Asuma's Surprise

The wind slashed like a blade, whipping Kyusuke's hair as a katana pointed straight at his throat.

The veteran of the Akatsuki who had been among the first to follow Yahiko and the others was now sweating profusely as he stared at the dazzling white blade before him and the stern young man holding it.

So fast! So strong!

It had taken only one exchange. He hadn't even had time to attack—or react—before he was defeated.

Yahiko and the other two watched from the side, their expressions turning serious.

The three of them were the Akatsuki's strongest fighters, but they had to admit that even in speed alone, none of them could match the boy before them.

Kakashi sheathed his sword and said to Kyusuke, "Sorry!"

Kakashi had proposed this spar himself, wanting to show off his abilities.

Judging by everyone's reactions, it had worked exceedingly well!

"Obito, you're so fast!" Yahiko was the first to break the silence. He started applauding and praised Kakashi.

With Yahiko leading the way, the others joined in, gathering around Kakashi and showering him with praise.

The Akatsuki founded by Yahiko was nothing like the terrifying organization of rogue ninja it would become in the future.

Their members might have been far weaker than the Akatsuki of the future, but they had joined with the dream of bringing peace and ending the Land of Rain's tears.

They shared the same ideals and were true kindred spirits.

Surrounded by everyone and led by Yahiko, Kakashi followed them into the building.

This three-story concrete building was the Akatsuki's current base.

The interior was simply furnished, with only the basic necessities.

It was clear to Kakashi that the Akatsuki was in dire financial straits.

As they descended from the third floor to the main hall on the second, a young man came into view. His upper body was wrapped in bandages, and he was leaning against the wall for support.

The young man's eyes met Kakashi's. His body stiffened, and he stared at Kakashi, his expression frozen.

Did this boy know me?

The sudden change in the young man's expression put Kakashi on alert.

He was certain he had never met him before.

"Obito, let me introduce you. This is Kazusuke. I rescued him from a merchant caravan," Konan explained when she noticed Kakashi looking at him.

As soon as Konan spoke, Kakashi—who had been watching Kazusuke closely—caught another flicker of surprise on the boy's face.

This time, Kakashi was certain the boy knew something. Otherwise, he wouldn't have reacted like that.

Judging by the boy's behavior, Kakashi first ruled out the possibility that he was from the village's Anbu. Someone who let his expressions show so easily couldn't possibly have come from the Anbu.

That left Kakashi with only one possibility.

The boy might be from Amegakure, an undercover agent planted in the Akatsuki.

Though Amegakure couldn't compare to the Five Great Shinobi Villages, its ninja had good intelligence-gathering skills, thanks to the assassination missions they took on from countries across the world.

If the boy was one of their ninja, he might have information on Kakashi and recognized him, since Kakashi hadn't done much to disguise his appearance.

"Kazusuke, this is Obito. He just joined us, and he's very capable. You wanted to become a ninja, didn't you? You can ask him for advice," Konan said, making an effort to put the two at ease with each other.

Asuma nodded, doing his best to keep his expression under control as he looked at Kakashi beside Konan. He was filled with astonishment.

Why was Kakashi here? Why had he joined the Akatsuki under the name Obito? What was he planning?

Could this be a mission from the village? Had the old man and the others set their sights on the Akatsuki?

The thought put Asuma on guard. He had no intention of betraying Konoha, but he didn't want the Akatsuki to be harmed, either.

Over the past few days, Asuma had formed a good friendship with Konan and the other Akatsuki members.

Konan especially seemed like an angelic older sister to him.

When he had been gravely injured and his consciousness had sunk into a dark abyss, she had been the angel who saved him.

With that in mind, Asuma slowly walked toward Kakashi and held out his right hand, still wrapped in bandages. "I'm Kazusuke. I look forward to working with you."

"If you have any questions, you can come to me," Kakashi replied calmly as he shook Asuma's hand. His eyes held a hint of scrutiny as he examined Asuma from head to toe.

Once they let go, Kakashi had already gleaned quite a bit from their brief contact.

The boy before him wasn't a ninja and had never undergone any ninja training.

That was clear from his frail build and his hands, which showed no signs of training.

This information only made Kakashi more curious about the boy's identity.

Why would a boy from the Land of Rain who wasn't a ninja look surprised to see him? Why had he reacted to the name Obito, too?

"Kazusuke, you haven't recovered yet. Don't stay on your feet for too long. Go back to your room and rest," Konan said once they had finished greeting each other. She stepped over to Asuma, took his arm, and half-forcibly began leading him away.

"Obito, stay here and rest with everyone. I'll take Kazusuke back to his room first," Konan told Kakashi as she left.

Kakashi stood where he was, expressionless, watching Konan support Asuma as they walked away.

Kyusuke, who was nearby, came over. He raised an arm and lightly nudged Kakashi, then whispered, "Well? Isn't Lady Konan beautiful and kind?"

"But I didn't expect a little kid like you to be thinking about girls already."

Kyusuke seemed to have gotten the wrong idea, thinking Kakashi had been staring at Konan's back.

Kakashi turned to Kyusuke and corrected him. "I wasn't."

Kyusuke gave him a look that said he understood, then draped an arm around Kakashi's neck and leaned close to his ear. "No need to be shy. Everyone in the organization who isn't married likes Lady Konan."

Kakashi sighed and stopped denying it. He knew there was no point explaining himself.

Besides, his thoughts were focused on the boy's strange reaction.

Kakashi used going to the bathroom as an excuse to leave the hall alone. Once inside, he closed the door and called to his father through their mental connection.

"Father, that boy Kazusuke acted strangely just now. He seemed to know me, and he reacted to the name Obito, too."

Sakumo's spirit appeared beside Kakashi. "I'll keep an eye on that boy in secret for now."

As an experienced ninja, Sakumo had noticed something was off as well.