The Police Force Squad Captain

"Aaaagh!"

Shinno's enormous body rolled across the ground as he screamed.

At his size, even an ordinary step made the earth shake. Thrashing like this was far worse. In moments, the surrounding blocks were reduced to rubble. Not even broken walls remained standing.

'It works this well?!'

Even Naoki was surprised. He was beginning to think he had underestimated the golden flames of his Susanoo.

With results like these, he had no reason to stop. He intensified the flames, filling Shinno's vast abdominal cavity with fire.

Before long, the screams faded and the great body gradually stopped moving.

Seeing his chance, Naoki had his incomplete Susanoo slash through one of the huge dragon heads. He leaped through the opening, dispelling Susanoo as he emerged.

He had barely escaped when he heard the stone soldiers crashing and crumbling around him.

At the same time, Shinno's enormous body slowly shrank back to its original form. He lay unconscious, with no clear sign of whether he was still alive.

"I may have overdone it a little."

Naoki chuckled softly.

A crow landed on his shoulder and cawed.

It was one of the ninja crows he used as sentries. Its return meant a large force of shinobi was approaching. Naoki glanced at the fallen Shinno, weighed his options, and decided against taking him.

This was a chance to acquire the Chimera Technique, but Naoki doubted Shinno had orchestrated tonight's events alone. Unless he was mistaken, Hiruko, Shinno's partner, was somewhere in the village too.

Obito might even be watching from hiding. Taking Shinno now could bring unforeseen trouble.

Naoki knew the limits of his combat abilities. Konoha already recognized his golden Susanoo as the signature of Flame Demon from the God Organization. With his abilities so restricted, he was no match for Hiruko and Obito.

His decision made, he sent the crow back into the air to watch the surroundings, then vanished in a blur.

...

On a distant rooftop.

Arms folded, Hiruko watched Shinno's fully transformed body shrink until it disappeared from view. He curled his lip. "What a waste of space."

Beside him, Zetsu covered his face with one hand. "We had a perfectly good plan, and that idiot Shinno ruined it."

At the first sign of a third party's involvement, someone as experienced as the Third Hokage would immediately recognize tonight's events as an elaborate setup.

Shinno's rampage had effectively ended the standoff between Konoha and the Uchiha before it could ignite.

"The plan has failed. I'll go get him back," Hiruko said.

Zetsu looked into the distance. His black half studied the scene for a moment before he smiled. "I'll leave it to you."

Shinno might not be an important figure within the Akatsuki, but he knew far too much about the organization. If Konoha captured him, a great deal of that information would be exposed.

Neither Pain, its public leader, nor Obito, who led from the shadows, could accept that.

Hiruko slipped silently from the rooftop, moving like a passing breeze.

As soon as he left, Obito emerged from a twisting vortex. "His Swift Release is even faster than I expected."

"Yes," Zetsu replied. "Unexpectedly fast."

Obito considered that, then said, "He sees himself as one of Pain's loyal followers. We need to find a way to bring him over to our side."

In truth, Obito had been the one to persuade Pain to support Hiruko's Kekkei Genkai fusion project.

But Hiruko did not know Obito existed. As far as he knew, the organization's leader, who possessed the so-called eyes of a god, had recognized his worth and mobilized the entire Akatsuki to support his plans. Desperate for recognition, Hiruko had long since become a devoted supporter of Pain.

That was why he had suppressed his desire for revenge against Konoha and disguised himself as Shisui to assassinate the Third. Pain had asked it of him. Otherwise, someone as eager for attention as Hiruko would never have endured such anonymity after completing the fusion ritual.

Soon, the Third arrived at the scene with a large force of shinobi.

Their faces filled with anger at the sight of once-bustling streets reduced to piles of shattered stone.

An ANBU spotted Shinno lying unconscious on the ground. "Lord Hokage, this man appears to be a member of the Akatsuki!"

Although the recent Five Kage Summit had failed to produce any meaningful military cooperation, the five great hidden villages had agreed to share intelligence on dangerous organizations such as the God Organization and the Akatsuki. All five therefore knew the identities of some of the Akatsuki's regular members.

After all, the Akatsuki did not wear masks.

The Third grew more serious at the mention of the organization. He approached Shinno and examined him. "This is Shinno, the spy Kumogakure wanted, isn't it?"

"Yes, that's him."

The ANBU nodded immediately.

The Third turned to the captain of the Sensor Division.

Without waiting to be asked, the captain stepped forward and placed a finger against Shinno's forehead. After sensing his chakra for a moment, he said gravely, "He's the monster we saw."

The Third's already furrowed brow tightened. He remembered the daughter of the Land of Demons' priestess, who had arrived in Konoha a few days earlier.

He had learned of the attack on that country only after Shion arrived. He had intended to dispatch an elite squad immediately to investigate, but the two anonymous letters had disrupted his plans. The mission to the Land of Demons had been delayed.

'Was that monster the demon the priestess sealed a few years ago?'

He realized Shinno had probably become that demon's jinchuriki. What puzzled him was who could have defeated Shinno so quickly after he had fully transformed.

Forcing a smile, the Third turned to Fugaku. "I'd like to meet that Police Force squad captain."