The Last Member of Akatsuki

Time flew by. After chasing Chakra for three whole streets and beating him senseless, leaving him with Suigetsu from exhaustion and the inability to maintain his Hydrification Technique, Zabuza, Zabuza his goal, bid farewell to everyone and dragged Suigetsu towards the direction of Mist Village Hospital.

Although Suigetsu looked so miserable that he was barely recognizable as a human, Zabuza actually been very considerate and had not injured any vital organs.

With his superb skills, he precisely targeted the parts of his body that would sustain intense pain for a long time without affecting his normal movement, and delivered a thoroughly satisfying beating.

After all, there was a border mission he would personally lead in a few days. If he let Suigetsu find an excuse to take leave and slack off, it would be a huge loss.

Because he was worried about Suigetsu's injuries, Bai also went to Mist Village Hospital.

Kimimaro, having already arranged to give a speech to the children with the Teacher at the Ninja Academy before his mission, waved goodbye to them after chatting briefly with Kokoro and Mei Terumi.

After bidding farewell to everyone, Kou and Mei Terumi made a detour to visit Elder Genshi.

This elderly man, who had held a high position since the time of the First Mizukage, handed over his power to Kokoro and Mei Terumi two years ago after the internal situation of Mist Village stabilized, and thus retired to the second line, no longer involved in any political affairs.

Now he has funded the construction of an orphanage, located in the quietest corner of the village, specifically to house orphans who lost their families in the war.

Kou and Mei Terumi would often arrange to visit him together in their spare time. Almost every time, they would see the white-haired old man sitting in the courtyard, surrounded by a group of children of all ages, gently telling stories of Mist Village's past.

This time was no exception.

Genji was naturally very happy to see his two most proud juniors come to visit him.

He warmly invited them to sit down in the courtyard, and the children from the orphanage were just as happy to see them.

Whether they were happy to meet these two heroes from the story or to see the gifts they were carrying, which they had bought especially for them, remains unknown.

The children chattered excitedly around Kō and Mei Terumi, tugging at Kō's sleeves and eagerly asking them to tell the story of "Yagura" from back then.

Kou and Mei Terumi spent a long time chatting with the old man, discussing the current state of Mist Village and the Odd Jobs Agency's initial plans for various parts of the Ninja World.

It was also unusual for them to complain, like a child grumbling to an elder about too much homework, about the mountains of official duties and endless meetings.

Elder Genshi listened quietly as usual, a kind and peaceful smile always on his lips. He nodded occasionally and said a word or two softly...

Time flew by in the tranquility and laughter, and before we knew it, it was sunset.

A ray of the setting sun shone down, bathing the entire courtyard in a gentle orange-red hue.

Seeing that it was getting late, Kou and Mei Terumi declined the old man's invitation to stay for dinner. Amid the old man and children waving goodbye, they walked out of the orphanage gate side by side.

In the afterglow of the setting sun, the two walked home together.

The thin mist, tinged with the golden-red hues of the setting sun, swirled slowly around them, enveloping the entire street in a warm and peaceful glow.

Because Mei Terumi's house was relatively close, Mei Terumi first took her to her doorstep.

"Well then, that's all for today."

Koko stood outside the gate of Mei Terumi's house, watching the tall, slender figure push open the wooden fence still adorned with a few purple flowers, and wave to her with a smile:

"Thank you so much, Mei Terumi. I had a lot of fun today."

"Yeah, me too!"

Mei Terumi opened the door and, with a playful tone, smiled at Kokoro and said:

Keep up the good work tomorrow!

"... Don't bring up such sad things at this time."

"Ha ha..."

Seeing Koko's utterly dejected expression, Mei Terumi couldn't help but laugh out loud.

She looked up at the vast sky above, dyed golden red by the setting sun, and the smile in her eyes softened considerably at that moment.

"There will definitely be many more days like this in the future."

"So let's work hard together for that bright future, Sora!"

Hearing Mei Terumi's expectant words, the light in Kō's eyes dimmed slightly.

He didn't respond to Mei Terumi's words, but simply maintained his usual smile and nodded slightly.

Watching that tall, beautiful figure disappear behind the slowly closing door, Kou slowly turned around and walked alone into the thin mist shrouded in twilight...

After taking Mei Terumi home, Koko also returned to his house in Mist Village.

He skillfully took out his key and opened the door.

Just as Kou was about to place the two large bags of fruits and vegetables that the villagers had insisted on giving him on the coffee table in the living room, the relaxed smile that had not yet completely disappeared from the corner of his mouth instantly froze on his face.

An uninvited guest was sitting in the living room, which should have been empty.

Obito was sitting naturally on the sofa in the living room, legs crossed, casually flipping through a cooking encyclopedia he had pulled from the bookshelf.

Looking at the "uninvited guest" in front of him, the smile on his face suddenly vanished, and his good mood for the day disappeared completely.

"What are you doing here? I never gave you a key to my house. Be careful, or I'll report you for trespassing!"

"Since I couldn't find you in the office, and given my current position, I can't just go looking for you on the street, I can only wait for you to come back here."

Hearing Koko's impatient dismissive tone, Obito responded matter-of-factly while turning his gaze from behind his mask to Koko, and leisurely said:

"Are you having fun playing house? Knock."

"Enough with the nonsense. You came all this way to see me today, there must be something important you need to discuss."

Ignoring Obito's teasing words, Kou placed the heavy bag on the floor beside the coffee table and gave an impatient snort:

"If you have something to say, say it quickly, and leave as soon as you've resolved it! I'm on vacation today, so don't ruin my mood."

Obito shrugged, then placed the documents he had prepared earlier on the desk, gently pushed them towards Kokoro, and slowly began to speak:

"I'm here today to hand over a mission from the organization."

"This is a list of new members I've collected from various parts of the Ninja World recently, who could be recruited into the Akatsuki."

The list has already been shown to Nagato, and he has given his approval.

He will hold a special meeting in a few days to arrange the specific division of labor for recruiting new members.

You can take a look at this list first so you can find a partner in advance and prepare for the upcoming recruitment work.

Hearing Obito's words, Kō's heart grew heavier.

He looked up from the mask, picked up the list on the table, and began to read it carefully.

Deidara, an elite member of the Iwagakure Explosion Corps, a disciple of the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki, and a genius who has mastered the secret art of clay.

Hot Spring Village, a dangerous individual who wanders the Ninja World alone after slaughtering all members of the Jashin Cult he belonged to, is a follower of the heretical sect of Hidan.

as well as...

Kou scanned the familiar names on the document one by one, his calm gaze suddenly stopping when he saw the last member's name.

"A rogue missing-nin from Mist Village, one of the former Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, and the wielder of the Thunder Sword, the Raiga Kurosuki?