"Deidara died on your watch?" Nagato asked emotionlessly. However, Obito could feel a sense of disdain directed at him in Nagato's voice. The image of 'Uchiha Madara' he created in Nagato's and Konan's minds long ago was slightly shaken. After all, if Madara couldn't stop a teenager, was there any reason to treat him like he was in his prime?
Obito understood it. Unfortunately, there wasn't much he could do considering that something else had happened during the battle which was far more humiliating than Deidara's death. He ignored their hidden disdain and replied, "Deidara may have betrayed Akatsuki. Or rather, he had some dealings with Fujin. It was why I didn't save him. Fujin turned on him to ensure that we didn't get any information."
Nagato and Konan were surprised by the revelation but didn't care much. After all, Deidara's death didn't affect Akatsuki much and Akatsuki was already dealing with another traitor. Obito continued, "As for Suzuki Fujin, he is a rather odd young man. Don't underestimate him if you face him in battle. Zetsu will inform you about his abilities."
Obito was about to leave when Nagato said, "Sasori is without a partner once again. We'll have to find a replacement for Deidara."
Obito nodded before disappearing into his dimension. Konan muttered, "To think the mighty Uchiha Madara failed to protect a rank S ninja from a young Shinobi… I knew he had lost his strength, but I didn't think he'd deteriorate to this condition."
Nagato replied, "Even so, his ability can't be underestimated."
Konan nodded. She had no intention of taking him lightly. While they were allies, she was extremely suspicious of him and was preparing a plan in case he ever targeted Nagato.
[A/N: Ideas for a new partner for Sasori are welcomed. Exceptions: Tobi, Fourth Mizukage.]
——
"I didn't expect that boy would force you to use Izanagi." Black Zetsu muttered in an underground base when he noticed a crack in the space. Obito appeared in the room while taking his mask off. A couple of cuts were visible on his face and the side of his head. In addition, his left eye had gone blind!
Obito said, "Yes, thankfully Sasori doesn't know about this jutsu and thinks it was some sort of Genjutsu. Otherwise, my image would have been hurt even more."
White Zetsu said, "Suzuki Fujin is dangerous. This is the second time he killed an Akatsuki member. If you hadn't shown up, Sasori might have been killed as well. I'm afraid Kakuzu's team wouldn't stand a chance against him either. Unless Pain or you move, only Itachi and Kisame could win, assuming he doesn't convince Kisame that Itachi is a spy."
Obito agreed. Fujin's abilities were already quite strong. In addition, he was also excellent at scheming. Together, these two aspects made him extremely dangerous.
He thought for a bit and said, "In the next gathering, inform everyone about Fujin's abilities and the threat he possesses. I doubt they'll take the warning too seriously, but they'll at least be prepared. Inform me if any other team ends up confronting him. I'm interested in seeing how many more hidden cards he has in his arsenal."
White Zetsu replied, "I will."
Obito walked into another room while saying, "Also, keep an eye on Nagato. I doubt he'd betray me, but it's better to be careful than be caught off guard."
Obito focused on healing himself and replacing his left eye with another three-tomoe sharingan.
——
After completing their discussions, Fujin left the army in Renjiro's care and moved to the Fire Capital along with the negotiation team. As he laid his eyes on the grand city, he raised an eyebrow and muttered, "That's strange. Is there some sort of celebration or a welcome party?"
Hiromasa chuckled and said, "The latter. They do this once in a while when important people from Konoha show up. Considering our recent victories, they also have a reason to celebrate. What better time to do that than now, when 6 of Konoha's council members are arriving."
He turned his gaze towards Fujin and said, "You played a huge role in all three of our victories. The news has already spread throughout the country and people have heard the stories of your strength, courage and valor. They would want to see you in person."
Fujin glanced at the entrance of the city. He could see that both sides of the road were jam-packed by common people. He sighed internally, 'As a ninja, fame is not exactly good. On the contrary, it is quite detrimental as no one would underestimate you anymore and your enemies would conduct extensive research on your abilities…
Unfortunately, I don't think I can keep hiding in the shadows anymore. My movements in the last month and a half have been too spectacular. And, unlike my previous actions, they were all conducted in the daylight. Luckily, I still have a good number of my abilities hidden alongside a couple of identities that could still be underestimated by others.'
As soon as the group stepped into the city, their eyes landed on the Fire Daimyo, who was present with several other nobles and officials to welcome Konoha's group. Fujin thought, 'Now that's a rare sight. The Daimyo of the five great nations rarely engage in such displays. Even though they don't hold much power, they still have to keep up appearances. I suppose this just shows how important the talks with Sunagakure will be.'
Homura and Koharu stepped ahead to meet the Daimyo. With a smile on his face, Homura said, "Daimyo-sama, I didn't expect to see you here."
The Fire Daimyo laughed cordially and said, "How could I not when you two are coming here? Welcome to my humble city. It's good to see you two again."
The three elder people interacted like they hadn't met for years, even though Fire Daimyo had been in Konoha just a week ago. While they chatted, the spectators were looking at the Konoha ninjas, with over 90% of them staring at Fujin. While the crowd maintained silence to show respect to the Daimyo, a few murmurs were heard.
"Who among them is Konoha's Sword?"
"Of course, it's him! He is the only young one here."
"Gosh! He's so young!"
"So, he's Konoha's Sword! It's so cool to see him!"
While the murmurs were soft, Fujin's ears picked it up. He wondered in confusion, 'Konoha's sword? What in the…???'
Suddenly, the Fire Daimyo turned his head towards Fujin and said, "It's good to see Konoha's Sword too. Everyone here has been waiting to see the young hero. Even my grandkids pestered me all day, hahaha."
Fujin's left eye involuntarily twitched as he wondered, 'So they were indeed referring to me… Which asshole gave me such a lousy title?'
Before Fujin could say anything, Hiromasa laughed, patted Fujin's back and said, "I forgot to mention it earlier. In light of your recent achievements, everyone in Konoha has been referring to you by that title. The name caught on very quickly."
The Daimyo smiled and said, "Oh, I didn't know you were unaware. I'm glad that you heard it from me then. It's good to see you again too, Hiromasa."
The group interacted for a few minutes before taking the main road to Daimyo's palace, while being cheered by thousands of people. Fujin didn't pay much attention to the proceedings and instead wondered, 'How did I get such a title? And, how did it spread so quickly?'
He thought for a bit before concluding, 'A title generally spreads as a result of an incident, several incidents or a feature of that ninja. My previous title spread purely due to my actions. As I continued assassinating, the title caught on very quickly. I guess I also got credit for some of the kills that weren't done by me.
However, Konoha's Sword… This title is a little weird. Instead of describing me, it's a title that'll boost the morale of Konoha ninjas. There's no way an enemy would give me this title… It's definitely Shikaku's… No, he's too lazy to take the initiative to do something like this. It must be that old fox! Sigh, why is he messing with me while in a coma? Is he really in a coma or just pretending to be to avoid paperwork and force either of his students to finally accept his seat?'
Fujin couldn't help but sigh. While he didn't care what moniker he was referred to with, he had one small complaint, 'Why is my new title lamer than my old one? Couldn't they think of something better than Spectral Swordsman? Sigh, I need to prepare a recovery gift for Hiruzen for when he finally wakes up.'
After a meeting in his palace, the Daimyo got Konoha's group settled in the best hotel in the Fire Capital. Five days later, Sunagakure's negotiation team arrived. Even though they received a welcome, it wasn't exactly warm. Even experienced leaders like Yura and Arisa became nervous, let alone the weaker ninjas following them.