Second Attendant

"Akatsuki Organization?!"

Haku looked utterly shocked.

Just today—just moments ago—he had become a member of this extremely dangerous organization.

The shadow cautioned him again. "You must report to me immediately everything you learn about this organization. Remember, everything!"

"Am I supposed to report myself?"

Haku opened his mouth, wanting to confess to the shadow that he had already joined the Akatsuki Organization.

But the words caught in his throat.

The Akatsuki Organization's terrifying reputation had truly shaken him.

Whether it was Juzo Biwa, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, or Itachi Uchiha, who had personally wiped out the Uchiha Clan, they were both great figures who seemed far beyond his reach.

He had never imagined that he would become their comrade and join the same organization.

At the same time,

the Akatsuki Organization was so powerful that he worried revealing its secrets would not only put him and every informant in his network in danger, but also implicate the innocent Shinji.

There was something else he found difficult to admit.

Although he had joined the Akatsuki Organization and become one of its members, he knew little more about it than anyone else.

Even if he were asked to report now, he had no valuable information to offer.

And so, he was left in a deep quandary all by himself.

Seeing Haku's grave expression and furrowed brows, the shadow assumed that he had been shaken by the information about the Akatsuki Organization. He didn't give it much thought and said, "That's all for today. Be careful on your way back."

With that, the shadow disappeared behind a tree, and silence returned to the woods.

After a long while, Haku let out a quiet sigh.

The things that had happened that day were simply too bizarre.

One moment, he still hadn't figured out why he'd been chosen and forced to join a mysterious organization called the Akatsuki.

The next, he'd been ordered to investigate everything about it.

His head was still spinning.

Back at the apartment,

after hearing Meiqiu's report, Shinji looked surprised. "That's all he said?"

Meiqiu nodded earnestly as he counted the bills. "Mm-hmm. That's everything."

"Why didn't he report to his handler?"

Shinji couldn't make sense of it.

When he saw Haku sneaking out that evening, he'd thought he'd blown it and prepared himself to give up on Haku as an attendant.

He hadn't expected Haku to actually keep his promise and not reveal the secret!

Only after happily stuffing the bills into his little bag did Meiqiu remember to add, "Oh, right. He approached you on purpose, so you should be careful!"

"I already knew."

Shinji's expression didn't change.

He'd noticed long ago that Haku had deliberately approached him. He just hadn't understood why—until now.

He knew what the Uchiha had done to Kirigakure, when others might not.

To be precise,

it hadn't been the Uchiha Clan that had targeted Kirigakure, but Madara Uchiha.

For decades after faking his death and disappearing into the Shinobi World, he had secretly controlled Kirigakure for a long time using the power of his Sharingan.

He had been behind several Shinobi Wars, as well as multiple internal conflicts in Kirigakure.

He had even secretly orchestrated Kirigakure's plan to trigger the Three-Tails' rampage in Konoha during the Third Shinobi World War.

That very incident had led to Rin Nohara's death and driven Obito into a dark frenzy, turning him into Madara Uchiha's tool.

So it was hardly surprising that Kirigakure hated the Uchiha.

In the original timeline, Kirigakure had remained completely in the dark. Later, even the Fourth Mizukage, who had just taken office and was ready to revitalize the village, was controlled by Obito, plunging Kirigakure into decline once more.

Only after the Fifth Mizukage took office did Kirigakure emerge from the shadow of the Sharingan's control.

Now, some kind of change had occurred, and Kirigakure seemed to have discovered what Madara Uchiha had done to them. That was why they had gone to such lengths to plant Haku in Konoha to investigate the Uchiha.

"Looks like Kirigakure is on guard now. It probably won't be so easy for Obito to secretly puppeteer the Fourth Mizukage again."

Shinji shook his head, pulling his wandering thoughts back.

Kirigakure's affairs had nothing to do with him. He had more than enough problems of his own; he had no time to worry about Kirigakure. As long as Haku kept the secret, Kirigakure could do whatever it wanted. He didn't want to get involved, and there was nothing he could do about it anyway!

Meiqiu snuck a glance at Shinji.

Noticing Meiqiu's gaze, Shinji asked, "What is it?"

"Little Shinji..."

Meiqiu walked over to him.

"Don't put 'little' in front of my name!"

Meiqiu held out a forepaw and gently nudged Shinji. "Be careful. Don't die."

Shinji froze for a moment, feeling unexpectedly touched.

Before Shinji could say anything, Meiqiu continued, "I haven't finished paying off my debt!"

Shinji's face immediately darkened. "Heh. You really care about me, huh?"

Meiqiu nodded emphatically. "Of course. I don't want to be out of work anytime soon."

Shinji grabbed Meiqiu by the scruff and lifted him up.

Meiqiu yowled, "Hey! What are you doing?"

"Your work hours aren't over yet!" Ignoring Meiqiu's struggles, Shinji said, "Come with me. We've got another target!"

A Junior Lantern Bearer could have two attendants.

Now that he'd secured one, Shinji had to find the next one as soon as possible!

Before long, he had snuck Meiqiu over to another apartment building not far from his own.

Pointing to an apartment on the second floor, he quietly instructed Meiqiu, "Stay hidden in the shadows. After I leave, keep an eye on the person who lives here. Watch for anything unusual, and you can go home at dawn."

Meiqiu raised a paw. "I protest!"

"Protest denied!"

With that, Shinji vanished into the night.

Inside the second-floor apartment,

Karin sat curled up on her bed with her arms around her knees.

Although she had plenty of classmates at school, her unusual background made her afraid to get close to anyone, in case she aroused suspicion.

That was why she was especially lonely.

And when she thought about her classmates, about Shinji and the others who had backgrounds similar to hers, she felt an urge to approach them.

"I wish I could be friends with them!"

It was painful to be surrounded by people and yet always feel completely alone.

Suddenly,

a sound came from the balcony outside.

Karin was just about to get up and investigate when a figure walked in from the balcony.

Fortunately, the stranger didn't approach her. Instead, he casually leaned against the wall and looked her over at his leisure.

"W-who are you?"

Karin immediately grew tense.

The stranger wore a mask and a black cloak patterned with red clouds, making him look quite mysterious.

There was no doubt.

The person who had sneaked into Karin's apartment was Shinji himself.

He deliberately spoke in a teasing tone. "To be honest, I'm curious. What do you want the Nine-Tails for?"

At his words, Karin felt as if she'd been struck by lightning. She instinctively took two steps back, panic filling her eyes.

Shinji thought, I guessed right!