Chapter 71: An Underground Refuge
After listening to Zetsu relay Uchiha Naoki's words, Uchiha Obito couldn't help but snort coldly, his expression icy.
"How dare he say that, the brat!" he seethed. "To act as if he no longer sees me as a threat. Just who does he look down on?!"
He clenched his fists, his eyes radiating pure killing intent. "Then I'll show him who will have the last laugh! Brat, you will regret provoking me!"
His agitation caused the part of his body fused with the White Zetsu to strain faintly against him. A sharp grunt of pain escaped his lips, and sweat beaded on his forehead immediately. He had no choice but to force himself to calm down, focusing on maintaining the delicate chakra balance between them and striving to complete the assimilation process as soon as possible.
One Day Later
The Scorpion of the Red Sand returned to the Akatsuki hideout.
"Did the mission fail?"
After listening to Sasori's report, Tendo Pain's expression was one of grim acceptance, even a degree of relief. "I see. Given that the target was Seiryū, it is understandable that the pursuit was unsuccessful."
But while he could understand it, others were more skeptical.
"No way! Itachi, Sasori, and Deidara were all dispatched and they still couldn't capture Seiryū?" Kakuzu voiced the shared surprise. "Has Lord Seiryū really grown to such a terrifying level?"
Kisame Hoshigaki, and even Hidan, were equally taken aback. Whether it was Itachi or Sasori, they were both immensely powerful; working together, they could challenge a Kage. Yet they were helpless against Uchiha Naoki?
And… Uchiha Naoki was only 14 years old. To already possess power that surpassed the current Kage? It felt somewhat unbelievable.
"What about the vacancy?" Kakuzu looked toward Tendo Pain. "Zero, the empty position must be filled."
"But with the current state of the ninja world, I doubt we can recruit any new members of suitable caliber," Kakuzu added.
The others nodded in silent agreement. The Five Great Nations were unified in their stance. It was already extraordinary that Amegakure was attempting this diplomatic maneuver. Even with Konan, the "Angel," representing "Zero" today to answer the Kage's inquiries, the outcome was a given.
'They stated they would definitely investigate Amegakure and the Land of Rain, find the location of the Akatsuki organization as soon as possible, eliminate us, and resolutely maintain peace in the ninja world.'
But this was merely a stalling tactic. The existence of Akatsuki was the core problem, let alone the challenge of recruiting new members.
After a moment of silence, Tendo Pain spoke, "Hoshigaki is correct. I have decided to put the recruitment for the vacant position on hold for now."
"Furthermore," he continued, his Rinnegan sweeping over the gathered members, "all of you are to enter a period of dormancy. Do not cause any major disturbances in the ninja world that would draw the attention of the Five Kage. I will notify you when it is time to act again."
"For the time being, operate as bounty hunters. Capture fugitive ninja and gather funds."
No one voiced any objection to Tendo Pain's orders, nor were they particularly surprised. It was the logical response. It was likely this very headquarters would soon be completely abandoned. The Five Kage would never accept Amegakure's statement at face value. They would inevitably send their own personnel to search the Land of Rain personally. All traces needed to be erased.
As the meeting concluded, a shared thought lingered among the members: for the first time, they felt the ninja world was shifting in a significant way.
As Predicted
On the third day after Amegakure's statement, the Five Kage issued a joint reply.
[We expect the Village Hidden in the Rain to cooperate fully and provide concrete results within three days.]
[Should this deadline pass, the Five Great Shinobi Villages will dispatch a joint investigation team to the Land of Rain to personally confirm whether the Village Hidden in the Rain is harboring the Akatsuki organization.]
This statement was exactly what both the Akatsuki and the wider ninja world had anticipated.
Konohagakure
"The leader of Amegakure is quite stubborn," the Third Hokage murmured around his pipe, smoke curling into the air. "Clearly, this 'Akatsuki' organization is based in their village, yet they still pretend ignorance. It seems the current leader of Amegakure is a man of great ambition, far more dangerous than Hanzo."
"To indulge a dangerous force like Akatsuki, even to the point of having them abduct the Fourth Mizukage to obtain the Three-Tails sealed within him… Is his plan to collect the Tailed Beasts and establish a sixth great village? Or to start another war and plunge the ninja world into chaos?"
Whatever the answer, the Third Hokage could not allow it. They had to find Akatsuki's nest and eradicate it completely.
Of course, he had no intention of sharing the specific intelligence about Akatsuki's location in Amegakure with the other Kage. This was a choice made for Konoha's benefit. After all, this information came from his own undercover agent, Uchiha Itachi. He could not risk that source.
The Land of Fire, A Small Town
"Then, the next target is you, Mitarashi Anko."
Orochimaru had been resurrected.
He had recruited Yakushi Kabuto.
He would establish his own ninja village and secure his place in this world.
The path to achieving his ultimate goal for coming to this world was now clear and within sight.
How could he not be excited?
Konohagakure
The village was as bustling as ever, with people coming and going, its prosperity seemingly undiminished even after the night of the Uchiha clan's annihilation.
"But behind this prosperity lies rot and stagnation," Uchiha Naoki mused, entering the village smoothly disguised as a tourist and observing the scene with a critical eye. "And the one who presides over this superficially glamorous, yet deeply corrupt, spectacle is you, Hiruzen Sarutobi."
"He allowed Danzo to grow powerful, using his 'Root' to control Konoha from the shadows. There was a certain logic to that, initially. However, he was fatally indecisive. He showed mercy when he should have been ruthless and failed to restrain 'Root,' allowing it to grow into a malignant tumor. By the time he tried to restrict it, it was too late, and he could only let it continue to exist."
"The 'Root,' which was meant to provide nutrients to the great tree, instead competes with it for sustenance, causing the tree to wither further and its talents to fade."
"So, Konoha… how can it possibly revitalize itself without first experiencing a great collapse?"
If Uchiha Naoki were to say…
The "Konoha Crush" plan launched by Orochimaru in the original timeline caused many deaths and was an act of unjust aggression.
But for 'this fire'...
How else could Konoha's 'great tree' break its old, decaying trunk and send forth a new, vibrant one to regain its vitality?
Only then, even if the malformed 'Root' remained a hidden danger, would it find it difficult to steal the nutrients meant for the new trunk.
Only in this way could the 'buds' of Konoha—its new generation—receive sufficient nourishment from the great tree and grow up strong in a healthy environment, becoming the new branches and pillars, allowing Konoha's canopy to become dense and thriving once more.
Otherwise…
A crumbling Konoha, after the current generation of talents like Kakashi grew old, would have no one capable of taking the reins from the younger generation.
Not even Naruto.
(Personal, one-sided point of view. Enjoy~)
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