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Having her plans exposed, Tsunade felt her pride take a hit and immediately started shouting.
Unfortunately, this tactic didn't work on Shizune.
"Hokage-sama, gambling is out of the question. Even if you pressure me, I won't hand over the money. You might as well give up on that idea."
"You..."
This brat really needs a spanking.
Tsunade's chest heaved with anger, and she was tempted to pin Shizune down on the table and give her a good spanking.
The older she gets, the less cute she becomes.
BANG!
Just as Tsunade was about to reason with Shizune, the door to the Hokage's office was pushed open.
A member of the intelligence department quickly stepped forward, placed a scroll on the table, and saluted.
"Hokage-sama, this is an urgent intelligence scroll sent by the advisor."
"Trouble already?"
It had only been two days since the team left. Based on the transportation team's speed, they should have just reached the Land of Iron.
If they were a bit faster, the medical supplies sent from the village might have already been handed over to the people of the Land of Iron.
Please don't tell me they've clashed with the Land of Iron.
Kazuki likes to stir up trouble, and coincidentally, Koharu also enjoys causing trouble. If the two of them got together and one of them refused to back down, trouble would surely follow.
I hope I'm overthinking this.
Waving her hand to dismiss the intelligence officer, Tsunade picked up the scroll and opened it.
"What?"
After a quick glance, Tsunade stood up abruptly a few seconds later, slamming the table and cursing.
"Damn that Akatsuki! They're like a lingering ghost!!"
What happened? Why is the Hokage so agitated?
"Shizune, send someone to notify the old man and the advisor immediately. Tell them to come to the Hokage's office right away. Something important has happened."
"Yes!"
Shizune quickly ran out of the Hokage's office to have the ANBU notify the Third Hokage and Homura.
Am I destined to be busy all the time?
Just when I thought I could finally get some rest, something like this happens. Now, one of the village's advisors is gone!
Tsunade felt like she was about to explode.
Although the intelligence scroll explained the situation and mentioned that Kazuki had killed a member of the Akatsuki, it seemed like Konoha didn't lose out.
But in reality, the village had lost one of its advisors.
If this news got out, it would definitely cause a stir.
The Third Hokage was the first to arrive at the Hokage's office, with Homura arriving shortly after.
"Don't ask me what happened. Just read it yourself."
Tsunade raised her hand to stop the Third Hokage from asking questions and tossed the scroll to him, letting him read it himself.
"???"
Confused by Tsunade's barely contained anger, the Third Hokage was puzzled.
Did Koharu clash with Kazuki on the road?
The Third Hokage opened the scroll, and Homura leaned in to read it together.
Thud!
A few seconds later, the scroll fell from the Third Hokage's hands, and he stood there in stunned silence. Homura's mind was also reeling.
The contents of this scroll were devastating!
The team heading to the Land of Iron had encountered four members of the Akatsuki while transporting supplies.
Four S-rank missing-nin!
A conflict broke out, and the elderly Koharu Utatane was no match for Kakuzu.
By the time Kazuki dealt with the enemy and came to support, Koharu had already suffered severe injuries.
Koharu Utatane ultimately succumbed to her injuries, unable to leave any last words before passing away.
Moreover, the Akatsuki members openly admitted that their leader had captured a Konoha shinobi named Shinnosuke, who had died a gruesome death.
Unable to bear the shock, the Third Hokage felt dizzy and staggered a couple of steps.
Fortunately, Homura reacted quickly and steadied him.
"Hiruzen, are you alright?"
"I'm fine. I probably haven't been resting well."
Forcing out a strained smile, the Third Hokage's composure had completely shattered.
Now, he was almost completely alone.
During the Nine-Tails attack, the Akatsuki had controlled the Nine-Tails to assault Konoha, and his wife had died.
Then, Asuma went missing, and his fate was unknown.
But the Third Hokage had already prepared himself for the worst.
Now, even Shinnosuke was gone.
That alone would have been bad enough, but what made the Third Hokage truly heartbroken was that his old comrades were also leaving him one by one.
First, Danzo, and now Koharu.
Steadying himself, the Third Hokage took a deep breath and said solemnly.
"Tsunade, I think we must take the Akatsuki seriously now."
The Third Hokage's attitude toward the Akatsuki had shifted from initial wariness to caution, then to underestimation, and now to absolute seriousness.
The Akatsuki's actions had crossed a line he could no longer tolerate.
"They should be taken seriously."
Tsunade suppressed her anger with a cold expression.
"I initially thought the Akatsuki was just a gathering of rogue, lawless missing-nin. But now, it seems I underestimated them. The Akatsuki, and even the Land of Rain, deserve the village's full attention."
"So, I've decided to release the village's intelligence on the Akatsuki to the other villages, so they can also be on guard against this organization."
The Akatsuki's ability to operate freely and cause trouble in the shadows was largely due to their secrecy and the lack of attention they received.
If the Five Great Shinobi Villages were to take them seriously, the Akatsuki's activities would become much more difficult.
To put it bluntly, the combined efforts of the Five Great Villages would be enough to give the Akatsuki a headache.
Tsunade believed the other villages would take this seriously because ignoring the Akatsuki meant that the disaster that befell Konoha could one day happen to them as well.
"Then let's release the information."
The two didn't even bother to consult Homura.
Tsunade proposed, and the Third Hokage approved. It was clear that both of them had reached their limit with the Akatsuki.
The village's response came quickly.
Kazuki and his team were to continue their mission to the Land of Lightning. Taking advantage of the joint chunin exams hosted by Kumogakure, they would expose the Akatsuki to the Five Great Villages, forcing them to recognize the threat the Akatsuki posed.
Let's see if the other villages would panic.
"It seems the Akatsuki are in for some trouble. Our plan remains unchanged. We'll continue to the Land of Lightning. Let's move out."
With Koharu gone, the village wouldn't send anyone else to handle external negotiations. Full authority was given to Kazuki to deal with the situation.
Without the burden of the transportation team, the three of them traveled quickly and reached Kumogakure in less than two days.
Just like in Konoha, shinobi from other villages were under surveillance.
As long as you didn't do anything out of line, your freedom wouldn't be restricted.
Of course, certain important areas of the village were off-limits to foreign shinobi.