The base was built underground.
There was no sun here, only the white glow of formulas carved into the walls, spreading evenly across every inch of space.
At the center of the base was a wide circular hall. A semi-transparent, chakra-constructed sand table of the ninja world floated in midair.
Kakashi stood in front of the sand table, his mask hiding the lower half of his face, making it impossible to see his expression.
But the eye he showed could not conceal his shock.
This sand table was nothing like the old, wooden relief model in the Hokage's office that he remembered.
Mountains, rivers, villages—every terrain feature was reproduced in precise three-dimensional form. He could even see miniature clouds flowing slowly above the surface of the sand table.
Itachi and Shisui stood on either side of him.
They were already familiar with this place. Their expressions were calm and focused, as if waiting for something.
Shinju stepped up to the control console of the sand table and tapped a few times across the light screen projected in front of him.
"The intel is processed."
"The source is Kakuzu and Hidan. Kakuzu's body structure is quite interesting. I used some of Orochimaru's techniques to modify him… and made him 'open his mouth' in a brand-new way."
Kakashi's eyelid twitched.
He understood that the "open his mouth" Shinju referred to was definitely not any conventional interrogation method.
The so-called "immortal duo" of the Akatsuki—the monster with five hearts, and the immortal zealot who worshiped a dark god—were both S-rank threats, some of the hardest opponents to handle in the entire ninja world.
Now, they had become Shinju's source of information.
Shinju didn't explain the details. He simply continued laying out the facts:
"I went through Kakuzu's ledgers, combined them with Hidan's chaotic memories, and then used Akatsuki's usual operating patterns to run a simulation. Their next target is already locked."
Lines of data flashed rapidly across the console's light screen. On the sand table, a certain location was suddenly encircled by a red ring.
"The Temple of Fire."
Itachi's gaze sharpened.
As someone who had once been a member of Akatsuki, he had an impression of this place.
"The target is Chiriku, one of the Guardian Twelve Ninja." Shinju tapped the three-dimensional projection of the Temple of Fire, enlarging it.
"There's a thirty-million-ryo bounty on Chiriku's head at the underground money-exchange. Kakuzu can't refuse that kind of price. And the evil god Hidan worships needs sacrifices. A monk of Chiriku's level is a perfect offering."
Kakashi spoke up. "Who will Akatsuki send?"
"The gap left by Kakuzu and Hidan needs to be filled. According to their two-man-cell principle, the most likely team to take over this job is the one closest to the Land of Fire, whose battle style best suits a frontal assault."
Shinju's hand moved across the controls, and two three-dimensional avatars rose from the sand table.
One was a blond boy with a face that provoked everything in existence.
The other was a hunched figure hiding inside a massive, human-shaped puppet shell.
"Deidara, the genius bomber missing-nin from the Stone Village. Sasori of the Red Sand, puppet master from the Sand Village." Itachi identified them, his voice low. "The 'Art Duo.'"
"Correct," Shinju confirmed. "Deidara's explosive clay can inflict large-scale devastation. Sasori's Hyakki no Soen (Performance of a Hundred Puppets) can easily tear apart the Temple of Fire's defensive system."
"The two of them together, taking Chiriku and the Temple of Fire… in theory, there's no suspense."
Shisui stepped forward. "Shinju-sama, should we deploy immediately and intercept them before Chiriku is attacked?"
"No."
Shinju rejected the idea outright.
"Chasing them down reactively is too inefficient. What I want… is a hunt."
His fingertip traced across the sand table.
A thin red line appeared, starting from the Rain Country and extending all the way to the Temple of Fire.
"This is the optimal route the system calculated, based on Deidara and Sasori's personal habits, personality traits, and the nature of the mission. The deviation between this and their actual path will not exceed fifty kilometers."
Kakashi, Itachi, and Shisui all focused their attention on that red line.
"The rules of the game will be decided by me," Shinju said, his voice echoing in the hall. "From this moment on, Akatsuki are no longer the hunters."
"Every action they take will lead them straight into the traps we've set in advance."
"The opening act will start with the 'Art Duo.'"
The view on the sand table suddenly shifted. The terrain within several hundred kilometers around the Temple of Fire was enlarged, every detail crystal clear.
The rise and fall of mountain ranges, the width of rivers, the density of forest coverage—everything was presented as a three-dimensional model before their eyes.
Immediately afterward, streams of blue data began to flow across the terrain, annotating various points.
"This area is the most likely air reconnaissance route Deidara will choose. The wind and visibility conditions here are ideal."
"This plain, five kilometers from the Temple of Fire, is where Sasori's puppets can most easily spread out into formation…"
"Our first ambush point is here." Shinju tapped a narrow valley. "They'll have to pass through this choke point. The terrain will greatly weaken Deidara's aerial bombardments, and it will limit how many puppets Sasori can effectively control at once."
"The second defensive line is here. If they break through the first ambush, we can use this river to slow their advance."
"This route is the 'escape path' we've prepared for them. We've already laced it with the latest sensor barriers and chained explosive tag traps."
One tactical node after another, one response plan after another, were laid out clearly by Shinju.
The entire operation plan was as intricate as the interior of a precision machine. Every component meshed together seamlessly, pulling all possible situations into its calculations.
Kakashi stared at the live projection before him.
He had always been known in the Leaf for his tactical mind and battlefield analysis, but this was the first time he felt his thinking lagging behind.
This wasn't a mere ninja-level battle deployment anymore.
This was a high-dimensional war simulation—a god's-eye view, looking down over the entire battlefield.
Itachi and Shisui remained silent as well.
They had already witnessed many of Shinju's abilities, yet every time, Shinju managed to give them a new understanding of what "strength" meant.
This kind of calculated strategy—deciding the shape of the war from miles away—was more awe-inspiring than any devastating ninjutsu.
Deidara and Sasori—two S-rank rogues who made even the Five Great Nations wary—hadn't even set out yet.
And already, their fate had been arranged in advance.
Every step they took next would simply follow the script Shinju had written for them.
"That's the plan."
Shinju shut off the tactical simulation. The sand table reverted to a full map of the ninja world.
He turned around and faced the three men in front of him.
Kakashi, Itachi, Shisui—any one of them was strong enough to operate independently. If all three moved together, they could topple an entire small nation.
Kakashi had already braced himself for the assignment.
With opponents like Deidara and Sasori, dispatching any two of the three of them was the safest arrangement.
Shinju's gaze slowly swept across their faces.
"This hunting operation…"
"…will be carried out by Team 7."
Kakashi's exposed eye opened wide in shock.
"Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura… those three?"
This decision was completely outside his expectations.
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For 20+ Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!]
[[email protected]/Draumel]
[Thank You For Your Support!]