Konoha entrance.
Takemi had woken up early and gone to the meeting point.
His little bit of willfulness seemed to have convinced Sarutobi Hiruzen. At least, he had received a notification from the Anbu last night.
"But did I forget something?" Takemi wondered as he walked.
He felt that after saying goodbye to Naruto and Sarutobi Hiruzen yesterday, he had forgotten to do something.
'If I forgot it, then it probably wasn't imprtant."
Shaking his head, he stopped thinking about it because he saw Jiraiya and Kakashi.
"Morning, Kakashi-sensei, Jiraiya-sama."
Takemi rubbed his face, put on a smile, and walked over.
"You fellow—"
Before Kakashi could speak, Jiraiya spoke with some displeasure, "You're really restless. Didn't you follow me to find Orochimaru? Don't you know how dangerous Kirigakure is?"
Clearly, Kakashi and Jiraiya already knew that Takemi was participating in this mission.
Of course, Sarutobi Hiruzen had also told them about Takemi's value in this mission.
And they also knew that one of the reasons Takemi was following along was probably similar to the reason he had followed Jiraiya before.
Sarutobi Hiruzen hoped that they would consider things more carefully and not act recklessly.
Konoha was slowly recovering its vitality and couldn't withstand any more turmoil. Even though they understood, it was still a headache.
"I know, but I think I have the ability to protect myself."
Takemi shrugged and said with a smile. "And I don't have teammates. Kakashi-sensei and Jiraiya-sama are my most cherished companions, so I also want to do what I can."
"You kid..."
Jiraiya shook his head, both amused and exasperated.
Kakashi spoke up, "Takemi, this mission isn't simple, unlike our previous ones. You need to be mentally prepared."
"I understand." Takemi smiled.
He knew that both Kakashi and Jiraiya cared about him, and he didn't mind if they were a little long-winded.
Moreover, this mission was indeed different from previous ones, the danger level was simply too high.
"In that case, let's get ready to depart."
Kakashi nodded decisively upon seeing this, but soon he smiled.
"And you don't need to be too nervous. No matter what, I will protect you."
Jiraiya softly snorted, "Hmph, you don't need to bother. This sage will also look after this kid."
Then he said with a smile, "Alright, let's go. There's a lot of stuff to deal with over in Kirigakure."
With that, he turned and set off. Kakashi and Takemi exchanged glances and quickly followed.
Neither Jiraiya nor Kakashi actually wanted Takemi to participate in this mission, but they couldn't defy Sarutobi Hiruzen's orders. However, they had already made up their minds.
No matter what, no matter the cost, they would protect this kid.
.....
A few days later, they arrived in the Land of Waves by boat.
"I didn't expect to come here again."
Kakashi looked around and rubbed the back of his head.
"Last time, my luck wasn't so good; I actually encountered Itachi and Jūzō. But it was also precisely because I encountered them that..."
"Alright, stop talking. Those are things of the past."
Jiraiya patted Kakashi's shoulder and said with a smile, "People need to look forward, right? Besides, this isn't a bad thing. At least we can figure out a lot of things, right, kid?"
"Mm."
Takemi also looked around. Coming here last time wasn't a bad thing for him.
Although he encountered Jūzō, he managed to trick him with Purple Electricity and gained many benefits. However, he always had regrets.
"Kakashi-sensei, I heard from the merchants in Konoha that Gato is getting more and more excessive. We..."
"Stop!"
Before Takemi could finish speaking, Kakashi's expression immediately changed, and he hastily interrupted Takemi.
"We have more important things to do right now. Don't cause any unnecessary trouble, understand?"
"Right now, we need to focus our energy on the mission!"
Kakashi couldn't understand why Takemi kept fixating on Gato.
He admitted that Gato did seem a bit excessive, and he was indeed rich. But the problem was there was no direct connection between them.
What was the difference between this and robbery?
Konoha had its pride.
"You kid."
Jiraiya was also a bit speechless. He seemed to recall Takemi's outrageous statements from before.
He was now wondering what exactly was being taught in the Ninja Academy that had shaped Takemi's personality into this?
"Of course, I know, but I also have my reasons."
Takemi looked a bit innocent. While he did covet Gato's money, he genuinely didn't have that intention at the moment.
After all, if he did it, how would he recover the money? Besides, there would be opportunities in the future.
He asked, "Kakashi-sensei, Jiraiya-sama, to better control the Land of Waves, what do you think Gato would do?"
"You mean..."
Kakashi and Jiraiya were both elites. Takemi's words seemed to enlighten them.
"Control through ninjas?"
Konoha collects intelligence on surrounding small nations, but this information is gathered by the Anbu. Kakashi had long since left the Anbu, and Jiraiya wouldn't inquire about such things.
It was normal for them to not pay close attention to some things. In the future, Kakashi would lead a team to the Land of Waves and completely fail to anticipate encountering those rogue Ninja from Kirigakure.
But once these things were slightly clarified, they immediately reacted.
"Yes, ninjas, especially rogue ones." Takemi nodded.
"Based on our known intelligence, Kirigakure is currently in chaos, and many ninjas will likely flee, so..."
"So their most convenient escape route is most likely the Land of Waves, and the Land of Waves also has a tyrant like Gato."
Jiraiya now understood Takemi's idea, and nodded slightly.
"If that's the case, relying on these guys' understanding of Kirigakure, perhaps we can save ourselves some trouble."
"Indeed..."
Kakashi also nodded, but his gaze towards Takemi was a bit strange, as he didn't know what to say.
He felt that the reason Takemi could think so much was most likely because he was still coveting Gato's money.
However, this coveting, unexpectedly, could also be useful in other areas?
"And, Jiraiya-sama, do you remember what I told you last time?" At this moment, Takemi spoke again, which made Jiraiya pause.
After a brief recollection, he quickly remembered and asked, "Are you saying that Obito has someone behind him and was incited to hate Konoha?"
"Yes, I've been thinking about this, and I have an even more terrifying guess." At this point, Takemi's expression became even more serious.
"Although Kakashi-sensei's teammate died due to an accident, it was ultimately because of Kirigakure, and Obito might find it difficult to resolve this hatred."
"Coupled with his hatred for Konoha, and the Nine-Tails incident, if these things are connected, don't you think this could be a rehearsal?"
"Rehearsal?"
This single sentence immediately made both of their expressions change.
Thinking carefully, it really wasn't impossible, especially since that guy, without a doubt, really did cause trouble in Konoha.
Even if he failed, it's hard to say he wouldn't continue, and he has a grudge against Kirigakure itself, so experimenting through Kirigakure...
"If that's the case, things have become even more troublesome."
Kakashi's expression was complex, but it quickly became stern and serious.
"Exactly."
Jiraiya also nodded. He had also realized the seriousness of the problem.
"The Mizukage probably didn't hire them. It's very likely..."
"We'll only know once we get there, but we also have a clear plan and goal, don't we?"
Takemi smiled. He had been waiting for this for a long time.
Since he wanted to catch Obito, the simplest way was to go directly to the Mizukage.
As long as the target was set on the Mizukage, many things would become simple.
"Now, all that's missing is someone to lead the way..." Takemi thought to himself.
But soon he noticed that someone seemed to be walking over from not far away.