"Jun?" Pain frowned as he looked at the person who called out to him. After a moment of thought, he descended and walked over to stand opposite him, saying calmly, "What is it?"
Seeing this scene, everyone except the Anbu ninja breathed a sigh of relief. Especially since the person before them was the current ally of Konoha, the Daimyo of Uzushiogakure, known throughout the shinobi world for his benevolence—Uzumaki Jun, who had held back Sunagakure and Amegakure for them.
"What's going on here?" Uzumaki Jun asked curiously. "Why are you fighting Konoha?"
Sigh, it's really troublesome trying to whitewash the Akatsuki organization.
"Uchiha Shin has been found," Pain said indifferently. "But he escaped."
"Uchiha Shin? The traitor from your organization?" Uzumaki Jun frowned. "How did he escape? With your strength, it shouldn't have..."
However, before Jun could finish speaking, he followed Pain's gaze toward the Konoha ninja.
"..."
Hatake Sakumo and the other Konoha ninja felt awkward as Jun and Pain both stared at them.
It really was because of them. Otherwise, the Rinnegan user would have definitely captured the target.
But...
Since it was the village's decision, they had no choice but to comply. After all, they were Konoha shinobi!
"So it really was Konoha!" Uzumaki Jun said in surprise. "At first, I thought someone was framing Konoha, but now..." He rubbed his chin, narrowing his eyes at the Konoha ninja. "It seems Uchiha Shin wasn't lying after all."
"..."
Hatake Sakumo knew they couldn't let this continue. Without knowing the full story, these two were already pinning the blame on Konoha. Even though...
Konoha had indeed sent people to assist the Mangekyō user, but he... he might not necessarily be from Konoha!
Maybe he was just an ally of Konoha... cough!
No, Konoha didn't know any Mangekyō users at all!
"Sorry," Hatake Sakumo stepped forward helplessly. "We don't know who that Mangekyō user is either."
If they really admitted it was Konoha, the village would be finished.
"Hmph!" Pain sneered coldly. "Hypocrites!"
You sent people to help him, and now you claim you don't know him?
Even though...
This was his own scheme, but who knew?
Only Zetsu and he were aware of it.
"You don't know him, yet you helped him?" Uzumaki Jun said in shock, sighing. "Truly, the friends of the shinobi world!"
Every clan Konoha had helped had ended up destroyed.
Thankfully, Uchiha Shin was just his alias. Otherwise, Uzushiogakure would probably be done for too.
"..."
Hearing Jun's words, the Konoha ninja's faces turned green. They had no idea what was going on. They had just followed the Anbu's lead and stepped in to help.
Originally, they wanted to find out who that Mangekyō user was, but...
Damn it, he just ran away on his own.
They were just as confused.
Was that Mangekyō user really Konoha's secret weapon?
Did he run away to avoid being discovered?
But...
By tomorrow, the entire shinobi world would know Konoha had a Mangekyō user. What was the point of hiding now?
"We really don't know if that Mangekyō user is from Konoha," Hatake Sakumo sighed helplessly. "As for why he escaped, it was just an accident."
"An accident?" Pain narrowed his eyes at the Konoha Anbu, sneering. "Hmph!"
Trying to distance themselves from Uchiha Shin?
Not a chance. Otherwise, all his efforts would be wasted.
"In that case!" Pain raised his right hand and said coldly, "I'll let you experience an accident too."
"Shinra..."
Before Pain could finish, Uzumaki Jun grabbed his arm and said helplessly, "Don't be impulsive. Maybe it really was an accident?"
"Right now, Uzushiogakure and Konoha are allies. I can't just stand by and watch Konoha ninja be killed in front of me!"
The Konoha ninja had already braced themselves to dodge when they saw the Rinnegan user preparing to unleash a powerful technique. But then...
Seeing Pain being stopped by Lord Jun, they sighed in relief.
After all, those legendary eyes were terrifying.
The Daimyo of Uzushiogakure was standing up to the Rinnegan for their sake!
The Konoha ninja were deeply moved. "Truly, the friendship passed down through generations between our villages!"
Indeed...
The Uzumaki Clan were good people!
They hadn't changed. It was Konoha that had changed.
Uzumaki Jun glanced subtly at the Konoha ninja and was satisfied to see their grateful expressions. As for Hatake Sakumo and the Root ninja...
One was frowning, while the others wore masks and showed no reaction. He sighed inwardly. He understood the Root ninja's lack of response—they were all fanatics. What else could you expect?
As for Hatake Sakumo...
Truly, the White Fang of Konoha.
His resolve was unshakable.
It seemed he needed to push a little harder.
"Let's go to Konoha and ask what's really going on," Uzumaki Jun sighed. "This might just be someone else's scheme."
"An attempt to provoke conflict between you. We can't let them succeed!"
"Right," Hatake Sakumo quickly pushed aside his wandering thoughts. The priority now was to resolve the current situation, or Konoha might gain another formidable enemy. "You can come with us to Konoha. The Hokage will definitely give you an answer."
They were lacking information!
He still had no idea what the Hokage was planning. For now, he'd take them to Konoha and let the higher-ups handle it.
"Hmph," Pain scoffed. "Trying to lure me to Konoha so you can ambush me?"
There was no way he'd go to Konoha.
What if his real body was exposed?
"..."
Hatake Sakumo averted his gaze and laughed awkwardly. "How could that be? Trust us. Konoha would never do such a thing."
Though it was possible—if that Mangekyō user really was from Konoha...
But that wasn't something to say out loud.
Konoha was righteous. That was the principle passed down by the First Hokage!
"Don't worry, Konoha would never betray its friends," Hatake Sakumo declared righteously. "With your strength, even if Konoha tried anything, it would only bring devastating losses to the village."
"So there's no need to worry about Konoha doing such things!"
The Rinnegan...
So many in the village coveted it.
"Hmph," Pain sneered at Hatake Sakumo but said nothing more.
Going to Konoha was out of the question.
Only Uzumaki Jun, as an ally, could enter Konoha during wartime. Anyone else would be taken in for interrogation.
So...
"Forget it," Uzumaki Jun sighed helplessly. "I'll go to Konoha and ask myself."
"I'll let you know what I find out."
Hatake Sakumo opened his mouth to say something but ultimately sighed and looked at Pain. This was the best solution for now. After all, the Akatsuki had no reason to trust Konoha. Why would they go alone?
What if something happened?
Pain pondered for a moment, then stared at Uzumaki Jun and nodded. "Fine."
...
"Why is it taking so long?" Danzo frowned as he stared at the forest. Toru had been gone for a long time. Why hadn't he returned yet? Was there really danger inside?
His eyes narrowed, and he was about to order someone to call for reinforcements from Konoha when...
"Lord Danzo!" Toru returned, kneeling respectfully. "We searched thoroughly but found no one."
"Not even Mushi?" Danzo's frown deepened. "What's going on?"
He was called out here only to be left waiting while Mushi disappeared?
What was that insect planning?
Danzo's gaze turned icy as he glared at Toru. "Did you find anything unusual?"
"Nothing," Toru shook his head. "Toru and Suzume checked. There's nothing out of the ordinary."
It was just a forest. Nothing else.
In that case...
"Return to the village!" Danzo snapped angrily. "I'll find out where Mushi has gone."
Did they think they could deceive their superior and get away with it?
Did they forget he was the Darkness of Shinobi?