Report

Back in the Hokage's office…

*Door Opens*

"HOKAGE-SAMA!" A woman appeared with a scroll in her hands.

"We just received an urgent message from Jira-" The woman paused only to see Jiraiya also in the room with Hiruzen and Tsunade.

"Go on!" Hiruzen asked the woman to continue.

The woman was stunned because, from what she had been taught back in the decryption division, the messages that were sent through frogs were usually from Jiraiya's side…

"Um…"

"Here's what we have deciphered so far…" The woman said as she handed over a sheet with the message and the original scroll that Naruto had sent…

"There's a sealed message inside the scroll." The woman added.

Hiruzen nodded following which, the woman left…

"What?" Hiruzen stood up after reading the contents.

"What happened?" Jiraiya and Tsunade asked impatiently.

"The mission went successfully."

"It was successful…" Jiraiya and Tsunade breathed a sigh of relief…

"But I really am surprised at the different people showing up on the scroll," Hiruzen said as he continued to read the scroll.

"The Akatsuki?" Jiraiya tried to confirm.

"Yes, Two of them…"

"In fact, there was one name you had mentioned to me that Akatsuki had tried to recruit…" Hiruzen tried to remember the name Jiraiya mentioned back then.

"Deidara?" Jiraiya asked.

"Yes!"

"The guy who uses explosives as his weapon…" Hiruzen said.

"Explosives?"

"You mean the kid who stole the scroll of a forbidden jutsu from the hidden stone despite being a part of its bomb squad?" Tsunade asked.

"Yes!"

"The other one being Sasori from the red sand."

"Sasori.." Jiraiya and Tsunade murmured.

"What's this?" Hiruzen stared at a name on the list.

"The Third Kazekage?" Hiruzen eyes went wide...

"The Third Kazekage?"

"One of the magnetic release users also called the Iron Sand user?" Jiraiya asked.

"But that's impossible, wasn't he dead?" Tsunade asked.

"Yes!"

"It seems that Orochimaru used a reani-" Hiruzen stopped.

"SENSEI!" Tsunade rushed towards Hiruzen's desk.

"What did you say?" Tsunade asked.

"Reanimation jutsu... looks like he perfected the Second's jutsu…" Hiruzen murmured,

"That's impossible!" Tsunade murmured.

"Reanimation?"

"You mean reviving people from the dead?" Jiraiya asked.

"Yes!" Hiruzen confirmed upon reading the part the scroll…

"The third kazekage of the sand village was in a battle against one of its elders, Honored Grandmother Lady Chiyo!" Hiruzen confirmed.

"That Old Woman?" Tsunade asked.

"Hmm?" Hiruzen looked up.

"She was also a leader in medical ninjutsu like me, especially in the area related to reanimation!" Tsunade mentioned.

"I thought that they had trouble finding the body of the third…" Jiraiya murmured.

"So who were all involved in the battle?" Jiraiya asked.

"Three from the Hidden Sound."

"Orochimaru, That kid Kabuto and another kid named Kimimaro."

"Two from the Sand."

"The Fourth Kazekage and Honored Grandmother Lady Chiyo."

"Three from our side as you already know and two from the Akatsuki…"

"Interestingly there were two of the Third Kazekages…" Hiruzen murmured.

"Two?"

"How?" Tsunade and Jiraiya asked at the same time.

"One was a reanimation from Orochimaru while the other was a puppet in the hands of Sasori!" Hiruzen replied.

"…" Jiraiya and Tsunade stared speechlessly.

"To think Naruto and his team handled it all by himself…" Jiraiya murmured.

"We don't have time to think about what happened in detail!"

"I'll leave that problem until after the exams."

"The kazekage is on his way here with Kakashi and Naruto's clones…" Hiruzen said.

"Naruto's clones?"

"What happened to Naruto and Sasuke?" Jiraiya asked.

"It seems that they have gone elsewhere saying that it was to gather intel…" Hiruzen paused.

"Naruto did not mention his reason?" Tsunade asked.

"What is inside that seal?" Jiraiya asked.

Hiruzen held up a hand seal against the scroll.

Hah! Hiruzen executed the technique to open the seal, upon which…

A small scroll popped out.

Hiruzen opened the scroll to read.

"A formal mission request, eh?" Hiruzen stared.

"Is it the Kazekage?" Tsunade asked.

"Yes!" Hiruzen nodded following which, he turned towards Jiraiya.

"Jiraiya!"

"I want you to help in escorting the Kazekage along with Kakashi from the fire country's border," Hiruzen revealed his intention.

"Got it!" Jiraiya confirmed his participation.

"Are you sure?" Tsunade asked Hiruzen.

Hiruzen lit his smoke pipe and got up to stand near a window as he looked towards the direction of the village gate.

He took a whiff from the smoke pipe and exhaled a puff of smoke, following which, he turned towards Tsunade.

"Tsunade!"

"The Kazekage has left his entire ANBU team back at the village to guard it while trusting his back to our ninjas, which means he fully trusts the alliance that currently exists between the two villages and does not intend to violate it..."

Hiruzen explained.

"Mm!" Tsunade nodded.

"Now, all that's left is to face the remaining troubles on the day of the exam," Hiruzen said.

Tsunade closed her eyes from the temporary relief of stress…

("Looks like I did the right thing to bet on him!") Tsunade thought.

….

Soon, Jiraiya and Tsunade left the building.

While Hiruzen went back to handle the affairs concerning the village.

——————————————————

Within an underground settlement….

There was a massive room, with a giant gap between the two walls of either side, being connected by a single pathway.

At one end of the pathway was a small area which had the capacity to hold a meeting with a small group…

There was an old man that stood with a walking stick in his left hand while his right arm was plastered.

Naturally, the man was Danzō, who was standing in the Root HQ hall.

(Whoosh!)

A root agent landed in front of Danzō…

"Hmm?" Danzō looked towards the agent, only to see him, handover a scroll.

"It's from him!" The agent hinted.

("Orochimaru!") Danzō opened the scroll to read the contents.

("What?")

("The destruction plan has been revealed?") Danzō exclaimed internally in disbelief.

"Hmph!"

"He expects me to meet him after such failure?" Danzo scoffed.

*The Scroll combusts spontaneously*

"Danzō-sama!" The agent called out.

"Tell him that the deal is over!" Danzō said as he walked towards the inner hall.

"Yes…" The agent accepted helplessly following which he vanished from his spot.

——————————————————

In the hidden leaf hospital…

Four girls stood in front of the desk as they stared at the figure in front of them.

"Good to see you all progressing at a fast rate!" Tsunade said as she looked at the antidote compositions in four different test tubes that were placed in front of her…

"Yes!" The four girls bowed.

"Listen up you four!"

"Take a break for the next Five Days."

"I will teach you on how to operate on a body using chakra scalpels for the next class," Tsunade said.

"Yes!" The four girls agreed with Tsunade's command following which they left the building…

….

"Shizune!" Tsunade called out.

"Yes!" Shizune rushed towards Tsunade with Ton-Ton in her hand…

"The Chuunin exams are going to take place in two days from now…"

"Make sure to have all the medical ninjas in peak conditions for any emergency actions on that day."

"Also make sure to release the patients who have already healed up and only require bed rest."

"This way, we can have beds ready to accommodate!" Tsunade said.

"Tsunade-sama!"

"Do you think there will be a battle of such scale?" Shizune asked.

"It's better to be safe than sorry as they say…" Tsunade said in a firm voice.

...

"Whew!"

"I really needed that break!" Ino wiped out her sweat as the four of them exited the hospital.

"True!"

"I want to eat without thinking of dieting!" Sakura added.

"Chuunin exams, huh!"

"I wonder how he's doing?"Karin murmured with a light blush on her face...

"Who?" Ino asked.

"Naruto?" Sakura looked at Karin.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata exclaimed in a soft high pitched voice as she stopped in one place.

"Hinata!" The trio stared at her.

"What is it?" Ino asked.

"N-Nothing!" Hinata started to walk again with a slightly red face.

….

"Speaking of Naruto, I did not see him for a month!"

"Sasuke also went missing some days ago…" Sakura said.

"Sasuke?" Ino joined in.

"Though I know everything about him, sadly even I don't know where he went," Ino said.

Sakura sighed.

"However, I did hear from Shikamaru that Naruto went on a mission or something!" Ino said.

"Mission?" Karin, Hinata and Sakura stared at Ino.

"Well, it doesn't matter,"

"Though, they should make it back in time for the exams in two days!" Ino said following which she ran towards Sakura.

"Hey, hey" Ino approached Sakura by speaking in her ears.

"Are you seeing what I am seeing?"

"Huh?" Sakura stared at Ino.

"You have such a wide forehead but you can't notice this obvious thing?" Ino asked once again.

"What is it Ino pig?" Sakura flared up as she raised her fist.

"Looks like they both like Naruto," Ino said as she turned Sakura's head to look at Karin and Hinata standing side by side with a slight blush visible their face.

"You are right!" Sakura said.

"What do we do?" Ino asked.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

"Karin and Hinata like Naruto" Ino said.

"They are the same as us…" Sakura murmured.

"Huh?"

"Sasuke clearly likes me better than you!" Ino argued.

"Are you daydreaming?"

"Pigs don't get to fly, Ino Pig!" Sakura argued back

"Why you…."

"Let's go!" Karin said as she led Hinata away from the scene by grabbing her hand.

"Um…" Hinata turned back helplessly only to see Sakura and Ino continue to argue…