Chapter 206: The Ambush of Obito, Begins!

'Is Yuto-sama really that respectful towards his sensei?'

Konan wondered silently as she observed Yuto Hyuga's demeanor. Being astute, she kept her thoughts to herself, quietly sipping her soup.

Tsunade plopped down with her usual boisterous flair, her long blonde hair tied into a ponytail, and exclaimed with her typical boldness:

"Teuchi-san, put it on the Hokage's tab!"

"Sure thing, Tsunade-sama," the owner responded with a cheerful grin, already accustomed to the renowned shinobi's behavior.

"Hmm? You…" It was only then that Tsunade noticed the purple-haired woman sitting beside her:

"You're from Amegakure… the leader of the Akatsuki?"

Konan set down her chopsticks and faced Tsunade.

"Yes, I'm here on an official visit to Konoha."

Tsunade nodded. With Konoha's current barrier and defense systems, there was no way the leader of the Akatsuki could just stroll into the village without permission. Relaxing her clenched fists, Tsunade sighed.

"We met when you were just a child… That was more than twenty years ago."

"I still remember that rainy night," Konan said calmly, her expression unreadable. "We encountered you, Commander Orochimaru, and Jiraiya-sensei. The rain was so heavy… just like the night Jiraiya-sensei killed Nagato."

Tsunade's expression froze, and just as she was about to speak, Konan continued.

"However, I am now the leader of the Akatsuki. I think from the perspective of Amegakure, and I won't act rashly. Also, since Jiraiya-sensei justified killing Nagato in the name of 'peace in the shinobi world', I must prove him wrong!"

She stood up abruptly, striding out of the shop with determination and a firm voice.

"To pin hopes for peace on the dream of an old toad… how ridiculous!"

The blonde woman watched Konan leave with a complicated expression. After the tall figure of the man wearing a bamboo hat left as well, she couldn't help but comment:

"The one you follow has become quite a formidable shinobi. I heard that missing-nin is the true master behind Amegakure? It seems you've learned a lot from him."

Yuto didn't respond, placing the payment on the table before leaving the small ramen shop.

"What an impolite guy…" Tsunade frowned. Though annoyed, she didn't think it was worth getting worked up over a mere subordinate. She turned her attention back to her meal, waiting patiently.

"Ramen's ready~!" Teuchi came out again with a tray, first serving Tsunade before picking up the money left by Yuto.

"Huh? They paid extra," Teuchi mumbled to himself after counting several times. When he saw a paper in the money, it had this written on it: "This is the price from four years ago…"

Tsunade, happily eating her ramen, heard the comment but paid no mind to it.

...

"Old man, I'm back!" Tsunade burst through the door, casually sat on the table, and pulled out a piece of candy from Hiruzen's drawer, popping it into her mouth.

"You could try being more ladylike once in a while," the Third Hokage said with a weary sigh, rubbing his temples. "What if an outsider saw you? They might make fun of you."

"Outsider? There's no outsider here," Tsunade shrugged indifferently.

"Orochimaru, Jiraiya, are you two going to say anything?"

"Of course not!" Jiraiya laughed heartily. "You're the famous Legendary Sucker, the brightest flower in Konoha!"

He sat in a wheelchair, a blanket over his lap, his pants empty below the knees. Most of his strength was gone, but his spirits remained high.

Orochimaru chuckled softly, only to be met with a glare from Tsunade.

—Although others might not know, the four of them were well aware that Orochimaru had been the one to steal the First Hokage's cells for human experimentation.

Even now, Tsunade harbored a grudge against Orochimaru. Whenever she saw him, the urge to punch him for desecrating her grandfather's grave was hard to suppress.

"Cough, cough…" Hiruzen waved his hand, smiling bitterly.

"Let's not start a fight at a time like this. It's just us here, so I'll get straight to the point."

"Four years ago, the one who controlled the Nine-Tails was Obito Uchiha… Jiraiya, don't get too worked up. The intelligence is reliable, and Kakashi has already used a very similar space-time dōjutsu. We can confirm with absolute certainty that it was Obito."

"In a way, he's more dangerous than Yuto."

"As for the source of the information and other details, I'll disclose them after the mission is over."

"In any case, Obito is a madman who harbors a deep hatred for the village and the shinobi world. He must be eliminated!"

"I, Orochimaru, Kakashi, and Fugaku will be the main combatants, but we'll also need the support of the ANBU and the village's elite shinobi."

"Facing space-time ninjutsu, no one can guarantee survival. If I fall, Orochimaru will be the Fifth Hokage!"

"And if both Orochimaru and I die that day, Tsunade, you'll be next in line to inherit the title of Hokage."

"Jiraiya, you are not to participate in direct combat. Stay in the Hokage's office, monitor the village, and be ready to step in for me. Tsunade, remain on standby."

Tsunade nodded, placing great trust in her sensei's arrangements.

Jiraiya, on the other hand, lowered his head, his expression dark as he looked at his incomplete legs.

Hiruzen and Orochimaru did not reveal the source of the intelligence, nor did they mention that Yuto might be hiding among the Amegakure delegation.

Years ago, Tsunade nearly tore the Senju compound apart because of her apprentice. Although no one knew why she was so emotional, Hiruzen decided to withhold the information temporarily to prevent her from storming into Amegakure's temporary residence.

As for why the ambush on Obito was happening so quickly, without waiting for the Amegakure team to leave the village, it was all because of Yuto.

Revealing his presence, providing information on Obito, and then Amegakure's arrival in the village—although there was no direct meeting, Yuto had sent a clear message:

'I plan to do something when you try to kill Obito, so Konoha must carry out the ambush during this timeframe! You do your thing, I do mine. If all goes well…:

Just as comrades can understand each other, enemies can also reach an understanding because they know each other's interests so well. It actually makes collaboration easier.

Given the disparity in power, Konoha had no choice but to be led by the nose by Yuto.

Still, the village could use this opportunity to eliminate a major threat, achieving some level of benefit exchange, so Hiruzen wasn't too upset.

...

Time passed day by day, with the Amegakure delegation following the formalities, touring Konoha, and visiting notable figures. Hiruzen occasionally hosted Konan, and the talks between the host and guests were always pleasant. Orochimaru remained the reliable ANBU Commander, the undisputed future Hokage.

Then, amidst this calm, an incident suddenly broke out. At first, only a few high-ranking figures in the village knew about it, but soon, spies acted, sending this precious information out of Konoha.

—"Konoha's ANBU Second Division encountered an unexpected situation while performing a high-risk mission. Most of the squad was killed or injured, and Captain Kakashi Hatake has fallen. His heroic name will be engraved on the Memorial Stone."

(End of Chapter)

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