"Lord Hokage, there's a message in the dead drop."
The Anbu placed a sealed scroll on the desk.
Inside the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Gojō Ryūsen looked up at the same time.
This was the dedicated channel they had hastily set up for Cangyue.
As far as the two of them had expected, Cangyue's first report would, at most, confirm the Akatsuki's membership count, the location of its base, and whether those ringed eyes were truly the legendary Rinnegan.
The members' abilities would be difficult to learn about in such a short time.
Cangyue had only just joined the Akatsuki.
Simply ensuring his safety would already count as a successful mission.
Hiruzen Sarutobi inspected the seal and only unfurled the scroll after confirming it had not been tampered with.
The first thing he saw was a complete roster of the Akatsuki's members.
Name.
Origin.
Missing-nin rank.
Partner.
Physical characteristics.
Known abilities.
Everything was neatly arranged and clear at a glance.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stopped mid-puff.
Gojō Ryūsen leaned closer.
"That fast?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi did not answer and continued reading.
Hidan.
Affiliation unknown. Originally from the Land of Hot Water. Follower of the Jashin Cult. His body appeared to possess immortality.
His fighting style relied on acquiring an enemy's blood and required a special ritual array to be prepared beforehand.
Recommended countermeasures: avoid injury. Prioritize dismemberment or restrict his mobility.
Personality: short-tempered, impulsive, and extremely susceptible to verbal manipulation.
Additional note: survived having his arm severed. Complained very loudly.
Gojō Ryūsen's expression turned odd when he read the last sentence.
That shouldn't count as combat intelligence, should it?
Hiruzen Sarutobi turned to the next page.
Kakuzu.
A missing-nin from Takigakure. His body housed multiple hearts, allowing him to use ninjutsu of several elemental natures.
His body was held together by large quantities of black threads, granting powerful repair and stitching capabilities.
Recommended countermeasures: do not assume a single fatal injury ends the battle. His remaining hearts must be destroyed in succession.
Personality: placed extreme importance on money.
Bounties, payment, and mission profits could be used to influence his judgment.
Additional note: charged a fee to reattach Hidan's arm. Offered his partner a twenty-percent discount.
Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent for a moment.
Strange as this detail was, it proved that the two were not entirely free of friction.
He continued.
Deidara, Iwagakure's privileged golden boy. Used special explosive clay and claimed that explosions were art.
Proud, and extremely sensitive to assessments of his art.
Recommended countermeasures: calling his explosions fireworks could effectively provoke him into revealing his intended attacks.
Sasori, a missing-nin from Sunagakure. A puppeteer.
Habitually concealed himself inside a humanoid puppet named Hiruko. Information on his true body was currently unavailable.
In the file, the heights and weights of Hiruko and Sasori's true body were listed in separate columns.
Hiruko's measurements were thoroughly documented.
The column for his true body currently contained only the words "awaiting confirmation."
Below Kisame's information, a separate blank section had been reserved for Samehada.
Weapon type: living ninja blade.
Properties: capable of absorbing chakra.
Weight: fluctuated according to feeding status. Could not be precisely measured.
The more Hiruzen Sarutobi read, the quieter he became.
This was no longer a collection of scattered information gathered on short notice.
It was an emerging dossier on every member of the Akatsuki.
Toward the end, the contents grew even more detailed.
Red Cloud Cloak sizes.
Members' food preferences.
Positions during meetings.
Relationships between partners.
Kakuzu and Hidan had financial disputes.
Deidara and Sasori disagreed over their artistic philosophies.
Kisame enjoyed watching the drama.
Itachi rarely spoke.
Pain held the highest decision-making authority during meetings. Konan handled reception at the base, logistics, and member registration.
Gojō Ryūsen could not help asking, "Did Cangyue really send all this?"
The Anbu lowered his head.
"The scroll came from the dead drop set up exclusively for him. There's nothing wrong with the seal, either."
Hiruzen Sarutobi laid the final page on the desk.
Silence settled over the office.
[Valor Points +60]
After a long while, Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly asked, "How long has Cangyue been in the Akatsuki?"
Gojō Ryūsen carefully calculated the distance and time.
"Including travel time, about... twenty-four hours."
"Less than that."
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a puff of his pipe.
The smoke obscured his expression.
For some reason, however, the Anbu felt that the Third Hokage's grip on his pipe had tightened.
"Bring me the intelligence Uchiha Itachi has sent back about the Akatsuki over the years."
"Yes, sir."
The relevant classified scrolls were soon delivered to the office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi opened the one on top. It contained only a handful of brief statements.
The Akatsuki is extremely dangerous.
Most members are missing-nin from various nations.
They have long accepted war and assassination contracts in the Underworld.
Continued monitoring is necessary.
That was all.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up at the Anbu.
"What about the rest?"
"This is everything currently available for retrieval."
The Anbu explained, "Uchiha Itachi must maintain his identity as a missing-nin over the long term. Any contact he initiates risks exposing him."
"Although he hasn't sent much intelligence, all of it concerns Konoha's safety."
Of course Hiruzen Sarutobi understood.
Itachi's undercover circumstances were completely different from Cangyue's.
Itachi could not reveal his allegiance.
He could not contact Konoha frequently.
Before sending any intelligence, he had to consider whether it would arouse the Akatsuki's suspicions.
Cangyue, on the other hand, had been personally invited to join by Pain and had even openly declared that he was retaining his Konoha identity.
Their undercover circumstances were not comparable.
He understood all of that perfectly well.
But when Hiruzen Sarutobi looked down at the separately recorded heights of Sasori and Hiruko, he still could not hold back.
"What exactly has Uchiha Itachi been doing in the Akatsuki all these years?"
The Anbu remained silent.
Gojō Ryūsen looked up at the ceiling.
He could not answer that question either.
[Valor Points +50]
Hiruzen Sarutobi suppressed his complicated feelings and turned to the appendix at the end of the scroll.
It listed the sources of the intelligence.
Most data had been provided directly by the individuals concerned.
Some abilities had been observed during open combat and meetings.
Personality assessments, internal relationships, and weaknesses were preliminary judgments requiring further verification.
Provided directly?
Hiruzen Sarutobi's pipe froze in midair.
He had assumed Cangyue had risked his life to read the Akatsuki's files or covertly observed its members during meetings.
Instead, Cangyue had simply asked them.
Even more absurdly, those dangerous missing-nin had actually answered.
After reading the appendix, Gojō Ryūsen finally understood why Cangyue had asked him before leaving whether an undercover agent had to keep a low profile.
Because the guy had never intended to keep a low profile at all.
Using a method no one could have imagined, he had gathered intelligence right under the Akatsuki's nose.
[Valor Points +30]
Hiruzen Sarutobi reopened Cangyue's classified file.
"Long-term S-rank infiltration mission, officially confirmed."
"His public identity will remain unchanged: Konoha genin."
"Add three classified authorizations."
The Anbu immediately began recording.
"First, he may independently select missions of B-rank or lower."
"Second, in urgent operations involving the Akatsuki, he may act first and report afterward."
"Third, intelligence he sends back may be exchanged, according to its actual value, for bonus payments, ninja tool materials, and access allowances for Konoha's archives."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the roster on his desk.
"This intelligence will be rated A-rank."
"If he later confirms Pain's ocular abilities and the Akatsuki's ultimate objective, we will raise the rating accordingly."
"Understood."
The Anbu put the file away.
Looking at the newly updated authorizations, Gojō Ryūsen could only marvel.
Not long ago, Cangyue had still been sleeping in the Ninja Academy.
Now, his public identity was that of a genin, but his classified mission had already reached S-rank. He even had permission to select B-rank missions independently.
Not even a rocket could keep up with that rate of promotion.
Somewhere in the Land of Rain.
Uchiha Itachi opened an intelligence supplement form delivered through a secret channel.
A line of instructions appeared at the top.
Please refer to Kambara Sogetsu's intelligence format and supplement the Akatsuki members' activity patterns, internal relationships, and ability limitations.
Itachi read on.
Exactly how long does Hidan need to complete one Jashin Ritual?
How many hearts does Kakuzu currently have remaining?
Where does Deidara replenish the raw materials used to make explosive clay?
Why must the heights of Sasori's true body and Hiruko be recorded separately?
What is the difference in Samehada's weight before and after feeding?
After reading the final line, Itachi fell silent.
Where the fuck am I supposed to get all this for you?
Why don't you just ask me to drag Pain back while you're at it?
Kisame leaned over from beside him.
After reading the form, he bared a mouthful of sharp teeth.
"Mr. Itachi."
"Konoha doesn't seem very satisfied with your efficiency."
Itachi slowly folded the form.
"It's just supplementary intelligence."
"Do you need my help weighing Samehada?"
"No."
Itachi answered very quickly.
Kisame's grin widened.
[Valor Points +30]
Itachi said nothing more.
Kambara Sogetsu had only been in the Akatsuki for one day.
Not only had he obtained the members' basic information, he had also prompted Konoha to demand that Itachi submit reports covering his years undercover.
Was that guy really here to work undercover?
Or was he here specifically to give the other undercover agents more work?
Meanwhile, at the Akatsuki's hideout.
"Thank you for the flowers."
Cangyue stood in the doorway and accepted the flowerpot Ajisai handed him.
The plant in the pot was still very young, with only a single pale purple flower in bloom.
"I grew it myself."
Ajisai glanced at the furnishings inside the room.
"If you need anything, you can come to me."
"I live nearby."
She clearly still believed that Cangyue, like her, was a child Konan had rescued and settled here.
Cangyue offered no explanation and merely nodded.
"I'll treat you to a meal sometime."
Ajisai's eyes brightened slightly.
"Okay."
The young girl waved and left.
Cangyue watched her walk away, then placed the flowerpot by the window.
System notifications appeared one after another.
The emotional feedback from the Third Hokage, Gojō Ryūsen, the Anbu, Itachi, and Kisame was tallied at that moment.
[Total Valor Points: 3906] [Currently available Valor Points: 2051]
As Cangyue looked at his available Valor Points, the corners of his mouth slowly lifted.
The next level of swordsmanship required 2,000 points.
Now, he finally had enough.
It was time to upgrade.
Before you continue