Sarutobi Asuma breathed a sigh of relief.
On this mission, Sarutobi Asuma brought his prized disciple, Nara Shikamaru, along for some training. For this disciple, it was a valuable experience.
Sarutobi Asuma hadn't expected the members of the Akatsuki to be so powerful. The guy named Kakuzu almost defeated them single-handedly!
Fortunately...
Fortunately, at the critical moment...
Reinforcements from the village arrived.
Sarutobi Asuma's heart finally stopped hanging in suspense.
Just moments ago, he had been prepared to sacrifice himself.
The only regret he had was that his girlfriend, Kurenai Yuhi, was pregnant, and he might never see their child born. He never expected his long-deceased father to appear among the reinforcements and even save him.
Sarutobi Hiruzen also didn't expect it.
This time, he ended up saving his youngest son, Sarutobi Asuma.
Akihara Kagura didn't let other Hokages lead the team, but instead had him and the First Hokage come for the rescue. Perhaps he had foreseen this situation?
"Let's retreat!"
Kakuzu immediately called for Hidan to escape!
Although Akihara Kagura had informed them that the members of Root were all his men, Kakuzu could never have imagined that the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was also one of Akihara Kagura's people!
However...
When Hashirama appeared before Kakuzu, his heart was filled with utter despair. This nightmare from sixty years ago had reappeared...
"We meet again, Kakuzu."
Hashirama was very enthusiastic when facing someone from his era: "Last time we met, we didn't get a chance to have a good chat..."
The last time...
Was in Orochimaru's Sound Village.
"I really don't want to meet a monster from the same era again..."
Kakuzu didn't want to see Hashirama at all, nor did he want to chat with him. He was very worried about falling into Konoha's hands.
No matter how high Akihara Kagura's status was in Konoha, claiming that Root was his territory, could he really be stronger than the revived First and Third Hokages?
Unfortunately...
Kakuzu had no choice but to comply.
"Wood Release: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees!"
Vines and roots sprouted from the ground!
These vines and roots instantly bound Kakuzu and his four masked beasts, even Hidan wasn't spared!
With just one technique, Hashirama captured Kakuzu and Hidan, and took them back to Root with the Root ninjas, leaving Sarutobi Hiruzen to deal with Sarutobi Asuma and the Konoha ninjas.
"What exactly is going on?"
Sarutobi Asuma looked at his father and asked, "Did someone in the village use the Edo Tensei to revive you?"
"Yes."
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Asuma and saw his son protecting Nara Shikamaru during Kakuzu's attack, and sighed: "Asuma, do you finally understand the meaning of Konoha's existence?"
"…"
Sarutobi Asuma lowered his head, picked up his fallen cigarette, and put it back in his mouth, still not used to his father's lecturing: "Are you going to start nagging again? The fact that you and the First Hokage are revived should be a village secret, right? Hurry back!"
"Hehehe..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head and chuckled, feeling more relaxed than his son, because he too understood Akihara Kagura's stance through this incident: "Then I'll head back first. Make sure to properly guide the future of the village..."
"Got it."
Sarutobi Asuma muttered somewhat impatiently.
Perhaps because it was rare to see his father, or perhaps because he didn't know when the next time would be, Sarutobi Asuma added on a whim: "By the way, Kurenai and I are having a child, and I plan to name the child Mirai..."
"I know about this..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had been staying in Root and had a good flow of information, said earnestly: "Work hard to become a good father, and don't let your child be disappointed in you like I did..."
"I won't."
Sarutobi Asuma shook his head, his gaze fixed on his father as he took a deep drag of his cigarette. "A child will never be disappointed in his father... The things we don't understand as children, we come to understand when we grow up."
"..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen seemed surprised that his son had given him an answer. He shook his head with a wry smile. "Hehehe... Well, I'll be off then."
"..."
Sarutobi Asuma watched as his father's figure receded into the distance.
Nara Shikamaru, rubbing his chin and mimicking his father's contemplative pose, began to think. "If the First and Third Hokage have been resurrected, then perhaps the Second and Fourth Hokage have also been revived..."
This was a significant matter.
The appearance of the former Hokages was a major event for the politics of Konoha. Sarutobi Asuma might not have realized this yet, but Shikamaru had already thought about it. He also considered how the resurrection of the previous Hokages would significantly strengthen Konoha's power.
However...
Shikamaru didn't overlook another matter.
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, had taken the members of the Akatsuki to the Root division. This meant that the resurrected Hokages should all be within the Root division of the village. No wonder the Root's authority had been steadily increasing, even overshadowing the Hokage's direct command, the Anbu, at times...
While Shikamaru was still deep in thought, Sarutobi Asuma placed his hand on his disciple's shoulder, smiling as he praised him. "Shikamaru, you did well this time, but you'll need to continue your special training when we get back..."
"Yes."
Nara Shikamaru nodded heavily, his mind weighed down.
On the other side.
Inside the Root base.
Kakuzu and Hidan had just been escorted into the Root base.
A red-haired kunoichi with glasses beckoned them, leading them into the depths of the Root base. "Even though you were captured by Konoha's ninjas, there's no need to worry about your safety. Lord Kagura will rescue you. For now, you'll need to stay in the Root base to prevent any rumors that could harm Lord Kagura..."
"How do you know about our dealings with Akihara Kagura..."
Kakuzu glanced in surprise at the red-haired kunoichi.
"You have Lord Kagura's curse mark on you."
The red-haired kunoichi immediately identified the curse mark on Kakuzu, even revealing his secret. "You have five chakra focal points on your body. Besides your heart, are the other spots also your hearts?"
"..."
Kakuzu's eyes widened abruptly.
This kid's perception is that sharp?
She saw through his secret with just a glance?
"The Root will protect you."
Karin looked at Kakuzu and Hidan, advising them. "During this period, do not leave the Root base. When Lord Kagura returns, he will find a way to get you out."
"That would be best."
Kakuzu nodded in agreement.
"However..."
Karin hesitated for a moment before continuing, "There is someone in the Root who has been seeking information about Uchiha Itachi. He might come to question you about Uchiha Itachi..."
"That guy said..."
Hidan impatiently fixed his hair, looking up and muttering, "We can tell him about Uchiha Itachi."
Within Konoha Village.
The news of the two Akatsuki members being captured had not been kept from certain informed individuals.
At the very least, Uchiha Sasuke of the Root certainly knew. He immediately ended his training and returned to the Root, seeking to extract information about Uchiha Itachi from these two individuals.
"Karin, I want to interrogate them."
Uchiha Sasuke made his request, his voice serious. "The members of the Akatsuki must know about Uchiha Itachi. I need to extract information about him from those two..."
"Alright."
Karin nodded and then reminded, "However, they are Lord Kagura's guests. When Lord Kagura returns, he may still need them for something, so absolutely no violent means can be used against them..."
"I understand."
Uchiha Sasuke quickly nodded and, looking at Karin in front of him, coldly snorted, "Hmph, I'm not an idiot. If I violated the rules of the Root, how could I compete with you for the position of the future leader of the Root..."
"You idiot..."
Karin rubbed her temples.
Everyone in the Root knew that Uchiha Sasuke and she were competing for the position of future leader of the Root. It was not surprising that many Uchiha supported Uchiha Sasuke because he represented their avenger.
However, Karin also had her advantages...
Tendo Shisui stood by her side, which influenced many Uchiha.
But...
The current leader of the Root, Akihara Kagura, was still very young!
Meanwhile.
In the Land of Lightning, in Cloud Village.
The Fourth Raikage was the first to know that the village's Two-Tails Jinchuriki, Yugito Nii, had gone missing after engaging in battle with members of the Akatsuki organization. In a fit of rage, he immediately summoned the village's ninjas to search for Yugito Nii to prevent the village's tailed beast from being lost.
It was at this moment that the Fourth Raikage received news.
Akihara Kagura, the assistant to the Hokage of Konoha, had arrived in the Land of Lightning and was heading towards Cloud Village, seemingly with unfriendly intentions.
"What is Konoha's Hokage assistant doing here?"
The Fourth Raikage could not understand Akihara Kagura's intentions. He would have preferred a visit from Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage of Konoha, as he had some acquaintance with her.
"Should we take the opportunity to detain him?"
The Fourth Raikage had always been keen on collecting secret techniques and kekkei genkai from various ninja villages, and naturally coveted the wood release kekkei genkai of Akihara Kagura. Furthermore, it was widely known in the ninja world that Akihara Kagura was an experimental subject.
Theoretically...
As long as they obtained Akihara Kagura's body, they could uncover the secrets of the wood release, which was the power of the God of Ninja. Having wood release would be enough to accomplish any grand ambition!
Konoha had always treated the ninja villages of Sand Village and Mist Village as their vassals, using their alliance to suppress Cloud Village and Rock Village, mainly because of the power of wood release that Akihara Kagura possessed.
However...
This was also the crux of the problem.
Akihara Kagura had always displayed formidable combat power. Since he appeared in the ninja world, he had never been defeated, even having single-handedly taken on a great nation's ninja village multiple times and emerged victorious each time.
Just as the Fourth Raikage was contemplating using his less adept strategic skills to devise a plan for capturing or obtaining Akihara Kagura's body when he was alone, someone made a decision for him.
Raikage's office.
The Fourth Raikage walked in with a group of people.
This Raikage called in his strategists, pushing open the door to his office to discuss matters regarding Akihara Kagura: "The assistant to the Hokage of Konoha has come to the Land of Lightning alone. That wood release boy's kekkei genkai..."
"Crunch, crunch..."
A sound of someone eating an apple unexpectedly came from the Raikage's office.
A stranger appeared in the office, sitting on the Fourth Raikage's favorite sofa, biting into an apple nonchalantly. When a group of Cloud Village higher-ups entered, he showed no fear and even asked for more fruit.
"Your Land of Lightning's apples aren't crispy enough. Can I have some pears?"
~~~
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