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After the meeting, Tsunade and the two others were actually the busiest.
However, no matter how urgent the upcoming matters were, they still had one essential task to complete.
"Thump, thump, thump"
Along the long underground corridor, traps, Sealing Techniques, and surveillance Ninjutsu were everywhere, some visible, some hidden. The entire corridor was almost covered in dense sealing incantations. In the dark space, only the candlelight on both sides illuminated the path. It was clear what fate awaited anyone who dared to enter without the proper token and identification.
Tsunade and the two others remained silent, led by Homura Mitokado, as they walked through the straight corridor.
It wasn't until they reached a certain wall that he suddenly pressed his hand against it.
The entire stone brick then recessed, revealing a sliding door.
It exposed a brightly lit medical space inside.
In the center of this pure white space, a wide stone bed had medical curse marks spreading from its edges towards the center, like chains, until they coiled around the body of the person in the middle.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's shriveled, emaciated body lay on the stone bed, arms and legs spread, with a sealing incantation bearing the character 'medical' (medicine) pasted on his forehead.
Faintly, one could still see his chest rising and falling, and the most basic metabolic processes.
However, with Tsunade's discerning eye, she could tell at a glance that he was barely clinging to life, sustained by a large amount of Yang Release Chakra.
Beside Sarutobi Hiruzen, there was a half-grown boy, seemingly only around ten years old, sitting quietly, looking lost.
Orochimaru's gaze swept over.
That was Lord Third's son, born when he was nearly forty, named Sarutobi Shinnosuke. He seemed well-behaved, though he looked a bit older than his age—a trait he inherited from Lord Third.
"Shinnosuke, you should go out first."
Homura Mitokado softened his tone slightly, speaking calmly.
"Uncle Mito Homura"
Shinnosuke called out to him, seeming to want to say something, but seeing the three solemn-faced people behind him, he obediently closed his mouth and walked out of the stone chamber.
Orochimaru's golden snake-like eyes returned to Lord Third's shriveled body, his chest barely showing any rise and fall.
He opened his mouth, as if suddenly wanting to say something.
For example, his strenuous efforts on the Land of Wind battlefield, and the trouble caused by various discords in the rear, which forced him to face a Sunagakure army at least three times their size with weakened troops;
For example, Lord Third, your plan ultimately failed. Even if you personally went to the Land of Lightning front to support Jiraiya, it was still a genius like me, Orochimaru, who first won the war;
And for example, Hatake Sakumo and Sawara Kiri, whom you considered a great trouble beyond the Hokage's control, were exploited to their fullest under his command, even achieving unparalleled merits...
Those arrogant, sarcastic, mocking, and helpless words, at this moment, looking at Lord Third's 'lifelike' appearance, all transformed into a sigh of unknown meaning.
He held his mentor's hand.
Jiraiya watched this scene, clumsily opening his mouth, but not knowing what to say at such a moment.
Although Orochimaru and Lord Third were usually at odds, those who were familiar with their relationship all knew that from childhood, the disciple Sarutobi Hiruzen was most proud of, the only disciple he personally praised as a 'genius,' was always just Orochimaru.
As for Orochimaru, who usually appeared cold, rational, and almost cruel, his personality was complex, almost contradictory.
Even at a very young age, he would lament the fragility of life upon seeing a snake's shed skin, and sigh for lives inadvertently lost around him. His spirit, with the passage of time, was gradually honed from the outside in, grinding his entire soul into a thick cocoon through struggling in pain.
Only the innermost, fragile, soft side could touch his heart.
That side could be Sarutobi Hiruzen, or Tsunade, or even Jiraiya himself.
But, there were only a few such people.
Now, with one of these very few cherished individuals lost, Orochimaru also seemed to freeze in place like a machine, head bowed, as if he too had lost a part of his soul.
"Alright, stop standing there and getting in the way!"
However, just as the scene fell into such silence, Tsunade snapped impatiently, "He's not dead, what are you getting sentimental about so early?"
"Let me examine him first."
Orochimaru was startled by the words. Before he could say anything, Tsunade had already pulled him aside.
Watching Tsunade press her hands on Sarutobi Hiruzen's head, her palms gradually glowing with Chakra, Orochimaru stood still for a moment, then his expression seemed to suddenly relax a little.
Sometimes, dealing with such sensitive, suspicious, and inwardly fragile individuals requires a more direct and forceful approach.
Conversely, hesitant people like Jiraiya never accomplish anything.
Tsunade, however, wasn't thinking that much. She was simply her usual short-tempered self, saying whatever came to mind.
At this moment, she had both hands pressed on Sarutobi Hiruzen's head, her eyes tightly closed, using Chakra as a medium to fully sense the condition of Sarutobi Hiruzen's brain and any abnormalities in his soul.
Everyone waited quietly.
It was a long while before Tsunade finally released her hands, beads of sweat on her forehead, her brows tightly furrowed.
"Tsunade, Hiruzen's condition..."
Noticing Tsunade had exited her state, Homura Mitokado quickly inquired.
After the two previous rounds, he finally recognized the truth—none of Sarutobi Hiruzen's disciples and grand-disciples were easy to deal with.
Orochimaru, who had the greatest chance of becoming Hokage, was a ruthless and brutal hothead, and the other two weren't much better.
As for Sawara Kiri, the generation below, there was no need to say more; he was simply disrespectful to his elders and ancestors!
Homura Mitokado now clearly understood the true source of the power he, as the Hokage Advisor, wielded!
Only when Sarutobi Hiruzen was still around were the good days!
"No hope."
Tsunade frowned in annoyance, shaking her head: "Lord Third's soul has suffered severe damage, but it's not something that can be solved by merely compensating a specific body part. His main problem is that a portion of his soul's total mass has been thinned out. It seems he used some kind of sacrificial forbidden Ninjutsu, but then forcibly stopped the sacrificial process while using it."
"Now, to awaken Lord Third, the first thing we need to do is find a way to help him replenish this 'lost' total mass."
"I don't know of any way to help him achieve that."
Upon hearing this, everyone present couldn't help but show despair.
Among them, only Homura Mitokado's despair was the most sincere, as if he was lamenting the impending death of his old friend.
"However."
The next second, Tsunade suddenly took a deep breath.
Everyone's attention refocused.
Tsunade turned her head and looked towards Jiraiya: "To my knowledge, the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku has always had the ability to prophesy about such unknown matters. Moreover, historically, it seems it's not impossible for someone to replenish a soul. In fact, if there's enough strong vitality to feed back, then soul restoration isn't an impossible task."
Hearing this, Jiraiya immediately regained his spirits: "I understand."
"Next, I will go to Mount Myōboku to ask the Great Toad Sage for a prophecy."
Additionally, he also needed to continue learning Sage Mode.
Jiraiya secretly vowed, this time, no matter the cost, no matter how many insects he had to eat, he would definitely master that damn Ninjutsu!
He never wanted to face a situation where he could only rely on Lord Third again.
However, just as they were still discussing Sarutobi Hiruzen's condition...
"Buzz"
The ground seemed to vibrate ever so slightly.
Orochimaru looked up, narrowing his golden snake-like eyes.
"Good work."
"Oh! Amakusa, good work today too!"
"Hehe, Ninja-sama's money is really easy to earn today."
"You kid, shut up and go home."
"Got it, got it."
The young man then hoisted his empty fishing basket, nodded with a smile to the older colleague who was also packing up his stall, and strode towards home.
All the way home, he casually joked with the merchants he knew, occasionally stopping to chat with the widow on the street corner, his eyes following her figure. Just before reaching home, he weighed the money pouch in his pocket, making sure no pickpocket had taken it on the way. Only then did he finally seem to relax, grinning as he walked through his front door.
Just like the most common peddler on any given day.
His name was Amakusa Shiro.
Of course, this was an alias he casually adopted after infiltrating Konoha.
His true identity was that of a Mist Ninja, specifically responsible for intelligence gathering and compilation concerning Konoha's trade sector.
Due to the Hidden Mist Village's specialized training, the one-way communication structure between superiors and subordinates, and the various Sealing Techniques on his body, Amakusa Shiro's daily life was relatively relaxed. He generally didn't have to worry too much about the minor issue of whether he would be exposed. At times, he would also feel that if he truly were just an ordinary fisherman, life would seem quite good.
However, after he entered the door today, the young man's expression subtly changed, turning cold.
The strand of hair clipped in the door crack was gone.
He clearly sensed something amiss, yet he acted as if he had noticed nothing, walking into the room as usual, merely secretly clutching a Kunai in his palm.
"I'm back—"
"Bang!"
Almost the instant he pushed open the door, Amakusa Shiro's vision suddenly caught a black shadow. He immediately, without hesitation, thrust the Kunai in his hand towards the figure.
However, his expression couldn't help but freeze.
His wrist was grasped.
"Very good, Shiro."
"You haven't let your guard down."
Hearing the familiar codename, Amakusa Shiro's vigilance involuntarily relaxed.
Upon seeing the figure's face, his guard completely dropped, and he let out a soft sigh, then added with a hint of helplessness:
"Boss, you almost scared me to death."
The man in front of him was his direct superior, an Jonin with the codename Deep Lake.
However, even though he always showed his face when he appeared before him, Amakusa Shiro did not know if this was his true face.
"So, what's the mission today? You weren't discovered when you came, were you?"
Amakusa Shiro asked casually, with a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone—this was his temporary hideout, and if this guy came here, he would be the one to die in the end.
"It's not safe here. We'll talk about the rest later. Follow me first."
Deep Lake did not answer, but merely turned around and walked towards the bedroom of his small, dilapidated house.
Amakusa Shiro was stunned, but quickly followed.
However, as he stepped into his bedroom, his eyes nearly popped out as he stared at the passage under the tatami mat in his bedroom:
"No, when did you dig a secret passage in my house?"
"Just now."
"Huh?"
Deep Lake said, and was the first to crawl into the passage.
Although Amakusa Shiro was dissatisfied, he followed him in.
After going down, he found that it was a narrow tunnel where one could only walk bent over, just wide enough for one person to pass at a time, with obvious traces of Earth Release around it.
It wasn't until the two of them followed the tunnel deeper that they finally discovered a spacious stone room hidden on a lower level.
At this moment, a faint candlelight illuminated the inside of the stone room, and several figures were sitting around the candlelight, quietly waiting for something.
Hearing the sounds from outside, they suddenly looked up and said in unison:
"Deep Lake-sama."
Amakusa Shiro's heart sank when he saw the situation in the room.
Under normal circumstances, if spies who had single-line contact met each other, it most likely meant they were facing their last mission in this Village.
And this so-called 'last time' was bound to be so dangerous that most of them would not survive.
Otherwise, the Village would never use them.
Clearly, all the other spies present understood this, and their expressions were extremely grim.
Deep Lake nodded to them, led Amakusa into the hollow and sat down, then spoke:
"This time, the reason I have gathered you here is because I received instructions from the Village."
"Do you know anything about Sawara Kiri?"
Upon hearing this, everyone present had an extremely solemn expression.
Of course, they knew who this was.
Recently, various news had spread almost everywhere in the Konoha newspapers.
The fifteen-year-old genius Jonin, his self-developed special Ninjutsu, and his various achievements of single-handedly killing Rasa and blowing up a Tailed Beast on the Land of Wind battlefield.
Any single one of these achievements would be legendary and enough to be considered a pillar of Konoha's future.
Could it be that this mission was to eliminate this major future threat for the Village?
The moment they heard this, all the Mist Ninja present prepared for sacrifice.
"Yes."
Amakusa Shiro's heart was even more ablaze with passion.
Wasn't this moment of sacrifice precisely what he sought when he became a spy?!
Then, he heard Deep Lake continue:
"Actually, he is a spy from our Hidden Mist Village."
"Ah—?!"
Almost in unison, all the Hidden Mist spies present let out a sound of startled disbelief.
Him? A spy?!
Were the higher-ups of the Village out of their minds?
Deep Lake seemed to empathize with this thought, but he still had to lead the team, so he naturally couldn't just blurt out such words.
Therefore, he had no choice but to forcefully suppress the urge to complain that was bubbling up inside him, and continued helplessly: "In short, there are many complex internal reasons that led the higher-ups to arrange such a genius to be an undercover agent in Konoha, and he has been undercover for more than ten years."
"Ten years—?!"
Another chorus of astonishment filled the room.
Among everyone present, the longest undercover period was just over two years.
Moreover, that kid was only five or six years old ten years ago, wasn't he?
Suddenly, the undercover agents present all seemed to understand what was going on.
It was probably those short-sighted higher-ups of Hidden Mist who, during a certain mission, treated a highly potential genius as an ordinary child soldier, only for him to accidentally grow into a towering tree in another Village.
Deep Lake only felt his scalp stiffen more and more, looking quite helpless:
"That's roughly how things are."
"Due to various reasons, the Village finally discovered the talent he proactively exposed, but this guy is no longer willing to return to the Village and has rebellious intentions."
"But for the sake of the Village, we cannot allow a genius of this caliber to continue staying in Konoha Village."
"So, the Village has issued an order: if Sawara Kiri still shows no signs of leaving Konoha after three days, immediately mobilize the people under your command to spread information throughout Konoha about the intelligence Sawara Kiri stole and the high-ranking Land of Fire officials he killed."
"In short, use all means necessary to force him back to the Village."
As he spoke, he took out several pieces of intelligence from his Arms.
Upon hearing this, everyone present's expressions darkened by a few shades, but they still quietly reached out and took the intelligence related to Sawara Kiri.
It was only human nature to feel indignant for a genius.
However, they had also sworn an oath to dedicate everything to the Village the moment they became spies.
Given this, the mission naturally could not be disobeyed.
"Sir."
Just as the intelligence was being distributed, someone suddenly asked: "What if that Sawara Kiri still refuses to leave Konoha, and even the Konoha higher-ups protect him? What should we do then?"
"Then, of course, we'll mobilize the high-ranking Land of Fire officials who were previously harmed, and their families behind them, to create public opinion."
Deep Lake said casually, finally distributing the intelligence to the last person.
However, when he looked up, he saw that Amakusa Shiro next to him had empty hands.
Amakusa Shiro also looked at him with a bewildered expression—where's mine?
Did he print one less?
Deep Lake subconsciously had this thought as well.
No!
Years of undercover experience made him suddenly deny this subconscious thought, and he abruptly sprang up from the ground, retreating several steps, and looked at the crowd in front of him.
There was one more person!
"Who are you?!"
Almost instantly, his gaze settled on the person who had just spoken with a question.
Why was he here?
Why hadn't he noticed him until just now?
Why hadn't he even noticed any problem with his voice the moment he spoke?
A series of doubts suddenly filled his mind, making him deeply terrified.
What level of genjutsu could have made him fall into his trap unknowingly?
However, just as Deep Lake was feeling utterly terrified, he suddenly noticed another small problem.
He had just made such a loud noise, but all the other spies present remained quietly in their positions, looking down and flipping through the documents.
Even Amakusa Shiro, who had just been aware that he hadn't received the documents, was now seemingly holding a real document, flipping through the air as if seriously studying something.
Only the person standing among them, with his pair of azure Six Eyes, looked at him. The cold gaze combined with a gentle smile, yet it made one's heart involuntarily feel a chill.
He sat there like everyone else, arm-in-arm with another spy, smiling, and seemingly a little puzzled, he pointed to himself:
"It's me, don't you recognize me?"
"Your target, Sawara Kiri."
"Why that expression? Didn't we have a good chat along the way?"
Sawara Kiri smiled warmly, patted off some dust from his body, and stood up from the ground, patting the shoulder of the person next to him.
The person next to him also nodded and smiled at him, looking like they were good companions.
Deep Lake's heart, however, felt as if it had been frozen solid.
Sawara Kiri? Chatting? Along the way?
When?
Since when?
Why did he have absolutely no memory of it!?
"Also, I have you to thank." Sawara Kiri looked at the few people around him.
"If it weren't for you, I don't know how much effort it would take to pull them out one by one."
"I'm very grateful to you, you know."
Almost the instant Sawara Kiri's words fell, the people around him seemed to have finally finished reading all the documents, and one by one, they put down the papers in their hands and stood up.
Deep Lake watched them take out the Kunai hidden on their bodies and place them against their own necks.
"Chh, chh, chh—!"
The sound of sharp blades cutting through arteries and windpipes merged into one, and blood spurted out like arrows, yet there wasn't a trace of hesitation on the faces of these people.
Crimson blood and azure eyes reflected each other, shining brightly.
Under the faint candlelight, they illuminated strikingly contrasting colors.
"Thump, thump…"
One body after another collapsed to the ground, making dull thuds.
Deep Lake watched this scene and couldn't help but sit down on the ground, his face pale, his eyes filled with despair.
After so many years, the Konoha intelligence network he had painstakingly developed for the Village was destroyed just like that.
However, even though he was in such despair, Sawara Kiri had no intention of letting him go.
He stepped over the bodies on the ground and approached Deep Lake:
"Why that expression?"
"As if I'm some kind of bad guy. I'm a rare good person in the entire Ninja World, you know. Today, I'll reluctantly let you off the hook."
Sawara Kiri leaned down, the smile on his face obscured by the candlelight, as if buried in deep shadow, with only his azure eyes shining with a unique brilliance.
He spoke softly, in a voice as gentle as a whisper, urging quietly:
"Run now."
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence 9: Reader for dozens of advance chapters for over a dozen fics | Every 100 powerstones = 1 extra chapter