"Akatsuki?!"
Haku's face was filled with shock.
Earlier today, just a short while ago, he had become a member of this extremely dangerous organization.
The shadow reminded him again, "Any information you uncover about this organization must be reported to me immediately. Remember, all of it!"
Should I report on myself?
Haku opened his mouth, wanting to confess to the shadow that he had already joined the Akatsuki.
But just as the words reached his lips, he swallowed them back down.
The terror of the Akatsuki had genuinely frightened him.
Whether it was Zabuza Momochi, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, or Uchiha Itachi, who had single-handedly wiped out the Uchiha clan—these were figures he thought were far beyond his reach.
He never imagined he would become colleagues with such figures, joining the same organization.
At the same time, the Akatsuki was so powerful that he feared if he leaked their secrets, not only would it put him and every informant in his network in danger, but it might also endanger the innocent Uchiha Shinji.
Moreover, there was something else he couldn't bring himself to admit.
Even though he had joined the Akatsuki and become one of its members, he didn't know much more about the organization than anyone else.
Even if he were to report now, he couldn't provide any valuable intelligence.
And so, Haku found himself in deep internal conflict.
Seeing the grave expression on Haku's face, with furrowed brows, the shadow assumed he was overwhelmed by the information about the Akatsuki. Not paying much mind, the shadow concluded, "That's it for today. Be careful on your way back."
With that, the shadow disappeared behind the tree, and the forest returned to silence.
It took a long time before Haku let out a long, drawn-out sigh.
Everything that had happened today was too bizarre.
One moment, he didn't understand why he had been chosen and was forced into joining a mysterious organization called the Akatsuki.
The next moment, he was ordered to investigate everything about the Akatsuki.
His head was buzzing with confusion.
Meanwhile, back at the apartment.
After hearing Coalball's report, Uchiha Shinji looked surprised. "That's all he said?"
Coalball, while diligently counting the money, replied, "Yep, that's all there was."
Why didn't he report back to his superior?
Uchiha Shinji was puzzled.
After seeing Haku sneak out late at night, he had already assumed he'd been exposed and mentally prepared himself to give up on Haku as a servant.
But to his surprise, Haku had actually kept his promise and hadn't leaked the secret!
Satisfied, Coalball stuffed the money into his little pouch and then remembered to add, "Oh yeah, he's definitely trying to get close to you. Be careful!"
"I've known that for a while."
Uchiha Shinji's expression didn't change.
He had long since noticed that Haku was deliberately approaching him. He just hadn't been sure why—until now.
He knew exactly what the Uchiha had done to the Hidden Mist Village.
More precisely, it wasn't the Uchiha clan that had caused trouble for the Hidden Mist—it was Uchiha Madara.
During the decades that Madara had faked his death and hidden within the shinobi world, he had used the power of the Sharingan to manipulate the Hidden Mist from the shadows.
Behind several of the shinobi world wars and the internal conflicts in the Hidden Mist Village, Madara's influence was present.
He had even orchestrated the Three-Tails' rampage in the Hidden Leaf during the Third Great Ninja War, which led to Rin Nohara's death, and Obito Uchiha's descent into darkness, turning him into Madara's pawn.
So, it was no surprise that the Hidden Mist hated the Uchiha clan.
In the original timeline, the Hidden Mist had remained oblivious to Madara's influence. Even when the Fourth Mizukage, who wanted to revive the Hidden Mist, was manipulated by Obito, the village fell further into decline.
It wasn't until the Fifth Mizukage came to power that the Hidden Mist finally escaped the shadow of the Sharingan.
Now, it seemed that something had changed. The Hidden Mist appeared to have discovered what Uchiha Madara had done to them, which is why they had gone to great lengths to plant Haku as a spy in the Hidden Leaf to investigate the Uchiha.
"Looks like the Hidden Mist is already on guard. Obito might not find it so easy to manipulate the Fourth Mizukage again..."
Shaking off these thoughts, Uchiha Shinji returned his focus.
The Hidden Mist's issues were none of his concern. He had his own problems to worry about, and as long as Haku kept his secret, he didn't care what the Hidden Mist was up to!
At that moment, Coalball glanced sneakily at Uchiha Shinji.
Sensing Coalball's gaze, Uchiha Shinji asked, "What is it?"
"Shinji-chan..."
Coalball approached.
Uchiha Shinji warned, "Stop calling me Shinji-chan!"
Coalball extended a paw and gently nudged Uchiha Shinji. "Just be careful, don't get yourself killed."
Uchiha Shinji froze for a moment, feeling oddly touched.
But before he could respond, Coalball added, "You still owe me a debt, you know!"
Uchiha Shinji's face darkened. "Wow, how thoughtful of you!"
Coalball nodded seriously. "Of course, I don't want to be out of a job anytime soon."
Uchiha Shinji grabbed Coalball by the scruff of his neck and lifted him up.
"What are you doing, what are you doing?!"
"Your workday isn't over yet!" Without minding Coalball's struggle, Uchiha Shinji said, "Come with me. We've got another target!"
As a Junior Lampbearer, Uchiha Shinji could have two attendants.
Now that he had secured one, he needed to quickly recruit a second one!
Before long, he led Coalball to another apartment building not far from his own.
Pointing to a second-floor unit, he whispered to Coalball, "Stay hidden in the shadows and watch the owner of that apartment. See if they do anything suspicious. Keep watch until sunrise, then you can go."
Coalball raised a paw. "I protest!"
"Protest denied!"
Without further ado, Uchiha Shinji disappeared into the night.
...
Inside the second-floor apartment.
Karin was curled up on the bed, hugging her knees.
Although she had many classmates at school, her special status made her afraid to get close to anyone, fearing suspicion.
For this reason, she had become particularly withdrawn.
Thinking about her classmates, and particularly about Uchiha Shinji, who had a similar background to her, as well as Haku, she felt a strong urge to approach them and befriend them.
"I really want to be their friend!"
This feeling of being surrounded by people yet always feeling so isolated was unbearable.
Suddenly.
She heard a noise from the balcony.
Just as Karin was about to get up and investigate, she saw a figure step onto the balcony and enter the room.
Thankfully, the person didn't approach her but instead leaned casually against the wall, looking at her with interest.
"Who... who are you?"
Karin tensed up immediately.
The figure wore a mask and a black cloak with red clouds, giving off a mysterious aura.
There was no doubt about it.
The person who had infiltrated Karin's apartment was Uchiha Shinji.
In a playful tone, Uchiha Shinji said, "To be honest, I'm curious—what do you plan to do with the Nine-Tails?"
Hearing this, Karin felt like she had been struck by lightning. She instinctively took two steps back, her eyes filled with panic.
Uchiha Shinji thought to himself, "Gotcha!"