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The group soon arrived at the Hokage's office for their mission report, but The Third was out on a stroll, so Shikaku stood in for him.
"I take it everyone returned in one piece?" Shikaku asked with one eye open, his head supported by his hand on the desk as he tried not to get his hopes up.
"Team Zero returns successfully after a reinforcement mission. However, I noticed something disturbing during the mission," Gilgamesh began, surprising Shikaku, who expected Anko to report first.
"What would that be?" Shikaku asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Oh, it's just that some neighbouring villages tend to look down on our village. It happened twice!" Gilgamesh said as Anko and Ebisu gulped. They understood they couldn't hide the truth about what happened in the Hidden Stone Village for long, and it was better for Konoha to know rather than keep it secret. They had hoped Gilgamesh would ease Shikaku into the news first.
"The first instance was when Team Zero provided reliable backup with only Mura and me," Gilgamesh continued.
"Ebisu didn't help?" Shikaku asked, looking at Ebisu.
"He provided more information regarding the circumstances of the merchant lady's ransom. But these bandits wanted to tarnish Konoha's name by killing a respectable jounin like Anko and labelling it as Konoha's lack of integrity and ability to protect its ninjas." Shikaku swallowed hard at that. He knew what would happen if this went nuclear: another war. He had barely witnessed the childhood of his son, and the call to arms would make it worse. His own fear of the village using its children in war haunted him; he didn't want that for his son.
"Luckily for us, I was there. I immediately sensed the enemy's location and tasked Mura with the recapture after creating a distraction. I also punished those who tried to tarnish our image! I thought the message was clear, but we received another challenge along the way." Gilgamesh lowered his head, releasing a heavy sigh, and looked at Shikaku with folded arms.
"We were oppressed by The Third Tsuchikage!" Gilgamesh finally said, and even some Anbu ninjas on the roof gasped. Shikaku dismissed any who were close.
"You realize what you're saying can't be treated lightly or taken as a joke, Gilgamesh? If it's a false accusation, it could end your life! That old man is the most stubborn and militaristic Kage alive! He takes grudges to another level! He would even look for an excuse to go to war with us if the Hidden Cloud Village won't take advantage of that!" Shikaku said, rising from his chair.
"Calm down. You're making a big deal out of nothing," Gilgamesh responded.
Gilgamesh began to recount everything that happened, and Shikaku's eyes widened as if hearing a fairytale, but everything added up in the end.
'So the reports about Gilgamesh wiping out a large number of bandits in the Hidden Grass Village were true?' Shikaku thought as he sat down.
After hearing the full story, Shikaku immediately called for an Anbu and ordered maximum team patrols around the village perimeter until further notice. Only then did he sink back into his chair, whipped out a cigarette, and lit it.
"This was your first mission as a captain of squad zero, specially assigned to you by The Third. You made decisions that could land you in prison. The chances of you being labelled an international criminal are high now. You could have just allowed yourselves to be held but you acted wisely to escape since it is Iwagakure we talking about. They would want to hold any advantage over us as much as they can. Right now this is something the village will have to handle." Shikaku moved to the window and let out a puff.
'It's not like we can punish you harshly either. The gold we got from you is really helping the village. You have unspoken power in this village in terms of wealth. If not the consequences can be severe in a village that can order the elimination of an entire clan because they seemed dangerous instead of using dialogue. And the Hidden Stone is very stubborn, unnecessary bloodshed is crucial, yare yare, this is a drag.' Shikaku thought as he rubbed his head.
"So you're strong enough to render the Four Tails Jinchuriki unconscious with your strongest attack. That's impressive. You might just be the best wind jutsu user yet. You applied it in flight and in attacks as well. I can see why The Third was so secretive, even to me. Team Zero will be on standby for now. You may leave," Shikaku finally said.
"Isn't this an opportunity to remove any doubt about our strength to the world? The Hidden Stone still believes they have a chance against us. If I were in charge, things would go differently," Gilgamesh responded, his red eyes glowing slightly.
"Not everyone is like you, Gilgamesh. And you sound no different from the old man as well. Also, you underestimate the Leaf too much. I can't make any permanent decisions without The Third's approval, so you will have to wait," Shikaku answered. Gilgamesh's figure body flickered out of the room, followed by Mura.
"Mongrels! Looks like I have to speed up my plans now. Mura, prepare your mind and body; soon you shall receive a gift from me. You are on break with pay," Gilgamesh said, pulling a medium-sized pouch from his jacket pocket.
"I suspect we won't be given any missions for a while now. But don't let that stop your progress. In two years, I will test the results of your training and bestow upon you something worth more than anything in this world. After that… after that…" Gilgamesh said, looking up at the clouds gathering above him.
"The plan should be complete by then," Gilgamesh said as raindrops fell on his face.
"I hate staying stagnant, but there is much I can do in this time anyway," Gilgamesh concluded.
"What do you mean? Are you saying for two years we will be suspended?" Mura asked cautiously, trying to freeze the water above them to create an umbrella but only managing to hold icicles in place.
"That's enough time to master the jutsus you have developed. You can't afford to be this weak after two years," Gilgamesh said, walking away.
Mura sighed to himself and walked away in the opposite direction, making a ninja jump to the rooftops.
Two days later, Mura and Gilgamesh were called to the Hokage mansion and given a two-year suspension on account of unnecessary violence in another village. This was done to maintain the peace between Konoha and Iwagakure. But both sides knew the real reason: Iwagakure's stubbornness. It was a matter of pride, and Iwagakure demanded Gilgamesh be transported to their village to answer for his crimes, but the Leaf insisted on handling Gilgamesh's punishment themselves rather than lose a competent ninja in these troubling times.
This brewed some tension when Iwagakure threatened to release information about Gilgamesh's abilities and ranking to the world, but Konoha resisted, choosing to protect their ninja, which gave Konoha a lot of political leverage.
"Is this how they want it?" Onoki asked, reading a letter from the Third Hokage.
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