Chapter 57: Mission Accomplished

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Although that's what he was thinking, Shuuzawa still planned to get more intel out of them.

"What do you want intel on the Akatsuki for? Even if you've captured me, I deserve an explanation, don't I? We plan to hire them to attack your side."

Shuuzawa didn't feel like explaining too much to Kitsuchi. He strolled over to where Kakashi and the others were. 

At that moment, they were quiet—there was still too little known about Akatsuki. When Kakashi saw Shuuzawa approaching, he spoke in a low voice with a helpless tone.

"Such a shame. There's not enough intel to confirm anything." Shisui nodded in agreement, but Shuuzawa gently shook his head.

"You guys… you always make judgments based solely on existing intel. That's cautious, yes, but sometimes it's not enough."

"Hm?"

Kakashi looked at Shuuzawa with confusion, clearly not following yet. 

But Shisui, who had worked with Shuuzawa for quite some time, seemed to understand what he meant. 

Still, Shuuzawa didn't make things difficult for them. Instead, he smiled and continued.

"I've said before, sometimes you have to view things not just from a shinobi's perspective—but from the standpoint of the village." 

"And I already mentioned, this organization is based in a small country. So, from Ōnoki's perspective, what would he do?"

"You mean—how would Ōnoki choose a small-country-based organization to wipe out rebel groups within his sphere of influence?"

Shisui picked up on Shuuzawa's train of thought, and Kakashi soon caught on as well.

"If you think about it that way, there's no way he would pick a group from his own territory." 

"That kind of group is hard to control. And instead of tolerating their existence, he'd probably eliminate them immediately!"

A rogue ninja group like that wouldn't be allowed to exist inside his borders. Even if their base was nearby, it would still be too unstable for someone like Ōnoki.

"Exactly. And it can't be too far either—if it's too distant, communication becomes difficult."

Shisui nodded again. From the perspective of the Land of Earth and Iwagakure, the distance to the target was crucial. 

Ōnoki wouldn't care how far the target was, only that it was convenient for his hired mercenaries to move quickly and receive orders easily.

"So we can rule out places like the Land of Bears, or anywhere with conflicts of interest between Iwagakure and Sunagakure. That also eliminates the Land of Grass."

Shuuzawa nodded. Honestly, he was feeling tired. In order to guide them to the answer, he had to keep spoon-feeding the clues.

"And if the country is chaotic, it's even easier for them to hide. So that leaves just a few candidates."

"The Land of Iron, the Land of Waterfalls, the Land of Demons… and the Land of Rain."

Kakashi murmured the names, listing off the likeliest locations. There were a lot of small nations in the shinobi world, but very few fit all the criteria. 

These four stood out clearly. Technically, the Land of Hot Water could be one too—but that territory belonged to Kumogakure, and Kumo would never allow such a group to exist there. 

The same goes for the Land of Rivers between Sunagakure and Konohagakure.

What remained were small nations that were chaotic enough, neutral enough to avoid war, and close enough to Iwagakure. Only those four made sense.

"That's why the answer is often right in front of us. What we have to do is use the intel to work backwards. Who knows? We might stumble upon a lucky breakthrough."

Shuuzawa gave a small nod, but he still resisted the urge to say "Akatsuki is in the Land of Rain."

After all, Hanzo was technically still alive, and even though Pain eventually overthrew him, that event was never made public. 

Very few knew what was really happening inside the Land of Rain. The rest would be up to others to investigate. Shuuzawa had already done all he could. 

Now his main priority was returning to Konoha and finishing the mission. For him, growing stronger was still the most important thing.

"What is this feeling…? Why do I feel so uneasy?"

In the Hidden Stone Village, within the Land of Earth, Ōnoki was watching over Deidara and Kurotsuchi's training while grumbling to himself.

He wasn't too worried about Kitsuchi's team. Although she could be reckless at times, she was being watched over by Bun'ya, and she had several capable squads with her.

From every angle, it seemed like a solid lineup—especially since they'd also hired a highly skilled mercenary group for backup.

Everything should have been fine… but Ōnoki couldn't shake this odd feeling in his chest. Even as he supervised their training, his mind kept wandering.

"Hey, Kuro… what's with the old man? He's acting weird."

Deidara muttered, clearly bored with training. He'd much rather be messing with clay and experimenting with his explosions. Maybe blow up a house or something.

Unfortunately, Ōnoki was watching them too closely. That frustrated Deidara, but he didn't dare go against Ōnoki's authority. Not yet, at least.

"Deidara, show some respect to my grandfather," Kurotsuchi muttered with a sigh. "He's also your sensei. Can you not be so rude?"

"Tch."

Deidara pouted for a second before suddenly realising something.

"Wait, if the old man is my teacher and you're his granddaughter, doesn't that make me your uncle? Shouldn't you be calling me Uncle Deidara, not 'big bro'?"

"You want to get punched?!" Kurotsuchi immediately lunged at him, fists flying.

"Hey! Don't lose it on me!" Deidara yelped, scrambling to dodge her strikes.

"I know guys shouldn't fight girls, but don't go too hard on me! If you keep this up, I won't hold back!"

The two of them had grown up together and always got along in a rowdy kind of way. 

Deidara talked a lot about fighting back, but he was really just covering his head and dodging. Still, their shouting finally snapped Ōnoki out of his daze.

"You two!" Ōnoki barked, clearly annoyed.

"I told you this is training, not playtime! What do you think you're doing?!"

"Uhh…" Deidara and Kurotsuchi froze. They both stopped moving immediately.

They knew this wasn't the time to provoke him further. Still, Deidara muttered under his breath.

"Geez… why'd the old man have to snap out of it now?"

"Hey! I may be old, but I'm not deaf or dead! I heard that!"

Unfortunately, Ōnoki caught that comment perfectly, which triggered another loud outburst. Deidara shivered. His hearing's way too sharp for an old guy…

"You two—!"

Ōnoki looked like he was about to start lecturing again, but Deidara quickly raised his hand, playing the scapegoat.

"It's all my fault! I made Kurotsuchi mad. Punish me instead. I'll go outside the village and reflect on my actions!"

"You little brat…"

Ōnoki almost laughed. He knew exactly what Deidara was thinking.

That brat just wanted to sneak off and keep messing with his explosives. He clearly wasn't taking training seriously at all.

Honestly, Deidara gave Ōnoki a headache. The kid had outstanding talent, a rare Kekkei Genkai, and solid skills in both Earth and Fire Release.

If he could master Wind Release, he might even unlock Dust Release someday! He was smart and loyal, too—those were real strengths.

But his brain was always filled with bizarre ideas and pointless tinkering, which left Ōnoki constantly exasperated.

"You—"

Ōnoki started to say more, but his eyes shifted as he sensed something approaching. An Anbu member burst in, clearly in a hurry, holding a scroll.

"Lord Tsuchikage, urgent news."

"Hm?"

Ōnoki's heart skipped a beat. Was this the unease he'd been feeling earlier? He said nothing and immediately unrolled the scroll to read.

But the more he read, the darker his expression became. Akatsuki had failed. Grass had fallen.

Kitsuchi, Bun'ya, and several elite Iwa-nin were now guests in Konoha, and Danzo would soon head to Sunagakure.

"You bastards…!" Ōnoki roared with fury.

No one could say whether he was more enraged at Akatsuki's failure or at what had happened to his people.

But his eyes were locked on the last line of the scroll: The Third Hokage formally invited him to the Land of Grass for peace talks.

Peace talks? This was just forcing him into negotiations!

"Damn it… so they've set their sights on the Land of Grass now, huh?!" Ōnoki cursed under his breath. But all he could do now was vent.

His own son was in enemy hands, and other top Iwa-nin had been captured as well. 

He couldn't afford to make any reckless moves. And the idea of going to war?

Ōnoki hadn't even considered that as an option. He killed the Third Raikage—something the Fourth Raikage has never forgotten. 

If a war were to break out between them and the Leaf, the Hidden Cloud would be laughing their heads off. 

In fact, part of the reason the Hidden Cloud hasn't moved against the Leaf yet is because of him. 

After all, he even took down the Third Raikage. Who knows? If the Cloud and Leaf ever truly go to war, Hidden Stone might take that as a chance to stab the Cloud in the back.

"What's wrong, Grandpa?" Kurotsuchi asked timidly, looking up at Ōnoki. Her voice was low and cautious.

"Nothing… It's nothing." Ōnoki forced a smile and shook his head, swallowing his anger. 

He couldn't just come out and say, My dear boy, your great father has been dragged off to the Leaf Village.

This whole operation was originally meant to test the waters—figure out the truth behind Wood Release, Flying Thunder God, and the Mangekyō Sharingan. 

It wasn't like he purposely wanted to fall into Hidden Cloud's trap. These three powers were too dangerous and made him anxious. 

So even if he suspected a trap, he had to check it out himself. How could he have known things would turn out like this?

"Inform the Leaf. I understand." Ōnoki finally nodded after a long pause. "Any other valuable intel?"

"Lord Tsuchikage, the Hidden Grass Village has… turned into a forest," the Anbu said cautiously, keeping his head down.

"And also, we can now fully confirm that what the Hidden Cloud has been publicizing is true. Plus, there's one more thing…"

"What is it?"

"You were right, Lord Tsuchikage. There was a descendant of the Uzumaki Clan being held captive inside the Hidden Grass Village." 

"They were performing human experiments on her… but she's been taken away by the Leaf."

Ōnoki's expression froze. After a moment, he suddenly tore the scroll apart in a fit of anger.

Damn it. So it really was true… The Grass Village actually had one! Now he regretted not being the one to conquer the Grass Village first.

"Lord Kitsuchi, welcome to the Leaf."

Outside the Root base in the Land of Fire, Sarutobi Hiruzen stood before the gates, looking at the familiar headquarters and speaking words that carried a sense of déjà vu. 

Yet he knew this wasn't the time to dwell on nostalgia. The matter at hand was far more important.

"Welcome, huh. You guys really have guts," Kitsuchi snorted, though he didn't dare speak too much. Right now, he was merely a "guest." 

He'd better not push his luck. Otherwise, this "visit" might quickly turn into a "capture"—and that would be a hard pill to swallow.

"Well then, since you're our guest, let's get you some rest first."

"Understood. Someone, show Lord Kitsuchi the way." Seeing that Kitsuchi, while visibly annoyed, was still cooperative, Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a breath of relief. 

Once the group had left, his gaze turned toward Shuuzawa and the others.

"You actually came back, huh?" Before he could say more, Tsunade stepped out from behind him and grabbed Shuuzawa by the collar.

"You couldn't even tell me in advance about something this important?! Think you're hot stuff now?!"

"Alright, Tsunade, enough." Sarutobi Hiruzen rubbed his brow. He knew exactly what Tsunade meant.

"Yes, Sensei," Shuuzawa added with a smile. "We're all safe. This mission came up suddenly, and we didn't expect to be assigned so quickly."

Tsunade was acting like this because she was worried about them. That was all. 

She just had a bad habit of expressing it with grumbling and complaints. Still, Shuuzawa now felt a bit overwhelmed by the sheer chaos of it all.

"Tch." Tsunade let go of Shuuzawa with a small scoff, her eyes drifting toward the shy red-haired girl standing behind them.

"Who's this? Her red hair… same shade as Kushina's."

"She's likely the target of our mission," Shuuzawa said after a quick glance at Karin, then motioned for Kakashi to give the report.

Unfortunately, neither Kakashi nor Shisui made a move—they both kept their heads down, avoiding eye contact with Shuuzawa. 

Left with no choice, he gave the full report himself. 

He was detailed—going over everything from the run-in with the Akatsuki, the raid on the Hidden Grass Village, the capture of Kitsuchi—all of which had been included in the preliminary intel sent back to Konoha. 

But he also filled in the critical blanks: how they identified Tobi, where the Akatsuki was roughly located, and the truth about Karin, which had never been documented.

Tsunade and Sarutobi Hiruzen listened intently. When Shuuzawa finally finished, Tsunade clenched her fists.

"Hmph. The Hidden Grass Village really crossed the line. That wretched place…" She turned toward Karin again, her voice suddenly resolute.

"From now on, you'll stay with me. You have the natural ability to become a medical-nin." 

"I also have some materials from the Uzumaki Clan. I think I can train you. What do you say, little girl?"

"Eh?" Karin still didn't quite understand what was going on, but she also felt like she didn't have much of a choice. 

The woman before her didn't seem hostile—in fact, she radiated kindness. After a moment's hesitation, she nodded.

"Good. You don't have a problem with that, old man, do you?"

Tsunade smiled with satisfaction but turned to Sarutobi Hiruzen for confirmation. 

The look he gave in return almost made his eyes roll out of his head.

"What can I say? Haven't you already decided?" Still, deep down, Sarutobi Hiruzen thought this was a good arrangement. 

Tsunade, being the First Hokage's granddaughter and the granddaughter of Uzumaki Mito, was the perfect person to raise Karin.

And with Anbu like Shuuzawa and Yuugao around—not to mention the fact that they were the ones who rescued her from that hellhole—Karin would surely grow a strong sense of belonging.

"You've done a remarkable job this time."

After settling the matter with Karin, Sarutobi Hiruzen turned his gaze back to Shuuzawa and the team.

"Not only did you rescue a descendant of the Uzumaki Clan, you also gathered critical intel on the Akatsuki. That's no small feat. Congratulations on completing the mission."

"Thank you, Lord Hokage!" With his words, Kakashi, Shisui, and the others bowed slightly.

Shuuzawa also followed suit, though his focus was no longer on the ceremony… It was on his system panel, which had just updated.

[Mission Complete: Investigate Hidden Grass Village]

[Mission Rating: SS]

[Free Points Gained: 12]

[Hidden Mission Complete: Uncover Uchiha Obito's Identity (4)]

[Mission Rating: S]

[Free Points Gained: 10]

[Due to high mission completion rate and direct confrontation with the Akatsuki, successful assault on Hidden Grass, capture of the Tsuchikage's son Kitsuchi, and revelation of Obito's true identity—Two Special Rewards Granted]

[Special Reward 1: Fire Release from Kakuzu (based on heart level)]

[Special Reward 2: Double Free Points]

[Current Free Points: 45]

Looking at the flood of system rewards, Shuuzawa froze. There was only one thought running through his head:

Next time… maybe I should pick an even bigger village for my mission?

This was a jackpot!

Just as excitement surged through him, Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke again in a low voice.

"…But next time, can we not do it this way? Just focus on the mission at hand, alright? You did promise me, Shuuzawa-kun."

I'm begging you… My heart can't take much more of this…

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