Nagato swore this was the angriest he had been since Yahiko's death.
What was Akatsuki?
It was a powerful organization formed by S-class missing-nin and Kage-level shinobi, an existence capable of launching and leading a war.
Akatsuki had always been the greatest puppet master in the shadows of the ninja world. They carried out covert missions, earned huge bounties, and constantly stirred up tensions among the great villages.
But this time, Akatsuki had become someone else's scapegoat!
Konoha was the one snatching tailed beasts, yet they did it while wearing Akatsuki's cloak. They waited until Akatsuki members had risked their lives to subdue the Jinchūriki, then swooped in to steal them!
If he weren't weighed down by his dream, Nagato truly wanted to head to Konoha right now—start with a Super Almighty Push, follow up with a Planetary Devastation, and send every single Konoha shinobi, including the elders, to meet the Sage of Six Paths.
The Shimura clan were all rotten!
Konan, standing beside him, was also fuming. In her heart, Akatsuki was Yahiko's legacy, and now Shimura had trampled it.
How did he trample it?
By doing exactly what they themselves had planned to do!
"Nagato, what do we do now? The Two-Tails and Five-Tails are already in his hands, and the Nine-Tails…" Konan's brow furrowed tightly.
"Without those tailed beasts, the Gedo Statue can't be activated at all."
What Konan didn't know was that the Six-Tails had also been captured. Otherwise, her anxiety would've been even worse.
"Don't worry. There's always a way."
Nagato gasped for breath and coughed violently.
It wasn't until he drank the medicine Konan handed him that he calmed down. He spoke coldly, "That guy Madara vanished the moment something happened. Where are the people he promised to find?"
The next moment…
A cold, low voice rang in both of their ears.
"Don't think you're the only one worried about the plan, Nagato."
Uchiha Obito appeared in front of them via a swirling space vortex, his expression beneath the mask far from pleasant.
"What about the people I asked you to rescue? Why haven't Sasori and Deidara been found?!"
Nagato wasn't even the least bit embarrassed about being caught talking behind Obito's back. He had only brought it up because he sensed Obito's arrival using the Rain Tiger at Will Technique.
"Yami didn't detain them in Konoha."
Obito took a deep breath and replied grimly, "I searched Konoha for days. The intelligence department never recorded anything on them. I suspect... Deidara and Sasori have already been eliminated by him."
In reality, this went against normal ninja logic.
Captured ninja usually suffered tragic ends—either used as test subjects or interrogated until their minds were wiped. Dying in battle was often kinder.
But even using Kamui to search, Obito found nothing. He couldn't risk breaking into places like the Hokage Building or Yami's residence. Based on that, he could only make an educated guess.
"Kakuzu needs a heart replacement, Sasori and Deidara are missing, and Akatsuki is critically understaffed."
Nagato stared hard at the masked man. "Kabuto, under Orochimaru, is barely usable. With his medical ninjutsu, have him team up with you to hunt the tailed beasts."
It was a two-pronged strategy—replenishing Akatsuki's strength while letting Kabuto act as a secret monitor.
But Obito wasn't stupid. He immediately shook his head and rejected the proposal. "I'll officially join Akatsuki as Tobi. As for a teammate, I've already found one. You'll meet them in a few days."
Without giving Nagato a chance to argue, Obito turned and disappeared into a swirling vortex.
A few days later, Obito officially joined the organization.
Nagato gathered all the active members through the new synchronized projection technique and introduced the new arrivals:
"This is Tobi, a former Akatsuki intern, now a full member. As for the person beside him…"
"Hiruko…"
Before Nagato could finish introducing Obito's companion, Orochimaru interrupted with a sneer.
"It's rare to see such an old acquaintance in Akatsuki."
"I've been searching for you for years. Not many experimental assistants in the world are worth remembering."
Hiruko, in a childlike body wrapped in bandages with only their eyes exposed, stared at Orochimaru like a fierce beast. "Orochimaru, I've always hated your arrogant attitude. Once my experiment succeeds, I'll show you who's the strongest scientist in the ninja world."
The other Akatsuki members had no interest in their grudge. These two mad scientists could bite each other as long as they didn't interfere with the mission.
"We still have a mission, medical expert."
Itachi spoke indifferently, then disconnected from the projection. Kisame followed.
Land of Earth, Northeast Blue Coastline.
Iwagakure once had two Jinchūriki—the Four-Tails and Five-Tails.
Unlike Han's good rapport with the village, the Four-Tails' Jinchūriki, Rōshi, had a deeper conflict with Iwagakure, particularly with Ōnoki.
Since the end of the last ninja war, Rōshi had wandered the ninja world alone.
Not just a shinobi, he was also a monk.
With his Kage-level strength, he had never been in danger—until now.
Akatsuki had set its sights on all Jinchūriki. The ones assigned to capture Rōshi were Kisame and Itachi.
As usual, honest Kisame became the frontline force.
Rōshi possessed Lava Release, which was more aggressive than Scorch Release, and had full control over his tailed beast.
His strength was formidable, but Kisame—nicknamed the tailless tailed beast—had chakra reserves comparable to an actual tailed beast and could even absorb chakra.
More importantly, their battlefield was by the sea.
Towering waves surged over a hundred meters high, towering twice the size of Rōshi's tailed beast transformation. It was as if the entire ocean belonged to Kisame.
"Water Release: Thousand Hungry Sharks!"
"Lava Release: Flower and Fruit Mountain!"
Kisame unleashed thousands of chakra sharks. Rōshi turned the land into magma, turning the coast into a fiery hell.
As magma met water, white steam billowed into the sky. A pungent sulfuric smell spread, and acid rain soon began to fall.
Even though Rōshi used his kekkei genkai, his Lava Release was still suppressed by Kisame's water. The chakra sharks also absorbed his chakra.
Soon, Rōshi's reserves were drained. He couldn't maintain his tailed beast transformation. In the end, Samehada pinned him down and absorbed the last of his chakra.
Kisame slung Rōshi over Samehada and strolled back to Itachi with a grin.
"Itachi, sorry to keep you waiting."
"Not at all. You're the only one who can catch Jinchūriki so effortlessly."
Itachi shook his head and walked ahead.
Kisame watched his back with a trace of regret in his eyes.
These years together had earned Itachi his deep respect.
True, Itachi's actions had been extreme, but that wasn't solely due to his ideology—it was also the tragedy of their times.
A shinobi's fate was never in their own hands. Kisame, too, had once been forced to raise his blade against comrades.
That's why he had no hesitation turning to Yami—not just because Yami revealed the world's truth, but also because he had the power to reshape this twisted society.
The only thing Kisame regretted... was that in the new world to come, there would be no place for Itachi.
Just days earlier, he had leaked their mission and destination to Yami. Based on the timing, someone should be arriving soon…
Sure enough, they hadn't walked far when night fell and a man in a black cloak stopped them.
When he saw the familiar mask on the man's face, Itachi's eyes narrowed, and the tomoe in his Sharingan spun reflexively.
"Uchiha Itachi."
The man's hoarse voice rang out. He raised a hand and tossed a scroll.
It didn't land in Itachi's hand. Instead, it hit the ground and unfurled. A burst of bright light surged from the seal, releasing the chakra and projecting Yami's image.
"Uchiha Itachi, one month from now. Naka Shrine."
"This is an internal matter of the Uchiha clan. I will not interfere, nor will I allow outside interference. But if you don't show…"
Yami's projection chuckled. "I'll reveal the truth of the Uchiha clan. Konoha will be humiliated, and Sasuke… will have no place left in this world."
A flash of killing intent flared in Itachi's eyes.
But the message was only a projection. After speaking, it vanished.
Itachi stared at the Anbu who had delivered the scroll. "Kisame, capture him!"
Kisame hesitated, but still made his move.
Catching him was fine, but if Itachi wanted to kill him, Kisame would have to say, "Sorry, I'm an undercover agent."
He rushed forward, swinging Samehada. But to his surprise, the Anbu held off Samehada with just a kunai and sent Kisame flying with a spinning kick.
"Uchiha Itachi, don't waste your strength. Save that body of yours, and burn out the last of your embers."
The Anbu looked at them deeply, then disappeared with a flicker.
"What a fast Body Flicker Technique."
Even with his Three Tomoe Sharingan, Itachi could barely trace the flicker's trajectory.
He recognized it as the same technique Shisui once used. But he didn't overthink it—he assumed Yami had passed the technique down to Anbu.
Kisame, not being a speed-type ninja, gave up the chase. He sheathed Samehada and asked, "Itachi, will you go in a month?"
Itachi lowered his head in thought, then slowly nodded. "Of course. My eyes are nearly at their limit. It's time to take my foolish little brother's eyes."
Still acting.
Kisame was deeply impressed.
Konoha.
The Forest of Death had been sealed off by multiple Anbu and Root squads. No one was allowed to enter.
Inside the forest, Yami formed seals with both hands. The two Jinchūriki he had captured floated in the air as streams of chakra flowed from their bodies and merged into two cores.
When the scroll had been triggered earlier, he had sensed it, but didn't take it seriously.
Itachi couldn't refuse.
He had been waiting for this day for the past ten years.
Even if he died, he needed to see Sasuke one last time.
Half an hour later, most of the chakra from both tailed beasts had been extracted. A small portion was left to maintain their respective seals and preserve the Jinchūriki's lives.
The tailed beasts regained consciousness after the extraction and attempted to vent their long-standing rage. But when they saw the two standing Wooden Golems, they remembered past memories—and Five-Tails' recent bragging in their shared space. They quickly quieted down.
[Host establishes a bond of respect with Six-Tails Saiken and obtains Six-Tails Chakra (10%)]
[Host establishes a bond of respect with Two-Tails Matatabi and obtains Two-Tails Chakra (10%)]
Yami's reputation among the tailed beasts had improved unexpectedly, thanks to Five-Tails Kokuō. He had kept his promise and let Kokuō roam free for years. Now the beast was fat—and the others were jealous.
Utakata looked at Yami with a complex expression. "Why didn't you kill me?"
He had thought Yami would be like his master—willing to kill him for the tailed beast.
But instead, Six-Tails, the source of his misfortune, had been removed, and he was still alive.
He couldn't understand it.
The Two-Tails Jinchūriki, Yugito Nii, remained more vigilant. In her eyes, Yami's actions were no different from Akatsuki's.
Yami didn't bother explaining to her for now. He directly placed her under genjutsu, then looked back at Utakata.
"Your personality poses no threat to Konoha or me. If you live in Konoha for one year, you'll be completely free."
"Alright." Utakata agreed immediately. He glanced at the Katsuyu carrying Six-Tails and left the forest with a spring in his step.
He believed Yami wouldn't go through this much trouble just to deceive him.
It was only one year. He could wait.
After Utakata left, Yami sent Six-Tails to the Shikkotsu Forest and Two-Tails to the Dream Tapir Summoning Grounds to accompany Kokuō.
After completing everything, he left the Forest of Death, arranged a temporary residence for Utakata, and returned home.
"Master!"
As soon as he got home, Hotaru ran up with a cheerful face.
"Master, just now, Pakura-san sent a message. She said Jiraiya has returned to the village."
Yami's good mood from acquiring new tailed beast chakra instantly dropped in half.
Why did this annoying old man have to come back now?
Did he really have to be forced to send someone to Ame?
(To be continued.)
***
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