The major nations had indeed received the Third Hokage's message.
In the Land of Lightning, Aiden, the Fourth Raikage, stood before the towering window of his office. His body was built like a fortress, every muscle sharp with tension. His brows were furrowed, not with fear but irritation.
Behind him, a crumpled sheet of intelligence lay on the corner of his massive desk. It had been tossed aside with enough force to leave a faint crease in the wood.
"Hmph." Aiden exhaled sharply, his voice echoing across the high-ceilinged room. "That old man Hiruzen has been sitting in the Hokage's chair so long he's grinding his courage down to dust. A dramatic report like this? What nonsense."
He turned abruptly and marched toward the desk, his heavy palm slamming onto the surface. Stacks of documents jumped from the impact. The discarded intelligence report seemed almost mocking in its stillness.
Mabui, his composed and ever-efficient secretary, stepped forward with the papers in her arms. "Even so, Lord Raikage, the report did come from the Third Hokage. I doubt it's fabricated. We should reinforce security around our jinchuriki, just in case."
Aiden scoffed. "What is that old man afraid of? A handful of shadow-dwelling criminals? He lets himself get spooked by every rumor these days."
He flicked the report from the desk, letting it slide to the floor like refuse. The tone of his voice grew even harsher.
"A nameless underground group makes him act like the sky is falling? Ridiculous. This is the Land of Lightning. This is the Hidden Cloud. Not his coddled Leaf Village."
His thick finger jabbed toward the window, where the steel-walled mountains of the Cloud Village stood like immovable guardians.
"We are the strongest," he declared. "Yugito is one step away from being a perfect jinchuriki, and Bee is more dependable than any shinobi that old man ever raised."
"The way Hiruzen trembles at shadows is embarrassing. Excessive caution is nothing but cowardice."
He cracked his knuckles, sparks of chakra practically snapping through the air.
"If this so-called Akatsuki dares come here, dares lay a hand on Yugito or Bee, I will make sure they never leave. Not even their ashes will remain. Old man Hiruzen's warning does nothing but waste my time."
Cloud Village, confident and unbothered, dismissed the Hokage's concerns entirely.
In the Land of Earth, Lord Onoki studied the message with narrowed eyes.
His son, Argo, stepped forward and bowed slightly. "Father, should we retrieve Roshi and assign additional guards to protect Han?"
Onoki rubbed his chin, deep in thought. "Hmph. Hiruzen sending us such a warning is suspicious. Trying to intimidate the Land of Earth with talk of a mercenary group? What is he plotting?"
He knew of the Akatsuki long before Leaf Village did. He had even hired them for covert missions. They completed every job flawlessly, though their fees were anything but modest.
"Laughable. He might want us to pour our resources into protecting jinchuriki and leave other fronts vulnerable. That would certainly benefit him."
He waved his hand dismissively.
"Roshi has always been hardheaded, and his relationship with the village is strained as it is. That he hasn't turned rogue yet already shows restraint. Let him wander as he pleases. As for Han, his strength is considerable. He can wield the power of the Five-Tails. Capturing him alive would cost even me considerable effort."
He shook his head. "If the Akatsuki had that level of power, they wouldn't need to take on mercenary work. Ignore the warning. Instead, tighten security within the village so Leaf spies don't stir up trouble."
Argo nodded and left to carry out the orders.
The Land of Earth, skeptical and prideful, dismissed the warning as well.
Far across the desert, in the Hidden Sand, the situation was very different.
With Gaara newly appointed as the Fifth Kazekage, the village had no other shinobi capable of matching a Kage's strength. Chiyo had withdrawn from village affairs, leaving Gaara as their only pillar.
Upon receiving Konoha's intelligence report, the Sand Village had only one choice: fortify everything.
They surrounded Gaara with layers of security, hoping sheer numbers could compensate for their lack of elite fighters.
But deep down, every shinobi could sense it. Their preparations were flimsy against an enemy they knew nothing about.
The Mist Village offered no reply at all.
Still shrouded under the oppressive regime of the Fourth Mizukage, communication with the outside world was sparse at best. Whether they had received the message or ignored it was impossible to know.
As for the smaller nations that hosted tail beasts, such as the Hidden Waterfall Village, their situation bordered on hopeless.
Fu, their Seven-Tails jinchuriki, was already the strongest shinobi their village possessed.
If danger arrived at their gates, it would be Fu protecting them, not the other way around.
And so, with the major nations unconcerned and the small nations helpless, the Akatsuki's hunt began without resistance.
They moved in pairs, striking simultaneously across the continent. By the time the Raikage and Onoki received news of the captures, Yugito and Han had already been taken.
Only then did the villages realize how terrifyingly efficient the Akatsuki truly were.
But by then, it was far too late.
Back in the Leaf Village, Naruto stared down at the intelligence report, his brows drawn together.
"What is the Akatsuki planning? Why gather so many tailed beasts?" he asked quietly.
Tsunade folded her hands beneath her chin. "No one knows yet. But gathering that much power in one place can only mean something dangerous."
She tapped the report. "And this is only the jinchuriki who lived in major nations. There are still those who travel alone. We have no idea whether they've been captured."
Hinata looked up. "Who are the ones still unaccounted for?"
"According to intelligence, Roshi, the Four-Tails jinchuriki, wanders the world as a monk. The Six-Tails jinchuriki has left the Mist as well. Their whereabouts are unknown."
Naruto counted with his fingers. "So, worst-case scenario… the Akatsuki already have One-Tail, Two-Tails, Four-Tails, Five-Tails, Six-Tails, and Seven-Tails?"
Tsunade nodded, her expression grim. "Yes. Six already taken. Their movements were too fast, almost as if they had researched every jinchuriki long beforehand."
Hinata and Sasuke exchanged troubled glances. The air felt heavier with every word.
"Akatsuki…" Naruto murmured. Suddenly his expression shifted. "Wait, where is Pervy Sage?"
He worried Jiraiya had gone alone to confront Pain.
Tsunade sighed. "He's in the Mist. We still haven't received reports from them, so he went to check on the Three-Tails."
"Should we go back him up?" Naruto asked, concern in his voice.
"Jiraiya knows how to keep himself alive," Tsunade replied. "For now, our priority is retrieving Gaara before the Akatsuki extract the One-Tail."
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