Though the Hidden Grass Village was second only to the five great shinobi villages in scale, the unexplained disappearance of over a hundred people was enough to severely weaken the "Flower of Kusa" faction. Worse, with the "Fruit of Kusa" faction suppressing them, replenishing their losses was nearly impossible.
For a moment, both the Grass Anbu planted within the "Fruit of Kusa" and the small figure known as Ryūgo stood in silence, overwhelmed with uncertainty.
The situation was utterly dire, with no glimmer of hope in sight!
After a long pause, the Grass Anbu spoke, "Ryūgo… you should leave."
The small figure, Ryūgo, looked stunned. "Brother, what are you saying? I'm a shinobi of the Grass Village. This is my home, where my family and friends are. Why would I leave?"
The Kusa Anbu shook their head. "This isn't the Grass Village it used to be."
They had witnessed the village's changes over the years.
If the village leadership's earlier ambitions to revive the Land of Grass were still tolerable, their actions over the past few months were utterly unacceptable.
Especially the mass disappearances within the "Flower of Kusa" faction, which the village leadership blatantly ignored—a clear sign that the "Fruit of Kusa" was involved.
Such brazen political purges not only chilled the "Flower of Kusa" but also sent shivers through the village's neutral factions.
Ryūgo, though small in stature, had eyes burning with determination. "I'm not leaving! I'll stay to help you and Muku. As long as we hold on, we'll surely gain everyone's support!"
The Grass Anbu gave a bitter smile. "I hope so. Hurry back and deliver the information to the elder. They might come up with a plan."
Ryūgo nodded eagerly, bid farewell to the Grass Anbu, and slipped into an alley.
After weaving through the village for some time to ensure no one was tailing her, Ryūgo entered a hidden tunnel, emerging at a covert base outside the village.
This was the secret stronghold of the "Flower of Kusa," where the two sidelined "Flower of Kusa" elders resided.
After reporting her brother's findings to the elder, Ryūgo asked, "Elder, is this information useful?"
The elder was silent for a moment before responding, "Your brother's report has confirmed many things. Now, I have a mission for you."
Ryūgo asked solemnly, "What mission?"
The elder produced a scroll sealed with the word "Classified" and handed it to Ryūgo. "Deliver this intelligence to the Hidden Leaf Village."
Ryūgo blinked. "To the Hidden Leaf?"
The elder said no more, only waving a hand to urge Ryūgo to depart.
In truth, the situation in Grass was far graver than Ryūgo and her brother realized. The recent disappearances weren't in the hundreds but numbered in the thousands.
Beyond the "Flower of Kusa," many neutral factions in the village and minor shinobi clans and factions within the Land of Grass had also lost members.
If the targeting were limited to the "Flower of Kusa," it might be understandable. But this frenzied scope was clearly abnormal, leading the elder to suspect that it wasn't the "Fruit of Kusa" gone mad, but rather a powerful external force manipulating them.
In the shinobi world, few factions possessed such capability.
Aside from the five great shinobi villages, only the recently dormant Akatsuki remained a possibility.
With the "Flower of Kusa" already pushed to the brink, bringing in the Hidden Leaf was the elder's last resort.
If it was proven that the Akatsuki was controlling the "Fruit of Kusa," the "Flower of Kusa" would gain significant merit. Even if unproven, introducing the Hidden Leaf's influence could counterbalance the increasingly radical and deranged "Fruit of Kusa" faction.
To gain the Hidden Leaf's trust, the elder had detailed the "Fruit of Kusa's" plot to target the Nine-Tails, along with a list of all Grass spies embedded in the Hidden Leaf, within the classified scroll.
Carrying the classified scroll, Ryūgo left the stronghold.
Such a critical mission demanded immediate departure, but thinking of her promise to her friend Muku, she hesitated. Ultimately, she went to the tree where she and Muku had agreed to meet.
However, under the tree, she didn't find the graceful boy she admired. Instead, she found only a letter pinned down by a stone.
Opening it, she saw it was from Muku.
In the letter, Muku wrote that he was undertaking a grand mission to revive the Land of Grass, urging Ryūgo not to worry and to await his good news.
"Ugh, couldn't you at least wait to tell me in person?"
Ryūgo pouted, then carefully tucked away Muku's letter. With no further hesitation, she set off toward the Land of Fire.
In a secret underground chamber in the Hidden Grass Village.
An elder of the "Fruit of Kusa" faction bowed respectfully to a shadowy figure nearby. "My lord, I've brought the person you requested."
Muku, standing behind the elder, looked puzzled.
The elder was among the most powerful figures in the village, yet the shadowy figure clearly wasn't the leader. Muku couldn't understand why the elder was so deferential, almost groveling, to this stranger.
As he pondered, the shadowy figure turned around.
Seeing the figure's eyes, Muku froze in shock, blurting out, "'Upper Moon Two'!? You… you're from the Akatsuki…"
The elder immediately barked, "Insolent!"
The shadowy figure raised a hand. "No matter."
Stepping forward, he emerged fully from the shadows, revealing his form.
Undoubtedly, this figure, treated as an honored guest in Grass's secret chamber, was Kokushibo, his pupils marked with the words "Upper Moon Two"!
Kokushibo appraised Muku and said, "Your physique is unique. You may be able to withstand my power."
Muku took a step back, looking at the elder in disbelief. "Elder, how could you conspire with the Akatsuki?"
The elder roared, "You dare question me, brat?"
Swish!
Before the words fully left his mouth, a flash of cold light streaked through the air. The elder, mid-rebuke, was decapitated in an instant.
"Annoying."
Kokushibo sheathed his blade.
The elder's severed head hit the ground, his face frozen in terror, mouth agape. "My lord… why did you kill me? Please, save me!"
Muku stood dumbfounded.
He was shocked that Kokushibo had killed a high-ranking village elder without hesitation, and even more stunned that the decapitated elder could still speak!
What followed was even more astonishing: the elder's body slowly disintegrated into ash, vanishing completely.
Before Muku could process this, Kokushibo approached him. "Accept my power and become a being beyond mortal limits."