Chapter 65: The Scapegoat
But at this point, Nagato couldn't help but pause. He seemed to have suddenly thought of something, murmuring with a thoughtful expression, "'Seiryū'... he must have something to rely on if he dares to defect!"
In the past, this would have been a very bad thing. But now, it was actually a great thing that could help him immensely. Because he suddenly realized that Uchiha Naoki could be used as a scapegoat to divert attention and relieve the pressure on the Akatsuki organization.
Thinking of this, he suddenly smiled. "Seiryū, my apologies! Who made your defection so timely, just perfect to divert the attention of the Five Great Shinobi Villages?" His expression turned ruthless. "Consider this your final contribution to the Akatsuki organization!"
He intended to spread the news of Uchiha Naoki's defection at the right time to attract the attention of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, especially Kumogakure. The news of Yugito Nii's disappearance would be confirmed as Uchiha Naoki's doing. This way, coupled with the Fourth Mizukage being captured by Uchiha Naoki's scheme, he alone could help the Akatsuki organization attract the firepower of two major villages.
Although it wasn't honorable, for the sake of Akatsuki's peace plan, any means were justified.
But he wouldn't know—he had actually guessed correctly. Yugito Nii was indeed in Uchiha Naoki's hands.
...
The Land of Fire, a Certain Forest
"As expected of the Five Kage. They immediately forced Amegakure into a passive position." Walking along a cold, windy path lined with bare trees, Uchiha Naoki suddenly stopped. "Itachi, since you're here, why hide?"
"And you, Deidara, you've learned to be clever. You know how to use Earth Release to sneak underground."
"Brother Sasori, show yourself since you're here. You know me best! You should know you can't hide from my perception!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the grinding sound of rubbing parts echoed, and the familiar Hiruko appeared. But after stopping, its back suddenly opened, and the Scarlet Sand Scorpion himself emerged. Uchiha Itachi also appeared on a large tree behind Uchiha Naoki. Deidara appeared beside the Scarlet Sand Scorpion, looking quite excited.
Of course, the tracking expert, 'Zetsu,' was inevitably present too. Without Zetsu's detection, how could the Scarlet Sand Scorpion and the others have found Uchiha Naoki?
"Naoki, I won't show mercy!" The Scarlet Sand Scorpion spoke directly and deployed the Third Kazekage puppet. Compared to before, it looked brand new. The more transparent chakra transmission aura and heavier presence all indicated that this puppet was much stronger.
"I wouldn't have it any other way!" Uchiha Naoki smiled. "After all, it's been a while since I've had a good fight with Brother Sasori!"
Compared to the Scarlet Sand Scorpion, Uchiha Itachi was more direct. "You will die today."
And Deidara... "Brother Naoki, I will use the most brilliant art to send you off!" Well, judging by his excited expression, no further words were needed.
Sometime later!
Uchiha Itachi moved. Without any visible hand seals, he spat out a scorching fireball. "Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" It came like a meteor shower, enhanced with shuriken to increase its destructive power. Needless to say, its speed was fast, making it difficult to react to. And with the three-tomoe Sharingan, the precise strikes made it quite hard to dodge.
"Elementalization!" But Uchiha Naoki had no intention of dodging at all. The moment he closed his eyes, his body turned into lava.
Puff! Puff! Puff!
The flames with extremely strong cutting power tore through Uchiha Naoki's body, sending dense splashes of lava flying.
"Closing his eyes... is it to defend against my genjutsu?" Seeing this, Uchiha Itachi immediately retreated. "Is it really worth giving up the Sharingan's insight advantage for this?" He hadn't activated his Mangekyō yet! With both having three tomoe, even if he used genjutsu, Uchiha Naoki could likely counter it. Was this being a bit too cautious?
"Meteor Shower!" But just as he thought this, dense, hot fist-sized rocks erupted from Uchiha Naoki's body. Their power and scale were far more terrifying than the Fire Release he had just used.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Deidara, the Scarlet Sand Scorpion, and Uchiha Itachi all retreated simultaneously.
Uchiha Naoki shouted again, "Lava Hell!" What happened next, even the Scarlet Sand Scorpion, who had seen much over the years, couldn't help but show a look of shock.
The earth began melting at an extreme speed, turning into scorching lava.
Ten meters!
Twenty meters!
Fifty meters!
The range expanded rapidly! It didn't stop until a hundred meters away, forcing the Scarlet Sand Scorpion and the others to keep retreating.
"What a high... temperature!"
"My chakra feels like it's evaporating!"
"No, I can't get close at all! I can't even keep my eyes open!"
The three of them retreated to 200 meters away before feeling slightly better.
"Iron sand can't get close?" The Scarlet Sand Scorpion tried to manipulate the Third Kazekage and use iron sand to attack underground. But the moment it entered the lava, it was immediately hindered, making it extremely difficult to advance.
"It's useless, Brother Sasori. The temperature of my Lava Hell is over a thousand degrees. Although it can't melt your iron sand, it's still very easy to render it immobile." Uchiha Naoki explained matter-of-factly.
"If iron sand doesn't work..." Uchiha Itachi heard this and seemed to think of something. His eyes suddenly focused. "Amaterasu!"
The three tomoe quickly merged into a Mangekyō pattern, releasing these black flames said to possess the temperature of the sun's core. Everything in sight was covered by the black flames.
"This time... it should work..." Uchiha Itachi covered his bleeding right eye, but before he could finish, even with his composure, his pupils unavoidably contracted. "How... how can this be?"
He saw that after Uchiha Naoki's body was covered by the terrifying black flames, it began to burn at an extremely high speed. But Uchiha Naoki's body suddenly swelled and changed. By transferring the burning area covered by the black flames, the 'Amaterasu' flames, which wouldn't extinguish until the target was incinerated, were dealt with just like that.
In the original story, Amaterasu, which directly killed the Fourth Mizukage, performed so poorly against Uchiha Naoki.
"That kind of flame... can't harm him?" The Scarlet Sand Scorpion was also surprised. When Amaterasu was released, although he didn't know the specifics of the black flames, judging by the violent, scorching aura they emitted, he knew the attack must be powerful. Yet such an attack was easily resolved by Uchiha Naoki. This was really tough to handle.
"Itachi, seeing that Brother Sasori's iron sand doesn't work, you actually used this move!" Uchiha Naoki's voice sounded again. "The effect is good. A few more times, and I'd definitely be injured."
"But..." His tone turned playful. "With your current body and control over those eyes, how many more times can you use it?"
Through his Observation Haki, Uchiha Itachi's emotional fluctuations were the most intense. His hostility toward him was also the strongest.