Chapter 170: Furious Counterattack
The Akatsuki still didn't realize they had already become pawns in Uchiha Dali's hands.
After escaping from the Kamui dimension, Uchiha Obito didn't dare to use that power again.
He also didn't return to the Akatsuki headquarters in Amegakure. Instead, he hid away in the remote wilderness.
This place was one of the locations where Uchiha Madara had once lived while he was still alive.
It lay deep underground, a crude hideout seemingly carved out from the hollowed roots of a tree. Sitting there alone, Uchiha Obito was deep in thought.
"The Nine-Tails, One-Tail, and Six-Tails are now all in Uchiha Dali's hands. That only leaves the Four-Tails and Five-Tails from Iwagakure, the Eight-Tails and Two-Tails from Kumogakure, and the Seven-Tails whose whereabouts are still unknown…"
Uchiha Obito was analyzing the current situation and the intelligence at his disposal.
The Three-Tails had already been sealed into the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
Of the remaining eight Tailed Beasts, three were now in Konoha's hands.
Even if the Akatsuki went all out and captured the remaining five, they would still need the three beasts in Konoha's possession to revive the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
But this was where the real problem lay.
Even setting aside Uchiha Dali, who was practically a walking bug...
Konoha's current military strength was still overwhelmingly formidable.
Uchiha Shisui, with his instant body flicker technique, was feared across the entire ninja world.
Then there was his own former teacher, the Yellow Flash—Minato Namikaze—whose power rivaled that of any Kage-level ninja from the other villages.
Just these two were already enough to give the Akatsuki a massive headache.
And beyond them, Konoha had many other powerful shinobi.
Trying to snatch the remaining three Tailed Beasts from them was anything but easy.
"Looks like it's time to start drafting the final battle plan…"
Uchiha Obito's thoughts turned grim as a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
No matter how difficult the situation, he had to overcome it.
For the sake of the Eye of the Moon Plan.
To him, every member of the Akatsuki was expendable if necessary.
Once they brought back the Tailed Beasts, he would use them to launch a full assault on Konoha.
Just as he was thinking this, Obito suddenly sensed a specific chakra signal.
He glanced down at the ring on his finger.
The chakra was very familiar—it was from Nagato.
Upon receiving it, his spiritual consciousness materialized as a holographic image in a special space.
This was the "Projection Technique," which allowed Akatsuki members to communicate over great distances.
"We've just confirmed it: the two Jinchūriki from the Land of Earth have already been scooped up by Uchiha Dali."
"Now, Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki is beside himself with rage. He's decided to lead a coalition of smaller shinobi villages in a declaration of war against Konoha."
Tendo Pain reported the intelligence.
Of course, this wasn't intel he had gathered himself—it came from Zetsu.
Thanks to the Mayfly Technique, Zetsu could infiltrate target areas completely undetected and conduct unrestrained reconnaissance.
His intelligence-gathering skills were second to none in the shinobi world.
When Obito heard that Uchiha Dali had once again beaten them to the punch and taken both of the Land of Earth's Jinchūriki, his expression instantly darkened.
"In that case, I've underestimated the situation."
"Konoha now holds a total of five Tailed Beasts, while we only have the Three-Tails. That means the Two-Tails, Seven-Tails, and Eight-Tails must be captured immediately!"
Obito declared in a low, firm voice.
Upon hearing this, Tendo Pain responded at once, "We've already reached the border of the Land of Lightning."
"And let me introduce a new member—this is Orochimaru…"
He gave a brief summary of how he and Konan had encountered Orochimaru on the way and invited him to join.
Obito, of course, knew exactly who Orochimaru was.
He just hadn't expected that one of Konoha's famed Legendary Sannin would betray the village and become a rogue ninja.
But right now, he wasn't in the mood to delve too deeply into that.
As long as it boosted Akatsuki's overall strength, anyone was welcome.
After all, these people were merely tools to help him contain Konoha.
"In that case, you two go after the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails. Zetsu, have you found the location of the Seven-Tails?"
Obito turned to the fused form of Black Zetsu and White Zetsu.
Black Zetsu, on the left side of the composite body, replied, "We've already locked down the location. According to our investigation, after Hashirama Senju distributed the Tailed Beasts to the Five Great Nations, the Seven-Tails was given to Takigakure."
"I was the one who told you that, wasn't I?" Kakuzu said, sounding disgruntled.
"We've already confirmed the identity of the Seven-Tails' Jinchūriki and can act at any time," Black Zetsu continued, ignoring him.
Hearing this, Obito narrowed his eyes. "We can't afford any delays. We must capture the remaining Tailed Beasts before Uchiha Dali does."
"Since the Seven-Tails' Jinchūriki is in your Takigakure, Kakuzu, you'll be in charge of this mission. Bring someone along to form a team."
He then turned his gaze to Sasori of the Red Sand.
"Don't look at me. I'm not teaming up with that guy," Sasori said grumpily. "Every time I see him, I want to gut him."
"Are you trying to die?" Kakuzu retorted coldly.
Judging by the way these two were acting, if they were put on the same team, they'd probably start fighting on the spot and never even begin the mission.
Obito turned to Pain. "Do we have any suitable teammates for them?"
"Kakuzu will act alone for now," Pain replied. "As for Sasori, I've already assigned you a partner. You'll meet them soon."
Truthfully, Sasori wasn't the real concern.
Although he was always mouthing off about killing this or that person, he hadn't actually done it.
In comparison, Kakuzu was the real problem—his teammates always ended up mysteriously dead after every mission.
So for now, it was best to let him operate solo.
"In that case, let's move out immediately."
A deep unease stirred within Obito.
He was terrified they'd be one step too late again.
If all the Tailed Beasts ended up in Konoha's hands, it would be exponentially more difficult to take them back.
"Hopefully, Ōnoki of Iwagakure will treat this war seriously."
"If so, maybe they can buy us some time," Obito muttered to himself.
As the Akatsuki launched operations targeting the Lands of Lightning and Waterfall, Konoha's side also received the intelligence right away through its Anbu intelligence division.
Learning that the Land of Earth was mobilizing a massive force and rallying several surrounding small nations to launch an offensive against Konoha, they immediately reported it to the higher-ups.
In the Hokage's office, Uchiha Dali let out a cold snort after hearing the Anbu report.
"Looks like that Ōnoki still hasn't learned his lesson."
"Send out the order—place the village on high alert. Have the border defense units monitor the enemy's movements closely, but do not engage."
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