After bidding farewell to Orochimaru, Kazuyama Gekkō returned to Konohagakure. His return was immediately reported to Minato Namikaze.
"Hey, Minato, did you have to call me the moment I got back? Can't I even rest for a bit?"
"I just got back..."
Kazuyama Gekkō slumped onto the sofa in the Hokage's office, completely exhausted. He was genuinely worn out. All that time spent touring the Land of Water—pfft, on a mission—had drained him.
Minato Namikaze was well accustomed to this. Moreover, he wasn't alone in questioning him this time—three counselors accompanied him.
"Enough, Kazuyama Gekkō. Don't change the subject."
"You know why we summoned you."
"Large-scale combat erupted in the Land of Water recently. We believe you must know something. Tell us—what exactly happened there?"
"And what about the Akatsuki organization?"
Koharu Utatane's tone was unyielding, making Kazuyama Gekkō feel like slapping her. Who does she think she's yelling at? Doesn't she know who Kazuyama Gekkō is???
Of course, Kazuyama Gekkō couldn't actually slap her—that would ruin Minato's reputation. After all, she was a Hokage counselor. He had to give the necessary respect—after all, he was counting on Minato to lead the charge.
"Koharu, watch your tone. Kazuyama went to the Land of Water for the village's sake."
"The attack by unknown assailants earlier caused severe consequences. We can't let such formidable enemies remain hidden in the shadows. It's detrimental to the village's development."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's attitude was much more conciliatory. He'd spoken separately with Jiraiya and Tsunade. They were both aware of the youth possessing the Rinnegan. Such a powerful individual harboring ill will toward Konoha—failing to understand his true state would be disastrous.
"Now there's someone who knows how to talk, Counsellor Koharu. If I were you, I'd learn a thing or two about the power of words."
"The meaning's the same, but if you phrased it differently, the implication would be entirely different. Got it?"
Kazuyama Gekkō shot the old geezer before him a withering glance, his tone dripping with displeasure. He was out there risking his life, and what had this old geezer done? Sat here giving orders.
"Kazuyama, cut it out."
"Tell me about it."
Minato Namikaze pulled a pack of cigarettes from the drawer and tossed it over.
Catching the pack, Kazuyama Gekkō's eyes narrowed in surprise. Huh? Minato's started smoking?
Feeling Kazuyama Gekkō's puzzled gaze, Minato shook his head helplessly.
"Work's been killing me. Naruto's been a handful. I'm at my wit's end."
"Good timing you're back. I'll need to pick your brain later—this whole parenting thing..."
"But first, let's talk about the Land of Water incident."
Kazuyama Gekkō lit a cigarette. Honestly, it was pretty good stuff.
"Alright then, I'll start."
"It began when the Land of Water encountered pirates from Kumogakure."
...
He talked for half an hour straight. He recounted how the Hidden Kumo raided the Land of Water, his encounter with Orochimaru leading to a fierce battle, and finally discovering the Akatsuki organization in the southern part of the Land of Water, which sparked another major clash.
Except for the part about Orochimaru being fake, the rest was largely true. Of course, he omitted the details of personally participating in the raids—those were all taken by his own skill, things he didn't need to mention.
After hearing his account, Minato Namikaze and the three counselors fell silent. Especially upon learning that the Fourth Mizukage had been controlled and ultimately perished.
"Who would have thought even the Mizukage could be manipulated? Thanks to your intervention, the Fourth Mizukage, Karatachi, didn't cause an even greater catastrophe."
"But the Fourth Mizukage's sudden death will likely plunge the Land of Water into chaos."
During the story, Hiruzen Sarutobi joined the smoking brigade. He, Minato Namikaze, and Kazuyama Gekkō had transformed the Hokage's office into a smoke factory; the entire room was now filled with haze. Combined with the meeting taking place here, it felt like a yakuza meeting hall.
"True enough. But the Land of Water has suppressed the intelligence. If not for our network, we wouldn't have learned this news so easily."
"That's all thanks to Kazuyama. The intelligence network has truly become the village's eyes."
"Major events in the Ninja World rarely escape our notice."
Fūma Namikaze paused here. Yet despite this, there was still no trace of Akatsuki's intelligence. This made the Fourth Hokage marvel at how deeply Akatsuki hid their tracks.
"But Kazuyama, you've been through several major battles. Are you okay?"
"Both Orochimaru and several Akatsuki members possess Kage-level strength. Take Kakuzu, for instance—he's a notorious figure on the most wanted list."
"He previously took down Popo, the former Village Head of Takigakure."
Kazuyama Gekkō shot him another withering glance before retorting irritably:
"Only now you care about me?"
"I did sustain quite a few injuries. Fighting Orochimaru wasn't too bad, since he never intended to see it through to the end."
"He bailed halfway through. True to form for my teacher—he's always wary of the Flying Thunder God Technique."
Kazuyama Gekkō naturally exaggerated his teacher's prowess whenever possible—after all, his status as a Missing-nin was undeniable.
Sure enough, upon hearing him speak of Orochimaru, Hiruzen Sarutobi's face twisted with conflict. That was, after all, the disciple he had once cherished most. Now that he'd defected from Konoha, it weighed heavily on his heart.
"Alright, old geezer, you should be thankful that Orochimaru doesn't harbor any grudge against Konoha."
"Otherwise, if he joined Akatsuki and turned against me, you might never see me again."
His words were a bit exaggerated, but to elevate his teacher's reputation, he couldn't help himself. Sure enough, his words captured everyone's attention.
"Akatsuki. I dealt the Rinnegan user a final blow. He likely won't survive."
"But the Rinnegan itself should remain intact. You're all experts; you know such eyes can be preserved and transferred."
"So this isn't good news."
"Secondly, the enemy possessing the Mangekyō Sharingan is extremely difficult to deal with."
"That distance-manipulating Dōjutsu technique leaves me with few options."
"The entire battle relied solely on my two Kekkei Genkai and the Ryūchi Cave Senjutsu—head-on combat."
"Though I took out Kakuzu, the three Snake Princesses are all in bad shape."
"I won't be able to use Senjutsu for a while."
Kazuyama Gekkō made himself sound utterly miserable—no Senjutsu, psychological trauma, and all that. Anyway, lying isn't illegal these days, so why not just say it!