Alliance Plan with Konoha

As Yagura finished speaking, the office fell silent for a moment.

Kakashi's eye, the one exposed outside his Forehead Protector, suddenly narrowed, his usual laziness and nonchalance vanishing instantly.

Kai's reaction was more direct than his.

He sprang up from his chair, his large, dark eyes fixed on Yagura, his voice trembling slightly with excitement:

"Lord Mizukage! You... you're telling the truth?!"

Kakashi reacted instantly, reaching out to grab the back of Guy's bodysuit collar and pressing him back into the chair.

"Calm down, Kai."

His voice was low, but his tone was so heavy that Kai's shoulders stiffened.

"But Kakashi! Knock on him—"

Kai turned to look at Kakashi and said urgently.

He looked at Kakashi in front of him, his round eyes, which had always been filled with youth and passion, were now churning with complex emotions.

Kai's words were cut short by Kakashi's calm and solemn gaze.

Kai opened his mouth, but swallowed the rest of his words back down his throat.

He stood up from his chair and bowed deeply towards Yagura:

"I'm so sorry, Lord Mizukage!!"

Yagura smiled, the forced curve of his stiff face still somewhat unnatural, but his tone was unexpectedly amiable:

"Fine."

As he spoke, his eyes involuntarily drifted to Kou beside him.

Kou's expression remained as calm as ever; his face, flawlessly altered by the Transformation Technique, showed no ripples.

But deep within those eyes, whose sharpness had been deliberately concealed, something trembled very slightly.

Looking at Guy and Kakashi before him, he sighed softly.

Seeing these old friends I hadn't seen for years still thinking of me, it would be impossible not to feel something.

"But, Kai, Kakashi."

Looking at the two people before him, he murmured to himself:

"Now that things have come to this, there's no going back."

He knew perfectly well what kind of path he was on, and he also knew that since that night five years ago, there was no turning back.

I... am destined to disappoint them.

Kakashi looked at Guy beside him and sighed deeply in his heart.

He forcefully suppressed the surging sorrow and excitement in his heart, turned his gaze back to Yagura opposite him, and his voice regained its previous calmness and caution:

"Please allow me to confirm, is it true that you just said... the leader of Akatsuki and their base are located within the Land of Water?"

Yagura nodded and calmly explained:

"The Akatsuki has been quite active in the black market of the Ninja World in recent years."

The vast majority of the missions they undertake are related to war planning, assassination of key figures, and intelligence gathering.

These overlap considerably with the business areas that Mist Village has long operated in.

Yagura Yoshitaka continued, speaking with righteous indignation:

"As the Mizukage of Mist Village, I have naturally been paying attention to this mysterious organization that has suddenly risen to prominence and seized a large share of Mist Village's market share in just a few years."

He paused slightly, his gaze slowly sweeping across Kakashi and the other two's faces before finally settling back on Kakashi's eyes, the stiff smile on his lips deepening slightly:

"Therefore, I am very interested in Konoha's proposal to cooperate in investigating Akatsuki's intelligence within the Land of Water."

Kakashi listened to Yagura's explanation and nodded noncommittally.

The Fourth Mizukage's explanation did indeed have a high degree of credibility.

As the leader of the gray area of Ninja World, Mist Village has long held a near-monopoly on war commissions and assassination missions.

This is not something to be proud of, but it is an open secret in the Ninja World.

The emergence of the Akatsuki naturally had the deepest impact on Mist Village.

As orders for these types of missions are largely diverted to the Akatsuki, the deeply entrenched "Blood Mist Policy" within Mist Village and the profit chain behind it are bound to be impacted.

The financial foundation and power base of the Mizukage faction will also be weakened as a result.

The rise of the Reformist Faction in the Mist Village likely seized this once-in-a-lifetime window of opportunity.

"Continuing along this line of logic, it's not unusual for Karatachi Yagura, as the Mizukage, to have some investigation and knowledge of the Akatsuki; on the contrary, it's perfectly reasonable."

Kakashi murmured to himself, as if confirming something.

He then shifted his gaze from Yagura, looking thoughtfully at Koko, who had remained silent to the side.

"So... as the representative of the Mist Village Reformist Faction, what are Shiina Sora's thoughts on cooperating with Konoha to investigate the Akatsuki?"

Noticing Kakashi's probing gaze, Koko's ordinary, gentle face instantly turned serious.

He looked at Kakashi and the other two, and said solemnly:

"Regarding 'Akatsuki,' I do know significantly less than the Mizukage."

"But at least, there's one thing that aligns perfectly with the Mizukage's thoughts."

He paused, lowering his voice to a deeper tone:

"If Akatsuki's base is indeed located within the Land of Water, then their existence is undoubtedly a potential threat to Mist Village."

The Mist Village might be able to tolerate its existence to a certain extent, but the premise is... we must not be completely ignorant of them.

He paused, then said in a deep voice:

"Therefore, I share the same opinion as the Mizukage regarding cooperating with Konoha to investigate Akatsuki's intelligence."

Kakashi and Kabuto exchanged a very brief glance almost simultaneously.

As expected, the Mizukage and his Mizukage Aide had already reached a consensus on the issue of the Akatsuki!

That seemingly heated exchange just now was all an act for them from the very beginning!

Realizing this, Kakashi didn't feel annoyed at being fooled; instead, it raised his opinion of these two high-ranking Mist Village by half a notch.

He turned his gaze back to Kou, his eyes now filled with a deep and heartfelt solemnity.

Unlike the Mizukage, who had a direct conflict of interest with the Akatsuki, this Mizukage Aide's stance was entirely based on the safety and interests of Mist Village.

There was no personal grudge involved, nor was there any factional infighting involved.

Such a leader commands Kakashi's deep respect, even from those with differing stances.

In comparison, his own advisor, who also held the title of "assistant," was the one who orchestrated the Uchiha Clan Massacre and then, after the truth came out, led a group of Root Hokage on a hasty escape overnight—that was truly...

Thinking of the "family scandal" he had recently learned from the Lord Third Hokage, Kakashi couldn't help but compare it to the "selfless" Mizukage Aide before him:

"How can there be such a huge difference between high-ranking officials in the same ninja village..."

Kakashi shook his head, no longer dwelling on this distressing question, and refocused his attention on the two high-ranking officials of Mist Village before him. He asked in a solemn tone:

"So, regarding the matter of cooperating with Konoha to investigate Akatsuki... what is Mist Village's final opinion?"

"They're here!"

Upon hearing Kakashi's question, Koko's heart suddenly tightened.

On the surface, Koko's face remained unchanged, but he naturally turned his gaze to Yagura beside him.

Yagura felt the gazes directed at him by the three from Konoha, a confident smile appeared on his stiff face:

"Personally, I naturally hope to investigate the Akatsuki as soon as possible."

With Konoha's assistance, this matter will undoubtedly go much more smoothly.

"Only..."

His tone suddenly shifted, and his voice deepened:

"Given the current relationship between Mist Village and Konoha in the Ninja World, allowing Konoha Ninja to enter the Land of Water for a long-term investigation..."

"As the Mizukage, I cannot help but feel deeply concerned about this."

Kakashi frowned slightly; he naturally understood the unspoken meaning hidden in Yagura's words.

He looked solemnly at the Fourth Mizukage before him and solemnly assured him:

"Konoha has no intention of interfering in Mist Village's internal affairs under the guise of cooperation... You might as well make your point clearer."

Yagura looked at Kakashi, and the smile on his lips deepened:

"Since you've put it that way, then I'll be frank."

He leaned forward slightly, his empty eyes fixed firmly on Kakashi's, and said in a deep voice, each word distinct and clear:

"We, Mist Village, hope to form an alliance with Konoha..."