CH - 72 Third Kazekage Disappearance

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At ten o'clock in the morning, Akihiko finally woke up, though he found himself among the last to do so. As the leader of the Land of Grass and Kusagakure, his responsibilities often kept him busy, especially during the end-of-year period when numerous tasks required his attention. Throughout the year, the Land of Grass had witnessed stable development and notable progress.

The growth of scientific ninja tools had significantly benefited the Land of Grass's agriculture, while GrassLand Films gained increasing recognition worldwide. Despite the film industry's expansion to other regions, Grassland Films remained a dominant force in the realm of films.

Continuing with infrastructure development, new roads were being constructed closer to the border with the Land of Rain. The textile industry also experienced rapid growth, alleviating some of the economic pressures on the Land of Grass.

However, amidst their achievements, they couldn't overlook the rising demand for exploding tags, shuriken, and kunai. The prices of these weapons had steeply increased, raising concerns about the potential threat of war.

Regarding scientific ninja tools, the research institute had successfully developed some combat-ready ninja tools, but their promotion faced challenges. None of the Five Great Shinobi Countries, including neighboring Konoha, seemed particularly interested, possibly due to lingering distrust towards the Grass Village from past events.

Akihiko couldn't help but mutter his thoughts, "It's true that the Grass Shinobi made mistakes in the past, but we've evolved and changed. We would never easily betray our allies again. Why can't others believe in our transformation?"

Upon hearing Akihiko's muttering, Kana, who stood beside him, recalled something important and informed him, "A letter arrived from Konoha before the new year. They urged us to remain vigilant about our neighboring village, Iwa Gakure. The letter subtly hinted at some unsettling developments in the ninja world atmosphere."

Surprised, Akihiko questioned, "How did I miss this?"

"You've been extremely busy as the leader lately. We've been mainly focused on news within the Land of Grass and overlooked letters from other villages. Mubuki handled it on our behalf," Kana explained, shedding light on the reason for Akihiko's unawareness

Intrigued by Mubuki's handling of the matter, Akihiko inquired, "How did Mubuki respond?"

"Mubuki-san simply replied to Konoha with this: 'No problem, you can trust us, The Grass shinobi !'" Kana recalled Mubuki's brief but straightforward reply.

Akihiko found himself utterly speechless at Mubuki's straightforward reply.

Kana continued, "Shortly after that, I heard that Konoha strengthened the defense of the border between The Land of Fire and The Land of Grass!"

Feeling a little taken aback, Akihiko understood that Konoha must already have a good understanding of the Grass Shinobi. "As expected of the strongest village," praised Akihiko inwardly.

"In addition, Mubuki-san attempted to sell our Grass Shinobi's scientific ninja tools to Konoha." Kana smiled wryly and added, "But they ignored us! Mubuki-san was quite upset about it. He grumbled, 'With Konoha's attitude, how can we Grass Shinobi help them? Did you know that Iwagakure, our neighboring village, placed an order worth thirty million in total to support us!'"

Akihiko shook his head, trying to change the subject. "Never mind! It's New Year, let's not worry about it!"

He couldn't help but sigh at Mubuki's actions. Not long ago, he had taken the Iwagakure tourist group around the Kannabi Bridge and assured Konoha afterwards. Mubuki's behavior seemed rather shameless, As expected of an experienced Grass Shinobi.

As the founder of the new generation of Grass Shinobi, Akihiko valued morals and ideals. However, he couldn't help but also acknowledge that Konoha, as an ally, provided little support to the Grass Village, making it challenging for any Grass Shinobi to offer assistance.

As Akihiko spoke, They arrived at Nagato's home, they were ready to enjoy their New Year's meal together. Interestingly, they practically ate at Nagato's place six and a half days a week, occasionally eating food from Fuso's house, which had become their usual routine due to their busy schedules. Both Akihiko and Kana rarely found time for leisurely meals.

"Akihiko-sensei!" suddenly called a voice, and Akihiko saw three kids approaching them. The children had grown since the last time he saw them, and he greeted them warmly, patting their heads.

Konan had arrived early in the morning to help, while Yahiko only joined them for lunch and will leave as he has plans for dinner with his dad, Mubuki. Later in the evening, the three kids, along with their two friends from the Land of Rain - Hato and Daisuke, also have plans to play together.

Speaking of which, not long ago, Yahiko had invited Daisuke and Hato to join his Akatsuki organization to investigate the Ghost Student and Colleagues and uncover their secrets, but they declined.

Daisuke mentioned that, besides work, he wanted to focus on studying and becoming a model new-age worker, speaking and acting professionally. As for Hato, he still harbored a grudge, feeling deceived and unwilling to trust Yahiko.

Interestingly, according to Nagato, Hato seemed to have secretly found a job and would often watch the workers from the Land of Rain with a face filled with envy, melancholy, and complex emotions.

In a sense, the Akatsuki organization had become somewhat of a failure. Nagato considered it a useless organization, Daisuke showed no interest or time for it, and Hato openly disliked it. Only Konan found it somewhat intriguing, but even she only occasionally participated in the group's activities.

Thus began the Akatsuki, with few supporters for the idea of joining such an organization. Konan went along with it, while Yahiko was the one persistently pushing for its existence. Their future seemed uncertain, and the organization was at risk of becoming second-rate.

"Hmph! Hmph! Hmph! I won't give up. Sooner or later, the Akatsuki organization will be known throughout the ninja world!" Yahiko declared with unwavering determination, raising his fist. Then, he turned to Akihiko with a playful grin and asked, "By the way, Akihiko-sensei, shouldn't we be able to graduate now?"

"Not yet! You still have some time remaining of compulsory education," Akihiko replied seriously, indicating that graduation was still a distant goal.

"But... Hato and Daisuke both said we are very strong and should be able to graduate!" Yahiko said hesitantly, expressing his doubts.

"Our Grass Shinobi Village's educational philosophy differs from that of other ninja villages. We place great emphasis on instilling correct moral values and overall child development. Look at other ninja villages, where incidents like students killing their masters or fathers are not uncommon!" Akihiko explained, stifling a yawn. "It's because their moral education is lacking!"

"I wholeheartedly follow Akihiko-sensei's teachings and embrace the spirit of the new generation of Grass Shinobi. I feel that my spirit has been elevated! I believe I am already a qualified Grass Shinobi!" Yahiko said, demonstrating his understanding.

"You still have a long way to go! You should know that, for you..." Akihiko replied earnestly, "The teacher's expectations are somewhat higher."

"What requirements?" Yahiko asked, still doubtful if Akihiko was serious or simply making things up.

With curious eyes from the four people, including Kana, on the side, Akihiko felt a bit amused. He sat up straight, pondered for a moment, and then said in a serious tone, "Well, at the very least, you have to be able to perform a ninja technique with just a handclap!"

The three of them stared at their teacher in disbelief, thinking that executing a ninja technique without hand seals and solely with a clap was impossible.

"How is that even possible!" Yahiko exclaimed. "Even the Demi-god of the ninja world can't do that! Graduating with such a requirement seems almost impossible!"

"The requirements are indeed demanding, but I have faith in you all! I believe you can do it! You must believe in yourselves as well. Remember, you must have dreams!" Akihiko said, wearing a reassuring smile.

"We..." Yahiko was taken aback, gazing at their teacher Akihiko, who seemed to be looking at them with hope and anticipation. Suddenly, his eyes lit up as if he had an idea, and he grinned, "Then, can you do it now, Akihiko-sensei?"

"Of course! Would you like to see it?" Akihiko replied confidently.

"Yes!" the three of them replied eagerly in unison.

"In that case, I'll show you!" Akihiko smiled and nodded, "No need to go outside. Let's stay right here!"

As Akihiko's words fell, the three of them couldn't help but wonder what kind of ninjutsu he could possibly perform inside the house.

Akihiko's expression turned serious, his eyes intense as he clapped his hands and shouted, "Paper Style: Happy Winter Vacation Gift Package Release Technique!"

The three of them were baffled by the peculiar name, but before they could react, a stack of objects resembling books appeared in front of them, labeled "Happy Winter Vacation"! They felt a bit disoriented, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

At that moment, Fuso brought the food out, smiling at them and asking, "Time to eat!" She then glanced at the three stunned kids and inquired, "What's going on with you guys?"

"They... It's New Year! They are just feeling happy!" Akihiko chuckled and sat down. "Come on, let's eat first! Even if you're happy, don't forget to eat! Happy Winter Vacation!"

The three of them remained motionless, still trying to process Akihiko's earlier actions and the sudden appearance of the "Happy Winter Vacation" items.

...

Time passed swiftly, and once again, spring arrived.

At the beginning of the year, the entire ninja world remained in a state of peace, but an underlying sense of unease prevailed, as if something was not right in the ninja world's atmosphere.

In the Land of Grass, life continued as usual for the people, with everyone going about their daily routines, attending work and school, and tending to their own affairs.

At this moment, Akihiko found himself in the experimental research institute, evaluating the performance of newly developed scientific ninja tools. He nodded with satisfaction, saying, "Not bad!"

Suddenly, Mubuki rushed into the room, looking visibly flustered. After scanning the surroundings to ensure privacy, he lowered his voice and said, "Leader! Leader! I just received some alarming news. The Third Kazekage of Sunagakure... has disappeared!"

Upon hearing Mubuki's words, Akihiko was momentarily taken aback but quickly regained his composure. He had anticipated such developments, and it seemed the news had already spread throughout the ninja world.

He removed the scientific ninja tool from his hand and nodded thoughtfully. His eyes held a hint of concern as he calmly stated, "War… is on the horizon!"

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