Chapter 258: A Message

Chapter 258: Chapter 258: A Message

In the shinobi world, there were only a handful of organizations bold enough to attack the Raikage.

Even Hyuga Kagami, unless absolutely necessary, wasn’t particularly willing to provoke a reckless brute like the Fourth Raikage. So the identity of the attackers wasn’t difficult to guess. Nine times out of ten, it was Akatsuki—the group that seemed determined to plunge the entire world into chaos.

The only thing Kagami couldn’t quite understand was why Akatsuki had gone out of their way to intercept and kill the Raikage’s two guards.

"Were they simply trying to pin this attack on Kamigami? If that’s all it was, don’t they have anything better to do?"

Kagami’s thoughts wandered as his gaze gradually deepened.

At that moment, Shisui finished reading through the information in his hands and asked Kakashi, "There isn’t nearly enough information in this report. Did the Raikage not fight the enemy?"

Kakashi nodded helplessly.

"The Raikage... It seems the Raikage fell for the enemy’s trick and was deliberately lured away."

"In that case, their real targets should’ve been the Raikage’s two guards." After a brief pause, Shisui continued his analysis. "Aida, the Storm Release Kekkei Genkai shinobi, is missing, and they couldn’t even find his body. Can we assume that Aida was their true target?"

Guy immediately replied, "Lord Hokage thinks so too."

Kakashi added, "The true purpose behind Kamigami’s attack on the Raikage’s group was very likely Aida’s Storm Release Kekkei Genkai. That’s why Lord Hokage suspects that Kamigami is plotting something involving Kekkei Genkai shinobi!"

"Storm Release Kekkei Genkai..."

Hearing Kakashi say that, Hyuga Kagami suddenly thought of Hiruko.

"Could Akatsuki’s attack on a Storm Release Kekkei Genkai shinobi have something to do with Hiruko?"

In the original timeline, it wasn’t until more than ten years later, after Naruto’s generation of shinobi had grown up, that Hiruko finally managed to iron out the flaws in his Chimera Technique and launch his "Kekkei Genkai Absorption Plan."

That was why Kagami hadn’t initially thought of Hiruko at all.

But when he connected all the clues—the disappearance of Kumogakure’s Storm Release Kekkei Genkai shinobi after being attacked, the likelihood that Akatsuki was behind it, and the fact that Hiruko had also joined Akatsuki—Kagami couldn’t help but think of Hiruko and his "Kekkei Genkai Absorption Plan."

"But that doesn’t make sense either. There’s no way Hiruko could’ve perfected the Chimera Technique this quickly. Could joining Akatsuki have allowed him to complete it with the help of the others?"

After completing their protection duties for the day, ANBU Team 11 was relieved by the next shift and disbanded on the spot.

Shisui deliberately stayed behind. Once Kakashi and Guy had walked some distance away, he urgently asked Kagami, "Senpai, what exactly is going on? Does Kamigami have other members?"

"If there were new members, why would I hide them from you?" Kagami curled his lips before continuing, "It’s obvious. Someone is using Kamigami’s name to deliberately stir up trouble!"

Shisui said angrily, "Those bastards! Senpai, let’s find them!"

Kagami glanced at Shisui before calmly asking,

"Why did we create Kamigami in the first place?"

Shisui froze for a moment. "To ease the conflict between the Uchiha and the village."

Kagami gave a slight nod. "Exactly. Even though they’re maliciously trying to frame us, what they’re doing is actually helping us. They’re further spreading the perception that Kamigami is a threat!"

Shisui immediately caught on. "The greater the threat posed by Kamigami, the more reservations the Uchiha clan will have, and the rebellion will be delayed indefinitely!"

"Exactly."

Shisui continued, "But these guys are using our name to run around causing trouble everywhere. It still doesn’t sit right with me. Are we really supposed to just stand by and watch them commit crimes?"

Kagami casually replied, "We’ll still investigate them, but there’s no need to rush. Also, we need to pay more attention to protecting Uzumaki Naruto. For all we know, someone really might be targeting the Nine-Tails!"

Shisui quickly nodded.

Others might not know Uzumaki Naruto’s true identity, but as an ANBU directly under the Hokage, Shisui knew very well what Naruto meant to Konoha. Naruto’s safety absolutely had to be guaranteed.

After parting ways with Shisui and returning home, Kagami thought for a moment. Then he bit his finger, formed a hand seal, and shouted,

"Summoning Technique!"

Poof...

After a burst of white smoke, the orange ninja cat Shozaimaru appeared inside Kagami’s room.

Only, Shozaimaru’s body was currently wrapped with strip after strip of hairbands. His originally orange fur now had rings of black markings all over it...

Though it seemed like his butt was still missing a few.

Kagami stared at him blankly. "What are you...?"

Shozaimaru, who had just been summoned over, looked utterly depressed.

"Meow, I’m in the middle of dyeing my fur. I’m not delivering any messages today!"

Kagami laughed. "You’re a perfectly good orange cat. Why are you dyeing yourself with stripes like a tiger?"

"Really?!"

Shozaimaru leaped onto the table and happily twisted his body back and forth to admire himself.

"Do I really look like a tiger? I copied the stripes from a tiger! I look really fierce, don’t I?!"

"What the hell happened to this stupid cat?"

After silently complaining to himself, Kagami said, "I summoned you this time because I need you to pass a message to Shinichi for me."

On the table, Shozaimaru was still completely lost in admiration of his new look.

"Hehe, looks like that fur-dyeing shop is pretty good. I’ll have to go there more often from now on, meow!"

Knock! Knock!

Kagami rapped heavily on the table.

"Did you hear what I just said? I summoned you because I need you to pass a message to Shinichi."

Shozaimaru’s face became resolute.

"Meow! I still have to go back and finish dyeing my fur. I’m not delivering any messages today!"

Kagami pulled out a thousand-ryō bill from his pocket and slapped it onto the table.

A conflicted expression immediately appeared on Shozaimaru’s face. His eyes darted back and forth over the thousand-ryō bill on the table, but he still refused to give in.

"Damn cat!"

Cursing inwardly, Kagami pulled out another thousand-ryō bill and slapped it onto the table.

Shozaimaru’s eyes immediately lit up. He swiftly stuffed both thousand-ryō bills into the little pouch hanging around his neck and asked,

"Meow, what message do you want me to give Shinichi?"

......

At a training ground near the Uchiha clan compound.

After spending the entire day relentlessly practicing his swordsmanship, Uchiha Hiiragi planted his long sword into the ground, picked up a towel from nearby, and wiped the sweat from his face.

His previous encounter with Kamigami’s "Homura" had become a thorn buried deep within his heart, one that he simply couldn’t let go of.

"I was actually frightened into submission by a single glance from him. Unforgivable!"

Every time Uchiha Hiiragi remembered that scene, he felt unbearably humiliated. So after returning to the village, he had doubled his training regimen.

After wiping the sweat from his face, just as Uchiha Hiiragi was about to pull his long sword from the ground and resume training, a strange vortex suddenly appeared out of thin air directly in front of him.

Hiiragi immediately raised his sword and shouted,

"Who’s there?!"

At that moment, a figure stepped out from within the strange vortex...