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By the time Mangetsu met with Ayamaru, it was already deep into the night.
Upon learning that Ayamaru had brought the latest news from Kirigakure, Mangetsu's drowsiness vanished completely. He hurriedly climbed out of bed.
When he arrived in the living room, the steward had already served tea to Ayamaru.
Ayamaru drank it in one gulp.
"So, how are things there?" Mangetsu waited until Ayamaru had set down his cup before asking.
"Haku has sent word, explaining the Anbu's objective during their recent mission. In short, our time is even shorter now." Ayamaru handed the slip of paper to Mangetsu.
"Did you encounter anyone on the way?" Mangetsu asked.
"Who would pay attention to me?" Ayamaru chuckled. "Although I was also a Kirigakure ninja before, my role was intelligence gathering. I can be male or female. The number of people who truly know my appearance is extremely limited."
Mangetsu nodded, but his gaze remained fixed on the slip of paper.
After reading it, his brows knitted into a deep frown. He began pacing back and forth across the room.
After roughly three or four minutes, he finally spoke to the steward. "Go find Zabuza and bring him here... Also, wait about ten or fifteen minutes, then gather the other team leaders in the main hall..."
This large hotel had a fairly spacious hall, usually used for dances or evening parties. In special circumstances, it could serve as a meeting room.
The reason Mangetsu wanted Zabuza to come first was that certain matters needed to be discussed with him in advance.
Although they were all rebels, their composition was extremely mixed. The leaders of different teams also harbored their own ulterior motives.
Under these circumstances, Mangetsu had to confer with people he trusted beforehand to get on the same page.
After two or three minutes, Zabuza pushed open the door. "What's up?"
"Haku sent a message." Mangetsu handed the slip to Zabuza.
Zabuza frowned. "This doesn't look like Haku's handwriting."
"No?"
"Mmm. His writing is very elegant. The characters here..."
They looked like chicken scratch.
Zabuza was somewhat disdainful.
Mangetsu was taken aback, then looked at Ayamaru again.
"I wrote this," Ayamaru said, spreading his hands. "Don't look at me like that. He only gave the two characters 'Six-Tails.' That was too simplistic. He didn't mention Igawa Bu's little schemes at all. In reality, Igawa can't capture the Six-Tails itself; he can only capture the Six-Tails Jinchūriki. Either he convinces the Jinchūriki to side with him, or he needs the Six-Tails' power. In any case, we probably still have some time, but not much."
"What about the note Haku wrote?" Zabuza asked further.
"The note he wrote was only 'this' big." Ayamaru held up his thumbnail, not directly answering the question.
"I'm asking..."
"Alright, Ayamaru, go prepare the main hall. Once everyone arrives, notify us." Mangetsu waved his hand, signaling for Ayamaru to leave.
Once the door closed, Zabuza stood up from his seat, looking at Mangetsu with confusion. "Why didn't you let me ask?"
"His meaning was clear enough. The paper slip was only the size of a fingernail. The reason he couldn't produce it was most likely that he lost it. Regardless of the reason, as long as he doesn't want to say, you won't get an answer anyway. Compared to why he did that, there's more noteworthy information hidden within this message itself." Mangetsu smiled.
Zabuza picked up the slip of paper again, examining it repeatedly, but couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. He was puzzled. "What information?"
"The Six-Tails Jinchūriki left Kirigakure a long time ago. No one went to capture him before. Why is Igawa Bu suddenly in a hurry now?" Mangetsu asked.
"Maybe he just discovered the Six-Tails' whereabouts?" Zabuza looked suspiciously at Mangetsu, unsure of his train of thought.
Mangetsu shook his head. "If that were the case, then why did he remind us to hurry?"
"What are you getting at?"
"Midorima once mentioned the 'Akatsuki,' saying they were the masterminds behind everything, that they control the two Mizukage, right?" Mangetsu asked.
"Yes," Zabuza nodded.
If it were only the Fourth Mizukage, they could simply claim the Fourth Mizukage was under control, thereby forcing Kirigakure's ninja to subject the Fourth Mizukage to an examination.
Unfortunately, the Third Mizukage was also present.
With the power of two Mizukage, they could easily suppress the elders led by Genzō.
"What I mean is, no matter how brutal Igawa Bu is, he is still a ninja of Kirigakure. He's not aligned with the 'Akatsuki.' But the Third and Fourth Mizukage are under the Akatsuki's control. If this drags on too long, conflict between the two sides is inevitable. So... could it be that this Six-Tails Jinchūriki is something Igawa 'wants' for himself? To use against the two Mizukage, or even against the 'Akatsuki'?"
"You certainly have a vivid imagination," Zabuza sneered. "You were in Kirigakure for a long time too. Did you ever hear any news about the 'Akatsuki'?"
"No."
"Igawa definitely has his own schemes, but those schemes might not necessarily target the 'Akatsuki.' More likely, they're aimed at tightening his control over Kirigakure, just like the 'Bloody Mist' policy."
Mangetsu scratched his head. That was indeed a possibility.
"Rather than dwelling on that, you'd be better off thinking about how to explain this to the others later," Zabuza reminded.
Mangetsu took a deep breath, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.
The rebels might seem numerous, but calling them a motley crew was no exaggeration.
Almost everyone's goals were different.
Including those persecuted for having "Kekkei Genkai"—did they gather here solely for revenge? Surely some of them had their own little schemes too.
Getting all these people to exert their strength in one direction would be key to this operation.
The steward lightly knocked on the door, signaling that everyone had arrived. The two men immediately stood up and headed to the hotel's main hall, while the steward remained outside to prevent unauthorized entry.
"Hey, kid, if you've called us here in the middle of the night without a proper reason, I won't let you off easy," Kawakita Makoto said as soon as Mangetsu entered, getting the "unpleasant talk" out of the way.
"News has come from Kirigakure." Mangetsu glanced around the hall. Including Suigetsu, who wasn't involved in decision-making, there were only eight people.
But having fewer people also had its advantages. After all, he was only seeking their opinions at this stage, not formulating a battle plan.
First, he needed to unify their stance; then things would be easier to handle.
"What news?" Makoto immediately asked.
"Not long ago, the Anbu went on an external mission. We've finally obtained clues about its purpose. The sole reason for their mission was to find a Jinchūriki. And they succeeded." Mangetsu explained.
"A Jinchūriki? You mean the Fourth Mizukage?" one person asked.
"You're not trying to trick us, are you? Knowing we're easily fooled, you're using something we don't know about to deceive us!" another person said.
Mangetsu felt a headache coming on.
Not everyone was well-informed about Kirigakure's affairs. Moreover, even people from Kirigakure might not necessarily know the identity of the Six-Tails Jinchūriki.
Persuading these people was likely going to take considerable time.
"All of you, be quiet!" Makoto silenced the ongoing discussions, her gaze fixed on Mangetsu. "You obviously know things we don't. So just tell us, alright?"
Mangetsu nodded. "That's exactly what I intend to do."