"I'm afraid it's more than just that. As major powers—and with the Hidden Mist's current situation being unclear—the Stone and Cloud are currently the most prosperous villages," Tonbo Tobitake analyzed. "Until they face a massive, direct threat, they likely won't view the Akatsuki with much alarm. To them, it's just an underground organization picking up scraps and resources through the cracks of the Great Nations."
Jiraiya nodded. "Tonbo is right. Onoki, that old fox, has actually hired the Akatsuki several tis to carry out violent missions while the organization has been active. It seems he wants to manufacture a sense of crisis so the Land of Earth won't cut funding to the Hidden Stone. Maintaining a hidden village during peaceti is incredibly expensive, and he doesn't want the higher-ups in the Land of Earth thinking about reducing military spending."
"Mhm. I suspect certain high-ranking officials in the Land of Earth are quite happy with this arrangent," Shikaku Nara added. "It gives them an excuse to ignore the concerns of ordinary citizens. After all, if there's a danger, the civilians are willing to pay for the security."
Tsunade looked grim. "It's not just the Land of Earth. Onoki might be the most frequent employer of the Akatsuki, but the Land of Lightning and the Land of Water have similar situations. It's just a matter of degree."
"A long period of peace has likely dulled everyone's vigilance," Tonbo sighed.
Because the Akatsuki wasn't a structured power like a hidden village—being composed of rogue ninjas from various places—the Great Nations viewed them as nothing more than a convenient tool to be used at will. As long as the Akatsuki didn't establish its own ninja academy to train new recruits, the Five Great Villages saw them as disposable. Until they actually feel the pain, they won't take it seriously.
Old veterans like Onoki have likely used the Akatsuki for countless unsavory tasks. The Akatsuki recognized this and exploited the loopholes left by each nation.
Tsunade growled in annoyance. "Those guys... even if their Jinchuriki are captured, they'll probably try to handle it in secret. After all, it's not exactly sothing they want to brag about."
"I suggest we emphasize the Kazekage's situation further and try to secure the strength of the other nations as much as possible," Shikaku recomnded.
"That's all we can do. Shikaku, you handle the communications. Contact not just the Five Great Nations, but also the smaller countries. We need to actively seek their support," Tsunade ordered.
"Yes, Lady Hokage."
"Then we'll leave it at that for today. Everyone, stay alert," Tsunade said wearily. With the Akatsuki surfacing, her ti for gambling was disappearing fast.
"Wait, Tsunade," Mitokado Homura spoke up, stopping everyone in their tracks. "How do you plan to handle the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki? You can't be willful and let him run out of Konoha again. If he falls into an Akatsuki trap, we might not have enough strength to protect him."
Tsunade frowned. "We can't protect him forever. He needs to grow; otherwise, sooner or later, the Akatsuki will catch him." She remained firm. Protecting him perfectly would eventually lead to a lapse. Only Naruto growing stronger was the correct way to solve the problem.
Utatane Koharu countered, "You aren't wrong that Naruto becoming stronger is the best way, but ti waits for no one. There is no ti left for him to slowly grow. Think about it carefully—don't be too hasty in your decision."
With that, she and Mitokado Homura walked out of the eting room. Tsunade's expression was dark. Seeing the eting was over, Tonbo Tobitake slipped away quietly, leaving Tsunade to her thoughts.
Three days later, at the Konoha Main Gate.
Kakashi and the others returned from their support mission. Kakashi was being carried on Guy's back; he was already incredibly weak, and after being jostled the whole way back, his complexion looked even worse.
"Yo, Kakashi. Back to the hospital again, I see," Tonbo Tobitake was already there waiting for them.
"Uncle Tonbo! Quickly, save Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shouted as soon as he saw him.
"Relax, relax. As long as he's not dead, Lady Tsunade can bring him back," Tonbo waved his hand dismissively. He scanned the group and noticed that only Kakashi was seriously injured. Poor guy.
However, Sakura's expression was noticeably off. From this, Tonbo deduced that Sasori likely hadn't died instantly in the clash of their jutsus and had managed to leak intel to her. He felt a brief sense of being the "mastermind behind the scenes."
Sakura snapped out of her daze and glared at Naruto. "What's that supposed to an? Do you not trust my dical ninjutsu?" She looked ready to roll up her sleeves.
"No, no... not at all!" Naruto quickly retracted his statent. He didn't dare argue; Sakura's fists weren't what they used to be. A single punch now could actually kill him.
"Teacher Tonbo, Kakashi-sensei just overextended his chakra, which put a massive strain on his body. He just needs ten to fifteen days of rest," Sakura explained with a smile. She was still very respectful toward Tonbo.
Land of Stone.
"This body is too fragile. It cannot carry the full extent of my power at all."
Jigen looked at his hands, then at an old man in front of him who was currently feeding dicine to a young girl. The old man looked like a simple farr, but Jigen did not underestimate him. This was the most gifted scientist he had encountered while wandering the ninja world in search of a way to restore his power.
But who else is searching for scientists everywhere? Jigen recalled his travels over the past few days. He had encountered others searching for the whereabouts of scientists as well. He wasn't sure what they were looking for, so he used various ans to hide Amado—the man he had his eye on—to prevent him from being discovered.
The Otsutsuki clan possessed precognitive abilities, and similar powers existed in the ninja world. Thus, he used his thods to keep Amado moving constantly. He would wait until Amado's daughter died of old age before forcing him into his service.
Hmph!
Suddenly, he felt the pressure on his body increase, and his skin began to show slight cracks. He looked at Amado one last ti and activated a space-ti portal. He arrived at a base and entered a stasis pod.
"When I erge again..." Jigen slowly closed his eyes.
Tonbo Tobitake had no idea that the target he was searching for had already been spotted by Jigen, who had erased Amado's tracks. Furthermore, the organization known as Kara had not yet officially ford.
"Kakashi! How about while you're sick, I introduce you to a few ladies? See if any of them catch your eye," Tonbo teased. Seeing the man lying alone in a hospital bed with no one to take care of him was truly pathetic.
Kakashi gave him a dead-fish stare. "No thanks. If you have that much free ti, focus on the Akatsuki. The people in that organization are not easy to deal with."
From Sakura's account and his own experience, Kakashi knew the Akatsuki was comprised entirely of these troubleso individuals.
"What do you an 'hard to deal with'? If the Hokage didn't make stay in the village to protect Konoha, I'd take them out one punch at a ti, you know?" Tonbo brandished a fist confidently.
Kakashi didn't believe him for a second. "Don't underestimate them. Individually, they might not kill you, but if you fall into a trap, it's over."
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