Time passed quickly.
In the seemingly peaceful Ninja World, a storm was already brewing beneath the surface.
In Sunagakure,
Under the command of Fourth Kazekage Rasa, five elite Anbu squads quietly set out under the cover of darkness.
Two squads moved east, while three headed north.
The squads heading east were bound for the massive Fire Country—to Konoha.
Their mission was singular:
To confirm whether the Uchiha Clan, as reported in recent intelligence, had truly been wiped out.
The squads moving north had a more complex objective. Their destination was the small nation bordering the northern reaches of the Wind Country—the Land of Rain.
Unlike the first team, these squads had two key objectives:
First, to infiltrate Rain Shinobi Village and confirm whether Hanzō of the Salamander was truly dead.
Second, if both pieces of intelligence proved to be true, they were to act as the vanguard of Sunagakure's forces—launching a surprise assault on Rain Shinobi Village.
This was the ultimate contingency plan laid out by Kazekage Rasa.
...
At that very moment,
On the edge of a misty lake within the borders of Rain Shinobi Village,
A group of masked, robed ninja crouched silently behind thick brush, eyes trained on the opposite shore.
They were the three Anbu squads from Sunagakure.
"Everyone, listen up," the captain said in a hushed but firm tone.
"We are to move in with extreme caution. Do not allow yourselves to be seen by any ninja or affiliated forces."
"If you are discovered—"
"Kill the target immediately. No witnesses, no evidence."
"Is that understood?"
"Understood," the group responded in unison, their voices low and sharp.
They knew the gravity of the mission.
The future of Sunagakure—its potential rise to power—depended on the success of this reconnaissance and potential first strike.
And as personal guards under the direct command of the Kazekage, they had long since been prepared to give their lives in service.
Among them were some of Sand's top elite jōnin.
Failure was not an option.
"Good. Move out."
...
While the Anbu squads moved into position under the cover of darkness—
Within Rain Shinobi Village itself,
Inside a small, quiet restaurant nestled among the village's inner alleys,
Kuzo sat comfortably in a corner booth, leisurely enjoying a sumptuous meal.
"Gotta admit," he muttered with a satisfied sigh, "food from a grateful survivor never gets old."
His dinner, of course, was free of charge.
The reason? He was wearing the Akatsuki cloak.
In Rain Shinobi Village, Konan and Pain were revered as "Angel" and "God" by the locals.
It just so happened that the owner of this restaurant had once been saved by Konan herself.
So, upon seeing someone in the same uniform walk through his door, the owner immediately offered him a meal on the house.
Naturally, Kuzo accepted without hesitation.
After all, getting something for free—while technically shameless—was one of life's simplest pleasures.
However—
Just as Kuzo was halfway through his meal,
A flicker of change ran through the ring on his finger.
Then, a familiar voice echoed in his mind.
His heart skipped a beat.
The voice belonged to none other than the Akatsuki's leader—Pain.
And today, his tone was particularly grave and stern.
"Hey, Kuzo."
"We've got a situation. Rain Shinobi has been infiltrated."
"My detection technique picked up 21 individuals in the southwest sector. They're trying to sneak in under the cover of night."
"Their identities are unknown for now."
"I'm assigning this to you."
With that, the transmission was cut off.
Kuzo blinked, then raised an eyebrow.
Huh?
What's going on?
Did someone seriously have the nerve to invade Akatsuki's base?
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