The room suddenly turned dead quiet—this kind of dramatic comeback was a bit much to take in.
The old advisor, who'd been so excited a moment ago, now lowered his eyes and stared at Shisui, clearly unsure.
"Lately, things in Kirigakure have been a little strange," Shisui said calmly.
"The Hokage sent me here to investigate in secret."
"The Fourth Mizukage is very alert, and we were worried we couldn't get in,
so we spread the word that I had died."
Shisui's face didn't show even a flicker of emotion.
He lied so smoothly it didn't seem like he was lying at all.
The tense mood in the office started to ease up again.
For once, there was even a small smile on Ao's usually grim face.
"So that's how it is."
"If Konohagakure is willing to support us, then maybe we really *can* go up against the Mizukage."
But looking closely at how Shisui and Hatake Satoru acted together, it seemed like Hatake Satoru was the one in charge.
He was the one giving directions and making decisions.
Wait a second… is this guy even stronger than Shisui of the Body Flicker?
Judging from the way he carried himself—so bold, so free—he might actually be very powerful.
But he wasn't a ninja... then who was he?
"Hatake Satoru...?"
Ao casually flipped through a stack of signed papers on the desk, lifting an eyebrow in confusion.
The name "White Fang of the Leaf," Hatake Sakumo, was known all across the ninja world.
And his son was the genius ninja—Hatake Kakashi.
After Sakumo died, Kakashi became one of those "someone else's amazing kid" types that people just talked about in passing.
As for Hatake Satoru, even though he shared the same last name, there was no sign of chakra flowing through his body.
The way he acted didn't seem like a ninja at all.
If he could be Shisui's team leader, he had to be someone strong.
They probably brought in someone like him—a fresh face—to avoid raising the Fourth Mizukage's suspicions.
Besides, no one had heard of a person like him, either from the battlefield or anywhere else.
With that kind of rude and cocky attitude, he really had nothing in common with the name he carried.
"Oh—! Sounds a lot like the White Fang of the Leaf, right? But I'm not a ninja~ I really admire how strong he was though."
Hatake Satoru had somehow already hopped down from his chair, leaning over excitedly to peek at the paper in Ao's hand.
He always wore a playful expression, and it was hard to tell if he was being serious or joking.
As a sensory-type ninja, Ao naturally didn't like people like him.
"Don't get so close all of a sudden."
Genji-samai sat quietly behind the desk for a while. From the looks of it, these two were Konoha's way of getting involved in their business.
Hard to tell if they were really here to help, or if they had other plans.
Hatake Satoru seemed like the type who liked to talk big and come up with strategies.
Even though he ran his mouth, when it came down to a real fight, Shisui was probably the more reliable one.
Genjii turned to look at Shisui, who was standing there with a slightly shy smile.
Sharingan. Shisui of the Body Flicker.
Friends today could be enemies tomorrow. Since they'd come knocking, he couldn't waste the chance.
If Konoha wanted to get involved with the Mizukage business, so be it.
But Shisui of the Body Flicker—and those two Sharingan eyes—were going to stay in Kirigakure.
Use Konoha's help to get rid of Yagura, pick a new Mizukage, then force Shisui to hand over his Sharingan.
No matter how he looked at it, it was a win-win.
Hmph. Konoha, oh Konoha… reaching all the way out here and still thinking about our Mizukage seat.
Genjii gave Hatake Satoru a quick side glance—this kid acted all bold, but in the end, he just couldn't keep his mouth shut.
Right off the bat, he started talking about picking a new Mizukage. As if Konoha's real goal wasn't obvious?
They were definitely sticking their nose in far too deep.
Genjii's old, wrinkled face scrunched up into an ugly grin.
"It's an honor to have the Hokage send you here to help an old man like me."
"With your help, maybe we really can move forward with opposing Mizukage-sama."
"I'll take care of the armbands for you. You two just stay here and rest easy."
As Genjii spoke, Ao reached out and took the armbands from Hatake Satoru and Shisui.
"No need to rush anything. Just keep your people ready. Yagura's side will be making a move soon."
"That'll be our moment."
Hatake Satoru gave a small smirk, a sly grin spreading across his face.
Everything was going just the way he planned.
One room, two sides, each hiding their own agenda.
Knock knock knock!!!
Just as Hatake Satoru and Shisui were about to leave, a sudden burst of hurried knocks came from outside.
"Genji-samai, we heard that the outsiders who haven't returned their armbands are in your office."
"Please cooperate and open the door."
Even the Anbu were doing random room checks now? This old guy really didn't have much authority left.
Ao and Genji exchanged a glance. They didn't bother hiding Hatake Satoru and Shisui's presence—they just casually opened the door wide.
Now that they had backup, there was no need to keep putting up with Yagura's nonsense.
Worst case, they'd just fight it out.
As soon as the door opened, several masked Anbu fully armed looked inside at the two men.
Ao stepped forward and stood in front of Hatake Satoru and Shisui, handing over the marked armbands to the Anbu.
His face was serious, and his tone firm as he spoke.
"Genji-sama has already checked their identities and cleared them of any suspicion. The armbands have been removed."
"There's no need to bother Mizukage-sama with an interrogation."
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