A heavy silence lingered over the forest clearing.

Just moments ago, in the blink of an eye, Kakashi had been wrenched from reality—sucked into a vortex of twisting space by the crimson Mangekyō Sharingan of the Masked Man.

Even for legends like the Sannin, Tsunade and Jiraiya, the sheer audacity and speed of the maneuver left them stunned.

"Damn it!" Tsunade's chakra-laced fist slammed into the earth with a deafening crack.

The ground beneath her split like shattered glass, sending tremors through the nearby trees. Pebbles jumped, birds scattered. Her face, normally composed in battle, was drawn tight with fury and worry.

"That Sharingan... it's definitely Mangekyō," she growled, eyes narrowing. "But that man isn't Itachi. He's someone else."

Jiraiya's eyes were also locked on the spot where Kakashi had disappeared. A bead of sweat trickled down his temple.

"Who the hell is he? And what's his goal?"

The question hung unanswered—until reality itself began to twist once more.

The very air shimmered and warped. A swirling rift tore open in front of them, space itself folding unnaturally. With a surge of chakra, two figures shot out of the distortion: Kakashi and the Masked Man.

The return was explosive.

In midair, kunai clashed with blinding speed, each metallic impact ringing through the forest. The Masked Man's movements were inhuman—phasing between attacks, his body slipping through physical matter like mist.

But Kakashi matched his speed with sharp instinct.

The Masked Man reappeared behind Jiraiya, a kunai raised.

"Behind you!"

Kakashi shouted, flying through hand seals with desperate speed. He drew on a technique he had never displayed before—one he hadn't even finished refining.

"Water Release: Raining Mist!"

The battlefield instantly shifted.

A dense mist exploded outward from Kakashi, soaking the air in moisture. Fine threads of water vapor formed an interweaving curtain, each strand reacting with subtle chakra signatures. The incoming kunai slowed, deflected, their paths thrown off.

The fog danced like sentient silk—harmless to allies but repelling to enemy steel.

Jiraiya spun away just in time, unscathed.

Realizing he'd lost the element of surprise, the Masked Man hissed in frustration. Without a word, his body shimmered—phasing again—and the Kamui vortex reappeared beneath his feet.

In a swirl of spacetime, he was gone.

Silence returned, heavy and humid from Kakashi's mist.

The Jonin dropped to one knee, breathing hard. Sweat clung to his mask, his chakra depleted.

"Kakashi!" Tsunade knelt beside him. "Are you injured?"

He shook his head slowly, steadying himself. "No... just drained. That guy's space-time ninjutsu—it's more precise than anything I've ever seen."

Jiraiya's voice cut through the tense air."Did you find out anything? Who is he? What does he want?"

Kakashi straightened, his Sharingan slowly fading.

"He's part of an organization called the Akatsuki," Kakashi said carefully, allowing just the right amount of hesitation into his tone. "He didn't name them directly... but I've pieced together enough to be certain."

Tsunade's brow furrowed. "What's their goal?"

Kakashi exhaled, then gave the bait he intended them to swallow.

"World reset. Mass destruction through artificial means. They want to force peace by eliminating all major ninja villages, starting with the Leaf."

Jiraiya's expression sharpened.

"Wait—starting with us?"

"Yes," Kakashi lied smoothly. "Apparently, the Leaf holds a number of targets they deem 'problematic.' They want to provoke war and use it as a pretext to seize control of the tailed beasts."

Jiraiya clenched his fists. "Kakashi... We can't let them harm Naruto."

Kakashi nodded solemnly. Then, he added another layer to the web of misinformation.

"The man mentioned... that not everyone in the Akatsuki agrees with this plan. He called Orochimaru unstable. And implied Itachi is... skeptical. That they've already begun fracturing internally over their tactics."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Fracturing?"

"Yes," Kakashi said. "From what I gathered, some of them wanted to approach Konoha with a proposal—some kind of temporary truce or alliance against mutual threats like the asteroid. But others viewed Konoha as too corrupt, too dangerous to deal with. The masked one in particular was adamant: he sees the Leaf as the source of all conflict."

Jiraiya's eyes narrowed.

"So you're saying we were nearly drawn into a false alliance... only for them to turn on us once we let our guard down?"

Kakashi nodded again. "Exactly. Their plan was to lull us with promises of unity, while preparing to strike."

Tsunade cursed under her breath. The suggestion that Orochimaru and others might've attempted to infiltrate through diplomacy only reinforced her hatred for betrayal.

"We can't trust any of them," she snapped.

Jiraiya looked deeply conflicted, but the seed had been planted.

Kakashi continued, frowning. "Apparently, the group's members include Orochimaru, Uchiha Itachi, and others who are all classified as S-rank rogues. Their leader... he possesses the Rinnegan."

At this, Jiraiya froze.

That word hit harder than any jutsu.

Rinnegan.

A memory surfaced unbidden—of three orphaned children in the Hidden Rain. Of a boy named Nagato.

His thoughts spiraled.

"Could it be... them?" Jiraiya murmured to himself.

Tsunade, still skeptical, narrowed her eyes. "Kakashi, how did you get all this information?"

Kakashi paused... then lied with absolute conviction.

"The Masked Man was arrogant. Tried to boast. I think he wanted to intimidate me with their strength, so he dropped too many details."

A pause.

"Maybe he's not very bright."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. Tsunade looked surprised.

Despite the implausibility of the explanation, Kakashi's reputation held weight. Tsunade hesitated, then nodded.

"Even so, we need to investigate this group immediately."

But Jiraiya's mind was elsewhere. He asked quietly, "Did he say anything about a base of operations?"

"No," Kakashi replied. "He didn't mention a location... but it's possible they're based in or near the Hidden Rain."

It was a calculated guess—but it hit home.

Jiraiya said nothing more, but the worry in his expression deepened.

Tsunade turned back to Kakashi. "And that jutsu you used... the mist one. That wasn't in your normal arsenal."

Kakashi gave a rare, faint smile beneath his mask.

"Water Release: Raining Mist. A technique I recently developed."

"You developed it yourself?" Jiraiya asked, impressed.

"Yes. It's not a powerful attack on its own—but it enhances battlefield control. It's a base. I plan to build other jutsu on top of it."

Tsunade nodded thoughtfully. "Like a platform... That level of chakra shaping and transformation isn't easy. You've grown, Kakashi."

Now, with his Sharingan no longer a hindrance but instead a boon for him, Kakashi's strength began to show a tendency to surge.

Kakashi said nothing, but something unreadable flickered in his eye.

He was thinking of Obito. Of the Sharingan now hidden in his pouch. Of the fragile, dangerous alliance forming behind the curtain.

The future was a labyrinth.

But Kakashi had chosen his path.

With a final glance at the fading mist, he turned to his comrades.

"Let's go. The Hokage needs to hear this."

And without another word, the three shinobi vanished into the treetops, the quiet forest behind them concealing the shadow of calamity that loomed just beyond the horizon.