Thirty: The Tacit Understanding That Should Exist Between Sakuya and Sakuya

"Knock, knock."

Just as Sakuya and Tsunade were discussing intelligence regarding the Akatsuki, a sudden knocking interrupted their conversation.

Sakuya and Tsunade exchanged a glance, sensing that something was amiss.

The fact that the two of them were staying at this inn was top secret; who could possibly be knocking on their door?

Sakuya rose quietly, walked to the door, and pressed his ear against the seam. "Who is it?"

"Ah, honored guest, I am the waiter."

It was the voice of a strange man outside.

"A guest arrived downstairs just now claiming to know you. They left a letter, and the boss told me to bring it up to you."

"A letter?"

Sakuya and Tsunade looked at each other.

Could it be Orochimaru and the others?

How did they know we were here?

Besides, using a letter for communication is far too bold—could they not have used a summoning animal?

To have someone else deliver a message directly—were they not afraid the letter would be intercepted by Amegakure?

Those three idiots.

Sakuya nodded at Tsunade, and the two acted in unison, using the Transformation Technique to alter their appearances before finally opening the door.

"Here you go, honored guest."

The waiter outside respectfully handed over the letter and then turned to leave.

"Jiraiya and the others, honestly."

Watching Sakuya close the door, Tsunade reverted to her original appearance and sat by the table, frowning.

"They are far too reckless. If they wanted to send intelligence, they should have at least followed the pre-arranged protocol."

She grumbled while taking the letter from Sakuya's hand.

"Perhaps they encountered some sort of emergency," Sakuya said. "Let's not dwell on that for now; let's see what's inside."

"Mm."

Tsunade tore open the envelope and found only a single sheet of paper and a raindrop-shaped pendant inside.

"Huh? What is this?"

She picked up the pendant and scanned it. "It looks like some kind of token?"

"What kind of token is this?"

Sakuya took the pendant, only to discover it wasn't really a pendant at all—rather, it looked like a key.

"Hmm, the letter says... the location of the Amegakure toxin research facility is underground, and the water drop is the key to enter. The sender is... Sakuya Yamanashi? Eh? This isn't a letter from Jiraiya and the others."

She looked up in surprise, staring at Sakuya. "It's a letter from the leader of the Akatsuki Chamber of Commerce, Azure Dragon Sakuya Yamanashi."

"...Heh, interesting."

Sakuya took the letter, surprised, and let out a soft chuckle. "It seems our arrival in Amegakure has already been exposed to the Akatsuki's intelligence network."

"We have to leave."

Tsunade understood what this meant, her face turning grave. "The Akatsuki organization already knows our location, our identities, and our objective... Damn it!"

She clenched her fists in frustration.

They had only been infiltrating Amegakure for a single day, and they had been rooted out so easily... What did this imply?

There was a traitor within Konoha.

Their S-rank mission had been conducted with the utmost caution; only a few intelligence officers in the village knew their itinerary. These people were either talented individuals cultivated by the village for years or key department heads and team leaders.

These were the lifeblood of Konoha, most of them being the original staff left behind from the time of the Second Hokage!

If they were exposed now, did that not mean these people could no longer be trusted?

The more Tsunade thought about it, the more panicked she became.

If these people could not be trusted, then what was left in Konoha that was worth believing in?

"Don't panic, Tsunade."

Just as Tsunade was spiraling into her own thoughts, a strong hand pressed down on her shoulder.

A warm presence instantly enveloped her body, which had grown cold from fear.

Tsunade felt herself calm down in an instant.

"Sakuya?"

She looked at Sakuya in a daze.

"Look on the bright side, Akatsuki likely harbors no hostility."

Sakuya said, "We are still safe."

"What do you mean?"

Tsunade turned back to look at Sakuya.

"If they truly held hostility... would they intentionally send a letter?"

Sakuya comforted her, "They might have come directly, perhaps with the jonin of Amegakure? No, it is even possible that Hanzo of the Salamander himself would have appeared here."

Hearing his words, Tsunade calmed down instantly.

That was true.

She was a princess of the Land of Fire, Sakuya was the pride of the current Uchiha, and outside were Orochimaru, Dan Katō, Jiraiya, and others—all elite figures of this generation of Konoha. If Akatsuki were truly hostile, the news of their infiltration into Amegakure would have reached Hanzo of the Salamander long ago. They would have been rounded up in one fell swoop; why would there be any need to tip them off?

"Sakuya, what do you think the intention is behind Akatsuki sending this?"

Tsunade rubbed the letter, her brows furrowed, "Are they showing goodwill to Konoha? Or is it something else?"

"...I don't know either."

Sakuya did have a guess in his heart, but it sounded too absurd to voice. For now, all he could do was maintain the tacit understanding that should exist between Sakuya and himself.

"However, since Akatsuki has given us the location of the laboratory, there is no reason for us not to use it, but going there just like that is too risky."

He deliberated, "Perhaps we need to think this through."

"You mean..."

"Send a message to Orochimaru and the others."

Sakuya said, "Let them find an opportunity tomorrow to steal Shota's corpse."

He narrowed his eyes, "Have Jiraiya set some fires in the village to stir up trouble."

"When Amegakure focuses all its attention on Orochimaru and the others, we will take the opportunity to sneak into the laboratory and retrieve the salamander toxin. What do you think?"

"It is a good plan."

Tsunade nodded after hearing him out, "But there is still one problem."

She looked at Sakuya, her eyes filled with concern, "After we succeed, how do we get out?"

It sounded simple to cause a scene in Amegakure, but the current Amegakure was no longer the small village it once was.

This was the center of the Small Nations Alliance, where ninjas from various countries gathered. There were hundreds of ninjas specializing in obscure secret techniques whose capabilities were completely unknown.

If they really caused a scene, how would they deal with the pursuit of these secret-technique users afterward?

Ninja combat was a battle of intelligence. Even Tobirama Senju, who possessed the Flying Thunder God, died at the hands of Kinkaku and Ginkaku due to the surprise attack of the Six Paths Tools.

With so many ninjas using secret techniques, how many of them possessed methods to counter them?

Moreover, this was Amegakure, where heavy rain fell incessantly every day. Both Sakuya's Fire Release ninjutsu and Jiraiya's Mount Myoboku Sage Arts would have their power significantly reduced by the downpour.

With layers of debuffs stacked, if they really followed Sakuya's plan to cause a scene, how to leave safely was indeed a massive problem.

"Well, let's send the message first and have Orochimaru and the others come over, or we can go find them."

Sakuya thought for a moment and spoke.

"As the saying goes, three cobblers are better than one Zhuge Liang. The two of us sitting here racking our brains won't come up with anything. It is better to call them over; with the five of us brainstorming, we will surely find a way."