Homaru paced up and down the fiery halls of his hideout furiously. He had only been able to scrap up an attack force of 3 men. Hoko reflected that, as Firekeeper, perhaps it would have been wiser to keep his troops at home instead of sending them off to foreign nations. But it was too late now, for the Akatsuki would not give back his men until they were finishing capturing the Phoenix Demon. With a wave of his hand, he told his chief messenger to send his attack force on an espionage mission. It would be best, he decided, to know his enemy before attacking.
One of his mirrors lit up with the face of one of his Burning Commanders. He casually strode over to it and spoke in his usual derisive tone. “What is it now? Have the Akatsuki finished capturing the Phoenix Demon? Or are you just here to tell me it will take longer than expected?”
“No, sir, the phoenix demon has been captured for centuries. This was merely a test of your faith in Lord Madara.” Homaru rolled his eyes. “We will be coming back to the homeland. And also, we will be bringing the Phoenix Demon with us, as a gift from Madara.”
As the flame died down, Homaru lit up with maniacal laughter.
