Day 2
Inside the Hokage's Anbu Base, Li Yu received the first emergency communication message from the Sand Village, delivered by the Anbu from the communications department.
"I will deliver the intelligence to Godai. You may leave."
"Yes"
Li Yu remained lying back in the chair, his hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling.
" The Akatsuki has already made their move so quickly; knowing the outcome, I'm really bored!"
Since the Konoha reforms, all intelligence must go through the Anbu, Anbu accelerates its transmission within the village.
Li Yu stood up, straightened his white robe and animal mask, and instantly disappeared from the Hokage Anbu Base.
Hokage Office Building Mission Office
"Ah, an escort mission for transporting gold nuggets?"
Naruto shouted with a look of disgust, expressing his dissatisfaction with the mission.
"Yes, you're not satisfied, kid?" Tsunade with dissatisfaction.
"This is clearly a C-level mission; I can't say I'm impressed with it."
" Naruto, considering this is your first battle since your comeback, I've assigned you a simple task."
"Mind your own business," Naruto said arrogantly.
"I'm sorry, Master. I'll teach him a lesson later," Sakura said, pressing Naruto down.
He had already cursed Naruto in his mind, thinking he had no sense of propriety at all and had forgotten how powerful Tsunade was after being away for so long.
"Really, the Third Hokage was more reasonable than you."
"Ah, what did you just say?" Tsunade's anger flared.
"Have you had enough?" Sakura grabbed Naruto by the neck.
"Swish"
Li Yu appeared beside Tsunade.
"What is it that made you come in person?"
"Fifth Hokage, this is an urgent communication from the Sand Village."
He handed over the deciphered intelligence he had.
You'll see when you see it.
Kakashi was surprised to see that it was Anbu dressed like this.
"What"
Tsunade finished reading the intelligence in her hand, her expression turning serious.
" The Kazekage of Hidden Sand has been kidnapped by an organization called Akatsuki."
"We have more information about Akatsuki, and all the Hidden Sand have sent us a formal request for assistance."
" Lady Tsunade, are you going to let Team Kakashi..." Shizune asked worriedly.
"There's no time to select more people, and some of you have already faced off against Akatsuki."
Tsunade then looked at Li Yu, who was standing to the side, with a questioning look in her eyes.
"Then let's send Team Kakashi; they'll be fine."
"However, this time there are two Akatsuki..."
Li Yu coughed twice and handed over a scroll of pre-prepared intelligence to Kakashi.
"This is the Akatsuki intelligence regarding the attack on the Kazekage, secretly gathered by the Anbu."
"One is Sasori of the Red Sand, Chiyo's grandson, a red-haired boy skilled in Puppet Technique."
"The other one is Deidara, the apprentice of the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki. He's a blond-haired boy who excels at clay explosions and tactical analysis."
"I won't say too much. The strengths, weaknesses, and guesses are all on the scroll. You can see for yourselves on the way."
"Guess what this is?" Naruto couldn't help but ask.
"Abilities deduced through intelligence and imagination, such as Sasori of the Red Sand, who has already turned himself into Human Puppet, Deidara being a madman who would self-destruct when cornered, etc."
"That's impressive? The intelligence from the Anbu is this far ahead of its time."
Kakashi immediately opened the scroll and began to examine its contents.
" Performance of a Hundred Puppets, Human Puppet: The Third Kazekage "
" Explosive Clay - Two-Winged Bird, Little Flying Bird, Centipede"
Kakashi read aloud the detailed information on the scroll, down to the specific Ninjutsu used.
Is it that detailed?
Tsunade snatched the scroll and examined it herself, a look of surprise appearing on her face.
"That's right. Intelligence on Akatsuki members is a key focus for the Anbu. This scroll should be of great help to you."
"Alright, now reassign the mission to Team Kakashi."
"Head to Sunagakure immediately, gather intelligence, report back to Konoha, and then follow Hidden Sand's instructions to provide them with assistance."
Tsunade up where Li Yu left off, giving the group a fresh start.
"Great!" Naruto was naturally delighted to accept the mission and went back to prepare before setting off.
After revealing the information about the Akatsuki, Li Yu naturally left the Hokage Office Building and returned to the Anbu Base.
"With my detailed intelligence and Team Guy's help, the mission should be completed smoothly."
"Let's just wait and see. Once Akatsuki are dead, it'll be Pain's turn to make his move."
Inside the office, Li Yu played a little tune, waiting for the plot to unfold quietly.
Li Yu's true form, however, remained within the Kamui Dimension, constantly watching Code, who was bound by chains, as his power was gradually stripped away.
Who are you? Who exactly are you?
"There's no record of you in the files, nothing like that."
The Mediterranean boy screamed hysterically, struggling to break free of his control, but could only make the chains clang.
This is the question Li Yu has been asked most often in the years since Code woke up, and he has gone from answering it at the beginning to being too lazy to answer it now.
Over the years, Code has only been able to stay alive with intravenous nutrition. His hair went from receding to completely bald, and the boy has turned into a withered middle-aged man.
"Eighty-seven percent of the wedge's power has been stripped away; it's far too slow."
I don't know if I can make it.
"The future belongs to tattoos."
Konoha Gate
In the early morning fog, a voice rushed towards the Konoha Gate, its face contorted in a grimace, shouting repeatedly to encourage itself.
"Make way, make way, final sprint!!"
The person on the back, twisted like a pretzel, leaned back tactically and swayed up and down, their limp hands seemingly trying to grab something in the air.
"The finish line! First place!"
After rushing through the gate, the gatekeeper finally got a clear look at her face.
Might Guy, carrying Kakashi on his back, suddenly braked, leaving a long trail of dust behind him. His head made direct contact with Kakashi's face, and he pointed one finger to the sky in a victory pose.
The two Konoha guards at the gate were completely stunned, before they could even react.
A green voice followed immediately, also shouting as it ran into the Konoha Gate.
"What a pity, second place."
Rock Lee also faced the air, making a victory scissor-like gesture with both hands, as if he had won second place.
What race?
Who knows?
The security guards whispered among themselves, looking at each other as if they were fools.
"Li, your cultivation is still insufficient!"
Yes, I'll definitely try my best to get first place next time.
"However, I must once again deliver a regrettable message."
"What exactly is it?" Rock Lee asked nervously.
"Li, you're not second, you're third."
Might Guy swayed his body continuously, completely disregarding Kakashi's feelings as he carried him on his back, and with both hands supporting Kakashi's buttocks, he spun around several times in a flamboyant manner.
"Second place is Kakashi I'm carrying on my back."
"Haha, what a lucky guy, Kakashi!"
With his back to Rock Lee, Might Guy turned his head to the side, while Kakashi's head tilted back limply, his Byakugan rolling back.
You're welcome!
By this time, Kakashi had already thoroughly despised Might Guy in his heart. The bumpy ride had already made Kakashi roll his eyes.
"I feel like I've learned another valuable lesson from the teacher."
With tears streaming down his face, Rock Lee took out his notebook and wrote it down, looking like he had suffered greatly as a result.
"Still the same old story, I can't keep up with their momentum."
"Although I can keep up in terms of running..."
Naruto, Neji, Tenten, and Sakura also arrived at the Konoha Gate.
"Alright, everyone's here now. Let's go report to Lady Tsunade."
At this moment, Sakura couldn't help but speak up, "I'm talking about Guy -Might Guy sensei, Kakashi-sensei, he..."
Might Guy then noticed that Kakashi was rolling his Byakugan back, leaning back, and almost foaming at the mouth; he was in very poor condition.
"Looks like we need to go to the hospital first, rather than getting the report."