Kisame finally followed Itachi back. Someone couldn't help but ask Kaito,
"Lord Hokage, those two seem to be rogue ninja... you're just going to let them walk around Konoha like that?"
Kaito glanced sideways at the speaker and said indifferently,
"Kisame is a rogue from Kirigakure. What does that have to do with Konoha? As for Itachi, he's not a rogue at all. These years, he's been on a secret mission. Right now, he's simply returned to his own village."
That person seemed unwilling to give up and pressed further,
"But taking in a rogue from Kirigakure will definitely anger them. If they were to..."
Buzz!
Before he could finish, a powerful suction pulled him straight toward Kaito.
Kaito grabbed him by the throat, his voice cold,
"Kirigakure's attitude doesn't concern me. But you—your dissatisfaction with me as Hokage seems quite obvious!"
As he spoke, Kaito's eyes narrowed. Using the Human Path ability of the Rinnegan, he drew out the man's soul.
From the soul's memories, Kaito learned this man was a subordinate of the ANBU Captain he himself had killed. No wonder the fool dared to jump out and question him.
Realizing this, Kaito absorbed his soul outright, then tossed the corpse aside like trash.
Everyone else witnessing the scene instantly fell silent in terror. Kaito then cast his eyes on the collapsed houses nearby. With a single heavy stomp, rows of wooden houses sprouted up from the ground—neat, sturdy, and even quite beautiful.
The display stunned the crowd again. Tsunade, standing among them, cried out in shock,
"That's Grandpa's Wood Release!"
Yamato stared at the newly formed houses, just as shaken.
He was a Wood Release user himself, but what Kaito created pulsed with overwhelming vitality—exactly the difference between him and the First Hokage.
The First Hokage's Wood Release wasn't simply a combination of Earth and Water chakra; it was infused with powerful Yang Release. It wasn't just a Kekkei Genkai but closer to a Kekkei Tōta.
But Yamato didn't know this. He thought he simply failed to bring out Wood Release's full potential because he didn't have the First Hokage's immense chakra reserves.
As for the ordinary villagers of Konoha, they didn't care about theories of Wood Release or not. They only knew their Hokage had given them shelter so they wouldn't have to sleep on the streets.
Gratitude toward Kaito filled their hearts, which invisibly boosted his prestige as Hokage.
After all, tangible actions like this weighed far more than preaching about the "Will of Fire."
Once Kaito finished, he simply left, leaving the rest of the cleanup to the other Konoha ninja.
...
The next day.
Inside the Hokage's office, Kaito smiled warmly at the Itachi before him and asked,
"Itachi, how did you sleep last night?"
Itachi's complexion was healthier than before. Smiling, he replied,
"Thanks to you, Lord Hokage, I rested very well. I haven't slept so peacefully in years."
"Heh, that's good. For now, just take it easy and recover. By the way, how's Kisame?"
"He's staying with me for now."
"Oh? He has no intention of leaving?"
"No. He said since he's technically a prisoner now, he can't just wander off."
Hearing this, Kaito chuckled and shook his head. That was just like Kisame—playing the "honest man."
Suddenly, Itachi bowed deeply to Kaito and said,
"Once again, thank you, Lord Hokage, for sparing Kisame's life."
Kaito waved his hand casually,
"No need to be so formal. I actually admire Kisame. Since he doesn't plan to leave, when you take over as ANBU Captain, keep him at your side."
"Yes! If he agrees, that is..."
Itachi paused, then his expression grew serious.
"Lord Hokage, I still have one critical piece of intel to report. Within Akatsuki, there's a man calling himself Uchiha Madara. He seems to be the true mastermind behind the organization!"
"Uchiha Madara? Oh, you mean him."
Itachi froze, then asked,
"You know about him too, Lord Hokage?"
"Of course. And I also know he's no Madara at all."
"Then who is he?"
"Heh... you should remember him. His real name is Uchiha Obito."
"Uchiha Obito!? But didn't he die in the Kannabi Bridge battle?"
"He didn't die. Someone saved him, and he awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan—but only in one eye."
"Then... Kakashi's other eye..."
"Exactly. Their pair of Mangekyō awakened a space-time dōjutsu called Kamui. A tricky ability to deal with."
Itachi nodded. Space-time techniques were notoriously troublesome. Just look at Minato's Flying Thunder God—it was practically a bug in the system.
Kaito rose slowly from his chair, gazing out the window. His voice lowered,
"Now that you and Kisame vanished all of a sudden, he won't be able to sit still. He might even come to Konoha soon."
...
Amegakure.
As usual, Pain's Deva Path stood atop the highest statue overlooking the village. Behind him, space suddenly twisted, and Obito stepped out.
Without turning, Pain said flatly,
"Itachi and Kisame went to Konoha. We've lost contact with them."
Obito nodded, his tone dark,
"I already know. Damn it! I told you not to provoke Konoha yet!"
Pain snorted coldly,
"What's the point of saying that now? If they've been captured, our intel could already be compromised!"
"Hmph! I know Kisame well—he won't break. As for Itachi... I suspect he's behind this."
"You mean Uchiha Itachi betrayed us?"
"He was never loyal to Akatsuki in the first place. How can it be called betrayal?"
"Then why didn't you kill him from the start, if you knew he had hidden motives?"
Hearing Pain dump the blame on him, Obito's face twisted behind the mask, like he'd just swallowed a fly. Inwardly, he cursed,
"You're just a puppet. What are you acting all high and mighty for?"
Yet wasn't Obito himself a puppet too? Even Madara had been reduced to someone else's pawn—a true nesting doll of manipulation.
Back then, Obito had valued Itachi's Mangekyō. After all, Mangekyō Sharingan were natural counters to Tailed Beasts. Another pair of Mangekyō would have been a huge asset to his plan.
But things had spiraled beyond his control. He couldn't sit on the sidelines any longer.
After a pause, his tone hardened,
"Looks like... I'll have to go to Konoha myself!"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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