Land of Rain.
"Didn't we agree to meet alone? Bringing two guards with you seems to violate our original agreement, doesn't it?" Utatane Koharu fixed her cloudy gaze on the woman in front of her, her eyes flashing with a hint of dissatisfaction.
The woman before her was none other than Konan, and behind Konan stood two of the Six Paths puppets arranged by Nagato to protect her.
Konan said expressionlessly, "You're in no position to demand that I come alone. You've also secretly arranged quite a number of people lying in ambush nearby, haven't you?"
"Let me guess how many… there are eleven in total, all elite shinobi of Konoha's Root Division. Am I right?"
Konan's calm tone made a flicker of imperceptible astonishment flash across Utatane Koharu's face.
In her eyes, however, a deep trace of wariness was buried.
At that moment, Konan spoke again: "Utatane Koharu-sama of Konoha—if you've come into contact with the Akatsuki Organization, is it because you wish to hire us for something? If you want to wage a proxy war, our Akatsuki can serve as Konoha's most perfect vanguard. However… our price is quite high. I hope you can afford it."
Utatane Koharu said darkly, "Konoha will not take the initiative to start any war. What I wish to hire you for is to join forces with Konoha's Root to eliminate one person."
"Who?" Konan asked, a trace of curiosity rising within her, though her face remained calm.
"Uchiha Keizumi!"
...
"It feels like Konohagakure isn't quite the same as before."
Today, Kakashi rarely had half a day of vacation. Holding a well-worn copy of Icha-Icha Paradise, its corners already frayed, he occasionally glanced at the contents of the novel before lifting his eyelids to look at the passing civilians of Konoha beside him.
What words should he use to describe it?
Perhaps—more orderly, and more harmonious.
In the past, some of the streets of Konohagakure were crowded with small vendors who set up their stalls wherever they pleased, practically blocking the entire road.
Now, the Police Force had designated a special area for these vendors to gather, so they no longer disrupted the order of the streets.
Even the cleanliness of the streets had improved greatly, because those who littered at will would actually be fined if caught by the Police Force.
Kakashi had even heard that a Konoha jōnin was surrounded by two Police Force shinobi and fined at least one thousand ryō just for spitting out a piece of chewing gum onto the ground.
And…
Kakashi also keenly noticed that no one in the village was privately discussing anymore whether Uzumaki Naruto was some incarnation of the Nine-Tails.
For some reason, that kind of bullying and ostracizing behavior targeting a child had been effectively suppressed.
As for the conspiracy-theory gossip that the Konoha civilians so loved to spread—
It now seemed that before such rumors even had the chance to circulate, they were already directly crushed by the Police Force shinobi. All those who maliciously spread rumors were locked up in the Konoha Prison.
At best, they were detained for half a month for reflection; at worst, they were thrown into prison for several months.
As for incidents involving fights, assaults, or even more serious cases of murder…
The Konoha Police Force had become all the more ruthless.
If the criminal cooperated, that was one thing; if not, the next second they would probably be killed outright by the Police Force shinobi!
That kind of firm and intense approach of Uchiha Keizumi's…
Had already begun to be imitated by many shinobi within the Police Force.
"It feels… actually not bad," Kakashi murmured in surprise. "After Absolute Justice took control of the village, the atmosphere here isn't as oppressive as I imagined. On the surface, Uchiha Keizumi seems utterly merciless, but in reality, in certain respects, he's quite humane—he just doesn't show it."
Kakashi could tell from the Police Force's somewhat restrained methods of enforcement that there was indeed such "humanity."
After all—
If Absolute Justice really were as bloodthirsty and extreme as rumors claimed—
Then anyone who littered on the road wouldn't just be fined; their hands would be chopped off directly.
And petty thieves wouldn't just be thrown into Konoha Prison; their heads would have been taken off entirely.
Just as Kakashi was musing over this, he suddenly heard a rather familiar voice coming from ahead.
"I told you already! I don't want to recognize you as any sort of sensei! I don't need you to teach me any ninjutsu either! Keizumi-sensei can make me into an excellent ninja! You white-haired old freak, can you stop following me around? You're just like some kind of stalker!"
That immature yet impatient voice made Kakashi immediately think of one person—Uzumaki Naruto!
As he unconsciously quickened his pace forward—
Sure enough, he saw a small figure up ahead.
That head of golden hair was still quite eye-catching within Konohagakure.
Kakashi also noticed a rather lecherous-looking figure walking beside Naruto.
Looking closely...
Wasn't that none other than Jiraiya-sama, one of the Legendary Sannin?
...
"Naruto, Uchiha Keizumi is now the Chief Captain of the Police Force. He has many affairs to handle every day, so it's nearly impossible for him to find time to instruct you," Jiraiya said earnestly. "Besides, with me, the Sage Jiraiya, teaching you, maybe in the near future you'll become the Hokage of Konoha."
Jiraiya hadn't expected that the Child of Prophecy, Uzumaki Naruto, would be so difficult to deal with.
He had already been shamelessly clinging to Naruto's side for two or three days now.
Yet he hadn't expected that this kid of Minato's would be completely unyielding.
"You're not the Hokage of Konoha yourself. Why should I believe you when you say you can teach me to become the next Hokage?" Naruto said impatiently. "Even if Keizumi-sensei doesn't have time to teach me, as long as I follow Teacher Keizumi and carry out justice, I'll still become stronger!"
Having said that,
Naruto hastily quickened his pace, trying to shake off the annoying, lecherous old man.
Watching Naruto's rapidly retreating back, Fukasaku, who was perched on Jiraiya's shoulder, spoke up. "This kid is even more troublesome than we imagined. He's already been deeply brainwashed by Absolute Justice."
On the other side, Shima said, "Little Jiraiya, stop using such roundabout methods. If you really want to cultivate the Child of Prophecy into a savior, perhaps you'll need to take some drastic measures."
"For example..."
"Knock him out directly and take him to Mount Myōboku. Then you could use a Sealing Technique to seal away the part of his memory concerning his faith in Absolute Justice, and after that, carefully instruct and train him."
Fukasaku hesitated. "Isn't that a bit too extreme?"
Shima said earnestly, "Dear, if we don't take such measures now... then when the Child of Prophecy becomes completely brainwashed by Absolute Justice one day, it'll be too late. Little Jiraiya, there's no need to keep hesitating."
Jiraiya: "..."
Jiraiya truly was hesitating, because Shima's suggestion had been making him uneasy all along.
If he used such excessive means, and one day Uzumaki Naruto's sealed memories were to be undone... wouldn't Naruto end up hating him to death?
It could even have the opposite effect.
If the Child of Prophecy were to fall into darkness... then Jiraiya himself would become the sinner of the entire shinobi world.
"Jiraiya-sama, what are you doing?" Suddenly, a voice from behind nearly startled Jiraiya out of his wits.
When he turned around—
He immediately recognized the one speaking to him.
"Kakashi?"
Jiraiya basically remembered the names of all the excellent shinobi in the village—let alone someone like Kakashi, who stood out even among the elite.
Kakashi asked suspiciously, "It seemed like you've been following behind Uzumaki Naruto just now, hasn't it? That kid looked rather irritated. Do you and Uzumaki Naruto have some kind of disagreement?"
"Ahem! No!"
Jiraiya coughed awkwardly and said, "I was just trying to take that kid as my disciple, but it seems he's a bit too stubborn and keeps refusing me."
Kakashi was taken aback.
One of the Legendary Sannin actually wanted to take on a disciple—and had set his sights on Uzumaki Naruto?
Could it be...
Because of Minato-sensei? After all, Minato-sensei had been Jiraiya-sama's disciple, and Uzumaki Naruto was Minato-sensei's son.
...
At the same time.
In Kumogakure.
"Raikage-sama, the mission to incite internal conflict within Konoha has failed."
A Kumogakure Anbu ninja knelt on one knee and said to the Raikage, "Although our agents successfully turned members of the Sarutobi clan, under the operation of the Hokage of Konoha… the faction represented by the Hokage did not break out into intense conflict with the faction represented by that Keizumi. Instead, the situation was quietly resolved."
"The Hokage of Konoha's indecisiveness also exceeded our expectations. We never thought he could show such endurance—even after losing two sons and a daughter-in-law in succession, he didn't completely lose his sanity, only lost control of his emotions slightly."
Upon hearing this, the Fourth Raikage, A, showed little expression. In a deep, rumbling voice, he said, "Since the mission failed, have our people withdraw for now. This time was only meant as a test of Konoha—and by the way, a probe of that former legend of the shinobi world, the Third Hokage."
As he spoke, the Fourth Raikage's tone carried a trace of sighing emotion. "In fact, the mission can't be considered a total failure. At the very least, it let me see what that Third Hokage of Konoha has become now."
"It seems… he's grown old after all."
After pausing for a moment, the Fourth Raikage continued, "You may arrange for some of the shinobi from the village to infiltrate the Land of Fire. Since the Third Hokage has already become weak, there's no need for Kumogakure to hold back."
The Anbu ninja's heart immediately tightened. He could roughly guess that Raikage-sama was preparing to set his sights on the resources of the Land of Fire.
Sending the village's shinobi out likely meant using forceful plundering to seize resources within the Land of Fire.
Only without formally starting a war—for now.
But…
Once such actions provoked Konoha, it could truly escalate into open warfare.
Of course, that wasn't something a mere Anbu like him should be thinking about.
"Yes, Raikage-sama!"