The Akatsuki Takes the Blame!

"This..." Mitokado Homura pushed up the gleaming glasses resting on his nose, his expression grave. "Our village did indeed secretly plant numerous spies and intelligence operatives in Kusagakure, but they have all lost contact!"

"They lost contact?!" Tsunade, seated behind the Hokage's desk, frowned and glared furiously at the elders, grinding her teeth in anger. These damned old geezers have kept a grip on all the village's intelligence operatives instead of handing them over. And now that they're needed, not a single one of them is proving useful...

If I didn't need your intelligence network, if I weren't reluctant to give up all those assets Konoha planted in the past that you've kept hidden, I would've kicked you out long ago.

Tsunade recalled how, when she had taken up the position of Hokage, these damned old bastards had kept all sorts of covert personnel planted during the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi's era under their own control. Though they had handed over some under her pressure, no matter how she looked at it, that could not possibly have been the entirety of their resources.

The thought made Tsunade grit her teeth incessantly.

But what could she do?

This was her beloved Konoha Shinobi Village.

Even if her clan had perished, even if her younger brother had died, even if her parents and relatives had all vanished without a trace!

This was still the home she had insisted on protecting!

Yet Mitokado Homura frowned and continued his analysis. "But this shouldn't be the case. The spies we planted would never lay down their lives for Kusagakure."

"According to their prior training, their foremost duty was to conceal their identities, survive safely, and await Konoha's call!"

"Therefore, Kusagakure's strange disappearance must have happened far too suddenly and swiftly. Judging by when the last