Two days had passed since Arthur's war ended.
The Leaf Village was in a state of distress about how to handle things. Of course, the daily routines of shinobi never ceased.
As the sun hung high and bright, Jasper and Alex were seen making their way down the main thoroughfare toward the Hokage Manor. The walk was a study in contrasts. Every few meters, a villager or a fellow shinobi would stop to bow or wave at Alex.
"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Alex!" a shopkeeper called out.
"Incredible job with things!" a Chūnin added, saluting as he passed.
He offered polite nods and practiced, humble smiles. Beside him, Jasper walked with his hands in his pockets and a bored expression. The villagers' eyes slid over him, or worse, narrowed with lingering suspicion. To them, he was just the guy standing next to the real hero.
"It's not all bad," Alex said, nudging Jasper.
"The heck are you on about? I don't care what they think."
"I meant your tan washed away," Alex joked. "Now they can shield their eyes when ya pass by." Jasper took a deep breath, not wishing to comment. "Still gonna keep the haircut?"
"Bro…!"
"I'm kidding! Haha."
As they continued walking, Jasper asked, "So Jada actually left, huh?"
"Yep."
"Think it's because of Arthur?"
"Maybe..." Alex answered, his tone turning thoughtful. "The village's gonna feel pretty empty with her gone."
Jasper glanced at him. "The heck do you think Arthur was planning with everything? I mean, reviving the clans and making those fake identities?"
"Who knows?" Alex answered, looking up at the Hokage monument. "He probably wanted to rewrite things so thoroughly that no one would know what was going to happen next. Like, break the canon so badly that not even we could predict the ending."
"You sure don't sound sure of yourself," Jasper stated, eyeing Alex's profile.
"I'm just happy he's not dead," Alex simply said.
"Why's that?"
Alex remained quiet. He just smiled at Jasper—a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, suggesting layers of strategy Jasper didn't care to unravel.
"Whatever, dude," Jasper muttered. "Keep your secrets."
"Ya mad 'cause Jada didn't say bye to you?"
"Yeah right. Girl doesn't like me anyways. I mean, who does?"
"Sounds like Alice's still giving you the silent treatment?"
Jasper scowled. "Dude, chill. You know she can see us right now. She's probably listening, too."
"I know," Alex chuckled, keeping his voice low. "I was just teasing you. Honestly, I'm just glad she accepted the plan."
By the time they entered the coolness of the Hokage Manor, the casual atmosphere had evaporated. They were ushered directly into Tsunade's office, where the elders were also present.
Alex wasted no time by taking the lead to lay out the proposal.
Tsunade had her hands pressed together as she absorbed everything. She already knew about Itachi, a fact known to only a select few. But the thought of sending another shinobi, especially someone as unpredictable as Jasper, made her stomach twist.
It felt like a gamble she didn't feel like taking.
"It's too risky," she said in a tight voice. "Jasper is capable, I know. But the Akatsuki are beyond dangerous. If they find out he's working for us, they'll kill him. Or worse."
Alex, however, remained steady. "That's precisely the point. They'll be interested because of who he is. That Akatsuki value those with uncommon abilities. And Jasper, he can look after himself."
When the room centered on Jasper, he spoke with nonchalance. "Pain himself asked me to join. If I go now and tell him I'm finished with the Leaf's deception, he'll believe me."
The council murmured amongst themselves. The logic was sound, even if the risk was astronomical. After a grueling hour of debate and risk assessment and Alex smoothing over every objection with terrifying logic, they finally relented.
From Hiruzen to Minato, they all accepted.
"Fine," Tsunade sighed, rubbing her temples. "Jasper, you are officially authorized for long-term deep cover infiltration. Do not get yourself killed."
Jasper suppressed a grin. "Understood."
Not many knew that he was quite thrilled. He was getting tired of the Leaf Village—the rules, the stares, and the boredom. The idea of hanging out with the bad guys, wearing the cloak, and actually doing something interesting appealed to his sensibilities.
Plus, he figured the Akatsuki would like him anyway. Especially Sasori, since it was Jasper who took out Orochimaru—a fact that was slowly spreading across the ninja world.
If anything, Pain would probably replace Deidara for Jasper. Little did anyone in this village know, however, Deidara was already dead, vaporized in his own final art.
Outside the manor, Alex and Jasper headed toward one of the village's concealed exits, a route used by ANBU for covert departures.
"So," Jasper said, adjusting his gear. "What are ya gonna do while I'm playing villain? Just sit around and sign autographs?"
"Well, tons, actually," Alex said, checking the perimeter. "For one, I was thinking of restarting Root."
Jasper stopped walking. "Dude, that was Danzo's creepy cult thing. The heck would you do that for?"
"For one, he's dead," Alex reminded. "And second, Root's infrastructure's been sitting there, rotting. Then we have Jugo and Karin as residents of the Leaf, and Kabuto and Suigetsu are still out there. So why not use them instead of having them as loose ends?"
Alex's expression darkened slightly. It was one thing to forget about Suigetsu, but everyone knew what would happen if Kabuto was let free to roam unchecked.
The lore was simple: Kabuto would assimilate Orochimaru's remains, travel to Ryūchi Cave, acquire Snake Sage Mode, and spend time digging up graves to create an army for the Fourth Great Ninja War.
"I dunno about you," Alex said, "but I get the feeling he'd try to copy Arthur and revive the whole dead as opposed to keeping them as corpses."
"I guess…'"
"Come on, dude! At least back me up on this. 'Root rebranded.' Has a nice ring to it!"
After a bit of back and forth about such an insane idea, the two eventually reached the secret exit—a nondescript section of the wall heavily masked by foliage. They waited for a moment in the shade of the trees.
"Jasper, I forgot to ask, did you ever apologize to Jada for that Final Truthseeker Orb thing?"
Jasper remained hesitant, not wishing to bring up the past. It was bad enough that he was about to murder her, but Alice revealed everything about his character. From Kaguya's Legacy to even his dealings with the Eight-Tails and Five-Tails.
Everyone was either upset or irritated. Especially Alice when she discovered he had a secret trait that allowed him to lie without it going unnoticed. It was one thing to do that; it was another for everyone to understand—through Arthur—that he was also Kaguya's reincarnation.
When asked how Arthur came across that book, no one knew. Not even Alex. Jasper revealed that he was planning on telling Arthur when they first fought the "secret" he never shared, but he was too upset at the time because of how strong Arthur was.
Alex wasn't let off the hook either. Since he had revealed his Tenseigan, they would all soon find out he had acquired it because he asked for Jasper's blood.
Many months ago, Jasper was trying to awaken the Tenseigan. Yet he failed time and time again. When Alex spotted Jasper secretly training it, he offered his own eyes.
But Jasper denied, feeling too disturbed that Alex would part with the Byakugan so carelessly. Both of them had it, yet it was never confirmed whether Alex's would be a suitable match to awakening the more highly coveted dōjutsu.
"Then why not give me your eyes?" Alex suggested at the time.
"Very funny, dude."
"I'm serious…!"
When Jasper still thought he was joking, he instead offered for Jasper to exchange their blood and test out whether one or the other could awaken it. Jasper agreed, only for neither of them to awaken it on the spot.
Only after secret training did Alex manage to unlock the Tenseigan—all without telling anyone. Whether there was more to this transformation or not, he chose only to share what he felt like to the group.
Of course, William, Alice, and Margaret found this hard to believe since there was only one confirmed way to awaken the Tenseigan. Whatever convoluted plot twist Alex managed to pull, no one was able to call him out on it because he hadn't sacrificed anyone to get that power.
So the matter was left alone. For now.
In the present time, Jasper asked, "Remind me again what I'm supposed to do in the Akatsuki?"
It took little time for Alex to explain. Jasper's initial mission, which the Leaf doesn't know about, is to try and convert Nagato while dismantling the Akatsuki from within. Since Jasper was going into enemy territory, he has to relay weekly information back to them while also trying to earn Itachi's trust in the process.
"Oh right," he scoffed. "Gonna be a literal pain if I get partnered with someone like Kakuzu."
"That's if you get partnered," Alex countered.
"What do ya mean?" While yes, Jasper was invited to join the Akatsuki. And indeed, everyone knew Arthur (as Kaito) also joined, but they weren't quite aware what Arthur's role was or if he had a partner to begin with. "So you're telling me I might just become a spy like Kabuto."
"Dude, that's still pretty good. If you become a spy, you'll just be helping us find someone like Kabuto quicker."
Before Jasper could voice his disdain, a ripple in the air signaled Alice's arrival. She appeared with her arms crossed and her face set in a hard line. "Jasper…"
"Here to see me off, babe?" His casual question was met with silence. "I'll be gone for months, ya know."
"I'm still mad at you," she flatly replied.
Alex couldn't help but laugh. "Hey, just be happy Jada gave him an Fr paper so we can keep track of him. If he gets into trouble, she'll zip right to him. Or shoot, pull him out of trouble if things get hectic."
"He should be happy it was marked on a piece of paper and not his forehead," Alice countered as her eyes narrowed at Jasper.
Jasper stepped closer to her. "I'll be careful, babe. Serious."
She sighed, letting her posture soften. Then she reached out to adjust the strap on his vest. "You better be. If you die out there, I'm finding a way to resurrect you just to kill you myself."
"Rawrrr."
After a final gear check, Jasper pulled his hood up, said his farewells, and faded into the forest shadows.
Alice stared at the spot where he vanished for a little longer. Then she soon turned to Alex.
"So," she said, her voice businesslike again. "You're really restarting Root?"
"Someone has to keep the garden free of weeds."
"How are you gonna get started?"
"Honestly haven't put too much thought into it." This was the truth. "But I will after helping Naruto and Will with something today." "What about you?"
"Actually," she said, brushing a stray hair from her face. "In a few weeks, I've got to travel to the Sand Village."
Alex was surprised. "What for?"
"They're preparing for the next upcoming Chūnin Exams," Alice explained. "It's said to start in a few months, right on time from after Naruto was supposed to leave the village with Jiraiya."
"Wait, so why are you going?"
"They requested the Leaf's aid in setting up the security and sensory nets. So the elders recommended I go and help with what I can."
Alex grinned. "Now that is cool."