want?" Black Zetsu frowned slightly, but this wasn't the time to say no. Tobi had made this mess—he had to fix it.
"I want to move against Hanzō. I need more intel. And I want everything you can find on Shimura Danzō and Shigenari Shuuzawa. Can you do that?"
"No problem."
Black Zetsu didn't even hesitate. He didn't need Obito's approval for this—gathering intel was what he did best. He already had most of it anyway.
"Honestly, you don't need to look that hard into Shigenari Shuuzawa."
"He's one of Danzō's people. Understand Danzō well enough, and you'll know plenty about Shuuzawa too."
"Hmph. I know that much. But figuring out how to divert their attention from us... That's still your job," Nagato said, not wanting to waste more breath on the Venus flytrap. He had Pain turn and leave immediately.
But deep down, he couldn't help but murmur to himself, Shimura Danzō...
He would never forget how that man and Hanzō forced Yahiko into a corner and led him to his death.
That pain had stayed with him his entire life, and it was something he had to resolve. As for Shigenari Shuuzawa, being Danzō's man meant trouble.
Understanding him fully was necessary. "Yahiko, I'll take Hanzō down soon. He'll pay for what he did to you. After that, I'll turn my focus to Danzō—and build a peaceful world."
"I swear I will."
.....
"Don't be so shy, kid. Once you're here, think of it as home!"
In Konoha, inside the ancestral Senju compound, Tsunade drank and smiled at Karin beside her.
Her cheeks were flushed, and she was clearly drunk. Karin sat there feeling awkward and warm—a kind of warmth she had never known.
"I-I understand, Lady Tsunade..." Karin wasn't yet the short-tempered girl Shuuzawa remembered.
Right now, she was still cautious by instinct. Understandable, considering how she'd been treated as a test subject for so many years.
You couldn't just shake that trauma off overnight.
"Tch."
Tsunade didn't press her. She poured herself another cup of sake, which made Shizune, standing nearby, visibly tense.
"Lady Tsunade, please drink a bit less. It's not good for your health."
"Stop nagging."
Tsunade shot her a glare before turning to Shuuzawa.
"And you, brat. I didn't expect your Wood Release to be so well-developed already."
"Huh?"
Shuuzawa was caught off guard when Tsunade suddenly addressed him, but it gave Yuugao the perfect chance to slip her hand out from under the table.
She pretended to fix her hair and focused on her food, though her cheeks were slightly flushed.
Still, she couldn't help but glance at Shuuzawa from the corner of her eye.
This guy's unbelievable... doing that kind of thing right under Lady Tsunade's nose?
"You little brat..." Tsunade raised an eyebrow. She noticed Shuuzawa's subtle movements.
But he remained calm—after all, he was surrounded by beautiful women. And he'd been pretty restrained, all things considered.
After collecting himself, he smiled and said, "Mainly, it was the scroll you gave me, sensei. It helped—I learned a lot from it."
"Oh?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow, leaning back slightly with an amused expression. "But I remember you didn't have much time to study it, did you?"
"There was so much material, and you've had daily missions. You even went out recently, didn't you?"
"I just focused on the key information," Shuuzawa replied with a calm face.
Truthfully, whether he studied the scrolls or not didn't make that much of a difference—but he knew exactly how to phrase things. Pleasing his teacher didn't hurt.
"But, sensei, you have had too much to drink. That's not good, is it?"
Shuuzawa still had plans to return and fine-tune his stat adjustments to further improve himself, so he simply followed Shizune's lead.
After wrapping up the handover with Hiruzen Sarutobi, Tsunade had pulled the three of them together for a small dinner gathering.
The idea was to welcome a new team member and celebrate Shuuzawa and Yuugao's safe return. But to him, it seemed like Tsunade just wanted an excuse to drink.
After all, Konoha wasn't like other places. Elsewhere, if she got drunk and ran out of money, she could simply vanish. But in Konoha, slipping away wasn't so easy.
Plus, she wasn't back as Hokage this time, so she didn't have official expenses to cover her habits—and with her teacher around, this was one of her few chances to let loose.
"Tch, mind your own business. I'm just fine." Tsunade ignored him, leaning back with a glass in hand.
Her fair skin quickly caught Shuuzawa's gaze, but Tsunade took another sip and then said softly,
"You, on the other hand, dealing with the Fourth Raikage and the son of the Third Tsuchikage—you've certainly made an impression with your strength."
"But remember something important: sometimes it's better not to always seek the spotlight."
"The shinobi world is far from peaceful, and for gifted individuals like you, it's even more dangerous. I hope you understand that."
"Be more mindful of protecting yourself, alright?"
Shuuzawa nodded. He knew Tsunade's concern was sincere. A ninja's life could be fragile.
Even her brother, Nawaki, was killed despite being under Orochimaru's protection.
Shuuzawa had provoked many powerful people—things might only get harder from here.
But if he wanted to be a proper "Konoha civil servant," he had to move up.
If that meant pushing his old superior, Danzo, toward either promotion or extinction, he was fine with that.
In fact, between the two, the latter seemed more appealing.
"I understand, sensei."
"I hope you truly do." Tsunade stretched and sat up straighter, though her cup was now empty.
"Maybe things will improve once you're on my grandfather's level. But don't think Flying Raijin will keep you safe forever."
"Just look at my second grand-uncle, and that brat Minato Namikaze."
"Yes, sensei." Shuuzawa nodded again, though something swinging nearby suddenly caught his eye.
It swayed closer and closer until he found himself staring at a soft, pale abyss. He looked up slightly, and their eyes met.
Tsunade had unknowingly leaned in close, gazing at him with idle curiosity. "By the way, I don't think you've ever told me—what's your dream?"
"Uh…" Shuuzawa froze briefly before answering firmly, "I'm a man who's going to be Hokage one day!"
He meant every word—this wasn't some joke. He'd wanted to say this to
Tsunade for a long time, and now that the opportunity had come, he wouldn't waste it. Whether she understood or not—that was her business.
"Tch, another clueless brat." Tsunade snorted coldly. The word 'Hokage' stirred complex emotions within her.
For most people, it was a dream. But to her, it felt more like a curse. Nawaki. Dan.
Their names, their faces, the memories of their deaths—everything was still etched deep in her mind.
She looked at Shuuzawa, whose expression was firm and unwavering, and then shook her head.
"Just be careful. Being Hokage… isn't as easy as it sounds."
"I understand, sensei." Shuuzawa nodded again.
Of course, being Hokage wasn't easy—but that wasn't his goal. The key was how to phrase things.
What he truly wanted… was to become the man behind the next Hokage.
"Alright, Tsunade-sama's gone to bed."
That night, inside the Senju compound, Shizune looked toward Tsunade's room with a helpless expression, then turned to Shuuzawa, Yuugao, and Karin.
Tsunade had gone overboard again, especially after hearing Shuuzawa's declaration.
Neither Shizune nor Yuugao, not even Shuuzawa, could stop her from drinking. Eventually, she just passed out and had to be carried off.
"Thanks, Shuuzawa-kun. I would've had a tough time again if it weren't for you."
Shizune offered her sincere gratitude, and Shuuzawa quickly shook his head.
"It's nothing. That's just what a student should do. Besides, Tsunade-sama's not that heavy."
Normally, Shizune carried her back when she drank too much. But now that Shuuzawa was around, the task naturally fell to him.
It was hard to say whether Tsunade was heavy or not; with his physical strength, he barely felt it. What he did feel, though, was… very soft and very large.
"Alright then, it's getting late. Let's all rest up." Shizune smiled and spoke up.
"You just got back from the Land of Grass, after all. You've all had a tough few days."
"You too, Shizune-nee," Yuugao nodded and smiled warmly. Shizune had been incredibly kind to her.
Honestly, without Shizune, this place might've fallen apart long ago.
Tsunade's lifestyle wasn't well-ordered, and Shizune handled all the fine details.
While Tsunade had taught Yuugao the basics, it was Shizune who helped her truly master them. Naturally, the two had grown quite close.
After saying goodnight to Shizune, Shuuzawa and the others headed toward their rooms.
Shizune still couldn't sleep—she had to check on the still-drunk Tsunade. Seeing this, Yuugao couldn't help but feel a bit emotional.
"Shizune-nee is amazing. She takes care of everything."
"She is." Shuuzawa nodded, then smiled and looked at Yuugao.
"So, senpai, you should learn from her more often."
"You little—" Yuugao's face turned red instantly. Of course, she knew what Shuuzawa meant. This guy was getting bolder by the day.
Just during dinner earlier, he'd held her hand under the table and wouldn't let go!
Then again, she hadn't exactly pulled her hand away either… "I'm not talking to you anymore. Karin, come on, let's get washed up."
Yuugao didn't want to continue the conversation, so she grabbed Karin and started walking off.
"Senpai, she's not a little kid anymore. She can bathe by herself. Want me to help scrub your back instead?" Shuuzawa joked behind them.
Yuugao pulled Karin away even faster, but Karin turned back and waved to him.
"Good night, Shuuzawa-nii."
Shuuzawa nodded, watching the two girls walk away. Then he let out a long sigh.
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