The Akatsuki's Tailed Beast Capture Plan had begun.At last, they bared their fangs and malice toward the shinobi world.
The first victim—ironically—was none other than their biggest partner, Iwagakure.
During the early years, when Akatsuki was amassing wealth, Iwagakure had entrusted them with countless missions, providing vast sums that allowed the organization to gather intelligence and establish multiple bases.
Now, Akatsuki repaid that generosity—with betrayal.
Nagato, his legs fully healed, personally traveled to the Land of Earth and ambushed Rōshi, the Four-Tails' jinchūriki, while he was outside on a mission.
Rōshi unleashed the full power of his tailed beast transformation in a desperate attempt to flee. But against Nagato—whose strength rivaled that of a "Super Kage"—it was futile.
In the end, Rōshi was captured. The battlefield was left in ruins, scarred with brutal traces of the fight.
"Damn it! How dare Akatsuki do this?!"Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki's whiskers bristled with fury when he learned of the betrayal.
From the very beginning, he knew that Akatsuki, composed of S-rank missing-nin, was anything but a "good" organization. Cooperation with them was always a gamble.
Still, he had never considered them a true threat.
Iwagakure was one of the Five Great Villages, home to tens of thousands of shinobi. Akatsuki was fewer than ten men. No matter how dangerous they were individually, how could they possibly threaten a village of such scale?
Yet now, they had dared to abduct Iwagakure's jinchūriki.
"Father, I was right. Akatsuki was never trustworthy. And now, we suffer the backlash of our own dealings."His son Kurotsuchi's father—Hōki, the bearded commander—spoke heavily. He had long warned Ōnoki to be wary of Akatsuki.
Still, even he had not expected them to target a jinchūriki.
"I underestimated their audacity…" Ōnoki's face darkened.
"Father, the most important thing now is to rescue Rōshi. Even if we can't save him, we must at least reclaim the Four-Tails. The Five-Tails was lost with Han's death—right now, the Four-Tails is the only beast left under Iwagakure's control."
"I know." Ōnoki nodded. "I've already dispatched multiple search squads ahead. Soon, I'll lead the main force myself."
"You're going personally?" Hōki frowned. "You're too old for this, Father. Let me lead the operation."
"No." Ōnoki shook his head. "The one who captured Rōshi was a man called Pain. His power is overwhelming. Only I have the strength to stand against him."
Though aged, he still wielded the rare power of Dust Release, a kekkei tōta that surpassed ordinary bloodline limits. In battle, he remained formidable.
Konoha. Hokage's Office.
"Lord Hokage," reported Yugao Uzuki, now serving as secretary. "We've just received word: Iwagakure's Four-Tails jinchūriki, Rōshi, was attacked and captured by Akatsuki. His whereabouts are currently unknown."
'It begins…'Uchiha Fugaku's heart tightened. The Akatsuki's Tailed Beast Hunt had started.
"And Iwagakure's response?" he asked calmly.
"They've organized a rescue force, personally led by the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki."
"The Tsuchikage himself?" Fugaku raised an eyebrow, then nodded. "Not surprising. With Han dead, their only other Kage-level fighter is Ōnoki. Any lesser ninja would be slaughtered by Akatsuki."
His eyes narrowed thoughtfully.Ōnoki wields Dust Release… I wonder how strong he still is at his age?
Dust Release, a fusion of three chakra natures, stood above kekkei genkai. Its power was unquestionable, though the outcome of such bloodline clashes always depended on the strength of the user's lineage.
"And who exactly captured Rōshi?" Fugaku pressed.
"A man with the Rinnegan. According to reports, he had red hair—likely an Uzumaki. Intelligence suggests it may be a new body created by the Rinnegan's wielder."
'No…' Fugaku's eyes sharpened. Red hair? Then it's not a puppet. It's Nagato himself.
In the original timeline, Nagato rarely fought in person—his crippled legs made direct combat impractical. But now…
"Did this red-haired man show any signs of disability?" Fugaku demanded quickly.
"No, Hokage-sama. None were reported." Yugao replied, puzzled by the urgency of the question.
"No disability…" Fugaku's pupils contracted slightly.
That meant only one thing: Nagato's legs had been healed.
The Six Paths of Pain existed not to maximize power, but to cover his own immobility. If Nagato himself could now fight—combining all Six Paths' abilities in a single body—his strength would far exceed before.
"Have Intelligence focus on this red-haired man. I want sketches, details—everything." Fugaku ordered grimly. "And contact Jiraiya. Tell him Akatsuki has begun targeting jinchūriki. He must bring Naruto back to Konoha at once."
"Lord Jiraiya is nomadic and leaves no trace. It may be impossible to reach him." Yugao hesitated.
"Do your best." Fugaku sighed. "If not for Hiruzen's selfishness, Jiraiya wouldn't be so detached from the village. This isn't on me."
Still, he wasn't too worried. With Jiraiya's strength, unless they faced Nagato directly, he should be able to keep Naruto safe.
When Yugao departed, Fugaku leaned back, murmuring to himself:"I didn't expect this so soon…"
Even without absolute proof, instinct told him: this red-haired man was Nagato. And now, Nagato's greatest weakness—his crippled legs—was gone.
The pressure weighed heavily on him.
But then, Fugaku's lips curved faintly."Still… I haven't been idle either."
In these years, he had grown as well.
The Yin Seal, requiring three years of constant chakra infusion, was complete. Combined with the vast reserves he'd gained from Kisame's chakra physiology, his chakra now rivaled that of a tailed beast. With the Yin Seal, he could release immense amounts in battle, erasing the caution that had hindered him in his last fight against the Deva Path.
What's more, he had finally developed super-Kage-level techniques for the Shikotsumyaku.
The Kaguya clan's bone-manipulation bloodline was powerful, but had long lacked ultimate techniques to truly elevate it. Now, with Fugaku's mastery, it could rival even the Eternal Mangekyō.
"Only one regret remains…" he muttered.
He still hadn't located Zetsu's hidden base.
Every attempt had failed. When he once tried controlling a White Zetsu clone with genjutsu to make it lead him back, the clone had instantly died—clearly killed by an overriding command from the real Zetsu.
Tracking them had proven impossible; the clones wandered endlessly, never returning. Their communication used underground root networks, requiring no return to base.
For now, Zetsu's true lair remained untouchable.