Chapter 339: Holding a Meeting With Everyone Before Leaving for Konoha Village

"I will return to Konoha Village." Aoki spoke with a voice that was flat yet firm, his words echoing through the chamber, instantly startling several people present.

The atmosphere, which had just moments ago been filled only with the faint crackling of torches burning along the walls, suddenly shifted into a heavy silence.

"Why, Leader?" Kurisu asked, her face marked with confusion. Her brows knitted tightly together, and her eyes locked straight on Aoki as if desperately searching for a rational explanation from his lips.

"Because the war will soon come to an end. Therefore, I will return to Konoha Village. But I won’t go alone." Aoki spoke, his tone steady, as his eyes slid deliberately toward Kurisu.

His gaze was sharp, unwavering, yet within it hid an intention that made Kurisu’s heart skip a beat and pound faster inside her chest.

That one look from Aoki caused not only Kurisu, but everyone in the room, to be struck with shock. Their breaths caught unconsciously, while all eyes in the chamber shifted toward Kurisu, as though waiting for her reaction.

"With me?" Kurisu gasped, her wide eyes locking on Aoki, her face a picture of astonishment. Her lips parted slightly, as though her mind struggled to accept the words she had just heard.

"Yes. The two of us will return to Konoha Village, pretending to be husband and wife." Aoki’s voice remained calm, but those words alone seemed to freeze the very air in the room. The atmosphere grew so heavy that even the crackle of the torches felt as though it had been swallowed into silence.

"What!" Everyone erupted in shock, their eyes widening at Aoki, disbelief written clearly across their faces. Some even half-rose from their seats, unable to contain their surprise.

"Why?" Aoki asked back, his expression tinged with something odd, his eyes narrowing slightly, as though he genuinely did not understand why they were all so rattled by the plan.

"That is… Why must the Leader and Kurisu return to the Village pretending to be husband and wife?" Akarin finally spoke, her voice trembling, caught between confusion, disbelief, and a faint thread of panic.

"There are several reasons," Aoki explained evenly, his tone calm yet deliberate. His hand lifted to his chin, his fingers brushing against it as if weighing every word. "But the core of it is this: under the guise of being a married couple, our identities—mine and Kurisu’s—will appear far clearer and less suspicious. Other aspects of who we truly are will not be investigated so deeply."

He paused briefly before continuing, his voice steady and composed, each word carrying the weight of a carefully measured plan.

"Beyond that, with the identity of a married couple, I can bring Kurisu back into Konoha Village with greater ease. Not only that—by bringing Kurisu with me, I can also rely on her to help me gather information and monitor the state of the village. More importantly, she will be able to continue probing into what is truly happening there, while also keeping watch over the organization’s situation from within Konoha itself." Aoki’s words were deliberate, each syllable flowing with quiet certainty. There was no arrogance in his tone, but rather the unshakable conviction of a strategist who had already seen the road ahead.

Kurisu could do nothing but bite her lip, her teeth pressing down gently as she tried to steady herself from the wave of shock she felt. Her breath trembled faintly, betraying the turmoil within her.

"While Kurisu and I are away," Aoki continued, his eyes sweeping across the faces in the room, "I want you—Akarin and Rin—to help oversee the organization. In addition, I need you to help train Tetsu to become a proper leader. Guide him, and also help him gather and train new recruits. Tetsu knows exactly which group I’m referring to. Ajisai—support him, and protect him. Do you understand? That is all. Are there any questions?"

As he spoke, his gaze traveled slowly from one person to another, pausing briefly on each face. His eyes carried not only authority, sharp and commanding, but also an unmistakable trust that he was entrusting to them.

"Uhm… No, Leader." They answered almost in unison. Their voices overlapped, sounding nearly simultaneous, though faint threads of hesitation still lingered within the tone of their reply.

Once again, silence fell over the chamber. But this silence was different—no longer born from surprise, but from the weight of responsibility now resting upon each of their shoulders, pressed there by Aoki’s words.

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