Blood trickled from the corner of the black-clad man's mouth, his eyes filled with disdain. "We are members of the Akatsuki.
"Konoha will soon be destroyed by us!"
"Akatsuki?"
Aoba's heart jolted.
He had heard of this organization before. It was said to consist of a group of powerful rogue ninja whose goal was to collect the Tailed Beasts and destroy the world.
He had never expected that the people who attacked Konoha's patrol unit would be members of the Akatsuki.
After speaking, the black-clad man tilted his head and breathed his last.
Aoba rose to his feet, his expression turning grave.
Things had become even more complicated.
The appearance of the Akatsuki meant that Konoha would face an unprecedented crisis.
"Lord Aoba, what should we do now?"
Shikamaru asked.
Aoba pondered for a moment before saying, "First, we'll report the situation here to Lady Tsunade. Then we'll continue investigating the area and see if we can find more clues about the Akatsuki."
"Alright."
The three replied in unison.
Aoba immediately took out his communicator and gave Tsunade a detailed report of the situation.
Tsunade was also deeply shocked to learn that the Akatsuki had attacked the patrol unit. She ordered Aoba and the others to remain at the border and continue their investigation, while she dispatched more ninja to support them.
After ending the call, Aoba said to the three, "Let's return to the cave first. Then we'll decide what to do next."
The four packed up their things and headed toward the cave.
No one spoke along the way. Everyone was in a heavy mood.
They all knew that the Akatsuki's appearance would bring a tremendous disaster upon Konoha.
After returning to the cave, Aoba said, "From now on, we need to be even more careful.
"The Akatsuki's