As expected, Gaara...
But where did the Five-Tails go? Deep in the mountains of the Land of Earth? Such a massive creature—it wouldn't be easy to hide.
As for the Three-Tails, forget about it. It probably found a suitable place to burrow into the ocean floor and sleep.
Kazuyama Gekkō nodded silently. All the necessary intelligence was gathered; what wasn't there simply couldn't be obtained.
"Keep up the good work."
"Oh, and what about that little brat Yugito?"
"I heard from Konan recently that the little troublemaker's been up to his old tricks again?"
When it came to his beloved students, Kazuyama Gekkō took a hands-off approach, letting them grow and develop at their own pace.
But this Yugito... goodness, whether it was his fault for how he raised him or not, the boy just seemed to be getting crazier by the day.
Tenten's always rebelling against this, resenting that—as if she wants to fight from dawn till dusk.
Yahiko sighed helplessly at the mention of Yugito. This little tyrant's power grew stronger every day, and her temper only flared higher.
As Konan put it, she's probably hit adolescence—defying everyone, acting like she rules the world.
"From Amegakure to Takigakure, then Kusanagi... every nation in this region has suffered her wrath."
"It was only after you assigned her the task of finding the Five-Tails that she settled down for a while."
"Right now, she's over by the coast conducting some kind of experiment with Orochimaru."
Mentioning Orochimaru, Kazuyama Gekkō couldn't help but sigh.
The Living Corpse Reincarnation and the Impure World Reincarnation were both complete. The development of the cursed seals was perfect—all five types could now be mass-produced.
Tsk tsk. Ultimately, it was his intervention that led Orochimaru to discover a way to perfect Jūgo, significantly advancing his research.
"Alright, I'm outta here."
"My own Hokage's office has daily issues. Ugh, such a pain."
Activating Flying Thunder God Technique, Kazuyama Gekkō left Takigakure and flew straight back to the entrance of the Hokage's office building.
Inside the Hokage Building, the atmosphere was bustling.
Ever since the Daimyō's Manor openly competed with Konohagakure for missions, the village's situation had taken a turn for the worse.
While it wouldn't shake the village's foundations, economically speaking, they were being crushed.
"Kazuyama, you're here."
"Yeah, spill it. What's the Daimyō's Manor up to now?"
Kazuyama Gekkō entered the Hokage's office and plopped down on the sofa, looking utterly relaxed.
What could you do? His status demanded it.
Even within the office, Nara Shikaku stood to the side.
"Shikaku."
"The Daimyō's Manor has allied with the Fire Temple. They've established a strategic partnership."
"Moreover, the Fire Temple's current chief disciple, Chiriku, has joined the Guardian Ninja Organization."
Chiriku?
The name alone reminded Kazuyama Gekkō of the Wrathful Vajra. Thousand-Armed Murder...
A decent technique, but its power was mediocre and its attack patterns rather limited. Not impressive at all.
"The Daimyō's Manor's move is likely aimed at further restricting us, Konoha."
"The Fire Temple has always been the backbone of the Land of Fire. They never participated in battles before, but now they've openly sided with the Daimyō's Manor."
"This isn't good news for us."
Listening to Shikaku's account, Kazuyama Gekkō wore a trace of disdain:
"After all, it's the Daimyō's Manor—the master of the Land of Fire. The Fire Temple siding with the Daimyō's Manor was inevitable."
"Don't forget, the Fire Temple's supplies all come from the Daimyō's Manor. What choice do they have?"
Minato Namikaze sat silently in his chair.
The current situation had reached the worst possible outcome for the village, far surpassing anything before.
But there was nothing to be done. After all, it was the Daimyō's Manor. What could they possibly do?
Open defiance was absolutely out of the question.
"Shikaku, do you have any good ideas?"
The question made Shikaku scratch his head.
"No, I can't think of any good solutions. Should we just wait for the Daimyō's Manor to come to its senses?"
"That's not very realistic. You know, ever since the Third Shinobi World War ended, even though we gained absolute dominance, the Daimyō's Manor hasn't shown the proper attitude."
It was true. Ever since the current daimyō took office, the Daimyō's Manor had harbored an unwarranted hostility toward Konoha.
"So? Minato, what exactly do you want me to do at the Daimyō's Manor?"
Minato Namikaze sighed.
"Kazuyama, I need you to infiltrate the Daimyō's Manor and investigate what's been happening there recently."
"I can't shake the feeling someone is deliberately targeting the village."
"I can't say who it is, but based on my understanding of the Daimyō's Manor, the Daimyō's attitude toward us shouldn't be like this unless someone is deliberately orchestrating it."
"The village shouldn't be stabbed in the back by the ruler of its own nation."
"Do you understand what I mean?"
Kazuyama Gekkō nodded. Wasn't this just asking him to uncover the root of the problem? He'd done this kind of thing before.
"The agents we dispatched earlier—including your prized student Kakashi—failed to uncover any meaningful intelligence."
"I have ample reason to believe there's someone within the Daimyō's Manor guard ninja possessing exceptional counter-surveillance skills."
"Skills that might even rival yours."
When it came to reconnaissance prowess within Konohagakure, Kazuyama Gekkō was undoubtedly the foremost expert. Given the current situation, only sending Kazuyama Gekkō could yield the desired intelligence.
"Ugh, right now it feels like everyone's better at hiding than I am."
"Years have passed, and Danzō can't find them, Akatsuki can't find them... I'm losing it."
"Alright, I'll depart for the Daimyō's Manor tomorrow."
"I'll go alone."
Kazuyama Gekkō had no intention of bringing others along. His mobility was superior when alone—he could come and go as he pleased. It was simply more convenient.
Minato Namikaze nodded in agreement to his proposal.
"By the way, Kazuyama, during this trip to the Daimyō's Manor, I want you to make contact with someone."
"Huh? You wouldn't be talking about that bastard Asuma, would you?"
As for who he could possibly contact at the Daimyō's Manor, aside from Asuma, he couldn't think of anyone else.
Minato Namikaze nodded, a hint of resignation on his face.
"Asuma is still part of the village. His trip to the Daimyō's Manor back then was due to certain circumstances."
"Given the current situation, if we can persuade him, we might gain some intelligence about the Daimyō's Manor."
"Also, this is a request from Counsellor Sarutobi."
"So, if possible, please make contact."
A request from the old geezer... I suppose I should accept it.
After noting the matter, Kazuyama Gekkō left.
"Shikaku, do you think Kazuyama will get the intel we need from the Daimyō's Manor?"
"He should. Konoha's Ghost has never failed."
"Hahahaha, true. We just need to trust him."