Amegakure, Orochimaru's Laboratory.
*Boom!*
A massive explosion rang out, directly damaging the door and all the surrounding instruments.
The figures of the Six Paths of Pain stood at the doorway, their six pairs of Rinnegan eyes staring fixedly at Orochimaru.
"It seems you intend to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs?"
Orochimaru's face still wore a smile, but his eyes unconsciously darted around the room. Clearly, he was considering how to escape.
Even one Pain was troublesome enough, let alone all six paths appearing together.
"I don't want to kill you. I just want the Three-Tails chakra inside your body." The Deva Path stated his purpose indifferently.
Though he detested Orochimaru, as the leader of an organization, unless Orochimaru was seeking death, Pain would not kill him.
He was a man who loved peace.
It sounded laughable, but it was an undeniable truth.
"I'd like to know why?" Orochimaru keenly sensed that something had changed. Otherwise, he could have stalled for another year or so without issue.
"No harm in telling you. Kamizuki Hikari has gone missing. Now, the Akatsuki is mobilizing fully to capture the tailed beasts. As a member of Akatsuki, you wouldn't drag the organization down, right?"
Missing?
Those two words made Orochimaru's brows furrow.
Not dead—missing.
He believed Pain wouldn't lie about this. That meant Hikari might still return. But with Pain mobilizing, the chances of that happening soon were slim.
At least in the near future, it was unlikely.
"Serving the organization is my honor."
"But there are so many tailed beasts. I'm sure the leader wouldn't mind waiting a couple more days for me to vacate this body!"
Pain had clearly considered this proposal in advance.
"Acceptable. But you should know, time is not on our side."
"Naturally, naturally!"
---
"Gaara, run quickly!"
Hearing Obito's words, Kakashi instinctively shouted, then waved his right hand as Purple Lightning emerged in his palm.
Raikiri came in two forms: one was the hand sign-required Chidori, and the other was the no-sign Purple Lightning.
In the original timeline, Kakashi wouldn't have developed this technique so quickly. But with Hikari's appearance, Kakashi felt immense pressure. To increase his strength, Kakashi had to dedicate some of his time, usually spent reading his 'special' books, to training.
Purple Lightning was developed during that period.
"Without the Mangekyō, you're nothing, Kakashi!"
Obito coldly glanced at Kakashi, then his figure vanished. The next second, he appeared directly beside Gaara.
"Leaf Style: Dynamic Entry!"
Just as Obito's hand was about to grab Gaara, Maito Gai kicked out with one leg, passing right through him.
Kamui—Kamui again.
Seeing Maito Gai interfering, Obito's Mangekyō spun, then he lightly twisted his palm and reached toward Gai.
"Leaf Style: Shadow of the Dancing Leaf!"
With a series of flashy maneuvers, Maito Gai toyed with Obito effortlessly. Even with Kamui, Obito couldn't lay a hand on Gai. Meanwhile, the sand around Gaara continuously gathered, ready to provide support at any moment.
"Wood Release: Wooden Spears!"
Black Zetsu, right in front of Kakashi, directly used Wood Release, attacking toward Gaara.
"Purple Lightning!"
At this point, Kakashi had no time to wonder why Black Zetsu could use Wood Release—he needed to protect Gaara.
This mission had all three sides responding to a request for aid from Kusagakure. Normally, Kakashi didn't need to protect Gaara; at this moment, they should be sending intelligence back to Konoha to prepare defenses.
But Obito's words made Kakashi understand his objective.
Though he didn't know why this masked guy wanted the tailed beasts, Kakashi knew one principle: whatever the enemy was doing, he had to disrupt it.
But without the Mangekyō Sharingan, his eyesight couldn't quite keep up with his body's speed, and his signature Raikiri had become semi-restricted.
"Sand Coffin!"
Gaara showed no mercy. A wave of sand surged toward Black Zetsu, instantly surrounding him before spinning tightly.
"Too easy!"
Seeing Black Zetsu trapped in the sand, Gaara felt a surge of joy.
"Careful!"
Seeing Gaara win so easily, Kakashi shouted a warning, then activated Purple Lightning.
In a flash of electricity, the Black Zetsu under Gaara's feet was sliced in two.
"I'm done playing with you!"
Obito instantly appeared behind Gaara, placing his right hand on Gaara's shoulder.
"Kakashi, farewell. We'll be taking the One-Tail jinchūriki!"
The next second, Kamui activated, and Obito, Gaara, along with Black Zetsu attached to Gaara, vanished in an instant.
---
"Gaara!"
Kankuro and Temari, rushing over from afar, arrived just in time to see Gaara being taken away.
Gai ignored the two and looked at Kakashi with concern. "Kakashi, are you okay?"
As his eternal rival and close friend, in Gai's heart, those two kids couldn't compare to even a single finger of Kakashi's.
"Kakashi-san, Gai-san, was Gaara just captured?" Temari asked urgently.
She desperately wanted Kakashi to say that it was all a prank and then bring Gaara out.
Kakashi covered his left eye, looking at the blood on his hand. Clearly, the Copy Ninja had his Sharingan gouged out.
"How is this possible? What exactly happened?" Kankuro was still confused, not knowing what had transpired.
*Whoosh!*
Kurotsuchi arrived using Body Flicker Technique. Seeing Kakashi without his Sharingan and noting the disappearance of Gaara and Hikari, her expression changed dramatically.
"Where's Kamizuki Hikari?"
Gaara wasn't the priority—the key was Hikari. From previously gathered intelligence, Kurotsuchi knew that Hikari's existence was what made Akatsuki wary. With him gone, the consequences would be dire.
"Hikari entered the Box of Ultimate Bliss with the monster. The other two directly captured Gaara. From what they said, all the tailed beasts will be their targets next."
Kakashi finished coldly, then pulled out bandages from his ninja pouch to wrap his bleeding left eye.
His right eye was no longer its usual dead-fish stare; it was now the eye of a serious Kakashi.
"Kurotsuchi, Temari—you two return to your villages immediately. In my capacity as Konoha advisor, I invite Sunagakure and Iwagakure to convene the Five Kage Summit. Additionally, I hope Iwagakure can protect the Four-Tails and Five-Tails jinchūriki well."
As Konoha advisor, in certain situations, he could make decisions on behalf of the Hokage.
Facing Akatsuki next, if the five great shinobi villages didn't unite, none could withstand them alone. By comparison, Konoha was still the strongest among them.
"Understood. I'll report back immediately and persuade the Third Tsuchikage to attend the Five Kage Summit!" Kurotsuchi didn't hesitate and vanished right after speaking.
Temari and Kankuro looked hesitantly at Kakashi and Gai, fearing Akatsuki might ambush them on the way, leaving Sunagakure with no information at all.
Kakashi saw through their thoughts at a glance. "Gai, escort Temari and Kankuro back to Sunagakure. Return quickly once you arrive. With the One-Tail lost, Sunagakure won't be Akatsuki's target next. Defending Konoha is the priority."