Chapter 396: The Terrifying Akatsuki Organization?
"Be careful. There are shinobi fighting up ahead."
Kakashi, leading the group, picked up the sound of clashing weapons and jutsu from the village ahead.
Obito immediately moved to Kakashi's side to check the situation, while Rin and Shisui tightened their guard around the middle aged client, scanning the surroundings for any hidden threats.
To see more clearly, Obito activated his Sharingan.
"One, two, three… five," Obito counted under his breath. "Five shinobi. Their strength is pretty ordinary, and none of them are wearing headbands. I cannot tell which village they belong to."
"They are likely from a shinobi organization, or they are rogue ninja," Kakashi replied.
The shinobi world was not made up of hidden villages alone, but the hidden villages did produce the strongest shinobi.
Kakashi turned back. "Mugetsu sensei, should we take a detour?"
He leaned toward avoiding contact. In an escort mission, the priority was delivering the client safely. The fewer incidents, the better.
"There is no need to make it so troublesome," Obito muttered. "Shinobi at that level, I can handle them all by myself."
From Obito's perspective, the fighters ahead looked like the kind who would be knocked out in the first round of the chunin exams final stage. Detouring because of them felt like swallowing a mouthful of dust for no reason.
"No detour," Mugetsu said after a brief pause. "There are only those five nearby."
Obito could not stop a smug grin from creeping onto his face.
"Mugetsu sensei can say that because he has perception techniques," Kakashi said, voice flat. "That is not the same as your reckless confidence."
"Say whatever you want. Even if you wrap it in another excuse, I am still right," Obito shot back.
Even while bickering, neither of them relaxed. Their eyes stayed sharp as they moved forward.
Once they entered the village, Kakashi noticed something that felt wrong.
Many villagers were standing outside, watching the battle with tense, nervous expressions. That made no sense. Normally, civilians would shut their doors and windows and pray not to get caught in the crossfire.
A ninja fight was not entertainment. One stray kunai could end an ordinary person's life.
Yet these people were not excited. They looked anxious, like they were watching the outcome of their own survival.
At that moment, the villagers noticed Mugetsu's group.
When they saw the Konoha headbands and flak vests, they instinctively stepped back, creating space as if they were afraid trouble would spread to them.
"It is rogue ninja again, coming to loot the village," the middle aged client sighed. "What a terrible environment."
Even though he did not know exactly who the two cloaked fighters were, their clothing made it clear to him.
They were shinobi from the Akatsuki organization.
The Akatsuki was not the strongest organization in the Land of Rain, but its principles were unusual, and that alone gave it a certain reputation.
Among shinobi organizations, Akatsuki was a rare clear stream. Their hiring fees were reasonable, and their members even occasionally did good deeds.
Still, the client had no intention of asking Mugetsu's team to help them.
This was trouble outside the mission. Mugetsu's team was responsible for dealing with enemies who attacked the client. They were not obligated to solve other people's problems on his request.
After a quick assessment, Kakashi spoke to Obito. "You handle the two in cloaks. I will deal with the other three."
He did not have time to fully analyze everything. The simplest solution was to defeat all five and end the danger immediately.
Kakashi spoke while watching Mugetsu's expression. Seeing no objection, he immediately focused his breathing.
"You were the one who wanted to detour," Obito complained. "Now you are rushing in first. Kakashi, your mouth really is tougher than a kunai."
Even while complaining, Obito still moved exactly as instructed.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Obito gathered a mass of chakra in his throat, then released it in one burst, converting it into roaring flames.
The fire surged, compressing into a massive fireball that slammed toward the five shinobi.
The fight halted instantly.
All five jumped back in retreat. None of them could afford to take that head on.
"Fall back," a tall rogue ninja barked after seeing Obito's power. "Bad luck today. These Konoha ninja are not easy to deal with."
They had come to rob the village, not to die fighting Leaf shinobi.
But as he finished speaking, he realized his two companions had already fled without a second glance.
"Land of Rain… damn it!" he cursed, then turned to run as well.
"Flash."
Chakra erupted through Kakashi's legs. With breathing amplification layered over Lightning Release chakra revitalizing his body, his speed became frightening.
To the villagers, he looked like a bolt of lightning skimming the ground.
Swish.
As Kakashi moved, he drew and swung his White Fang short blade. The two rogue ninja in front screamed as blood sprayed from their legs, and they collapsed.
The third rogue ninja, slightly behind, saw Kakashi's overwhelming speed and immediately braked, not daring to keep running.
Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh.
Kakashi did not stop. He turned and threw shuriken at the uninjured rogue ninja.
His throwing was precise and ruthless. The rogue ninja dodged awkwardly, but still took several scratches.
Before he could even decide how to escape, a kunai carrying crackling lightning punched into his knee.
The shuriken had only been a feint. The true strike was the kunai infused with Lightning Release nature transformation.
"We are shinobi protecting this village, not rogue ninja plundering it," one of the cloaked Akatsuki members called out quickly after dodging the fireball.
Obito did not stop.
Words meant nothing in a battlefield. Until the truth was confirmed, he was not about to lower his guard.
He would subdue them first, then ask the villagers. The truth would reveal itself.
Still, the warning was not entirely useless. Worried about killing someone by accident, Obito stopped using Fire Release and switched to pure taijutsu.
Even so, Obito was far from weak now. The two Akatsuki members were already injured, and they were quickly overwhelmed and knocked down.
"Konoha ninja sama, thank you," the village chief rushed forward as Kakashi finished off the rogue ninja threat. "But please do not hurt them. They came to protect our village."
"Huh? So they really are," Obito said, scratching his head, suddenly awkward.
"I am sorry," he said quickly, hauling them up. "I thought you were bandits too, or something."
"It is fine," the taller and thinner Akatsuki member replied, shaking his head. "You saved us as well."
Without Kakashi and Obito stepping in, they would have died under the pressure of those three rogue ninja.
The other Akatsuki member also offered sincere thanks.
Once it was confirmed the attackers were rogue ninja robbing the village, Kakashi ended the matter with a swift blade.
If he left them alive, they might return after recovering and take revenge on the villagers.
Seeing the Akatsuki members hurt, Rin stepped forward.
"Mystical Palm Technique."
A rich green glow full of vitality wrapped around their wounds. The injuries sealed rapidly, fading until no scars remained.
"Amazing… thank you so much," the tall thin ninja said, eyes wide with surprise.
Akatsuki did not have medical ninjutsu users. Without Rin's treatment, they would have needed a long time to recover after returning.
Obito's gaze drifted upward without thinking.
Some of those injuries were his fault.
"We are truly grateful for your help," the tall thin ninja said again, then added carefully, "We are shinobi of the Akatsuki organization. If you face trouble in the Land of Rain, you can seek help from us."
He expected this to be an ordinary offer.
Instead, Rin's expression froze in shock, and Kakashi's eyes sharpened instantly.
Obito blinked at first, then his face stiffened as realization hit.
So he had not attacked the wrong people after all.
"You are shinobi of the Akatsuki organization?" Kakashi asked, quietly drawing chakra as he glanced around, wary.
He trusted Mugetsu's perception, but Akatsuki was a terrifying organization in the future, one that would contend with the Five Great Nations. He could not afford to be careless.
"That is right," the tall thin ninja replied, sounding pleased. "Have you heard of our name too?"
There were not many shinobi organizations whose names were remembered by ninja from the Five Great Villages.
"Yes," Obito said, already ready to enter Flame Breathing chakra mode at any moment and unleash Fire Style: Orochi Nagi if needed.
Rin gathered chakra in her palm again, but this time it was not for the Mystical Palm. It was for the Chakra Scalpel.
Because of the information brought back by Naruto and Yamato, Akatsuki had become the most terrifying shinobi organization in their minds.
Shisui noticed Kakashi, Obito, and Rin shifting into a combat posture and felt confused. He did not understand what was so significant about the words just spoken.
Asuma and Jiraiya would die at the hands of Akatsuki members in the future, but that was too far away. In Obito's shortened retelling of the journey to Roran, he had not mentioned Akatsuki at all.
Shisui's impression of Akatsuki still came from the last mission in the Land of Rivers. They had nearly fought, but overall, Shisui did not have a bad impression.
"If there were more responsible shinobi organizations like yours in the Land of Rain," the middle aged client said with genuine approval, "perhaps the environment would improve."
Kakashi, Obito, and Rin exchanged glances.
This did not match what they had imagined at all.
"We will work hard," the tall thin ninja said, clenching his fist. "We gathered precisely to change the Land of Rain."
Obito scratched his head, baffled. "What happened to the terrifying shinobi organization? Why does this sound so positive? Is it a namesake?"
Kakashi and Rin dispersed the chakra they had gathered. They could tell this was not an act.
In the end, they watched the two Akatsuki members leave. After resting briefly, they continued escorting the client toward the destination.
On the road, Shisui finally asked about it.
Kakashi did not answer immediately. He glanced subtly toward Mugetsu, then walked at the front with Shisui to scout ahead, speaking in a voice only Shisui could hear.
"Obito probably did not tell you about Akatsuki," Kakashi said. "According to what we learned in Roran, in the peaceful era of later generations, Akatsuki becomes the strongest shinobi organization in the world. Its members are all S rank rogue ninja from various villages, and they engage in stealing tailed beasts."
Now Shisui understood why Kakashi and the others had been so cautious. An organization like that deserved nothing less.
Shisui could only describe it as insane.
The tailed beasts were the ultimate weapons of the Five Great Nations. Stealing them meant making enemies of every major village at once.
"If it is them, then in the future, they really might gain that kind of power," Shisui thought, remembering Mugetsu's evaluation of those Akatsuki members.
Even though they did not look old, Mugetsu had said there were two among them he could not defeat, and one person who could instantly kill him.
If such geniuses grew up and gathered more powerful shinobi, they truly could become what Kakashi described.
"I once met a few Akatsuki members during a mission in the Land of Rivers," Shisui said after thinking for a moment, recounting what happened.
Kakashi's expression grew heavier.
He understood Shisui's strength very well. Someone who could instantly kill Shisui was truly dangerous.
Shisui had the Sharingan to sharpen his perception, and his Body Flicker was exceptional. Even elite jonin would struggle to kill him instantly.
Of course, elite jonin did not refer to people like Jiraiya or Orochimaru. The Sannin were famous monsters of the shinobi world, and rank could not measure their strength.
"Then there should be no mistake," Kakashi said. "This Akatsuki is the same Akatsuki that will steal tailed beasts in the future. They may be accumulating power right now."
With Shisui's confirmation, Kakashi became increasingly suspicious that Minato's death was connected to Akatsuki.
It had been a tailed beast rampage, and Akatsuki's goal was tailed beasts.
Kakashi suspected Akatsuki had intended to act back then, but after realizing the Five Great Nations were too strong, they retreated and chose to build power instead.
…
"I did not expect even Konoha ninja to know our name," the tall thin Akatsuki member said happily on the way back. "If this continues, maybe we can change the entire Land of Rain sooner than we thought."
The other Akatsuki member smiled as well.
Laughing and chatting, they returned to the village where Akatsuki was stationed.
What they did not realize was that a brown haired shinobi was following behind them.
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