"Bad news, A Fei."
In a stretch of desert near the border of the Land of Fire, a White Zetsu clone rather uncomfortably emerged from the scorching sand and spoke to Obito Uchiha, who was removing the masks from the faces of the Konoha Anbu controlled by Sharingan genjutsu one by one, checking their true appearances.
"How bad? Did Kakuzu and Sasori both get finished off by Nagato and that member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen from Kirigakure?"
Obito Uchiha looked at the Konoha Anbu before him, whose clothing was decorated with the crest of the Yamanaka clan, and asked casually.
"Not that bad. On Sunagakure and Nagato's side, they only found some clues that I had Sasori's subordinate deliberately leave behind, clues pointing toward him. Kakuzu's side has not been exposed for now."
"Then Sasori is the one who had a problem?"
Obito Uchiha turned his face and used the Sharingan behind his mask to stare at White Zetsu's clone.
"Was he killed? Or did he reveal information about his contact with us to outsiders?"
"Sasori was killed by Shisui Uchiha."
White Zetsu's words made Obito Uchiha pause for a moment.
He subconsciously glanced at the second Konoha investigation team beside him. Only then did information corresponding to the name Shisui Uchiha surface in his mind, causing his expression behind the mask to darken.
"Shisui Uchiha? That guy who was captured by Rei Kaguya on the battlefield?"
"That's right. The Uchiha genius who once shone countless times brighter than you, making a name for himself in the Third Shinobi World War as 'Shisui of the Body Flicker' before he was even ten years old~"
White Zetsu eagerly fanned the flames.
"I do not know the exact reason, but that kid became one of Kirigakure's people. The member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen sent on this mission was him. He also accepted the Cursed Seal of Heaven bestowed by Rei Kaguya. Relying on that power, he dealt with Sasori of the Red Sand by himself and obtained Sasori's greatest secret~"
"What secret?"
"His heart. Also the core that condensed all of Sasori's chakra, memories, and knowledge."
White Zetsu made exaggerated faces at Obito Uchiha, whose expression was unpleasant.
"That thing seems to only need a puppet to exist for Sasori of the Red Sand to resurrect again…"
"Hmph. So it was only something of that level."
Hearing that what Shisui Uchiha had taken was only a heart capable of resurrecting Sasori of the Red Sand, Obito Uchiha sneered and turned back unconcernedly to continue checking the true appearance of the Konoha Anbu beside him.
"The information Sasori possessed was originally something we deliberately revealed to him. Even if Kirigakure resurrects him, they cannot obtain any information outside the scope of his knowledge. If what you are talking about is only this, then the previous information about Shisui Uchiha siding with Kirigakure is worse news."
"You are not considering making a move on him?"
White Zetsu asked curiously.
"As the most famous genius of the Uchiha, Shisui Uchiha's ocular power should still be worth anticipating, right? And he also sided with that Rei Kaguya. For you, Obito, should his actions not be doubly worthy of death?"
"I have no interest in biting bait thrown out by Rei Kaguya, even if that bait does look rather tempting."
After Obito Uchiha finished checking the true faces of every Anbu and confirmed that none among them possessed the secret techniques or Kekkei Genkai he wanted, he activated the Kamui in his right eye and sucked every Konoha Anbu trapped in illusion inside.
Then he spoke to White Zetsu with some displeasure.
"Let's go, White Zetsu. Looks like our plan is going to fail."
"Huh? You do not plan to make them send out another distress message and lure Konoha's third investigation team over?"
White Zetsu looked at Obito Uchiha's back in surprise.
"Maybe next time, the Fourth Hokage will send Kakashi Hatake out?"
"If Minato-sensei were going to send Kakashi out, he should have been part of the first investigation team."
Obito Uchiha shook his head. In his eye, an indescribably complicated emotion flashed.
"Since the first investigation team was attacked, and the only survivor barely managed to send back a few pieces of information before being killed, yet Kakashi still was not in the second investigation team, there is no need to do this a third time."
"So we can only go to Konoha itself and find a way to take back your eye?"
"Perhaps not only my eye."
Obito Uchiha recalled the scene he had seen when he used Kamui's intangibility to infiltrate Konoha for reconnaissance, then slowly breathed out.
Kushina Uzumaki's belly was already very obvious.
In other words, the Nine-Tails' seal would soon enter an unprecedentedly loose period.
"Zetsu, notify Kakuzu and the others. Stop continuing the attacks against Konoha and Kirigakure shinobi. Turn 'Root's' activity back into the shadows… Before I take back my left eye, we cannot continue drawing Kirigakure and Konoha's attention."
"Yes, yes~"
A fierce wind carrying the heat wave of midsummer blew across the place where Obito Uchiha and White Zetsu had vanished, sweeping up golden sand and pushing the waves of sand everywhere in the sea of sand forward.
Then, from that stretch of sand waves surging like true seawater, a skull that had already been gnawed clean of flesh by all kinds of creatures in the desert rolled out with a clatter.
Tied to that skull was a Konoha forehead protector stained with dark blood.
…
"Minato, you look like you have a lot on your mind… Are you still worried about the Anbu who went to the Land of Wind to investigate the assassination incidents?"
Shikaku Nara looked at Minato Namikaze, who had been staring blankly at the documents in front of him for nearly half an hour without making any progress, and asked with some concern.
"Partly, I suppose."
Minato Namikaze sighed. On his bright and handsome face appeared a rare mixture of emotions—five parts worry, three parts unease, and two parts confusion.
"The village finally settled down. It looked like we finally had a chance to reform the problems affecting its development, but suddenly, something like targeted killings of Konoha shinobi happened again… Although I do not want to believe this is a sign that Sunagakure is about to provoke another war, I cannot avoid making all kinds of preparations around this matter in advance."
"And somehow, I can vaguely feel that a huge dark cloud hidden in the shadows is approaching Konoha…"
"It has only been peaceful for a few years, yet ambitious people are already stirring in the dark again?"
Shikaku Nara let out a long sigh and scratched the back of his head.
"In that case, I will go speak with Lord Sarutobi again about improving the village's current defense system… Also, Minato, if this investigation team still disappears, or only intelligence is sent back, then we should ask Lord Jiraiya to take action and investigate. Among the Kage-level powerhouses in the village who can still move normally, he is the only one left."
"If necessary, I will ask Jiraiya-sensei."
Minato Namikaze nodded, agreeing to Shikaku Nara's suggestion.
Then he turned and looked outside the window, gazing at the cliff carved with the Hokage Rock of past generations, and the face on it that belonged to him.
Silently, he clenched his fist.
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