Chapter 69: Prelude to Farewell

Kakashi was incredibly talented and powerful. Short of a Kage-level opponent, no one should have been able to injure him so severely.

"It was Itachi. Uchiha Itachi," Kurenai said quietly, her voice tinged with disappointment. Her genjutsu, which she had always taken pride in, had been effortlessly turned back on her. The sting of that failure was hard to swallow.

"Uchiha Itachi? The one who massacred his own clan? The traitor of the Uchiha, branded a rogue ninja of the Leaf?" Tsunade frowned, both surprised and skeptical.

Though she had been away from the village, she had still caught wind of certain events especially the tragic annihilation of the Uchiha clan.

"Yes," Might Guy confirmed. "He's incredibly strong. With just a single glance, he took Kakashi out of the fight. If I hadn't spent so many years sparring with Kakashi and developing countermeasures against the Sharingan, I'd probably be in the same condition right now."

"What were they after?" Tsunade's brow furrowed. From Guy's description, there was no doubt in her mind that Itachi's strength had reached Kage level. For someone of that caliber to return to the village... it couldn't have been for nostalgic reasons.

"We're not entirely sure. But by the time we reached the scene, Itachi and that blowfish-looking guy had already taken Naruto. I think it's safe to say their target was him," Guy said, voice grim.

"Blowfish? What blowfish?" Tsunade asked, clearly confused.

"Pfft " Neji nearly burst out laughing, giving Guy a silent thumbs-up. Only he could forget the name of the enemy he'd just fought. No, knowing him, he probably forgot it the moment it was spoken.

"Lady Tsunade," Kurenai explained helplessly, "Guy means one of Itachi's companions. His name is Kisame Hoshigaki. He's the one who beat Asuma into that... state."

Asuma, who had been listening from his hospital bed, started trembling with indignation. His swollen, bruised face looked both pitiful and furious. All I did was call him a blowfish, and he beat the hell out of me! Damn it, I only said that because Guy told me to!

What made it worse was why didn't he hit Guy instead?!

"I see," Tsunade nodded thoughtfully. "So you believe their real target wasn't Naruto, but rather... the Nine-Tails?"

A deep seriousness settled over her expression. In the entire Hidden Leaf, the only person referred to as Naruto could only be the son of Minato Namikaze - Naruto Uzumaki.

"They're trying to capture the Nine-Tails? But why?" Tsunade murmured. The Nine-Tails was an immensely powerful force. Mishandling it could easily bring disaster to the entire ninja world.

"Lady Tsunade," Kurenai said, teeth clenched, "Itachi and Kisame were wearing the same clothes. It's highly likely... they're part of the same organization."

The same organization.

Tsunade's heart dropped. That was far more concerning than two powerful rogue ninja. If they belonged to an organized group, it meant they wouldn't stop at just one tailed beast.

Which meant... their true goal could be all nine.

Tailed beasts were vital strategic resources for every village. Just imagining the devastation that would result if all nine were gathered in one place was enough to send chills down anyone's spine.

"I understand," Tsunade said, drawing a deep breath, doing her best to remain calm.

She was about to become the Fifth Hokage. No matter what happened, she had to stay composed. That was the most basic responsibility of a leader. If even she lost her nerve, the impact would ripple far and wide.

"Healing Palm Technique."

With a flick of her wrist, Tsunade released two orbs of green healing chakra, which quickly entered Kakashi and Asuma's bodies. The effects were immediate. Asuma's bloated, disfigured form visibly shrank back to normal, and Kakashi slowly stirred, finally regaining consciousness.

There was no question Tsunade's medical ninjutsu had reached an almost godlike level.

Back when the Legendary Sannin fought Hanzo of the Salamander, it was her medical expertise that allowed them to survive. During the Fourth Great Ninja War, she again became a pillar of strength, keeping the Allied Shinobi Forces alive and in fighting shape.

"All right. Neji, Shizune, let's go." Tsunade turned without hesitation.

With her treatment complete, both Kakashi and Asuma were on the mend, but it would still be a while before they were fully fit to leave the hospital. Tsunade didn't have the luxury of sticking around. Too many messes still needed cleaning up.

But as soon as they exited the hospital, the calm mask on her face cracked now replaced by a storm of frustration.

"I swear," she muttered, "why is it that the minute I come back, there's a mountain of crap waiting for me?!"

Neji looked over at her and said quietly, "What you're really worried about... isn't the nine tailed beasts being gathered. It's the organization itself, isn't it?"

Tsunade nodded. "After my grandfather died, no one in the ninja world has been able to truly suppress all nine tailed beasts. And now, there's an organization powerful enough to maybe do that? If they go all out... not even the Leaf might be able to stop them."

Neji fell silent. She was right. The Akatsuki really were that dangerous. Even without the others, just Nagato alone had the power to turn the Hidden Leaf upside down. If he hadn't used Rinne Rebirth in the end, the village would've been completely wiped out.

Akatsuki had twelve members, past and present. Each one was at or near Kage level some even far beyond. A force that terrifying, had they decided to attack all at once, the Leaf wouldn't have stood a chance.

Truthfully, if it weren't for the needs of the plot, the Akatsuki could've crushed all five great villages one by one. Given how much the villages distrusted and schemed against each other, Akatsuki had a disturbingly high chance of success. Who would've needed the Infinite Tsukuyomi at that point?

But however grim the truth was, Neji knew Tsunade needed hope right now.

"Don't worry. We don't know much about this organization yet, but the Third Hokage always kept a close eye on major movements in the ninja world. He probably documented something about them. You should look into it."

"But the level of power they've already shown..." Tsunade bit her lip. Any group that could casually deploy someone like Uchiha Itachi had to be dangerously well-resourced.

"That's true," Neji replied, "but remember they're targeting jinchuriki, not entire villages."

"In any case, we still have time. And if they really are after all the tailed beasts, the other great villages won't just sit around and wait to be picked off."

Neji came to a halt and turned to her. Of course, that was only half-true. If the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path showed up, all nine tailed beasts would be doomed but that was something better left unsaid. No point in crushing hope before the battle even began.

"Right. You're not wrong," Tsunade nodded, taking a bit of comfort in his words.

"I'd better go find those two old relics. No telling what mess Hiruzen left behind for me," she grumbled. With Shizune by her side, she made her way toward the Hokage building.

Having been away for so long, she was still unfamiliar with many of the village's internal decisions and policies. For that, she would need the help of Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane.

Watching her go, Neji turned to the sky.

"Well... I suppose I should get ready too," he said to himself.

"Before I leave, there's still something I need to take care of."

____________________

NEXT CHAPTER : This Night, the Beginning of Change

(Haunted by nightmares of Itachi, Sasuke spirals deeper into desperation and rage. His thirst for power pushes him to the edge and Orochimaru's agents, the Sound Four, arrive right on cue.

Their sudden appearance in the shadows offers Sasuke what he craves most: strength. But first, he must prove he's worthy.

Can Sasuke resist the pull of darkness... or is this the night he finally breaks from the Leaf?

Next: The Cursed Seal awakens... and so does the path of betrayal.)

Want to read 35 chapters ahead? Join me on P@treon, the story is on sale now!

P@treon.com/_tey 

Change @ to a.