Naruto :Madam, You Don’t Want Anything To Happen To Sasuke, Right?

After all, everyone knew the temperament of the Raikage—defiant and battle-hardened, bred from a nation of warriors.

Just one careless sentence could provoke him into a fight on the spot.

Yet the one sent from the Hidden Cloud Village was just a young shinobi in his early twenties.

Even if he was considered powerful, how powerful could he truly be?

Besides, the Hidden Cloud Village had long exerted pressure on the Hidden Stone Village. The grudge had been simmering, and now they were eager to vent their frustrations.

Akatsuchi's words immediately drew the attention of everyone present.

Those chosen to come to Konoha as official representatives of the great ninja villages were no ordinary figures.

Naturally, each of them heard the true meaning buried in his words.

It wasn't really a question to Uchiha Haru about whether the rumor was true—it was an open provocation aimed at the Hidden Cloud Village.

And most of the others were happy to see such sparks fly.

The Cloud Village's domineering attitude in recent years had earned them no shortage of enemies.

Many present were glad to see their pride challenged.

Uchiha Haru remained calm, silent, his expression unreadable.

He held no fondness for any of the four other great villages.

Now, Akatsuchi of the Hidden Stone was flaunting Haru's battle with the Eight-Tails, pretending to praise him for helping Killer Bee while really using Haru as a tool to stir up friction with the Hidden Cloud. He had no interest in playing someone else's weapon.

Samui's expression darkened. She narrowed her eyes and scoffed coldly.

"It's not the place of outsiders to comment on internal matters of the Hidden Cloud."

Her voice was steady, but laced with frost. She turned her gaze sharply to Akatsuchi.

"My master, Lord Killer Bee, exchanged only two moves with Uchiha Haru. Even if he lost, what of it?"

"On the contrary, your Iwagakure has been working with the Akatsuki for a long time. Who knows how many shameful deals you've made in the shadows."

"Do you really think no one knows about it?"

"You—!"

Akatsuchi's face twisted slightly. He hadn't expected Samui to know about that. He opened his mouth to defend himself—

But before a word escaped, he noticed the glares from several other village leaders—cold and filled with suspicion.

Over the last few years, the Akatsuki had been moving aggressively among the great villages.

For the right price, they would do anything—missions too sensitive or dark for the villages to handle openly.

Every major village knew of them.

But what really drew attention wasn't just their mercenary operations.

It was that Akatsuki had begun targeting the Tailed Beasts.

The Tailed Beasts were considered the ultimate weapons—kept sealed and controlled deep within each village. Moving them was unthinkable.

Now Akatsuki was hunting them down, making moves against the very foundation of each village's military strength.

No one could tolerate that.

Akatsuki had become the common enemy of the Five Great Shinobi Nations.

And yet Iwagakure still employed them?

Wasn't that the same as feeding a beast that would one day devour them all?

"What a joke," Akatsuchi scoffed, his tone dismissive.

"Let's not jump to conclusions without evidence. Just because you say it doesn't make it true."

"How could our Hidden Stone Village—one of the Five Great Nations—be collaborating with Akatsuki long-term? Don't be ridiculous."

But no one took his denial seriously.

Compared to Akatsuchi's half-hearted defense, the others placed far more trust in Samui's accusations.

Each village had its own intelligence division. And those divisions had all reported whisperings of deals struck between Iwagakure and Akatsuki.

In truth, nearly all the great villages had dealt with Akatsuki in some form.

The only difference was how deep the connection ran.

And so, rather than point fingers, most of them chose to let the subject drop.

After a long pause, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, broke the silence.

"As the host of this Chūnin Exam, I'd like to remind everyone: this event is a joint operation of the Five Great Nations. Its purpose is to promote harmony, unity, and peace among us, to prevent future wars, and stand together against the dark forces that threaten the shinobi world."

"No matter what differences we have, we must not lose sight of that purpose."

"As for Akatsuki, we at Konoha have gathered intelligence of our own. There is no doubt—Akatsuki is targeting the Tailed Beasts. And since most Tailed Beasts are housed within our villages, this makes them a direct threat to us all."

"Their numbers are few—less than ten—but each member holds power near or even above that of a Kage. We cannot afford to underestimate them."

"If we wish to stand a chance, we must unite. Face them together."

Hiruzen's words drew a few nods of agreement. The Fourth Kazekage, his longtime ally, was the first to respond with approval, expressing his willingness to cooperate.

It matched the Hidden Sand's long-standing approach—pragmatic and aligned with mutual benefit.

But not all were so agreeable.

Akatsuchi laughed mockingly.

"We are the Five Great Villages—the strongest military forces in the world. And you're telling me we should fear a shadowy organization of ten people?"

"You in Konoha may fear them, but we in the Hidden Stone do not!"

Samui added coolly,

"If a village cannot protect its own Tailed Beast, then it doesn't deserve to have one."

Both the Cloud and Stone Villages were known for their military might. Their confidence wasn't just bluster—it was backed by real strength.

Seeing the tension rise again, Hiruzen sighed deeply.

He seemed ready to speak further, then thought better of it and held his tongue.

But inwardly, he was cursing the arrogance of the Cloud and Stone shinobi.

They had no idea how powerful Akatsuki truly was.

They didn't understand.

Each of Akatsuki's members had terrifying abilities: immortality, forbidden jutsu, monstrous chakra reserves, legendary kekkei genkai.

The kind of power that could topple nations.

But since they refused to listen or cooperate, there was nothing more to be said.

Some people would only understand after they'd suffered loss.

And when that time came… they'd remember the warnings they dismissed so easily.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes shifted from Akatsuchi and Samui before finally settling on Uchiha Haru.

With a calm smile, Hiruzen said, "I've heard that members of the Akatsuki infiltrated the Mist Village, attempting to capture the Six-Tails. Uchiha Haru, I believe you're well aware of how powerful the Akatsuki are."

"Would you be willing to cooperate with us?"

Uchiha Haru shook his head. "I can protect my tailed beasts myself."

Cooperation?

With the current state of Konoha, how could they possibly offer anything of value to him?

More importantly, the people Haru despised most in the shinobi world were conspirators like the Third Hokage and Danzo. Collaborating with them was absolutely out of the question.

"Oh, is that so?" Hiruzen replied, feigning mild disappointment.

But deep down, he knew better than anyone. After the Uchiha clan massacre that occurred under the shadow of Konoha's leadership, how could Haru ever consider cooperating with the village again?

His so-called "invitation" had merely been a formality—one he had never expected to succeed.

The various village leaders exchanged brief, hollow pleasantries before parting ways. None of them truly enjoyed the charade of cordiality, especially when each had their own schemes and secrets.

As Haru turned and exited the conference room, his figure flickered and vanished in a blur—an expert use of the Body Flicker Technique.

The ANBU hidden in the shadows barely had time to react. Haru's sudden disappearance left them scrambling, quickly reporting the development to Hiruzen.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Haru materialized silently inside a modest apartment in Konoha—specifically, the residence of Hatake Kakashi, the infamous Copy Ninja.

At that moment, Kakashi was lying comfortably on his futon, nose deep in the latest volume of Icha Icha Paradise, a faint blush creeping up his cheeks as he chuckled at the perverted antics on the page.

It wasn't until Haru was standing right beside him that Kakashi jolted upright, instantly leaping away with practiced reflexes. His face hardened with caution, hand already half-raised to form seals.

When he recognized Haru, his guard lowered slightly.

Even so, unease lingered in his chest. If it had been an enemy, and he'd been caught off guard like that, the thought alone made his skin crawl.

"You?" he muttered.

"It's me," Haru confirmed, his voice steady.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Kakashi asked, scanning the room. When he confirmed no traps had been set and nothing was out of place, he relaxed slightly but kept his eyes sharp.

"I came to see you," Haru answered coolly.

Three years ago, he had planted a seed of doubt in Kakashi's mind—an idea that the Third Hokage was not the benevolent leader he appeared to be.

Now, that seed had grown.

It was time to harvest the truth.

"See me?" Kakashi echoed. His mind worked quickly, connecting the pieces. He already had an idea where this was going.

Kakashi had always been a prodigy, a natural genius. Not just in battle, but in perception, deduction, and strategy.

"You've probably learned a lot about the Third Hokage by now," Haru said, locking eyes with him.

"What are you talking about?" Kakashi frowned, trying to play dumb.

Haru smiled slightly. "Kakashi, you're not an idiot. You know exactly what I mean. Why keep pretending?"

Kakashi hesitated. Then he spoke slowly, "Uchiha Haru… you really are cunning."

"You fed me those words three years ago, just for this moment, didn't you?"

"From the start, you've been using me."

Haru's tone remained calm. "I never used you."

"I gave you the information you wanted. What you chose to do with it was entirely up to you."

"I wanted answers, and you gave me some. But I never forced you. Every decision you made was your own."

Kakashi didn't have a rebuttal—because it was true. Haru had never coerced him into anything.

But giving up everything he had uncovered wasn't so simple either.

He stared at Haru and said, "I do know a few things. But why should I tell you?"

Uchiha Haru.

Even if you've anticipated everything, you didn't account for this.

I followed your lead, I chased the trail you hinted at… But as you yourself said—what I share is my choice.

Why the hell should I give you what I've learned?

Haru's expression didn't change. "You'll tell me—because you need my help."

Kakashi's pupils contracted.

He was right.

He hated to admit it, but he really did need help.

If he didn't, then why had he been sitting on this evidence for so long?

Why hadn't he made a move already?

Because he couldn't do it alone.

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This Week Bonus Chapter - 200 Power stones

2nd Bonus Chapter - 400 Power Stones

3rd Bonus Chapter - 600 Power Stones

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