Shikaku was experiencing a tornado of emotions. For a moment, he didn't understand which of those emotions he should focus on.
Without a shred of doubt, Shikaku was extremely annoyed and frustrated. For two days in a row, his sleep was interrupted when there wasn't a need to disturb him. Jiraiya and Tsunade could have learnt from the Anbu ninja they sent to wake him that Konoha and Sunagakure had signed a peace agreement and Fujin's army was returning. And, Fujin's information wasn't exactly urgent. Yet, none of them bothered to convey the exact message to the Anbu ninjas and instead disturbed his sleep.
Any normal person would have exploded in rage and given Fujin a piece of his mind. However, Shikaku wasn't exactly normal. Even 'lecturing' Fujin was too much work for him. And, he understood very well that it wouldn't have any impact on Fujin. Besides, there was a generational difference between the two, considering that Fujin was just a few years older than his son. Not to mention, Fujin's status in the village wasn't much different from the two remaining Sannins. So, Shikaku couldn't scold him like he could a colleague or a subordinate. As such, he even felt helpless.
At the same time, he was also curious about what information Fujin had gotten his hands on. He still wanted to know what had happened with the Third Kazekage and here Fujin was dealing with a matter that was as important to Konoha as the Third Kazekage's mystery was to Sunagakure.
In the end, he could only sigh and collapse in a chair as he muttered, "What is it? Why are you looking into the secret reports of the Nine Tails' Assault and the death of the Fourth Hokage?"
He glanced at the scrolls and said, "Besides, those scrolls don't have all the information recorded."
Fujin replied, "Of course not. However, they cleared up the picture a bit. The previous Jinchuriki of the Nine Tails was Uzumaki Kushina, the wife of the Fourth Hokage. Considering the timing of the assault, the Uzumaki name, Naruto's birth date, his appearance and the fact that he has the beast inside him, it's safe to say that he's their son. Which means, something went wrong during her pregnancy. Am I right?"
Shikaku wasn't surprised by Fujin connecting the dots so easily. He simply nodded lazily. Fujin asked, "So, what was that strange factor?"
Shikaku answered, "We don't know the entire truth yet. The seal that contained the Nine Tails weakens during pregnancy, so there was always a risk of something going wrong. However, Lord Third's wife and Lord Fourth were handling the matters personally. In addition, dozens of Anbu squads were deployed and a barrier was erected to ensure nothing went wrong.
So, there was another aspect involved. We believe that the person or the group that attacked them were responsible for causing this accident in some way. Unfortunately, we never found out who was responsible. Since everyone involved was dead, we had no clue."
Fujin didn't say anything and instead stayed silent as if he were analyzing Shikaku's words. Before he divulged any information, he looked at Shikaku again and asked, "And, what about the Nine Tails? Was he just feral or was he controlled by something? Or, more specifically, the Sharingan?"
Shikaku became silent. Since Hashirama was no longer alive, the Sharingan was the best method to control the Tailed Beasts. Everyone was well aware of this. So, everyone was suspicious of the Uchiha clan. Even though Hiruzen didn't involve Shikaku in this matter, he was well aware of how closely the Uchiha were watched by the Anbu and the Root for years until the massacre. In fact, Shikaku also had several suspicions about the massacre, though he failed to confirm any.
He sighed and muttered, "Once again, we didn't find any explicit proof, but the Nine Tails appeared inside the village very suddenly. It was almost as if he was summoned. So, there were several suspicions, if you understand what I mean."
Fujin nodded and said, "With this information, I'm even sure of my hunch. I may have run into the very person responsible for that tragedy."
Shikaku's pupils dilated and his eyes widened. Any drowsiness he felt vanished in the blink of an eye. Though he expected Fujin to say something similar, it was still shocking to hear. He immediately asked, "Who is it?"
Fujin didn't answer and instead said, "His abilities are extremely strange and very dangerous. If I assume his goal was to hurt Konoha or steal the Nine Tails, then I'm surprised that he hasn't tried again. He could have easily kidnapped Naruto or caused chaos in our village. He could have inflicted more damage on us than what I inflicted on Kumogakure. Yet, there isn't any other known incident involving him…"
Shikaku's worry grew. He couldn't make sense of what that person's goal could be. At the same time, he wondered what abilities he would have for Fujin to rate him so highly. A shadow clone suddenly appeared next to Fujin, who immediately transformed into Obito.
Shikaku looked at the orange mask and asked, "Him? Who is he? Did you get a look under the mask?"
Fujin shook his head, "Unfortunately, no. I just noticed one thing…"
Once again, Shikaku was surprised as he saw a red design in the eye through the hole in the mask. He muttered, "A Sharingan? So, it was an Uchiha…"
Fujin said, "Not an ordinary Sharingan, but a Mangekyou Sharingan."
Shikaku sighed tiredly, "Another Mangekyou… How did you run into him?"
Fujin answered, "As our reports said, we were led astray by Orochimaru from his main base. What the reports didn't say is that we found two members of Akatsuki hiding close to the area where we eliminated the Otogakure ninjas who led us astray. ŗâℕó฿ĚṨ
I fought Sasori and Deidara and would have eliminated them both if this man had not interrupted our battle. His ability is a Space-Time technique that allows him to turn his body intangible at will. My attacks simply passed through his body without hurting him.
In addition, he also seems to have the ability to transport others and himself. It's similar to Lord Fourth and Second's Flying Thunder God but is slower. Instead of teleporting, it almost felt like he was sucking them into a different dimension."
Shikaku's expression became grave. He immediately understood how troublesome the ability was to deal with. Fujin added, "With the ability to become intangible, the barrier would be non-existent for him. The Anbu ninjas deployed to protect Kushina wouldn't have a chance against him either. And, he could control the Nine Tails with his Mangekyou Sharingan. So, I'm almost certain that it was him who did it."
It was Shikaku's turn to enter deep in his thoughts. For five minutes, he didn't say a single word. Finally, he massaged his forehead while muttering, "What a troublesome ability. I can't think of any counter… How did you deal with him?"
Fujin answered, "Well, he can't attack others while he is intangible. Since I was surrounded by my Wind Domain, he would have to enter it and become tangible for any attack to land on me, which would have been no different from a suicide unless his body was as strong as the Raikage.
Of course, I can't sustain my Wind Domain infinitely. However, seeing that he retreated, it's safe to assume that his ability has time limits or severe costs.
He actually has another crucial weakness. His body has to become tangible when he's transporting himself or anyone else into a different dimension or whatever that it is. Even though it is only a fraction of a second, it's still a chance to hurt him."
Shikaku thought and said, "It's still very difficult to deal with, but at least there's some hope now. Good work discovering this, Fujin. I'll see what arrangements I can make to counter his ability. Anyway, I take it that Sasori used a human puppet of the Third Kazekage?"
Fujin nodded, "He didn't give any information regarding it or reply to my taunts, but it's obvious that he has something to do with his death. I'm not sure if the Akatsuki was involved, but that's a problem for Sunagakure to deal with."
Shikaku nodded. His mind was completely occupied by the mysterious Uchiha. He asked, "How did the battle end then? Did he rescue Sasori and Deidara and escape?"
A smile appeared on Fujin's face as he answered, "Not quite…"
The look on Shikaku's face was a sight to see as Fujin continued, "I killed Deidara, though I couldn't secure his body. Sasori got away, but I got a few more of his puppets. As for this guy, I shot a Vacuum Bullet straight through his eye when he was transporting himself."
Shikaku thought in disbelief, 'He killed them both? No… Something's off… Why would Fujin consider him a threat if he's dead?'
As Shikaku expected, Fujin continued, "Unfortunately, his chakra suddenly underwent a massive change just before my attack landed on him. It almost felt like a Genjutsu, but something he cast on himself. Even though I saw his dead body enter that plane, I have a feeling that he isn't dead…"
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