Tobi had arrived!
And he was the Tobi who played with poop—so it had to be that Tobi.
Of course, Rasa wasn't overly concerned about Tobi. After all, Black Zetsu's mother was currently sealed right here in the village! Even though she only emerged at night, Rasa felt invincible with Kaguya Ōtsutsuki in his hands~
Unless…
Someone stole the [Constellation Legend Simulator].
So, to avoid drawing too much attention, Rasa took a sip of cool water and spoke righteously to the clever, adorable, kind, and pure-looking Kabuto in front of him.
"There's an important task the village needs you for. I believe you're the right person to handle it."
"???"
Kabuto blinked at the Kazekage who had summoned him for no apparent reason, only to now assign him some mysterious mission.
"Could you explain briefly?"
You're being way too vague. It's really confusing…
"Am I being sent outside the village? Is it a spy mission or an escort mission?"
"No need to leave the village. But the nature of the task… it would fall under espionage."
"??!"
A spy mission that doesn't leave the village?
Kabuto froze for a moment, then seemed to realize something and began to think.
"There's an infiltrator?"
"That's right. It's a high-level mission that concerns the safety of the entire shinobi world," Rasa said, nodding solemnly. "You must keep your identity completely hidden—no one can discover you."
"So… what exactly is the mission?" Kabuto sighed. "You've been dancing around the point this whole time~"
"No rushing. Spy missions require patience. If you rush, you'll slip up and get exposed. You still need to temper your mindset~"
Rasa took another sip of his water, then said seriously,
"Do you know… someone named Tobi?"
"Tobi? That guy working under Advisor Ebizō? He's the one managing compost and planting?" Kabuto furrowed his brow in thought.
"I've heard he's pretty talented and incredibly hard-working. Advisor Ebizō seems to like him a lot. He's planning to make him his assistant. I even heard he's considering promoting him to Deputy Director of the Desert Management and Prevention Research Institute soon!"
"???"
When did that happen? Why didn't Ebizō mention it yesterday?
Rasa blinked, caught off guard, and was about to ask when—
"Of course, I think there's something a bit… off about him. He seems unstable, maybe even arrogant. Sometimes he just disappears without a trace, and no one can find him," Kabuto added matter-of-factly as he poured himself a glass of water.
"Still, his drawing skills are excellent. Everyone in Advisor Ebizō's division praises him. He's currently in charge of monitoring changes in the compost, and he's always recording data. Despite being assigned to such a smelly, boring task, he never complains and always has a cheerful grin on his face.
He's… quite the contradiction.
All in all, apart from occasionally skipping work or leaving his post without permission, he doesn't really have any flaws."
"…"
Rasa stared blankly at Kabuto, who was giving this detailed assessment, then hesitated.
"You…"
"What is it? Was my intel off?" Kabuto frowned in thought.
"Well, it is possible. He was recruited from the Land of Rain, so he could be part of some insurgent group… or a spy planted by another village. There's not enough information to be sure. This is all I can deduce for now."
"No, no. I mean… how do you know so much about him?"
"There's a lot of interesting stuff in Advisor Ebizō's division. Plus, they have shinobi stationed outside who can bring things back. Sometimes when I need materials, I go check over there," Kabuto said as he rubbed his nose.
He didn't quite get why the Kazekage was asking so many off-topic questions, but he still answered seriously.
"And he's the only interesting person over there. After going back and forth for about a month… we just got familiar."
"I see…"
Rasa collected himself and put his serious face back on.
"In that case… this mission really is perfect for you, Kabuto!"
"I don't mind. I'm staying in the village anyway. But if we already suspect he's a spy, why not just tie him up and interrogate him slowly? If you're worried he won't talk, I've been working on some new compounds that might help. Unfortunately… I've run out of test samples, so my experiments are on hold."
"Test samples? You mean lab mice? If you need some, just file a request. I think the hospital still has plenty, and Kana might have extras."
Rasa looked confused, then shook his head.
"Never mind that. Just remember—your mission is to find out how many people are behind him, what they're planning in Sunagakure, and… for now, don't let him come out at night!"
"???" Kabuto raised an eyebrow, pausing in thought.
"I'm not sure what's going on…"
This mission feels… off.
"Can you at least tell me what village he's from?"
"He doesn't belong to any known faction. But he's involved in something huge—he could be a threat to the entire shinobi world.
As for what his superiors intend… we don't know yet. So…"
"Okay, okay—enough of that grand-sounding nonsense~"
Kabuto rolled his eyes at the speechifying Kazekage and sighed.
"So the mission is to investigate his background and keep him from going out at night? Got it. And…"
He smirked.
"After hearing all this… I'm suddenly kind of interested in him."
"…"
Why do I suddenly have a bad feeling about this?
Tobi, Black Zetsu, and Kabuto…
Oh no.
Is this the birth of a dream team?
Rasa hesitated.
"Maybe I should still—"
But before he could finish—
"Well, if there's nothing else, I'll be off."
Kabuto stood, pushed up his glasses, and smiled.
"Advisor Ebizō and Chiyo-sensei suddenly summoned me. No idea why—maybe they need something from me~"
"Uh…"
Rasa paused, then forced a sheepish smile.
"Alright. Just… be careful, okay~?"
Late Konoha Year 48
The war between Konoha and Kumogakure intensified once more, locked in a bitter stalemate.
Aside from the occasional border skirmishes from Kirigakure, there was no significant impact on the shinobi world's broader political landscape.
All the great villages… continued about their business as usual.
Early Konoha Year 49
Half the village had already been outfitted with electric circuits.
Sunagakure was officially stepping into the age of electricity.
With technological advancement, the shinobi world seemed poised to enter a whole new era of life.
March, Konoha Year 49
Advisor Ebizō, Sunagakure's leading expert on desert control and sandstorm prevention, departed for the Land of Rain to oversee the North-to-South Water Diversion Project.
This marked a historic event—worthy of being recorded in the history of Sunagakure!