"What do you think about this? What's the probability the information is fake?" Jiraiya leaned back into his chair, crossing his fingers in front of him.
"We can never dismiss the chance entirely," Shikaku replied, setting the reports back on the Hokage's desk. "But this is one of those rare times when I'm almost certain it's true. First, the Suikage fails to appear at a meeting her side insisted on arranging. And it's not as if we suffered from canceling - it would have been in their best interest to attend. Then, our spies report commotion in Takimura itself, and confirm the acting head of the Takime clan is badly injured…"
Shikaku trailed off. The authenticity of the reports wasn't his concern anymore. What troubled him was the matter of how something like this had happened.
"But if it's true… who could defeat so many powerful shinobi, especially the Suikage?" Jiraiya muttered, pulling his unusually long pipe from a drawer and fixing it slowly. "Two years ago she brought the Raikage down and even fought against the Mizukage. That alone proves she isn't someone easily dealt with."
He struck flint and coaxed the pipe to life, inhaling gently, taking small draws to wake the ember. Thin smoke curled upward, slipping from his lips and nose as he exhaled, the faint glow brightening within the bowl. His thoughts wandered as he puffed. He combed through the list of powerful rogue nin he remembered - shinobi strong enough to stand against a Kage. But none of the names fit. None seemed capable of defeating not just the Suikage, but her entire envoy along with her.
"I'll warn our spies to move with greater caution," Shikaku continued, playing with his chin. "Takimura will retaliate sooner or later, and when they do, we must know against whom. Whoever struck them has strength enough to endanger Kage themselves. We can't afford ignorance."
"Shikaku." Jiraiya's gaze sharpened suddenly, pulling himself from his drifting thoughts. "Do you think the Suikage is dead? If she is, should we move against Takimura now? We still have the clause, after all…"
"If that is your decision, we can," Shikaku answered evenly. "The clause is valid, and our forces are stronger. Especially now, when Takimura is weakened and scattered. As for your question…" His brow furrowed slightly, though his tone remained calm. "I believe she is either gravely injured or deceased. If she were in fighting condition, she would have already returned. But I don't think we should ignite another war just yet."
Jiraiya smiled faintly, nodding, satisfied that his thoughts matched those of his adviser.
"Instead," Shikaku went on, tapping a finger against the desk as though weighing each option aloud, "I would recommend tightening our ties with the Uchiha, while also securing every neutral territory we share with them and Takimura. Many of those lands have been drifting toward either side. The Uchiha will be more cautious now that their ally is in trouble, and Takimura, regardless of whether the Suikage lives, will lack both will and manpower to contest us. It's the chance to increase our resources with minimal risk."
"So we offer protection to those who've been drifting away from us recently," Jiraiya said, nodding again, the smoke of his pipe curling around him. His mind had already walked the same path even before Shikaku voiced it. "Besides… if the Suikage truly is gone, Takimura won't be able to avoid war. With or without us pushing it."
<<<>>>
"This is our chance!" a man sneered, lips pulling back to bare his sharklike teeth. Spittle gleamed at the corners of his mouth as he leaned forward on the table. "With that bitch gone, we can finally crush them and reclaim Kiri's authority!"
"It isn't that simple," Hakare Hozuki replied, his voice even as he shook his head. "Even if the Suikage has fallen, the village remains strong."
"Explain," Yagura said coldly. His elbows pressed against the table, chin resting on his interlaced fingers. His voice was quiet, but its weight was enough to still the room.
Hakare straightened, his tone slow and deliberate, as if repeating lines from a report etched into memory. "Takimura isn't as weak as they seem. The boy I once urged us to eliminate vanished for two years after the war. No one knew where he had gone. But after his return, Takimura entrusted him with several high-rank missions. Each was classified, but we confirmed one detail: he faced an ANBU squad and defeated them with ease."
The Mizukage's council chamber had once been crowded, filled with the voices of Kiri's strongest, when the village alone ruled the Land of Water. Now only five seats remained occupied, the rest bare reminders of a power long gone.
"We do not yet know how strong that boy has become," Hakare continued. His gaze swept the room before settling on the Mizukage. "But all of us remember what the bearer of those eyes is capable of when cornered."
The words landed like a stone dropped into water. The council's eyes turned, almost as one, to Yagura. His hand shifted beneath his robe, a twitch passing across his eye. He did not speak, nor did he lash out. He simply stared, expression unreadable.
Hakare went on. "We must not provoke another war we cannot win. Even if Takimura lacks the strength to destroy us outright, the consequences would still be disastrous. And even should we emerge victorious… do you truly think the other villages would allow a weakened Kiri to stand?"
The man with sharklike teeth bristled. His face twisted, anger breaking past restraint, until he finally slammed both palms on the table and leaned toward Hakare. "We lost one battle! That is all! The war itself was never lost! It was her we feared, not the village. And our Mizukage could level Takimura alone, let alone with us at his side!" His voice rose to a shout, echoing against the walls.
Hakare tilted his head and looked at him with pity, not anger. "In the past, you would have been executed for raising your voice in the Mizukage's presence." He turned away from the man, focusing once more on Yagura. "And I haven't yet mentioned the last point. The shinobi who witnessed Mei Terumi's fight may have been low-ranked, but even their testimony confirms her growth. She is stronger now than she was two years ago. And back then, she was already a jonin."
The calmness in Hakare's tone, coupled with his complete disregard, was the final spark. The shark-toothed man's face flushed crimson, his teeth bared, breath rasping through clenched jaws. He drew in air, ready to shout again,
"Y…"
The sound died in his throat. Yagura had tapped his finger once against the table. That faint sound was enough to still the man where he stood.
"That is enough, Hakare, we understand your point," Yagura said evenly, his gaze fixed forward. "You clearly have a plan. Share it."
The Mizukage's eyes swept over the chamber once more, sighing. Then he closed his eyes, slowly, almost reluctantly, as though trying to erase the scene before him. When he blinked, his gaze hardened and locked onto Hakare.
"Yes, Lord Mizukage. I do have a plan." Hakare bowed deeply, retreating at the right moment, then raised his head. "If we are to survive, let alone reclaim our glory, we require more resources. We should seize the chakra crystal deposit discovered last year."
"The one Takimura stole," one of the others muttered.
"Yes. That one." Hakare allowed himself a thin smile. "If they retaliate against our actions, showing strength and resolve, then the rumors of the Suikage's disappearance are false… or at the very least, they still believe themselves capable of fighting us. But if they yield control of the deposit without resistance… then we may begin considering a strike against the village itself."
<<<>>>
"Ru, we've been waiting for you." A warm voice greeted Kaoru as he stepped into the council chamber.
Mei sat near the head of the table, though she had not claimed the Suikage's seat, leaving it empty in silent acknowledgment.
"I was told there is news regarding Maki," Kaoru said, his voice carrying hope that created a contrast compared to his exhausted face.
"Yes." Mei answered quickly, speaking before Ao, who sat stiffly in his chair. His posture betrayed his unease, his body tense with an odd energy he could barely contain. "We just received a report from Shin. He confirmed that Maki was alive when she left the battlefield. Shin hired mercenaries skilled in tracking, and they found her trail, or rather, her scent. It stretched nearly two kilometers south from the site."
"And? Did they find her? Where is she?" Kaoru exclaimed instinctively, his composure breaking as emotion surged through him.
"Unfortunately not." Mei lowered her head, her voice dimming for a moment. Then she raised it again, the hope sipping through his eyes. "But this much proves she was alive when she left. Now we must learn who captured her, and more importantly, where they took her."
Her expression grew solemn as she finished speaking. Not because the news was bleak, but because its promise carried a sharper edge - even if Maki's survival was no longer a desperate hope but a near certainty, that weight demanded action. The one Takimura was not able to take.
"But we must also think of how to defeat the one who fought Lady Suikage," Ao said, breaking the heart-wrenching pause. His tone was steady, though Kaoru could hear the strain beneath it. "Because as things stand, even if we find her location, it is unlikely we could overcome him. Or, as Lord Kaoru warned us… that organization… Akatsuki, if it is they who hold her."
Silence pressed over the table. Yet Kaoru did not bend to despair. His gaze fixed on Mei, steady and unyielding.
"Remember those beings who trained me?"
Mei raised her head, meeting his eyes. "Of course."
"I spoke to them." His words came with certainty and relief. "They promised me help. If we can locate Akatsuki's base, I can call upon their strength to destroy it. But they wont be helping us rescue Maki, all they can do is annihilate. That means we must be ready. When they strike and create the opening, we will have only one chance to reach Maki and bring her back."
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