Reporting on the Mission

"Back so soon?" Sarutobi Hiruzen was surprised to see the two of them.

Uchiha Akira said gravely, "Things turned out differently than expected. We felt this matter couldn't wait and had to be reported immediately."

"Things turned out differently than expected?" A trace of solemnity crossed Sarutobi Hiruzen's face.

A bad premonition stirred within him, leaving him feeling somewhat unsettled.

After studying the two of them for a moment, he realized what might have happened and asked gravely, "Did Yamanaka Shigeyoshi and Aburame Shigang die?"

"The enemy was powerful. Yamanaka Shigeyoshi died bravely in battle," Uchiha Akira said gravely.

"Phew... What a shame." Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed, then asked, "And Aburame Shigang? Why isn't he here?"

Uchiha Akira replied calmly, "Lord Hokage, Aburame Shigang may have been a spy from an enemy nation. After I engaged the enemy, he tried to sneak attack me. When that failed, he took his own life on the spot."

There was no point in saying that he was Danzo's man—not without decisive evidence.

So, for now, this was the only way to put it.

It wasn't the right time to deal with Danzo yet.

"What?" Sarutobi Hiruzen froze for a moment, almost wondering if he had misheard.

He quickly recovered and turned to Hyuga Kaoru. "Jonin Kaoru, is it really as Jonin Akira said?"

"Lord Hokage." Hyuga Kaoru bowed respectfully and said in a serious voice, "It happened just as Jonin Akira described. After Aburame Shigang failed to ambush him, he took his own life on the spot."

"Phew... Damn Danzo..." Sarutobi Hiruzen exhaled, his expression dark. There was no doubt that Danzo had given the order.

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Uchiha Akira apologetically. "Akira, I'm sorry about Aburame Shigang. As Hokage, I failed to judge his character. I'm just glad you're all right."

"Lord Hokage, there's no need to blame yourself. Who could have expected someone from the Aburame Clan to defect to an enemy nation and become a spy?" Uchiha Akira said calmly.

"Indeed... I'll make sure the Aburame Clan's head keeps a closer eye on things."

Sarutobi Hiruzen picked up his pipe, took a deep draw, then exhaled forcefully, as if venting all the anger he felt.

Then Uchiha Akira and Hyuga Kaoru exchanged a glance. Each took out a scroll and placed it on the desk, speaking at the same time:

"Lord Hokage, these scrolls contain the details of the mission. You'll understand what happened once you've read them."

"Good. Let me see what happened on this mission."

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded, then unfolded the scroll Hyuga Kaoru had handed over and read it carefully.

As soon as he started reading, Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression stiffened. His eyes filled with shock, as if he had seen something unbelievable.

"The Rinnegan..." Sarutobi Hiruzen murmured, unease showing on his aged face.

He soon set down Hyuga Kaoru's scroll and unfolded the one from Uchiha Akira.

"So the Rinnegan's abilities differ from one user to another? The previous person had summoning abilities, while this one can use Repulsion and Attraction..." Sarutobi Hiruzen read on, his brow furrowing.

"Repulsion, Attraction, and the ability to summon an enormous, unknown Summoning Beast... It could withstand a barrage of thunderbolts gathered from several kilometers away..." The more he read, the heavier his heart sank.

"Uchiha Madara!?" When he reached the part about the man who claimed to be Uchiha Madara, Sarutobi Hiruzen shuddered and nearly slumped back into his Hokage's seat.

"He really called himself Uchiha Madara?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked, his expression utterly serious as he stared unblinkingly at Uchiha Akira.

"He did," Uchiha Akira replied with a calm nod. "I suspect he has some kind of space-time ability. His arrival and departure were both extremely sudden."

"A space-time ability... Did Uchiha Madara have that kind of power?" Sarutobi Hiruzen murmured, his face full of confusion.

Then he continued reading the mission scroll.

The first part explained what had happened during the mission. The rest contained Uchiha Akira's analysis of the enemy's abilities.

"The Rinnegan's Repulsion is extremely strong. Five-second interval. The interval for Attraction is unknown. Little combat experience; likely young... Possibly a puppet rather than the actual body..." Sarutobi Hiruzen recited the notes on the scroll, his expression grave.

After knitting his brows and thinking for a long while, Sarutobi Hiruzen struck the desk hard.

With several whooshes, three masked Anbu appeared and knelt before the Hokage's desk.

"Notify the advisors, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Minato, and the heads of every shinobi clan. Tell them to drop what they're doing and gather in the conference room on the third floor within an hour," Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered gravely.

"Yes, Lord Hokage." As soon as they answered, the three vanished.

"Jonin Akira, Jonin Kaoru, you should attend the meeting as well," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, looking at the two of them.

Half an hour later, many of Konoha's most prominent figures had gathered in the conference room of the Hokage Building.

Once everyone was seated, Sarutobi Hiruzen took out copies of the scroll and passed them around.

He glanced around the room and said gravely, "This is intelligence just brought back from the Land of Rain. Take a look."

"The Land of Rain..." Jiraiya's thoughts stirred at Sarutobi Hiruzen's words, and he remembered his three students. "I wonder how Yahiko and the others are doing now. Surely things in the Land of Rain have improved considerably with them there."

Lost in thought, Jiraiya unfolded the scroll and began reading carefully.

The moment he saw its contents, it was as if lightning had struck him. He froze in place.

He hurriedly spread the scroll open, his eyes filled with disbelief, as if he had seen something unthinkable.

Jiraiya simply couldn't believe the scroll was telling the truth. Disbelief filled his face as he murmured, "It can't be... This can't be..."

Orochimaru and Minato Namikaze, seated beside Jiraiya, looked at him in surprise, their expressions thoughtful.

"As Jiraiya's friend, Orochimaru immediately guessed most of the story. "Jiraiya knows the owner of the Rinnegan, and there's more than a simple connection between them..."

Minato Namikaze had a suspicion of his own. "It seems the owner of the Rinnegan has a deep connection to Teacher Jiraiya. Their relationship must be complicated..."

Jiraiya's strange reaction caught everyone's attention, and they all turned to look at him.

The news about the Rinnegan was certainly shocking, but according to the intelligence, its wielder hadn't fully matured yet. Konoha still had room to act.

But Jiraiya's reaction was clearly more worthy of attention now. One by one, those in the room began to form similar suspicions.

"Jiraiya!" Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice carried anger.

Jiraiya seemed not to hear him, his mind completely absorbed in his own thoughts.

"Jiraiya!" Sarutobi Hiruzen roared in fury. His powerful chakra surged out, making the entire room tremble.

At this point, Sarutobi Hiruzen was still in his prime, and his chakra was indeed considerably stronger than that of an ordinary Kage Level shinobi.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression darkened as he demanded, "What's going on with you? Do you know the owner of the Rinnegan?"