"Does Takigakure really have such powerful ninja?"
Asuma was visibly baffled.
It wasn't that he looked down on the smaller hidden villages—it's just that, judging by their last appearance in the Chūnin Exams, the strength of Takigakure's shinobi simply didn't measure up. So now, imagining that someone from such a village had once crossed paths with the First Hokage... that was hard to wrap his head around.
"Maybe… it's a rare case, like Hanzō?" Shisui brought up Amegakure.
That village wasn't known for overall strength either, but it still produced a formidable shinobi like Hanzō. It just goes to show…
Just because a village is weak doesn't mean every individual in it is.
Kurenai nodded, grasping the implication.
The intel was sparse—it was all the information the ANBU had managed to gather. The dossier contained only a few brief lines describing Kakuzu, one of which stated he'd defected from Takigakure.
Not even a mention of his defection being related to Earth Grudge Fear.
"Sensei, are we going there to arrest him this time?"
"Takigakure did request assistance," Kyoichi said calmly, "but our primary mission isn't to capture Kakuzu. It's to investigate why he's reappeared recently."
"So the aid mission is just a cover, or something we do along the way?" Shisui mused.
Kyoichi tapped the tree trunk beside him and said, "Don't overthink it. What you need to decide now is whether or not you're going. Keep in mind—this guy likely possesses extremely dangerous forbidden techniques."
"We're going!" all three of them answered in unison.
The enemy might be powerful, but it wasn't guaranteed they'd engage in direct combat. More importantly, the three of them had tremendous faith in Kyoichi.
Of course…
The real reason?
Everyone was feeling antsy staying cooped up in the village.
"In that case, I'll explain a bit more. This time, we'll have two squads: one operating in the shadows—the ANBU unit—and us in the open. Our mission is to coordinate with them. I'll explain the details as we go."
This was the team's first postwar mission.
All three were visibly excited.
But…
That excitement faded a little when they glanced at the intel Kyoichi held in his hand.
The enemy was very strong.
At their current level, they might not even have the chance to intervene. So, figuring out how to be useful in such a fight became the top concern during the journey.
Kyoichi didn't offer direct advice.
Because honestly, even he wasn't sure what the three of them could realistically do against someone like Kakuzu.
Kakuzu's jutsu were all large-scale elemental attacks. With five hearts and full Earth Grudge Fear active, his power ranked among the highest even within the Akatsuki.
Throwing a bunch of shinobi at him? Useless.
But…
From what Kyoichi knew, Kakuzu wasn't acting alone.
He apparently had subordinates now.
That was the biggest change from the original timeline—and the main reason Kyoichi suspected he'd already come into contact with Madara's people, possibly having formed some sort of underground organization.
The goal of this mission was to uncover the truth behind that.
The ANBU team was led by Mukai and was already stationed in the northern region of the Land of Rivers, tracking Kakuzu. The intel Kyoichi held had come from Mukai's reports.
Along the journey, Kyoichi took the opportunity to teach the others a few new techniques.
Asuma and Shisui began practicing the "Seven-Day Breathing Method."
As for Kurenai…
She had it the hardest.
She had to learn both medical ninjutsu and sealing arts—two fields that demanded extensive theoretical knowledge and couldn't be mastered overnight.
On top of that…
She still had to keep up with physical training.
Fortunately, Kurenai was both hardworking and intelligent. If it were anyone else, they'd likely have collapsed under the pressure. Still…
Asuma and Shisui were a bit jealous.
Sealing arts…
It was obvious their sensei was grooming her to inherit the Yin Seal.
Once she mastered that along with medical ninjutsu, her next step would be the Slug Techniques.
These were secrets that ordinary shinobi would never even get close to.
As long as Kurenai kept it up, even if she never reached the heights of Kyoichi or Tsunade-hime, she would undoubtedly become a top-tier combat medic.
One who could also fight.
Her future was bright.
Of course…
If she couldn't manage to learn sealing techniques, then—
Well, that would be a shame.
Shizune, after all, couldn't inherit Tsunade's full legacy due to her struggles with sealing techniques and taijutsu.
The trio worked even harder outside the village than they had inside.
Kyoichi smiled with the satisfaction of a proud father. Sure enough, switching up the environment and applying pressure—Kakuzu was the perfect motivator.
That night, Kyoichi continued his training in natural energy.
Kyoichi hadn't yet fully mastered this system himself, and since the Slug Path of training was never shown in the anime, he didn't dare have Shisui and the others try learning it recklessly.
Even so...
Shisui and the others could sense something different about their teacher.
As he sat cross-legged in meditation, his presence was gradually vanishing—not like someone drifting off to sleep, but more like total stillness, as though he'd become one with the environment around him.
A newly developed forbidden jutsu?
That was their first thought—it had to be some kind of forbidden technique.
After all...
In this regard, Kyoichi really was quite similar to the Second Hokage...
The night passed quietly.
Kyoichi felt that he was starting to approach the threshold.
Combining the knowledge of Sage Mode from both Mount Myōboku and the Shikkotsu Forest, he realized that the training wasn't all that difficult. The biggest hurdle was adapting to natural energy—a long and delicate process.
Perhaps...
He could extract just the adaptation phase to natural energy and let Shisui and the others try that first. Once they were used to it, they could formally start learning Sage Mode.
But...
That definitely came with risks.
After thinking it over, he looked at the three and said, "You're all probably wondering what I've been training in lately, right?"
"Nope! Not at all!"
All three of them shook their heads vigorously.
That tone... way too familiar.
This was bait, wasn't it?
We're not falling for it!
"Oh, well, that's a shame. I was going to ask if you wanted to learn..."
"We do!"
Asuma stepped forward, gritting his teeth.
So what if it meant punishment or extra training?
Bring it on!
What if he actually was going to teach something?
"You two?"
"We're in!"
"Alright then. I'll teach you when we get back."
"...Huh?!"
Of course.
Still the same devious teacher.
The three of them facepalmed. If you're not going to teach us now, why even bring it up? At least explain what kind of jutsu it is! Why leave us hanging like this?
They were at a loss for words.
Kyoichi had planned to start teaching them, but after using his sensory technique, he noticed they were close to the Land of Rivers' border.
In other words—
Their team could encounter Kakuzu or his subordinates at any time.
To prioritize safety, this kind of mentally draining training would have to wait.
---
Upon entering the Land of Rivers, Kyoichi quickly sensed the change.
The northern region of the country used to be crawling with rogue ninja, masterless samurai, and missing-nin—chaotic and impoverished. And while it was still chaotic now...
Thanks to Amegakure's help, many of the rogues and missing-nin had been driven out of the country. Those who remained were either significantly strong or had pledged allegiance to the Land of Rivers.
On the streets...
You could spot quite a few patrols composed of oddly dressed ninja squads.
"Sensei, who are those?"
"Teams formed from former rogue ninja who've sworn allegiance," Kyoichi explained.
While their strength was uneven, they were still better than ordinary civilians.
"But still..."
"It's better than nothing," Shisui said quietly, tugging at Asuma.
The Land of Rivers had no hidden village. Managing to organize these rogues was already the start of a basic defense system—though admittedly a fragile one.
"Let's go..."
Kyoichi didn't say much more.
Before entering town, they'd already disguised themselves—their clothes now resembling traveling merchants. Unless someone could see through transformation techniques, they wouldn't raise suspicion.
After "searching" for a while, they settled into an inn.
This inn just so happened to be Kakuzu's most recent residence.
That night...
Kyoichi maintained his habit of meditating to sense natural energy. But his condition wasn't great tonight—first, because natural energy was scarce in town, and second...
He had to split his focus to monitor Kakuzu.
They were only two rooms away from him—and Kakuzu was still resting inside.
Shisui and the others hadn't noticed anything yet.
---
"Sir, we've already gathered a number of rogue ninja and masterless samurai. All of them are opposed to the founding of the Land of Rivers. Please advise."
"Very good. Here's a jutsu as your reward. For now, you'll be responsible for training them—make them stronger. In a few days, we'll make our move."
"Yes, sir!"
Kakuzu's lips curled into a mocking sneer.
He walked to the window and, peeking through a small crack in the curtain, scanned his surroundings. After a few moments, he muttered:
"Idiots. They really think they can go up against trained shinobi?"
"Uh…"
"If you ask me, we should just sell this intel to Amegakure. Might as well make a few bucks." Kakuzu went on.
Then he went quiet for a few seconds—before suddenly springing up, flipping the window open, and vanishing in a blur.
"Go!"
Kyoichi immediately gave chase.
Asuma and the others didn't know what was happening, but it wasn't hard to guess: Kakuzu had likely appeared—or rather, he might have been in the inn all along.
They rushed out.
Soon, Shisui spotted a silhouette darting through the night, moving incredibly fast—but still just within range to pursue.
But...
"Sensei, is he deliberately keeping us just close enough?"
"Mhm..."
Kyoichi nodded, his brow slightly furrowed.
Kakuzu had clearly noticed them—but it seemed like he figured it out based on who didn't speak, rather than anything anyone said. In that case...
That raises a question.
Who was Kakuzu talking to?
Zetsu?
Kyoichi thought for a moment—it didn't quite add up.
Zetsu was extremely cautious. He wouldn't stay close to someone like Kakuzu for long periods.
It must've been someone else.
To make Kakuzu speak in that tone, the other person had to be formidable.
Given the timing...
Could it be Sasori?
Kyoichi narrowed his eyes.
It was very possible.
If it was Sasori, then the direction Kakuzu was running might lead straight into traps.
"Change of intel. There may be two enemies."
"Yes, sir!"
"Sensei, what about us?"
"Protect yourselves. If fighting breaks out, coordinate with the ANBU and focus on stalling the other target. I'll handle Kakuzu."
Kyoichi's tone was serious.
If Sasori and Kakuzu were working together…
That could get tricky.
"Yes, sir!"
All three responded in unison.
As they continued pursuit, Kyoichi kept scanning the surroundings—but found no signs of traps.
Once they were well outside the town...
He spotted a silhouette up ahead.
Kakuzu.
"Oh? So it's you—Kanda Kyoichi of Konoha. I've heard people call you the second coming of Tobirama Senju. Never thought I'd actually run into you... Heh. 70 million ryo!"
"Uh..." Second coming of Tobirama?
Who the hell was spreading that rumor?!
And seriously…
That's all I'm worth? Just 70 million?
Kyoichi didn't even know how to respond.
Whoever's running the bounty office seriously knew how to do business.
***************************
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