"Lord Kakuzu, Hidan is not a normal person. He constantly mutters about his so-called Jashin and frequently tries to take others' blood for his rituals. I believe such a disruptive element has no place in Akatsuki and should be eliminated completely—for the good of the organization."
"Hoshigaki Kisame possesses immense chakra reserves, but he is often arrogant and disregards orders at will. I suggest sending him on long-term assignments to distant regions. This will not only force him to calm down but also establish authority over him."
"Deidara..."
These were the conclusions Danzo had drawn over the past six months. Now, Heisei Rokuno was reading them aloud to Kakuzu. However, he had only gotten halfway through when Kakuzu interrupted him.
"Enough! Stop right there!" Kakuzu cut him off impatiently.
"Go back and tell that bastard Danzo that he should handle his own problems. If he can't, then he should bring his head to me personally."
Danzo wanted to be the so-called "Darkness of the Shinobi World," didn't he? Fine—Kakuzu would give him the perfect opportunity. Let him experience firsthand what it truly meant to shoulder such a burden.
Did he really think dealing with a group of Kage-level rogue shinobi like Akatsuki would be the same as managing his little Root division? Sooner or later, he'd find himself caught in something he couldn't handle. These trivial matters? Danzo could deal with them himself—Kakuzu had no interest in interfering.
Heisei Rokuno swallowed hard. He, too, felt that Danzo's reports on such petty issues reeked of personal vendettas. However, what worried him more was that Kakuzu seemed unusually irritable today. That was rare.
Following Kakuzu's gaze, Heisei Rokuno looked forward—and his eyelids twitched.
He realized something big was about to happen.
...
In the distance, on the training grounds, a group of new Academy students played joyfully. However, amid their laughter, there was a noticeable discord.
"Hehehe, look at this guy! Why are his eyes completely white?"
"Yeah! He doesn't look like us at all. He's a total freak."
"Exactly! A freak like him shouldn't be here."
"What if we catch his white-eye disease? We should stay away!"
A group of taller kids surrounded Hinata, pointing and laughing at her. Their jeering expressions made it clear—they were openly mocking her.
Young Hinata stood frozen in the center, overwhelmed by a growing sense of helplessness. She nervously glanced at the taller children, her heart pounding in fear.
Her voice trembled as she tried to understand. Why? Why were these kids, whom she had never met before, treating her with such hostility?
One of the boys, a plump child with a wide grin, reached out and jabbed Hinata's forehead. She winced, pain blooming across her small face.
"Heh, I'm telling you—you're nothing but an outsider here! You don't belong in the Academy at all!"
"Minna-san... why are you doing this to me?" Hinata's voice cracked as tears welled up in her eyes. Unable to hold back, she covered her face with both hands and sobbed.
But her tears didn't deter them.
If anything, the bullies looked even more amused.
"Look, the white-eyed freak is a crybaby!"
"Hahaha! This is hilarious! Quick, pull her hands away—I wanna see how she cries!"
"Yeah! Let's see if her weird eyes look different when she cries!"
"Come on, come on! Let's pull her hands off her face!"
With that, the children reached out, grabbing at Hinata's arms, their laughter filling the air. Helpless against their numbers, Hinata could only cry harder.
...
Watching from a distance, Heisei Rokuno suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
The Land of Dragons had a long history, but its shinobi Academy was a relatively new institution. Most of these kids had no real knowledge of bloodline limits.
But of all the people they could have picked on…
They chose Hinata?
Others might not understand Hinata's background, but Heisei Rokuno knew very well.
Over the past two years, Hinata had practically become Kakuzu's adopted daughter.
He hurriedly cleared his throat, trying to snap Kakuzu out of whatever dark thoughts he was having.
"Lord Kakuzu, please don't be angry. I'll go bring Miss Hinata over right away."
He had just started to move when a chilling wave of killing intent froze him in place. Kakuzu hadn't said a word, but Heisei Rokuno could feel his displeasure.
He wisely stopped in his tracks. The consequences of acting without permission now… didn't seem worth it.
Nearby, Suigetsu, sensing the tension, gave a sheepish laugh and tried to lighten the mood.
"Come on, Lord Kakuzu. They're just some bratty kids. How about I go up there and rough them up a little? Just enough so they won't even recognize their own parents!"
As he spoke, Suigetsu lifted his thumb to his mouth and started blowing air into it. His fist began expanding, growing three times larger than normal. If he threw a punch now, even a standard Chunin wouldn't be able to withstand it—let alone a bunch of Academy kids. They'd probably be bedridden for months.
However, before he could act, Kakuzu's voice rang out.
"You. Do not interfere."
"Huh?!" Suigetsu blinked in shock, his sharp teeth bared in surprise.
He had no idea why his master was stopping him, but since it was Kakuzu's command, he had no choice but to obey.
Beside him, Haku chuckled softly. He had a feeling that Suigetsu's approach was simply too… blunt.
"Sensei, allow me to handle this instead."
Unlike Suigetsu, who would use brute force, Haku had a far more effective method.
He wouldn't even need to lift a finger.
The moment those kids saw him, they'd be too terrified to do anything else.
After all, both he and Suigetsu had established their dominance the moment they entered the Academy. While others attended classes, they had been training under Kakuzu, traveling on real missions. To them, the Academy was nothing but a formality.
If those kids had even a fraction of common sense, they'd immediately regret ever messing with Hinata.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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