Mist Village's Plan to Visit Konoha

"Form an alliance with Konoha...?"

As Yagura finished speaking, Kakashi's expression instantly became more serious.

His eye, visible beneath his Forehead Protector, narrowed slightly, and his gaze towards Yagura was filled with deep vigilance.

"Good."

Yagura stared blankly at Kakashi in front of him; the face controlled by Obito still wore that unnatural smile.

"Once Mist Village and Konoha formally form an alliance, as the Mizukage, I will have ample reason to suppress the opposition from the conservative faction who have reservations about Konoha Ninja setting foot in the Land of Water."

As for Konoha, they no longer need to be bound by diplomatic restrictions and can unleash their full potential to work with the Kirigakure Ninja to investigate Akatsuki within the Land of Water.

He looked at Kakashi, and the stiff smile on his lips rose slightly more:

"What do you think of this proposal, Mr. Kakashi Hatake of Konoha?"

Hearing Yagura's explanation, Kakashi's brows furrowed even more deeply instead of relaxing.

"The Mist Village... actually wants to form an alliance with Konoha?"

Without a doubt, this has completely exceeded their expectations of the Mist Village!

Kakashi quickly began to think:

"To propose an 'alliance' for a joint investigation of the Akatsuki... that's making a mountain out of a molehill."

After the Third Ninja World War, Konoha had already formally formed an alliance with Sand Village. If Konoha were to form an alliance with Mist Village at this time, the existing power structure of the entire Ninja World would be shaken by this alliance.

As the highest-ranking members of the Mist Village, these two couldn't possibly be unaware of this.

"Their proposal of an 'alliance' at this time... must have some ulterior motive."

Kakashi's gaze swept back and forth between Yagura and Kokoro without making a sound, his mind racing as he deduced their true intentions hidden beneath the proposal.

His expression quickly returned to calm after a brief fluctuation, and he responded in a steady and restrained voice:

"I'm sorry, the alliance is a matter of great importance, and given our position, we cannot give you an immediate answer."

Kakashi looked at the Fourth Mizukage in front of him and said apologetically:

"However, regarding your suggestion, we will convey it to the Lord Hokage in its entirety as soon as we return to Konoha... Please understand."

He then opened his mouth, intending to move on from the topic and steer the conversation back to the more manageable framework of "cooperation."

However, before Kakashi could speak, a gentle voice rang out from beside Yagura, unhurried and calm.

"It's alright. Regarding the alliance, our Mist Village will send someone to Konoha to discuss it with the Lord Hokage in person."

Kou smiled warmly at Kakashi, his tone exceptionally friendly:

"We in Mist Village understand the principle of reciprocity."

If all goes well, I, as the Mizukage Aide, will personally lead the team to Konoha to formally discuss the alliance with your Lord Hokage.

"At that time, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble Mr. Kakashi to show me the splendor of the number one ninja village in the Genin world."

He paused, his voice carrying an undisguised expectation that Kakashi could hardly tell whether it was acting or genuine emotion.

"To be honest, I have longed to visit Konoha for a long time, but over the years, due to my status and various internal affairs of Mist Village, I have been unable to make the trip, which has always been a great regret in my heart."

At this point, Kou sighed regretfully, completely ignoring Obito, who was hiding in the shadows by the door casting a disdainful Obito at him, and said with great emotion:

"Being able to take advantage of this opportunity to discuss the alliance and personally visit Konoha, which I've longed to visit for so long, can be considered as fulfilling a small personal wish of mine."

"No... you flatter me."

Kakashi listened to Koko's "heartfelt" words and knew he couldn't refuse, so his voice became somewhat dry and hard to hide.

Looking at the smiling Mizukage Aide in front of him, his previous wariness of Yagura not only did not dissipate, but instead increased even more.

Unlike the Fourth Mizukage, who wore his impure motives on his sleeve.

This advisor maintained a gentle and harmless demeanor from beginning to end, leaving no room for criticism.

But it was precisely this impeccable gentleness that made Kakashi feel that the person in front of him was even more unpredictable than the fickle Mizukage.

Kabuto quietly observed the conversation as it gradually veered off course.

His gaze darted back and forth between Yagura and Kokoro, clearly observing the rhythm of their back-and-forth singing.

As an elite who had infiltrated various ninja villages for years and escaped countless dangerous situations unscathed thanks to his superb acting skills, he could certainly see it.

The current situation is being tacitly steered in a direction more favorable to them by these two high-ranking members of the Mist Village.

Mr. Kakashi is clearly being "besieged" by the two of them, and his senior Guy is not good at handling this kind of situation.

Now is the time for me to make my move!

Dou coughed lightly, drawing the attention of several pairs of eyes, each with its own hidden agenda, to him.

He looked at the crowd before him, bowed slightly, and began with a standard, polite bow, speaking naturally:

"Given our positions, we are truly unable to make any substantial commitment regarding the alliance at this time."

Regarding the issue of an alliance between Mist Village and Konoha, it would be better to leave it until Lord Shiina Sora personally visits Konoha in the future, and then discuss it in detail with the Lord Hokage in person."

Kabuto glanced at the two high-ranking Mist Village opposite him and added with a smile:

"As for now, let's shift our focus back to intelligence on the Akatsuki... What do you all think?"

In the shadows, Obito's gaze involuntarily fell on the gray-robed boy.

From beginning to end, this child, who looked no more than fifteen or sixteen years old, was not swayed even a little by the oppressive atmosphere that he and Kou deliberately created.

"This child is a real talent."

Obito silently gave Kabuto a very high evaluation in his heart, and his eyes showed a hint of unexpected appreciation.

But he was not affected by this in the slightest. He simply controlled Yagura, turned his head towards Kabuto, and asked in a gentle tone:

"What this young man says makes sense. May I ask who you are...?"

Hearing the way this "boy" in front of him, who looked several years younger than him, addressed him, Dou felt a strange sensation in his heart.

He quickly suppressed this subtle sense of unease, gave a slight bow, and introduced himself to Yagura opposite him in a steady voice:

"Nice to meet you, Mizukage. I am Kabuto, the current head of the Konoha Intelligence Bureau, 'Root'."

Yagura's eyes narrowed instantly when he heard the word "root".

But in an instant, Yagura regained his calm and composed demeanor, and praised her with a smile:

"Konoha Intelligence Bureau... To assume such an important position at such a young age, truly a hero among children."

"Young friend, have you gathered any intelligence related to the Akatsuki?"

Kabuto felt the Fourth Mizukage's gaze, his heart skipped a beat, and his body felt a slight chill.

Just then, two pairs of eyes turned towards him almost simultaneously from his side.

Kakashi nodded slightly to him, his one exposed eye showing trust and encouragement.

Kai, standing behind Kakashi, gave him a thumbs-up, his eyes filled with unconditional enthusiasm and encouragement.

Feeling the trust from his two seniors, Dou's anxious heart instantly calmed down.

He raised his head, looked intently at the Fourth Mizukage before him, and said in a steady and solemn voice:

"Our Konoha Intelligence Bureau has also gathered some relevant intelligence regarding certain members of the Akatsuki."

He paused, his gaze briefly sweeping between Yagura and Kokoro, before continuing:

"The most detailed intelligence naturally comes from those two rogue missing-nin from Konoha."

"One of them is Konoha Sannin, one of the Orochimaru."

He paused for a moment, his gaze involuntarily turning to Kakashi and Guy beside him.

They were perfectly aware of the name that Kabuto was about to mention.

Kakashi lowered his head, his eyes dimming, while Guy's fists clenched silently on his knees.

Kabuto slowly shifted his gaze from the two men, inwardly sighing for these two seniors, then turned to the two high-ranking members of the Mist Shadow Sect before him and said in a deep voice:

"The other one is one of the few survivors of the Uchiha Clan... Uchiha Kuro."

(The next chapter might be a little late, I'm going to eat now |•'-'•)و✧)