Chapter 31: The Mission

Danzo narrowed his eyes, fixing his gaze on Hiruzen.

"Are you planning to send him alone?"

"According to your information, the Akatsuki is at war with Amegakure. The Land of Rain is incredibly dangerous right now, even a jōnin would face significant risk there. We can't afford to waste the lives of Konoha's shinobi in such peril," Hiruzen replied calmly.

"That's unwise." Danzo's eyes narrowed further. "You don't truly understand Uchiha Akira. Who knows how much loyalty he really holds toward Konoha? What if he drags his feet once he's in the Land of Fire?"

Hiruzen considered Danzo's point, a pensive expression crossing his face. "You're right; it wouldn't be wise. He'll need a team to support him."

"Do you have anyone in mind?" Hiruzen looked up at Danzo.

Danzo thought to himself. Out loud, he said, "Just go with a standard team composition. But I'd like to place one of my own Root agents with them to ensure that they stay focused on the mission once in the Land of Rain."

"Any specific recommendations for Akira's team?" Hiruzen asked mildly.

"You're the Hokage, I won't meddle in your decisions!" Danzo said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Hmph!" Hiruzen scoffed, "Not meddling? Then your Root members can stay out of this."

"I… Hiruzen, you…" Danzo was momentarily speechless, his smile faltering.

"Tell me which of your Root members you want to send," Hiruzen said impassively.

Danzo cleared his throat. "Shiga Aburame. A skilled jōnin from the Aburame clan."

"Alright. You're dismissed," Hiruzen said, waving his hand in a clear sign for Danzo to leave.

Danzo took a deep breath, feeling a surge of frustration. He knew his old friend was far from pleased with the lack of progress Root had made in negotiations over the past three months. Now, Hiruzen was venting his pent-up frustration.

As Danzo left, Hiruzen's gaze lingered on his retreating figure, his eyes narrowing. His instincts told him Danzo was still hiding something.

"What is he keeping from me…" Hiruzen murmured, before reluctantly shaking his head.

His personal Anbu were already scattered across the other great countries, gathering intelligence or eliminating foreign shinobi infiltrating the Land of Fire. That left him little room to monitor the smaller countries.

Knock, knock.

Hiruzen tapped the desk lightly, and an Anbu with a dog-shaped mask appeared before him. Hiruzen instructed,

"Inform these shinobi to come to the Hokage's office at their earliest convenience today."

"Yes, Hokage-sama!" The Anbu disappeared as quickly as he came.

Not long after, Uchiha Akira entered the Hokage's office. Though he had until the end of the day, respect for the Hokage warranted promptness.

"Lord Hokage, I'm here," Akira said as he stepped in.

"Ah, Akira! Glad you came." Hiruzen looked up from his desk, a warm smile on his face. "I have a mission that requires your attention."

Though Akira was curious, he knew better than to question it. When a mission came directly from the Hokage, refusal wasn't an option—not that he was in a position to refuse anyway.

"I understand, Lord Hokage. I will carry out my duty to the village," Akira replied firmly.

"The situation is this: A group called Akatsuki has been stirring trouble in the Land of Rain. Disguising themselves as shinobi from various major nations, they've been attacking villages, provoking conflicts. According to reliable sources, Hanzo is struggling to hold his ground against them…" Hiruzen succinctly summarized the information Danzo had provided.

"So I need you to lead a team of elite Konoha shinobi into the Land of Rain to gather intelligence on Akatsuki," Hiruzen stated, watching Akira's reaction closely.

Akira's eyes widened in shock. This was nothing like what he'd anticipated. Could the butterfly effect have altered things this drastically? The Third Hokage already knew about Akatsuki?

In his memory, Hiruzen only learned about the organization on the night of the Uchiha massacre, when Itachi revealed he'd gone undercover in a dangerous group. Wasn't Akatsuki supposed to be a group that embodied Jiraiya's ideals, aiming for peace through understanding? How had they transformed into a group impersonating foreign shinobi and disrupting peace?

"What could have gone wrong?" Akira thought, his mind racing. "Could Danzo be twisting the truth to suit his purposes?"

Seeing Akira's stunned expression, Hiruzen assumed the news was a lot to take in.

"Akira, I know this is difficult, but I couldn't find anyone else in Konoha suited for a mission in the Land of Rain right now," Hiruzen explained apologetically. "Jiraiya has vanished again, heaven knows where. If we wait for him, it'll be too late. Minato and Orochimaru are preparing for the Hokage election, and the other candidates aren't suitable."

"Lord Hokage, leave it to me. I will complete the mission," Akira said with determination.

Hiruzen's face softened into a smile. "Then I can rest easy. With you on this, I feel reassured."

"Am I to go solo, or will I have a team accompanying me?" Akira asked.

Hiruzen took a drag from his pipe, filling the room with swirling smoke, his voice carrying through it. "This is a dangerous mission, so I've assigned you a standard team for support."

"Thank you, Lord Hokage," Akira said, feigning gratitude.

Inwardly, he thought, Just don't give me any dead weight, please. More shinobi didn't always mean more power. Sometimes they just held each other back. Alone, he could act freely, completing the mission as he saw fit. At worst, he'd reveal only as much about Akatsuki as needed.

Now that he was assigned teammates, he'd have to maintain appearances, at least for show. With his Mangekyō Sharingan, Akira could always cast a genjutsu to keep his teammates occupied.

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