"First Hokage, Second Hokage."
For the safety of Shimura Danzo, Akihara Kagura reluctantly agreed to Orochimaru's demands: "Lord Danzo is my guide, I have no choice but to..."
"I can understand your feelings."
Tobirama greatly appreciated this, as Shimura Danzo was also his student, yet he still turned his attention to Orochimaru: "This guy is dangerous, are you sure you can control him?"
"No matter what, I must ensure Lord Danzo's safety."
Akihara Kagura shook his head, apparently lacking confidence: "As long as I can rescue Lord Danzo, I am willing to do anything..."
"How truly loyal and devoted..."
Orochimaru's smile was slightly ironic as he continued: "I set traps here merely as the last thing to do for my teacher. If you wish, I can stand with you against the teacher; under his rule, Konoha has indeed become corrupt..."
"Let's deal with the Monkey's trouble first!"
Hashirama still had some residual anger.
He never imagined that Konoha, which he founded, would turn out this way, with a Hokage manipulating plots in the shadows to seize power, killing his fellow villagers, and forcing the village's talented ninjas to defect!
"Kagura's power is indeed sufficient."
Orochimaru looked at Akihara Kagura and began smilingly: "The teacher has always been worried that you might rebel with force, so he has been politically suppressing you..."
Orochimaru raised a finger and chuckled: "However, Kagura, could you first release the two Hokages? I need to ensure my safety before I can let you meet Danzo. Wait for my message; I won't disappoint you..."
Akihara Kagura had no choice but to release the vines.
With the two Hokages, Orochimaru left, leaving Akihara Kagura alone on the bridge. Karin, always watching with her Kagura's Eye, immediately approached Kagura.
"Lord Kagura."
Karin looked at Akihara Kagura uneasily and whispered: "Did the Third Hokage really do those things?"
"Of course not."
Akihara Kagura shook his head, having no intention of taking responsibility for the lies he fabricated: "That was just bai to lure Lord Danzo. Orochimaru will surely tell everything to Lord Danzo when he returns, and they will definitely conspire to deceive the two Hokages..."
"But..."
"Black is black, white is white."
"The wrongs the Third Hokage has done, he must admit no matter what; and the things the Third Hokage didn't do will eventually be cleared of suspicion during confrontation..."
"Confrontation?"
Karin frowned.
"Yes..."
Akihara Kagura glanced at Karin and smiled lightly: "Lord Danzo can list the mistakes the Third Hokage made, but in trying to slander the Third Hokage, he forgets that he himself is not clean..."
Karin nodded thoughtfully.
"Let's go."
Akihara Kagura walked towards the fishing rods Karin had prepared, casually speaking: "Although we've already caught a big fish today, let's cast a couple more..."
After speaking, Kagura suddenly said: "Right, have that guy named Tazuna come over to fix the bridge! Let Team 7 finish their mission quickly!"
Team 7 was indeed worried about Akihara Kagura.
However, when they saw him safe and sound, they breathed a sigh of relief, especially Hatake Kakashi, who did not want to see Akihara Kagura fall here.
Time passed quickly.
Tazuna was hard at work repairing the bridge.
Hatake Kakashi and Team 7 were diligently training.
Akihara Kagura continued fishing with the ninja of Root, just before the completion of the great bridge. Meanwhile, Momochi Zabuza returned to the Land of Waves with the heads of several nobles from the Land of Water.
"This guy..."
"His combat strength is certainly not weak."
"I'm here to take back my Kubikiribōchō."
Zabuza dropped the pile of heads in front of Akihara Kagura and said coldly, "Every name on the smuggling list is accounted for. You can check for yourself..."
"I would like to check..."
Akihara Kagura looked at Zabuza, a hint of innocence in his eyes. "The key issue is, I don't even know the smugglers' list..."
"At this point, you still try to deceive me..."
Zabuza cursed, then looked towards Haku, carrying the Kubikiribōchō, and noticed his moist eyes, suddenly realizing something.
At this moment...
It seemed unnecessary for Akihara Kagura to lie to him.
"Haku... Did you really not tell him the list?"
Zabuza felt he might have made a mistake as he recalled what had happened that day. Had he been tricked?
However...
At this time, Zabuza was not in the mood to worry about those things.
Since he had left Haku, he had been missing the little one who had always been by his side; he knew he couldn't live without Haku.
Yet Zabuza stubbornly refused to apologize, staring at Haku with the Kubikiribōchō, he commanded coldly, "Come over here with the Kubikiribōchō and follow me, what are you doing standing there!"
"Lord Zabuza!"
Haku ran towards Zabuza!
"Wait..."
Akihara Kagura stopped Haku with a word, slowly looking at Zabuza, he said, "Zabuza, I only agreed to return the Kubikiribōchō to you..."
"Haku is my tool!"
Zabuza's face was filled with anger.
"The Kubikiribōchō is also your tool..."
Akihara Kagura continued baiing his hook and casting his line nonchalantly, "Besides, didn't you already leave both tools in the Land of Waves? Now you can only choose one, you better think it through, there is only one Kubikiribōchō..."
"..."
Zabuza fell silent.
It was a difficult choice.
The Kubikiribōchō could enhance his strength...
Choosing Haku meant losing the Kubikiribōchō, significantly weakening his power, making his dream of conquering the Mist Village seem like a fantasy...
However...
It was not a difficult choice.
Because Zabuza, at the time he killed those nobles from the Land of Water, knew that regaining power in the Mist Village was as hard as reaching the sky. He might as well retire quietly with Haku!
Zabuza chose Haku, giving up his ambitions, he understood what kind of life he should choose.
Zabuza snorted coldly, without hesitation looked at Haku, his attitude still arrogant: "Throw the Kubikiribōchō to that bastard!"
"Lord Zabuza!"
Tears of surprise flowed from Haku's eyes.
Although Zabuza's attitude remained fearless, he chose to give up the Kubikiribōchō for his sake!
Haku no longer had any reservations, and he tossed aside the Kubikiribōchō sword he had been carrying on his back, lunging towards Momochi Zabuza!
"Quiet down!"
Momochi Zabuza tousled Haku's hair and glanced longingly at the Kubikiribōchō before saying coldly, "Hey, the Konoha and the Mist are allies. Help me return the Kubikiribōchō, will you?"
"What are you dreaming about?"
Akihara Kagura looked at Momochi Zabuza as if he hadn't woken up from a dream, "The Kubikiribōchō is my trophy; how I handle it is none of your concern, is it?"
"You bastard..."
Momochi Zabuza was so infuriated he was about to explode.
However, before Momochi Zabuza could say anything more, Haku quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the scene, fearing that a conflict might erupt between Momochi Zabuza and Akihara Kagura.
"Lord Kagura..."
Karin glanced at the departing figures of Momochi Zabuza and Haku, still able to hear Momochi Zabuza's cursing and Haku's attempts to calm him down.
"What's the matter?"
Akihara Kagura was still intently watching the water's surface, acting as if he had done nothing, as if Momochi Zabuza and Haku had never been there.
"Lord Kagura..."
Karin stood next to Akihara Kagura, carefully muttering, "He's actually a good person, isn't he?"
"I think so too."
Akihara Kagura nodded in agreement, then said, "Take this Kubikiribōchō over to Orochimaru. Let him present it to the people of the Mist as a gift."
The Root ninjas felt like Karin's myopia had deepened, sensing that their superior, Akihara Kagura, really had no clue about them.
In the Land of Waves.
Inside Gato's house.
Orochimaru and Shimura Danzo were still carefully conspiring.
Shimura Danzo, knowing that they had received the active assistance of two Hokages this time, was overjoyed and convinced that the plan to collapse the Konoha would definitely succeed.
With the completion of the Bridge, Hatake Kakashi and Team 7 had returned to the Konoha, and Akihara Kagura returned with the Root ninjas, coinciding with an order from ANBU that Akihara Kagura must return to the Konoha as soon as possible.
Because…
The mid-year Chunin Exams were about to start.
As an advisor to the Hokage and a key figure in the village's military strength, Akihara Kagura had to be present in the village, unable to stay away on vacation any longer.
After all…
The participants from the Sand in the upcoming Chunin Exams were somewhat troublesome; it would be best if Akihara Kagura could return to the Konoha before the exams to oversee things.
In the Konoha Village.
At the mission assembly hall.
Hatake Kakashi and Team 7 had finally returned from their mission, having faced significant challenges. If it weren't for Akihara Kagura, it might have been difficult for them to return safely.
However, when Team 7 reported their completion of the mission, the payment for their first C-rank mission was not handed to them.
Because…
The duty officer had taken it for himself.
"I'll take this money for now."
Akihara Kagura casually wrote down the completion evaluation for Team 7, conveniently pocketing their mission payment: "You haven't forgotten what you promised me, have you? The rewards for this mission belong to me…"
"No... no..."
Naruto felt a pang of regret in his heart.
After all, this was the payment for the first C-rank mission he had completed.
"Alright, alright."
Akihara Kagura casually set aside the stack of reward money for the task, and continued, "I know the hardships you endure to complete these missions, and your rewards..."
"Eh!"
Naruto's face lit up with joy!
However, Kagura's next words immediately dampened Naruto's spirits: "I'll be sure to spend this money well, it should be enough for some barbecue..."
Naruto's forehead creased with frustration.
"Alright, head back and rest!"
Kagura waved his hand, signaling them to rest: "Don't forget to come pick up the hiring commission tomorrow, and remember you still owe Anko a lot in tutoring fees!"
Naruto, with a crestfallen face, looked towards Kagura: "So give us some more high-level missions! That way I can pay Anko back sooner!"
"You can't even handle a C-rank mission..."
Kagura shook his head, disapproving of his idea: "This time, you nearly died in the Land of Waves, thankfully I was on a mission there..."
"Speaking of which..."
Hatake Kakashi turned to Kagura and asked, "Does the Third Hokage know about the Land of Waves yet? Though, with you there, Orochimaru probably wouldn't dare sneak into Konoha, right?"
Kagura furrowed his brow and continued, "It's hard to say with that guy; he's reckless..."
"But..."
"The matter of the Land of Waves has been reported, and the Third Hokage is furious with Orochimaru's actions, but he's too preoccupied right now as the village has more pressing matters..."
[System Prompt]: [The mission to deal with smugglers between the Land of Water and the Land of Fire has been completed, eliminating their stronghold. Reward: Giant Shuriken Technique!]
[Giant Shuriken Technique (Summon a shuriken and enlarge it.)]
While submitting the mission, Kagura also mentioned the situation in the Land of Waves to Sarutobi Hiruzen, warning that Orochimaru might have designs on Konoha.
However...
Hiruzen was more concerned with the upcoming Joint Chunin Exams.
Because the Chunin Exam affects the alliances between Konoha, the Mist Village, and the Sand Village, as well as other minor Villages' attitudes towards Konoha.
After sending Hatake Kakashi and Team 7 away, Kagura stayed behind to continue his duty at the mission assembly hall, where he met an elderly Genin coming to submit his mission.
"Genin Kosuke Maruboshi."
After confirming his completed mission, Kagura suddenly called out to the Genin: "I've always heard from people in the village that you have good wilderness survival skills and cook delicious meals?"
"It's alright..."
The elderly man, carrying a black pot on his back, scratched his head sheepishly: "Maybe it's because everyone dislikes eating ration pills, which makes my cooking seem better..."
"I have a commission."
Kagura glanced at his assistant and continued, "My assistant is participating in this Chunin Exam, but she has no teammates and needs an experienced Genin..."
"I'm afraid I can't do that."
Kosuke Maruboshi shook his head softly, saying, "I don't want to be promoted..."
"Don't worry, I won't promote you."
Kagura waved his hand and continued, "Just help her get through the second stage, the Forest of Death. You can quit at the third stage, and I'll arrange another teammate for you who will probably quit at that stage too..."
"This..."
Kosuke Maruboshi hesitated for a moment, then decided to remind him proactively, "Lord Kagura, the village's Chunin Exam is no joke. Wilderness survival skills are essential for a ninja. If one's wilderness survival skills are not up to standard, it's probably best..."
"She won't be going on dangerous missions outside anymore."
Kagura looked at Kosuke Maruboshi and added, "Besides, I'm asking you to participate in the Chunin Exam because it's a large-scale event. I hope you can help keep an eye on the young ones in the village to avoid any mishaps during the exam…"
~~~
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