The night gradually deepened.
The insects in the forest never stopped chirping.
The night air carried the rich fragrance of roses.
That heady scent, mingling with those mournful cries, lent the air of Konoha Shinobi Village a bleak, sorrowful chill.
Rose petals danced in the wind, filling the sky.
The Hokage Office was quiet. Sasori had holed up in the lounge again, the door shut tight.
Yanbai sat in the office chair with his hands folded and his head lowered. His eyes were closed, as though he were dozing or resting.
Artificial Night Pearls cast a soft glow from the surrounding walls.
Suddenly, Yanbai jerked his head up as though waking from sleep.
He looked up at the ceiling, processing the new information his Wood Clone had brought him.
A few days earlier, Cherry Ink, who had stayed behind at the Princess Mausoleum and become a rat again, had sent a house rat to report that Muye and Silver Moon had been targeted for assassination by the Akatsuki.
Yanbai had never believed Black Zetsu would attack his children.
And he had been right.
After conducting a thorough investigation through the plants and animals,
Yanbai discovered that Black Zetsu wanted to recreate the Eye of the Moon Plan, so he had clumsily assembled the Akatsuki according to the original setup.
But without the Six Paths of Pain to keep everyone in line through terror, Black Zetsu simply could not control a bunch of lunatics.
As a result, trouble often landed in Black Zetsu's lap while he was minding his own business.
That Jashin Cult follower had not been Hidan, but someone who had never appeared in the original course of fate. He had secretly accepted a bounty at a bounty exchange and come to the Land of Fire to hunt down