"The Hidden Mist Village is gone," Mei Terumī said, her expression dark and dejected. The Mist ninja behind her, hearing this statement, also looked mournful and despondent.
"What? What happened?" Deidara asked in surprise.
"Not long ago, the Hidden Cloud Village, led by the Fourth Raikage, launched a surprise attack on the Hidden Mist Village. We stood no chance," Mei replied.
"The Hidden Mist Village has been completely occupied by the Hidden Cloud Village."
Recalling the scene of the village's downfall, Mei felt a suffocating wave of despair. Countless subordinates, comrades, and friends had either been killed or captured.
The few who escaped from the Hidden Mist Village were only Mei herself, a small number of Anbu, and members of the Shadow Guard. The Hidden Mist Village had effectively been obliterated.
Linking this to the previous incident where Tobi and the Hidden Cloud Village attacked Nagato together, Deidara quickly pieced things together.
"Was there a masked man with the Rinnegan and Sharingan participating in this attack?"
Mei nodded. "You know him?"
Deidara's expression turned serious. Uchiha Obito—he could no longer be allowed to act unchecked.
Now that Danzō had been dealt with, the Akatsuki members, including Deidara himself, had all grown significantly stronger.
Most importantly, Kakashi was now in position. With the help of Hashirama cells, he could use Kamui without any limits.
Against Tobi, who had allied with the Hidden Cloud Village, this should guarantee victory.
It was time to take the initiative!
"You all go into the village to rest and recover. Leave the rest to us," Deidara said to Mei.
"Sigh, I suppose we have no other choice," Mei replied.
On the fingers of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, the Akatsuki convened for yet another meeting.
"Oh? The Hidden Cloud Village, huh?"
"Perfect. I've been waiting to settle the score with the Raikage," Hidan said excitedly.
Though Kakuzu remained silent, his eyes betrayed his agreement. The last time he encountered the Raikage, he had been humiliated. This time, he had to reclaim his dignity.
"So, Kakuzu and Hidan, you two are definitely going, right?" Kisame asked.
"You two can handle the Raikage. I'll take care of the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki. I've been itching for a fight for a while now," Kisame said, his shark-like teeth gleaming with enthusiasm.
"And Uchiha Obito—Kakashi must go to counter his Mangekyō Sharingan," Nagato added.
"We'll also need to pair Kakashi with another combatant. That means we'll need at least five people for this mission."
"Why not just send everyone, like last time? We're not exactly busy," Hidan asked curiously.
"No. Konan and I need to stay in the Hidden Rain Village to handle governance. Given the current state of the village, if no one is here to guard it, problems could arise. Additionally, we need to remain vigilant against Konoha's Jiraiya," Nagato explained, his tone tinged with exhaustion and bitterness.
He had been working tirelessly for days, and there was no end in sight to this grueling routine.
"Alright then."
"What about the newcomer? Is he going?" Hidan asked, glancing at Might Guy, who had been silent the entire time.
"No! I'm not going!" Guy replied firmly. Though he had been in the Hidden Rain Village for some time and found it to be peaceful and comfortable, his guard was still not entirely down.
"Alright, it's decided then. The seven of us will go," Deidara concluded.
Seven against three—this should be a walk in the park, right?
No! Such a flag couldn't be raised lightly. Let's just say it's a fifty-fifty chance.
The seven quickly gathered at the village gate. Deidara chewed out a large Clay Bird.
"This time, everyone will ride my bird and fly over from high altitude," Deidara said.
"After all, the enemy has Zetsu, and that guy is unpredictable. If we travel by land, we'll likely be detected in advance."
Everyone nodded in agreement and boarded the Clay Bird.
Somewhere in the Land of Lightning.
Zetsu slowly emerged from the ground. Naturally, the first to speak was the cheerful White Zetsu.
"Obito, bad news! Bad news!"
Despite the gravity of the message, White Zetsu's tone was as lively as if he were singing.
"What is it?" Obito asked, looking at Zetsu.
"We couldn't find the Nine-Tails in Konoha. Apparently, Jiraiya sent it to Mount Myōboku, and we can't go there!" White Zetsu reported.
Originally, Obito was only one step away from reviving the Ten-Tails—all he needed was the chakra of the Nine-Tails. He had been preparing for this moment for some time, stoking Danzō's ambitions and intensifying the conflict between Konoha and the Akatsuki to weaken Konoha.
With Konoha's strength significantly diminished, it was finally time to capture the Nine-Tails. But now, the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki had been sent to Mount Myōboku.
What now?
"Zetsu, do you know where Mount Myōboku is?" Obito asked. As soon as he posed the question, a doubt crept into his mind.
Right—where exactly were the Three Great Sage Regions? They had existed since ancient times, but their locations seemed to be completely disconnected from the ninja world. Aside from reverse summoning, no one could reach them.
Unlike other summoning animals, like the Uchiha's ninja cats, whose locations could be clearly identified.
Hearing the question, a glint of cunning flashed in Black Zetsu's eyes. He knew the answer but couldn't reveal it. After all, not even Uchiha Madara had known this secret.
As Madara's supposed will incarnate, revealing it now would expose the truth.
Besides, even if he told them, it wouldn't matter. The Three Great Sage Regions were impenetrable unless one reached the level of the Sage of Six Paths.
Seeing Black Zetsu shake his head, Obito's brow furrowed.
What now?
Without the Nine-Tails, everything was stuck.
"It seems we'll have to activate the backup plan," Obito said after some thought.
The backup plan involved using Edo Tensei to resurrect Kinkaku and Ginkaku and extracting the Nine-Tails chakra from them. But this required controlling Orochimaru, as only he could perform Edo Tensei.
In the Land of Marshes.
The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, along with the remnants of the Hidden Sand Village, Shimura Seito, and the rogue ninja of the Konoha Police Force, all gathered in front of a shrine. Without exception, they knelt respectfully, their heads bowed in unprecedented reverence.
"Go to the Hidden Cloud Village," came a voice from within the shrine—majestic yet tinged with malevolence.
Rasa raised his head slightly, then quickly lowered it again. In a tone of utmost respect, he asked, "May I ask, my lord, what is the purpose of this journey to the Hidden Cloud Village?"
"To rescue the one with the Rinnegan."
The Rinnegan!
The kneeling crowd was collectively shocked. The legendary eyes of the Sage of Six Paths had appeared in reality? And even more astonishing, the person possessing them needed to be rescued?
As the crowd pondered this, a wave of dark energy surged out from the shrine, seeping into their bodies.
"Go forth. With my power, you are invincible. You are immortal."
"Go forth and take the first step in conquering the world for me!"
"Yes, my lord Mōryō!" Feeling the overwhelming power within them, the crowd responded loudly and confidently.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~ The story isn't over...🤔 Want to know what happens next to the characters? 🤫 Eager to explore the untold secrets of this world? ✍ Ready to read more of my wildest stories?✨patreon.com/GoldenLong