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Akali roared with overwhelming power, and those who didn't know better might really think she was holding back, afraid of causing unnecessary financial loss.

But in reality, the two high-level mechanical bodies guarding the gate had already taken control of Akali. Adaptive nanometals formed two large iron hoops, locking Akali in the middle, unable to even pull her hands out.

"Let her in," Heimerdinger commanded the mechanical guard.

With a snap, the iron hoops opened, Akali landed, rubbed her reddened arms, and walked in.

"Hello, Professor Heimerdinger." Akali greeted Heimerdinger, then stood calmly behind Kennen, eyes downcast and motionless.

Heimerdinger gave Kennen a wink. What's going on?

If Heimerdinger remembers correctly, Akali, like Zed, left the Kinkou Order. The difference is that Akali left voluntarily, only having a fight with Shen, and didn't have any major conflicts with anyone else.

After leaving, Akali became a free agent. After the war to protect Ionia ended, she actually got in touch with Zed's side. How come she seems to be with Kennen again now?

“Zed’s not here, so I’ll look after her for now,” Kennen explained casually. “Don’t change the subject, how’s the investigation going with those two?”

Heimerdinger pulled out a stack of documents and handed them to Kennen. The documents contained all the intelligence that Zed and Shen had collected over the years.

Kennan quickly browsed a few pages, then flicked his wrist to turn directly to the last page, reading out the last sentence: "Based on the system's comprehensive assessment, the probability of the target person existing is approximately 73%."

"He's seventy-three already, what's the point of investigating? Just bring people over and flatten it, that's all." Kennan slammed the documents on the table and said loudly.

"The Primitive Civilization Protection Law." Heimerdinger saw Kennan's somewhat confused look and knew that he probably hadn't paid attention to these things.

He then added, "According to the law, unless the existence of dangerous aliens is confirmed, the principle of not excessively interfering with the development of primitive civilizations must be followed. The civilization on that planet is not like the one over there that has experienced a biological crisis, so people can be pulled over there in an emergency rescue manner."

"It's been transformed into this state, and it's still considered a primitive civilization?" Kennan found it hard to understand the criteria for classifying primitive civilizations.

"Of course it counts. That kind of chakra is naturally generated for intelligent life in native civilizations. As long as there are no so-called aliens to harvest it, no one can deny that they still have the probability of developing into interstellar civilizations through chakra energy."

After explaining for a moment, Heimerdinger asked in return, "Rat, what do you need them for? If not, just let them stay there. Anyway, Merlin's projection is just a projection, so there won't be any security issues."

"Rat?" Akali's gaze involuntarily shifted to Kennen's back upon hearing this nickname.

Thinking about it carefully, when Kennen ran, shunning the electricity coiled around his body, his movement did indeed resemble a large, sprinting rat.

Feeling Akali's gaze, Kennen's eye twitched. He had called Heimerdinger by his nickname first, so he had nothing to say about being retaliated against.

“I need two high-quality infiltrators to go to the Chitauri. Now that you’ve transferred the two best ones, who should I use?” Kennen looked up at Heimerdinger and said.

"Chitauri? What's gotten into them again?" Heimerdinger brought up the data projection and searched for Chitauri, but no important information came up.

The only relatively important piece of information is the aid request from the Chitauri. This request is still in the voting process, and whether or not aid will be provided has not yet been decided.

"It's not that something happened to the Chitauri, it's that the higher-ups suspect something happened to Thanos's side. Isn't the Chitauri home planet within Thanos's controlled star system? They're planning to go there to see if they can gather any intelligence."

Kennen explained that within the Clock Tower, intelligence gathering was primarily handled by two factions. The Ninja Association, which he oversaw, was one of them, but the two leading ninjas were not present, so it wouldn't be appropriate for a legend like Kennen to lead the charge.

"Thanos? What happened?" Heimerdinger modified the search criteria, but still couldn't find any useful information.

"The timeline has been distorted, and the authority over the Time Stone has been divided up by something. Although we don't know who did it, it's definitely right to suspect Thanos first."

Kennan crossed his arms and said, "You don't need to investigate this anymore. None of us intelligence agents went. You should quickly estimate when those two guys will be back."

"Um... they all shared their next steps. They plan to first gain the trust of the forces there, then dismantle an organization called Akatsuki, and then look for clues. It should take at least a month?" Heimerdinger estimated.

"No, this is taking too long. Give me the address, I'll go take a look. Is it really necessary to take this long for such simple information?!" Kennan said, frowning.

In the Naruto world, there is no unified political system, and the overall level of civilization is not even at the industrial age in terms of technology. The mystical realm is not widespread, and even long-distance communication spells have not been developed. In short, the difficulty of searching for intelligence in this civilization is frighteningly low.

"You want to go? How can you go? The passage can't bear the weight of legends," Heimerdinger retorted.

With a whoosh, as soon as Heimerdinger finished speaking, another Kennen appeared in front of him, using the Shadow Clone Technique.

“That’s fine now,” the clone said. “The energy level in my body is the average level of a high-level professional, and apart from the rules solidified in my body, I can’t even open a large domain right now.”

"So how do you plan to circumvent the restrictions of the Primitive Civilization Protection Law?"

When was this law introduced?

"The complete regulations have just passed the review of the Senate and are currently in the trial operation phase."

"Is the Upper House finally doing something serious?"

"The former councilor has resigned, and the initiator of this legislation is the mage Ryze Silvermoon."

“Oh, the bald guy.” Kennen looked like he suddenly realized something. “I know him very well. When he first encountered magic as a child, he even asked me for advice.”

"It's alright, just listen to me and teleport my clone over there. Let's get this over with quickly. I don't want to be mocked by that rude Valera."

"Alright, I'll ask Merlin for the coordinates, and also see if the Lesser Grail can be used again," Heimerdinger said, shaking his head.

"Um...can I come along?" Akali raised her hand and asked.

“It’s the same whether you send one or two, and if you both go, Zed and Shen will each get one.” Heimerdinger said after staring at Akali for a few seconds. Akali had only recently become a high-level professional, and compared to teleporting Kennen’s clone, teleporting Akali was really just a bonus.

The Naruto world, the Hokage's office in Konoha.

Shin, Tsunade, and Jiraiya are exchanging information and opinions about the Akatsuki organization. The information obtained from the raid on the Akatsuki is not very useful in finding the Otsutsuki clan, but it can be used by Shin to make some deals with Konoha.

A thunderous boom shattered the harmonious and pleasant conversation in the office.

Shen looked up at the window. Dark clouds were rolling in on the horizon, and purple lightning bolts were flashing through them. It was an ordinary scene before a rainstorm, but no matter how Shen looked at it, something felt off. He also had a sixth sense that he had failed his exam and was being watched by his parents.

"Mr. Shin?" Tsunade tapped the table lightly, but Shin still didn't turn around. So she gave Jiraiya a look, signaling him to go and see what was happening outside.

Upon reaching the window, Jiraiya froze. Dark clouds covered the entire Konoha, flashing with lightning. Under the cover of these clouds, the brightness in the village had decreased significantly.

Just then, a round, elongated object, somewhat resembling a ball lightning bolt, suddenly shot out from the very center of the dark cloud, and with its appearance, the thunder and lightning reached their climax.

The dazzling lightning, like the tail of a comet, followed behind the ball lightning, while thunder roared down towards Konoha along with it.

Jiraiya was jolted awake. In his mind, the most likely explanation for this unusual situation was an enemy attack. But before he could even begin to form hand seals, all the dark clouds in the sky vanished in an instant, as if it had all been an illusion. The apocalyptic scene of lightning and thunder also disappeared along with it.

"Master Kennen, you've arrived." Shen greeted Kennen, who had suddenly appeared before him, with great respect.

Kennen was already the arbitrator of the Order of the Balance before Shen was even born, or more accurately, before his father, Master Bitterwood, was even born.

As the Heart of the Rage of the Kinkou Order, Kennen is responsible for balancing the conflict between the Fist of Shadow and the Eye of Twilight. In addition, Kennen himself is one of the few legends on the first floor of the Clock Tower in Ionia. Whether in terms of personal strength, prestige, or seniority, he far surpasses Shen, the latest generation of the Eye of Twilight.

Upon hearing the voice, Jiraiya whirled around and discovered that there was suddenly another person in the office—a person dressed in a purple ninja outfit who was barely taller than their thighs.

"Can I not come? You two ran away. Do you expect me to represent the Ninja Association and compete with Valera's group of infiltrators in intelligence gathering? They don't mind me bullying the weak, but I'd be ashamed!" Kennen gave Shen a very rude tap on the forehead.

Kennen is no longer speaking to Twilight Eye as the Heart of the Rage, but rather as the leader of the Ninja Association speaking to his subordinates.

Even after being scolded, Shen maintained his respect. During the period when Zed betrayed them and Akali left on her own, the Order of the Righteousness almost fell apart. It was Kennen who took on responsibilities that were not his, allowing the Order of the Righteousness to transition smoothly to the present.

"Senior, this is Konoha. If you're here to discipline your own disciples, please find another place," Tsunade said, slamming her hand on the table.

It wasn't that Tsunade had a good temper and didn't get angry when someone forced their way into the Hokage's office; it was that she noticed that whenever she made even the slightest movement, she would feel a tingling sensation in the air, as if she were being electrocuted.

Kennan looked around and realized that he had indeed entered the country illegally.

"I'll wait for you outside. Come find me when we're done talking!"

After leaving behind a sentence, Kennen transformed into a bolt of lightning and disappeared from Tsunade's sight. This lightning was real lightning, the kind with a top speed of 300,000 kilometers per second.

“That’s the legendary ninja, the Heart of the Storm, Master Kennen. I’m sorry, there was a misunderstanding due to the positioning issue.” Shen bowed slightly and apologized to the two people in front of him.

While Shen continued to communicate more harmoniously, Akali also traveled into this world from the sky above the Grass Kingdom. Unlike the catastrophic scene when Kennen descended, Akali's entry was without any unusual phenomena, just like when Zed and Shen entered.

Floating in the sky, Akali immediately spotted Zed searching for something in the dense grass below.

Secret Technique - Illusory Cherry Blossom Kill!

Akali targeted Zed and launched a surprise attack, with illusory cherry blossoms falling beside her afterimage as she streaked through the air.

As Zed turned, his shuriken precisely blocked Akali's scythe.

"How did you get here?" Zed asked after gently pressing down to dissipate the force from Akali's sudden attack.

“Master Kennen couldn’t find you, so he went to Professor Heimerdinger, and then they said…” Akali started talking and went on and on, never getting to the point, which was her usual problem.

"Stop, help me find something, talk as you search," Jie interrupted.

“Okay, what is it?” Akali asked back.

“A dog.” Zed said, describing the dog’s appearance. He was the Shadow Master, a high-level professional in the Clock Tower, and a master assassin. Most of his targets would not survive more than three days under his pursuit. Yet now, he had been searching for several hours and still hadn’t found the dog he saw when he descended.

"Huh?" Akali was taken aback. Coming to this world to find a dog was something she hadn't expected, but since she had already said it, she might as well go ahead and find it.

Chapter 257 The Dragon Returns to the Sea, the Sea Does Not Welcome Me, Yet I Come of My Own Will

On a large open space outside Konoha Village, Kennen looked up at the sky, or more precisely, at the large moon.

“Master, I’m here.” Shen leaped out from the trees at the edge of the clearing and landed behind Kennen, saying.

"Finished talking? What's the next step?" Kennan asked softly, his hands behind his back.

"I plan to go to Sunagakure as originally planned. According to the information from Zed, two members of Akatsuki went to Sunagakure, seemingly to capture a tailed beast. I think we can use them as a starting point." Shen described his plan and the basis for it.

"Then let's do it." Kennen didn't offer much advice. This was how things always worked within the Order of the Balance. Kennen was only responsible for mediating conflicts and deciding on the direction of some major events. Everything else was left to Shen and the others to decide. After all, how can one grow without experiencing things?

"Master, what are you looking at?" Shen asked curiously, following Kennen's gaze.

"Look at the moon."

Shen squinted slightly. The light reflected by the satellite seemed so insignificant under the illumination of the star. Even with Shen's eyesight, it would be difficult to catch a glimpse of the moon at this moment.

"What's wrong with the moon?" Shen asked, somewhat puzzled.

"I don't like it," Kennen said with his hands behind his back. In other words, what he was doing here was just an avatar. If it were his real body, he would definitely go there first to see where that inexplicable aversion came from.

"You don't like it?" Shen didn't quite understand what Kennen was talking about; his sixth sense wasn't as sharp as Kennen's.

"Let's not talk about that. What are those kids planning to do? Are they coming with us to the Sand Village you mentioned?" Kennen turned to look in the direction of Konoha. Jiraiya and Tsunade, who were not even fifty years old, were really just children in Kennen's eyes.

"No, they seem to be considering going to Amegakure to confront the Akatsuki, the suspicious organization they've discovered so far." Shin's tone betrayed some doubt about Jiraiya's choice; no matter how you looked at it, that decision didn't seem like the optimal solution at the moment, and he wondered what those people were thinking.

"Okay, I understand. Let's get going. Time is the most precious resource that cannot be wasted." As soon as Kennen finished speaking, he lowered his body slightly and began to run towards the Sand Village.

The map of the Naruto world, compiled by Zed and Shen, was memorized by Kennen before he came here. As a ninja, it would be ridiculous if he didn't know the way.

Inside Konoha Village, Tsunade was also very puzzled by Jiraiya's choice.

"Why must we go to Amegakure? According to what Shin said, and the information from the crows, there might be several S-rank rogue ninja gathered there now!" Tsunade stared at Jiraiya and said. She felt that Jiraiya's mood had been a bit off ever since Shin drew the portraits of some Akatsuki members.

Jiraiya looked out the window at the bustling villagers below and took a deep breath. "I don't remember if I mentioned to you that a long time ago, I took on three disciples."

"A long time ago? During the Three Wars? You mentioned it, but didn't they die in the war later?" Tsunade countered.

“Now it seems that the information might be false.” Jiraiya turned around, his face completely devoid of his usual nonchalant demeanor. He picked out a portrait from Tsunade’s desk, a portrait of Pain-Tendo that Zai had encountered.

“He is Yahiko, the eldest of the three children,” Jiraiya said softly, looking at the unfamiliar yet somewhat familiar face.