Under the night sky, three figures lay prone in the distance, observing the Hidden Grass Village below. Beside them was Suigetsu, controlled by a Sharingan.
Suigetsu had been teleported here only after Sasuke put him under control. The situation was a bit complicated, and Sasuke felt explaining it was too troublesome, so he simply used his Sharingan.
Though not as bustling as Konoha, the Hidden Grass Village at night was brightly lit, save for one small, dark section.
Karin pointed to that dark patch and said, "My old home was there."
That dark area was where refugees and captured commoners were housed. Most were used as slaves, barely able to afford food, let alone light a lamp.
Within this darkness, however, one house stood out, brightly lit.
Karin remembered her mother being taken there once. The next day, when she returned, the scars on her body were shocking. Karin bit her lip, still introducing the Hidden Grass Village's layout to the other two: "There..."
The painful memory made her bite through her lip.
The three were very close, and Naruto could see her lip tearing and healing simultaneously – a truly remarkable ability.
He cut her off, "Understood. Next location."
Then he turned to Sasuke, "I'll handle that area in a bit."
"Hm." Sasuke didn't understand, but he wouldn't ask further.
Karin continued her explanation. Naruto listened, observing his surroundings. A few minutes later, a distant figure carrying firewood caught his attention.
He patted Sasuke's shoulder, "Get him over here later."
Sasuke nodded, then mentally calculated the distance. When he felt it was close enough, he burst from their hiding spot, rushed in front of the man with the firewood, and glared at him.
Sasuke brought the man carrying firewood over. Only then did Naruto realize it was a young man, sixteen or seventeen years old, with a sallow, emaciated face, clearly suffering from long-term malnutrition.
After Sasuke released the genjutsu, Naruto asked in a low voice, "Are you from this village?"
"Hm." The young man swallowed. It looked like his luck had run out today.
"Do you have anyone else at home?"
"No... Yes!"
"Which is it?!"
"No..." The young man shivered.
"Excellent. From your appearance, your financial situation must be quite poor. I happen to have a job here that requires little effort and offers stable pay, but it's in another country. Are you interested?"
"Yes." The young man nodded vigorously. Anyone who had to be the head of a household so early understood how to size up a situation. "What do you need me to do?"
"Very good." Naruto contentedly put away his kunai. Such matters had to be voluntary; force wouldn't do.
Patting his shoulder admiringly, Naruto pulled out an oil lamp. "It's simple. Take this home, seal your doors and windows, then light it."
"That simple?" The young man asked, "Then may I ask, where are you sending me...?"
"Why so many questions? Sasuke, do it."
He was just an ordinary civilian, and Naruto didn't want his plan to involve him. However, since the young man himself had agreed, Naruto didn't want to say more and simply had Sasuke hypnotize him.
The young man left, carrying the firewood. Naruto took out five flash grenades and handed them to Karin.
The flash grenades were seized from the Xuanyuan Collective. They contained insects that could parasitize the human body, absorb Chakra, and then explode. Naruto didn't give all of them to Karin, as he still needed the rest to feed Samehada.
Naruto said, "In a bit, Sasuke and I will go in and attract attention. You stay here and sense. When you feel the number of people behind us is sufficient, throw one. We'll lure them out, and then it's up to you how many people get caught."
These insects were extremely aggressive. Unless one was prepared beforehand, they were very difficult to deal with; even the Raikage and his bodyguards could fall victim.
Naruto took out three gas masks, then explained the insects to her.
Upon hearing about the insects' function, her favorability towards Naruto instantly jumped by thirty points.
"Okay." Karin gripped the flash grenades excitedly. These insects could absorb Chakra, and her own mother had died from Chakra absorption.
Even if not all the affected enemies could be killed, even if they were treated afterward, removing the insects would leave large scars on their chests.
And she, herself, was covered in scars.
How could Karin not be excited by this method of revenge, giving them a taste of their own medicine?
Ignoring the excited Karin, Naruto poured Chakra into a sealing scroll. Afterward, he handed Sasuke a set of Akatsuki uniforms and a ring he had carved with the character for "Vermilion": "Put it on."
"Itachi?" Sasuke frowned. He guessed Naruto wanted him to impersonate Itachi, and he felt some resistance.
"Yep." Naruto nodded, exchanging his own ring for Kisame's "North" character. Then he used the Wild Lion's Mane Technique to lengthen his hair and put on sunglasses to cover his eyes, which were a different color from Deidara's.
Akatsuki, time to take the blame.
Of course, the blame for sabotaging another village had to be dumped on Akatsuki.
Sasuke hesitated for a moment, then finally put on the gas mask and applied some makeup to his face, mimicking Itachi's appearance from memory.
Naruto gave him an understanding look, then handed him a rogue ninja headband bought from an underground exchange. Now, the headband, uniform, ring, Sharingan, and blonde hair were all in place.
This mess, let's see how Akatsuki cleans it up.
With everything ready, Naruto sat still, waiting for the oil lamp to light up over there.
Ten minutes later, sensing the signal from the oil lamp, Naruto released a clone to grab Suigetsu, while he himself, with Sasuke, teleported into the young man's house in Hidden Grass Village.
The house had a strong, musty smell. The young man was sitting in front of a table made of broken branches; the oil lamp sat on it.
After having Sasuke mesmerize him with his eyes, Naruto sent him to the Land of Snow, planning to have Koyuki Kazahana arrange a vegetable farming job for him tomorrow.
Stepping out of the house, it was very dark outside. It seemed the young man's living quarters were in the refugee area.
Following the map Karin had given, they found a hidden spot by a small river. Naruto stuffed a pill into Suigetsu's mouth, and Sasuke pried open his eyes, activating his Sharingan.
Unseen by the outside world, within Suigetsu's mental landscape, Sasuke slowly gave orders: "First, infiltrate. Once you receive the signal, find Karin and secretly protect her. Return here every eight hours."
His Sharingan could control Suigetsu for a maximum of eight and a half hours, and that was with Suigetsu drugged, so he had to return periodically for a refresh.
After giving the command, Sasuke kicked Suigetsu into the water.
Falling into the water, Suigetsu floated for a few seconds, then dissolved into water, disappearing.
Suigetsu was from the Hozuki Clan and possessed the Hydrification Technique, allowing him to turn his body into water and blend into water, which was very suitable for infiltration.
After settling Suigetsu, the two walked towards the brightly lit area.
Just as they reached the border between the refugee area and the ordinary district, they encountered a patrol.
"Who goes there!" the patrolman asked cautiously. These clothes didn't seem to belong in the refugee area.
Naruto, wearing sunglasses, couldn't give a meaningful look, so he lightly tilted his head towards Sasuke.
Sasuke understood. A flash of lightning enveloped his body, and he Shunshined forward, taking down the patrolman with his Sharingan.
This was the advantage of having Sasuke along; no need to fight mere fodder.
After hiding the patrolman, the two swapped their masks for regular face coverings and easily entered the true Hidden Grass Village.
As they delved deeper, the sounds of hawkers and the number of people increased. Two teenagers, completely unaware that they were dressed in women's clothing, walked side-by-side.
Hidden Grass Village wasn't small; it took the two over an hour to discern the exact routes.
Reaching an empty alley, Naruto opened a teleportation gate and said, "You stay here. Listen for my signal, then create chaos. Finally, we'll rendezvous in the center."
"Hm."
Stepping out of the teleportation gate, Naruto was in the young man's house. Opening the door and stepping outside, Naruto was back on the dark street.
Looking at the street, Naruto touched his Akatsuki uniform and walked towards the only illuminated spot in the dark zone.
Given this outfit and atmosphere, shouldn't he, like a certain someone, slam his hand on the ground and shout, "Come forth, Nine-Tails?"
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