[Hidden Cloud]
The Raikage sat in his office, arms crossed, his expression tense. After the kidnapping of Yujito Nii, he had spared no effort in trying to find her or the woman who had warned him that someone was targeting the Jinchuriki. Though he had found nothing about Yujito, the woman he had been searching for so desperately, even wasting all his manpower on, had appeared in his office on her own.
"Crystal," he said, his voice firm as he looked at Guren's clone standing before him.
Guren's clone remained calm. "I wasn't expecting to meet you this quickly, Lord Raikage," she replied.
"Yujito, the Jinchuriki of the Two-Tails, has been kidnapped," he said, narrowing his eyes. "That's suspicious. Tell me, how did it happen right after you told me that someone was after the Biju?" The Raikage's voice rose, as if trying to intimidate Guren, but she remained unfazed.
Guren's clone let out a small sigh. "Yes, indeed, I don't get it. How did the Hidden Cloud manage to lose a Jinchuriki even after my warning? Can't say I saw this coming." Clone she might be, but she was still Guren. Sass was in her chakra.
The Raikage clenched his fists and smashed the table, this time shouting. "Don't change the subject! Tell me why I shouldn't start hunting down this Yuguure organization of yours. What proof do you have that you weren't the one behind this?" He asked, though even he knew his accusation made no sense. If she had wanted to kidnap the Jinchuriki herself, warning him about the danger would have been pointless.
Guren knew this as well and thus refused to dignify it with an answer.
"We both know it wasn't me or my organization. We're just wasting time. If that's all you wanted to say, then I'll take my leave, Raikage," Guren said, her face devoid of emotion.
The Raikage knew he was wasting time. After glaring at the woman in front of him for a moment, he sighed and finally asked,
"Akatsuki… tell me everything you know." Though it sounded more like an order than a request.
"They are a highly secretive and dangerous group, targeting Jinchuriki. But even I didn't expect them to move this fast," Guren replied. The last part finally brought a little emotion back to her voice. Until now, almost everything Shika had predicted was on point. It was scary how correct he always was, but they had always chalked it up to him being a Nara.
Now, she wasn't sure whether to be relieved that their leader could be wrong or worried that he was wrong and could be again in the future.
The Raikage's expression darkened. "How did they do it? There was no sign of struggle, no trace left behind."
Guren's clone crossed her arms. "That's their specialty. If I had to guess, they used some kind of space-time jutsu. However, I don't have much information on their capabilities."
The Raikage slammed his fist onto his desk. "Damn it! That's not what I'm asking! Do you know where they are? Where they took Yujito?"
Guren's clone remained silent for a moment before speaking. "If we knew, do you think we would have let something like this happen?"
The Raikage took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Now he had a feeling this talk was going to be a long one.
---
[Hidden Rock]
Suigetsu sat on a rock, sharpening his sword—more like Zabuza's sword, which he was shamelessly holding onto while they were on a mission. Haku stood nearby, arms crossed. The news they had just received was troubling. The Tsuchikage had failed to find Roshi, and now he was sending Han, the Jinchuriki of the Five-Tails, to track him down.
"This is bad," Suigetsu muttered. "Whether or not Han actually finds Roshi is one thing, but we can't let him out of our sight. If something goes wrong, we might lose another Jinchuriki."
Haku nodded, deep in thought. "We could try talking to the Tsuchikage, but I doubt he'd listen to us. Let alone talk, he might just directly pin all the blame for Roshi's disappearance on us. He already suspects Roshi of betrayal. Convincing him otherwise won't be easy."
Suigetsu scoffed. "Why are you even thinking about that? Just follow Han and act if something happens. That's the best plan."
Haku sighed. "It won't be easy. Tailing a Jinchuriki is not as simple as you think."
Suigetsu frowned. "What other choice do we have? We already lost the Four-Tails. If we lose another, Shika will just send us to retrieve them from Akatsuki's base." Suigetsu spat, not even considering what kind of monsters he might have to face while doing so. He might have improved after a year of training, but he was still somewhat of a coward when facing strong opponents.
Haku nodded. "We can't let the Five-Tails fall into their hands. I'm not sure if they got every single Biju before the Four-Tails or not, but since they just got the Four-Tails, it's obvious their next target would be the Five-Tails. Chances are we'll face Akatsuki. Maybe we should ask for Shika's help?" Haku pondered to himself. Though he didn't like it, they had no other option. They were strong, but not strong enough to handle two almost-Kage-level shinobi by themselves.
And unlike Suigetsu, Haku actually listened to Shika's lectures about hypothetical world-ending threats.
Considering how many Akatsuki they had taken down, whichever Akatsuki team they faced next was bound to be extremely strong. They were going to need help.
Suigetsu stood up. "Sigh, I don't like asking for help again, but that's for the best," he admitted, though he tried to act as if he wouldn't have asked if Haku hadn't pointed it out first.
---
[Akatsuki Hideout]
In front of Pain stood the newest members of Akatsuki—Kazuma, Fuen, Fuka, Fudo, and Hiruko. They had just witnessed the brutal fate of Raiga, who had been killed by Pain himself for refusing to follow orders. His death served as a warning—failure was not an option.
"I believe you all now understand that you don't have a choice," Pain began, his voice calm yet commanding. "Your first mission is to capture the Six-Tails. I hope you will not disappoint me. And don't even think about running away. Believe me, we have ways to find you." Pain's tone was cold, making everyone stiffen.
The five shinobi stood silently, their expressions serious. None of them dared to protest. They had already seen what happened when someone defied Pain.
Finally, Kazuma, the leader of their group of four, spoke. "Fine, but remember what you promised us all."
Hiruko, who had not originally been a part of their group, also had no objection to Kazuma speaking for them.
"Don't worry about that," Pain replied. "You'll get what you all demanded. Just complete the mission."
xxx
[Word Count: 1190]
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