From one end of the street to the other, the fading figures carried with them the sense of opportunity slipping away.
Watching them leave, Guy silently clenched his fist. He desperately wanted to follow and learn more about his former teacher, Ye Zi, but this time, his usual impulsive actions were held back by an unfamiliar hesitation.
Kurenai returned her dango to Guy's plate, feeling listless.
Kakashi subtly glanced at the unusually quiet Guy. For someone who usually acted without much thought, seeing him so subdued was a rare sight. The weight of their shared past with Ye Zi clearly held great significance for Guy.
Everyone who knew Ye Zi had a deep desire to uncover any news about him. The calm expressions on their faces were merely a weak facade.
Meanwhile, Kushina, Tsunade, and Jiraiya arrived at the Hokage's office. After a formal knock, the conversation inside came to a halt, with the last sound faintly resembling Orochimaru's name.
Hearing Orochimaru mentioned, Tsunade and Jiraiya exchanged a brief glance but didn't dwell on it.
"Come in," Minato's gentle voice called from inside.
The three of them entered the office and were somewhat surprised to see Hiruzen Sarutobi also present.
Seeing Jiraiya, Minato's face lit up with a smile. "Jiraiya-sensei, you're back."
Minato had already been informed of Jiraiya's return by the village guards, but he had been in the middle of discussing important matters with Sarutobi and couldn't leave to greet him.
"Yeah," Jiraiya smiled back as he, Tsunade, and Kushina walked into the office.
"Were you just discussing Orochimaru?" Jiraiya asked casually as he took in the familiar surroundings, which hadn't changed much in the past six months.
Minato exchanged a quick glance with Hiruzen before nodding. "Yes, we were."
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What about him?"
"We'll discuss that later," Minato said, his gaze briefly flicking over to Kushina, who remained outwardly calm. He then turned back to Jiraiya and asked seriously, "Now that you're back, I assume you've gathered enough information?"
Jiraiya was curious about the conversation regarding Orochimaru, but since Minato prioritized the matter of the Akatsuki, he didn't press further. Nodding, he replied, "I've gathered a general idea, but it's mostly surface-level information. Digging deeper won't be easy."
"What kind of organization is it, exactly?" Minato's eyes narrowed as he recalled White Zetsu's attempt to steal the forbidden scroll from the village. This indicated that the Akatsuki was driven by a need for power, and with the war just over, he wanted to avoid any further conflict.
Jiraiya frowned slightly. "The organization is called Akatsuki, and on the surface, they appear to be a mercenary group primarily focused on making money. But based on what I've gathered, it's not as simple as that. For the past six months, members of the Akatsuki—including Ye Zi—have been focused on accumulating wealth. What's interesting is that nearly all of their members share one common trait."
At the mention of Ye Zi, both Kushina and Tsunade's expressions shifted slightly.
"Common trait?" Hiruzen furrowed his brows, sensing a connection.
"They're all rogue ninjas. That's the common thread linking the members of Akatsuki," Jiraiya said gravely.
Everyone present immediately thought of Ye Zi.
"For the past six months, I've only been able to gather information on the organization's peripheral members, so my understanding is still incomplete. However, I can confirm that the core members of Akatsuki—of which Ye Zi is one—each have a code name. Their base of operations is in... Amegakure."
"Amegakure?" Tsunade was taken aback. "Could it be...?"
Jiraiya glanced at her and continued solemnly, "No, if my guess is correct, Hanzō is dead."
The man who had once defeated the three Sannin and given them their title was dead?
Everyone was shocked into silence upon hearing this.
"I managed to extract some information from a Rain ninja I encountered. The current leadership in Amegakure refers to their leader as a 'god.' This suggests that Hanzō was killed and replaced, but the outside world is unaware of this because Amegakure has adopted a closed-door policy. Whoever replaced Hanzō is no ordinary figure. That's why, without sufficient intel, I didn't risk infiltrating Amegakure myself."
"What's clear is that Amegakure is now Akatsuki's base of operations. It's possible that the organization originated in the Land of Rain. As for why Ye Zi joined Akatsuki and faked his death to deceive Iwagakure, it's likely that he had ties to the organization long before."
Hiruzen's eyes widened slightly as a possibility crossed his mind. Furrowing his brow, he said uncertainly, "I once assigned Ye Zi a mission to the Land of Rain to apprehend a rogue ninja named Hara Kanyoru. Could it have started back then? But that was several years ago."
"That might be part of it, but if you want clearer answers, you'd have to ask Danzō. After all, once Ye Zi joined Root, he took on missions that even you didn't know about," Jiraiya remarked to Minato. "Regardless of whether Ye Zi's involvement with Akatsuki was premeditated or not, he's now one of their members and a rogue ninja of Konoha."
"To be honest, I initially volunteered for this mission because I didn't want Tsunade to take the risk, and yes, my decision was influenced by Ye Zi."
Tsunade turned her head away, clearly unmoved by Jiraiya's sentiment.
With a wry smile, Jiraiya continued, "But the deeper I looked into Akatsuki, the more I realized that what you need to focus on isn't Ye Zi, but the organization itself."
"Even though Akatsuki seems to be primarily focused on making money, and it looks like they want to become a new ninja force by taking control of Amegakure, I have a gut feeling that there's more going on beneath the surface."
"Given the caliber of Ye Zi, the other core members of Akatsuki must also be formidable. Based on the information I've gathered on three individuals, they are all S-ranked rogue ninjas from various villages."
As soon as Jiraiya finished speaking, Tsunade impatiently asked, "Are there any members of Akatsuki who can use Wood Release?"
"I don't know," Jiraiya replied frankly.
Wood Release was the signature technique of the First Hokage. If someone else could use it, questions about their origins would arise. After all, the Senju clan was still in the village.
The possibility of Wood Release being used by someone outside Konoha added layers to an already complex mystery.
Minato's eyes reflected deep thought.
If someone within Akatsuki did possess Wood Release, it might be the same black-and-white creature that had attempted to steal the scroll from Konoha. During that incident, the creature had disappeared by merging into the trees, though Minato wasn't certain whether that was related to Wood Release or another ability.
Throughout the conversation, Kushina remained calm, quietly listening without revealing what she was thinking.
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Currently on Chapter 282 - A Successful Escape?