Naruto: Mizuki The Savior

Chapter 232: Intelligence

Kakashi absolutely refused to believe the gossip that Mizuki brought him. Even the suggestion to use his "pretty boy charms" was something he would never go through with. It was just too humiliating. If he really did it, wouldn't Mizuki hold that over him forever? And if word got out, his reputation would be ruined. Mizuki didn't care about reputation, good or bad, but Kakashi certainly did.

"You spent the whole morning wandering around just to gather this kind of gossip?"

"Don't worry about whether it's gossip. If it's useful, then that's all that matters."

The new Mizukage, Terumi Mei, had quite a good reputation in the Hidden Mist Village. Her popularity and reputation were well-deserved. Many respected and admired her, but few dared to express romantic feelings toward her. In the face of her strong and commanding presence, no one really had the courage to approach her on equal footing. As for talk of marriage? That was nowhere in sight.

Kakashi sighed. "Honestly, this kind of bargaining with people... I think you're more suited to it."

"How could that be?" Mizuki shook his head. "You're the squad leader. You have the fame and standing. If I went, my status just wouldn't be enough."

Just the fact that Kakashi was the Fourth Hokage's student made people treat him with caution. Add to that his outstanding record and impressive background, he was clearly the better choice for negotiating with other villages. Mizuki, on the other hand, was more of a "wild card." He didn't have the rank to handle things alone yet.

"Fine, if you really don't want to go, forget it." Kakashi gave up after a few tries. "In that case, just pay extra attention to a few things. Especially Naruto and Sasuke's safety. Based on the latest intel, the possibility of Orochimaru's men attacking has greatly increased."

"Orochimaru, huh? That guy just won't stay dead," Mizuki frowned.

"No one dares to underestimate Orochimaru's threat," Kakashi replied grimly. "And this time, it seems he's absolutely determined to get Sasuke."

"If nothing's happened yet, that means the danger will probably hit us on the way back?"

Kakashi nodded. "Lady Tsunade is under immense pressure. Both Sasuke and Naruto are in danger, and this is a major issue. The council has suggested confining Naruto to the village to keep him from going out on missions, and Sasuke might face the same restrictions."

"How could that even work?"

"If not for Jiraiya-sama being in the Land of Water, Team 7 wouldn't have been allowed to leave the village for such a distant mission."

"That's definitely a problem," Mizuki agreed. "Naruto is fine, I guess—Jiraiya-sama is acting as his guardian. He'll eventually travel outside the village and no one will say much. But Sasuke…"

With Naruto gone, Team 7 would fall apart. And with that, the elders would have more reason to restrict Sasuke's movements. But confining him would only stunt his growth and possibly push him even closer to leaving the village. Wasn't that counterproductive?

"Let's just deal with the present for now, Kakashi." Mizuki said. "We'll wait until we're back in the village and see how things develop. Team 7 hasn't even had their chance to shine yet—it would be a real shame if they broke apart this early."

"Why is Orochimaru in such a rush though?"

Logically speaking, without having obtained Sasuke, Orochimaru should've already completed his current reincarnation cycle. Why is he so desperate to take Sasuke now? It didn't make sense.

After thinking it over, Kakashi finally revealed something to Mizuki.

"ANBU has been relentlessly pursuing him. Orochimaru has come under a lot of pressure. There were two times they almost found his hideout—just a step too late. But they did retrieve a lot of intel and materials he hadn't had time to destroy. And there's another more serious issue…"

Kakashi hesitated, then said in a low voice, "There are voices in the village suggesting we eliminate Sasuke outright—to prevent his Sharingan from falling into Orochimaru's hands, which would make him even harder to deal with."

After saying that, Kakashi looked at Mizuki with a complicated expression. "The thing you've been worried about… is becoming reality."

"Didn't we already suspect this would happen?"

"I know. But even so, it's still hard to accept some of these decisions." Even though Kakashi had served as an ANBU squad captain and was familiar with their secret dealings, this still left a chill in his heart.

"Isn't this exactly when a teacher like you should speak up?" Mizuki tried to comfort him. "Konoha isn't leaderless anymore. The one who makes the call is still the Hokage!"

While the situation was chaotic, the next period would be relatively stable. With the Akatsuki lying low, the ninja world would see some peace. No one would dare move openly against Sasuke right now. This period was a crucial buffer.

Aside from Konoha and the Hidden Mist, who had suffered heavy losses from Akatsuki attacks, the other villages still had intentions of using Akatsuki as mercenaries. Especially Iwagakure—what happened with Deidara was more of a farce than anything else. As for Deidara's actual role in it all, that remained unclear. He was as mysterious as Uchiha Itachi, the double agent.

As for Shimura Danzo, the "Darkness of the Shinobi World," he couldn't completely monopolize power while Tsunade was Hokage. With Kakashi and Sasuke backed by her, there was still room to maneuver.

Mizuki's words gave Kakashi some reassurance. For now, it was best to let Tsunade handle the difficult decisions.

With the village matters set aside for now, Mizuki suddenly asked, "Is the intel on Orochimaru really that reliable? It's not just about how strong his men are—don't forget, we have one of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya-sama, on our side. Who would be dumb enough to attack us?"

"You're overthinking it, Mizuki," Kakashi replied. "A ninja will do whatever it takes to complete their mission. Even if the enemy were a god, they'd still charge forward. And besides… Jiraiya-sama's movements aren't that easy to track."

Mizuki nodded reluctantly. Orochimaru's intelligence network wasn't so developed that he could accurately monitor Jiraiya's movements. But all that aside, whether an attack came or not, it never hurt to be prepared.

…

That afternoon, atop a tall building in the Hidden Mist, Mizuki looked down at the mist-covered town below. After a full morning of observation and preparation, he carefully scouted out the village's defensive barrier without alerting anyone.

"I didn't expect this… The barrier in this village is surprisingly well-crafted. For a place known for bloodshed like the Hidden Mist, their defenses even have distinct genjutsu features!"

Even more surprising to Mizuki was that some parts of the barrier bore a clear Konoha-style design. Combined with the natural misty environment, the barrier's level was quite high. Unfortunately, the shinobi maintaining it weren't skilled enough, so they couldn't unleash its full potential. The fact that Mizuki could observe for so long without being detected was proof of that.

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