"You're not going to fight?"
Izumi Uchiha raised her brow, glancing at the group standing still.
Gaara looked eager, but Kimimaro, Hinata, and Karin showed no intention of fighting.
They hadn't said much, and after a brief pause, Izumi Uchiha asked again, "Can we leave now?"
Immediately, Hinata and Kimimaro both nodded in agreement.
Gaara remained silent.
"What about you, Karin?"
"I have no objections," Karin replied.
Everyone looked so confident, as if nothing even fazed them. What else was she supposed to say?
"Then let's go."
The Four-Tails and Five-Tails Jinchuriki were both from Iwa, though the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, Roshi, had already left the village.
Considering that directly capturing the Five-Tails Jinchuriki would likely cause conflict with the Iwa ninja village.
Starting off with too much noise at the beginning might make subsequent captures less smooth.
Therefore, Izumi Uchiha decided to start with the Four-Tails.
As for their specific whereabouts, naturally they were found by White Zetsu.
Far deep within a rugged mountain range sat a remote village.
It was surrounded by lush forests and rolling hills.
Izumi Uchiha entered the village accompanied by several others.
"Sensei, there's no one here," Hinata spoke up.
Years of training in observation made her quickly notice something unusual about this place.
Rubble and broken wooden planks littered the ground.
The stonewalls were riddled with cracks, as if on the verge of collapse.
Debris scattered across the floor created a grim sight.
A lingering smell of burning hung in the air, almost like gunpowder smoke.
Additionally, the atmosphere felt gloomy and deathly quiet.
"A battle happened here. They haven't been gone long."
Izumi Uchiha stepped forward, reaching out to touch the bloodstains on the ground.
Warmth still remained.
"Hinata, check around for any clues."
Outside the village, two [Akatsuki] figures walked side-by-side—tall and short alike—wearing black robes with red clouds and wide-brimmed straw hats.
Hoshigaki Kisame carried the injured and unconscious Roshi, speaking to the person beside him, "Itachi, why are you still staying here?"
"…" Itachi Uchiha remained silent.
"Nagato, do you really think he'll complete Madara's… no, Obito's plan?"
Itachi Uchiha usually remained quiet, which Hoshigaki Kisame had grown accustomed to.
These two leisurely continued along their path.
Yet Izumi Uchiha and the others had tracked their trail.
She stood in the middle of a road.
Hinata and the rest secretly hid nearby.
Izumi wasn't wearing the uniform of the Uchiha Clan.
Upon seeing her back, a familiar feeling suddenly stirred in Itachi Uchiha's heart.
Izumi turned around, her gaze sweeping over the two.
Thanks to White Zetsu's presence, Tsunade and Izumi naturally knew everything there was to know about the Akatsuki Organization.
"The Akatsuki is hunting tailed beasts too?"
Itachi Uchiha, wrapped entirely in an Akatsuki robe, stiffened slightly.
Kisame Hoshigaki lifted the brim of his hat, baring his sharp teeth. "And who might you be? You sure know a lot."
"Hand him over to me!"
Izumi coldly demanded, ignoring Kisame's question.
At this moment, Hinata and the others focused intently, waiting for Izumi's order to attack.
Gaara could wait no longer.
The gourd on his back opened as he charged forward directly.
A stream of sand spread outward, advancing toward Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki.
"Gaara, don't push too hard," Shukaku let out a helpless sigh.
Seeing this, Izumi Uchiha frowned inwardly but had no choice but to act immediately.
"Attack!"
She barked the order, and Hinata, Kimimaro, and Karin sprang into action at once.
Karin still felt somewhat uneasy at this moment; she didn't understand exactly where Izumi Uchiha's confidence came from.
"A bunch of brats. Are Konoha ninja really this confident?"
Kisame sneered and yanked the massive blade from his back—Samehada.
He reached up and tore off the white cloth covering his eyes, revealing Izumi's Three-Tomoe Sharingan to everyone present.
Then, the tomoe within her eyes began to spin, shifting patterns.
"Kisame, give him to her. We're leaving."
Itachi Uchiha, who had been silently watching like an outsider, suddenly spoke.
"Itachi, why?"
With one hand supporting Roshi and with the other fending off Kimimaro, Kisame glanced at Itachi, puzzled.
Itachi exhaled deeply, shifting his gaze away from Izumi, who he'd been staring at all along.
The ability of her Mangekyou was just too overwhelming.
Obito was already dead.
If he got caught in her genjutsu now, there would be no one left to save him.
But he couldn't die—not yet!
Hearing his voice, Izumi Uchiha's expression grew even colder, her face paling slightly.
"Itachi, you finally showed yourself. I've been looking forward to meeting you."
Her eyes were filled with icy contempt. Itachi understood there was no salvaging their relationship. He emphasized again toward Kisame: "Retreat!"
Before the words had fully settled, he grabbed Roshi from Kisame's shoulder and threw him straight at Izumi Uchiha.
Crack...
The Akatsuki cloak Kisame wore was also torn off in the motion, floating into the air.
Oblivious for a moment, Izumi paused, then smirked with a hint of amusement.
What a ridiculous display!
Itachi, have you finally experienced your downfall?
Did you ever consider giving your clansmen a chance to escape back then?
Thud...
Roshi's body hit the ground.
The drifting Akatsuki cloak slowly descended.
Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki had already vanished.
"They ran away?" Karin said disbelievingly. "Aren't members of the Akatsuki Organization supposed to be really strong?"
Kimimaro and Hinata also looked confused.
"Hold on. Don't chase them yet. Our mission comes first!"
[Body Replacement Technique] Izumi reappeared in an instant, grabbing Gaara, who looked ready to give chase.
"You all stay here and wait for me. White Zetsu, take me to check the other villages now. The Akatsuki Organization has many more members."
With White Zetsu's assistance, Izumi quickly headed toward several villages known to have Jinchuriki nearby.
The Hidden Waterfall Village was in chaos. Ninja gathered together, surrounding a disheveled area, anxiously discussing something.
Ninja from the Hidden Mist Village and Iwa continuously came and went.
"Have all the other Jinchuriki been captured?" Izumi Uchiha asked.
"Judging by the current situation, yes," White Zetsu replied pretending to be ignorant.
Her assumption was correct. Except for Itachi's squad, which she had intercepted, the other members of the Akatsuki Organization had already sent the Jinchuriki back to the Country of Rain.
"What about the Nine-Tails?"
"He hasn't appeared for a long time."
"A disappointing start."
Izumi Uchiha helplessly decided to join up with Hinata and the others first, waiting for Kaguya's next orders.
At the same time.
Hoshigaki Kisame, being dragged along by Itachi Uchiha, slowed his pace. "Itachi, why did we run away just now?"
"That person is beyond our capabilities," Itachi Uchiha answered calmly. "Also, I made a promise to someone; I cannot die yet."
"That Uchiha?" Thinking about Izumi Uchiha's Sharingan, Hoshigaki Kisame continued asking, "Who is she?"
"She's someone deliberately saved by White Zetsu and others."
Itachi Uchiha couldn't help but recall what had happened on the night of the [Uchiha Massacre].
If he had struck one more blow back then, would there still be someone now who makes him feel so threatened?
After a moment of silence, Kisame curiously asked again, "Itachi, right now, who is it that you're keeping your promise to?"
No reply.
Helplessly shrugging his shoulders, Kisame suddenly chuckled. "Itachi, since our mission failed, why don't we just not go back?"
Without even pausing, Itachi kept walking forward, ignoring him.
Letting out an irritated tsk, Kisame said nothing else and followed behind him.
Outside the Country of Rain.
A lone figure slowly emerged from the distance.
"Sasuke?" Itachi Uchiha stopped, recognizing the newcomer and murmuring under his breath.
"Sasuke?" Hoshigaki Kisame repeated the name.
Sasuke, who had originally turned his back toward them, turned around and approached, fixing his gaze on Itachi.
His handsome face was icy with cold indifference as he spoke with disdain. "Itachi, I saw several Akatsuki members returning carrying corpses. What were you doing?"
"Itachi, Sasuke is your younger brother, right? He seems pretty rude," Kisame remarked mischievously.
The two brothers ignored him completely, leaving Kisame slightly annoyed.
Is everyone in the Uchiha Clan just born cold or something?
"They should be the corpses of the Jinchuriki (tailed beast hosts) they brought back," Itachi didn't even mention Sasuke's attitude, simply answering calmly.
"The Akatsuki has started moving?" Sasuke frowned. "Take me to see Nagato."
Kisame was taken aback. "Itachi, your brother sure knows a lot. Did you tell him everything?"
"Why?" This time, instead of following Sasuke's words, Itachi countered with a question.
Once again ignored, Kisame felt displeased and decided not to speak anymore.
"No matter what you're doing, you're being manipulated," Sasuke declared decisively, his tone carrying arrogance.
"Another stranger coming in?"
Inside the Tall Tower in the Country of Rain, Nagato spoke to himself.
He suddenly sensed a powerful but unfamiliar chakra appearing.
Immediately, he dispatched Pain's Deva Path to investigate.
"Itachi, Kisame, why did you bring this person here? Where is the Four-Tails?"
As Itachi Uchiha and his group entered the Country of Rain, Pain slowly descended before them, coldly questioning.
"So the Akatsuki Organization has indeed started collecting Tailed Beasts?"
Upon hearing Sasuke speak these words, Pain stared at him emotionlessly.
Nagato felt puzzled inside.
Has our mysterious rogue organization really lost all its secrecy? Is it now common knowledge across the world?
"Leader, this brat is Itachi's younger brother, Sasuke Uchiha," beside him, Hoshigaki Kisame offered an explanation.
"Itachi, exactly what are you planning?" Pain coldly swept his gaze over the three.
"Leader..."
"Sasuke, if you've truly captured those Jinchuriki, don't seal them into the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. Just kill them outright."
Sasuke cut straight into their conversation.
Internally, Nagato felt annoyed. Who asked you anyway?!
Without delay, Pain commanded, "Itachi, kill him!"
Of course, Itachi Uchiha began hesitating.
Unfazed, Sasuke continued presenting his thoughts.
"What difference does it make if you gather power from the Tailed Beasts? You can't protect it anyway—it's just preparing clothes for someone else to wear."
"Hmph!"
Pain snorted, ice in his voice.
Just as Pain was about to lose his temper, a cheerful voice cut through the air.
"He makes a good point. Nagato, you cannot handle such immense power."
Everyone—Pain, Itachi, Sasuke, and Kisame—turned astonished gazes toward where the voice originated.
They hadn't sensed anyone approaching at all.
Especially Nagato, who felt utterly perplexed inside.
Is my Country of Rain turning into a sieve? How come practically anyone can just walk in?
When did he even get here?
With confidence and composure, Madara Uchiha walked forward.
Taking advantage of his appearance drawing everyone's attention, Zetsu also quietly slipped in, disguising himself as a local villager, inching closer gradually.
If needed, Zetsu was ready to step in and steer Madara clear of Nagato's influence.
"Who are you?" Pain and others weren't familiar with him. Seeing the Three-Tomoe Sharingan in his eyes, they couldn't help but guess, "Uchiha?"
Sasuke carefully examined him, thinking secretly: Why don't I know this man? Could he be a lost clansman?
Itachi Uchiha furrowed his brow, trying to recall any clan member fitting this description.
"My name is Madara Uchiha."
Itachi stiffened, staring intently.
Hoshigaki Kisame wore a strange expression.
Sasuke looked confused, then muttered thoughtfully, "Didn't Obito die a long time ago?"
"You're just a puppet—no life signal at all."
Pain didn't sense any sign of life from him, speaking flatly.
Still trying to impersonate Madara Uchiha? That act is ancient news!
[Shinra Tensei!]
Pain extended his hand; a ripping force surged outward.
[Shinra Tensei!]
Madara Uchiha smiled lightly and performed the same technique.
When the two forces collided, his body didn't budge even slightly.
Just a moment ago, Madara Uchiha's eyes had transformed from the Sharingan to the Rinnegan, which shocked Pain beyond belief.
The Sharingan is the Sharingan, and the Rinnegan is the Rinnegan.
How can someone just switch between two completely different eyes like that?
And where did this man's Rinnegan come from?
"How is this possible… your eyes…"
"Pretty impressive power of the Rinnegan, isn't it?" Madara Uchiha said indifferently. "Eyes that don't belong to you can never truly be opened at will."
"What did he say?" Nagato asked with deep confusion inside the Tall Tower in the Country of Rain.
Could it be someone else was the true master of these eyes he possessed?
How could that be possible!
"You should already know as well—the ultimate evolution of the Sharingan is the Rinnegan," Madara Uchiha gazed at the two brothers Sasuke and Itachi. "It's recorded on the stone tablet at the Naka Shrine."
Itachi Uchiha wore an expression of contemplation.
Sasuke cast an inquiring glance toward him.
"Are you really Madara Uchiha? What relationship do you have with Obito?" Suddenly Hoshigaki Kisame interrupted.
"Obito? He used to be my chosen successor."
"Successor?" Kisame echoed the word.
"Enough idle talk. Nagato, I've watched you for quite some time through your eyes. It's time we got down to business. Come see me now."
Madara Uchiha spoke with unwavering authority.
As soon as he heard those words, a shocking realization suddenly hit Nagato like a thunderclap.
"Is he saying my eyes are his? Could that actually be true? Then what does that make me?"
His face paled, then flushed with emotion—clearly reeling from what he'd heard.
Konan looked at him anxiously.
A spark of hope lit up in Hoshigaki Kisame's usually expressionless eyes as he locked his gaze on Madara Uchiha. "Lord Madara, it was rumored you died long ago. How have you returned to this world this time?"
"It's all that incapable and unreliable Obito's fault…"
Before he could finish speaking, Kisame already understood the implication.
When a successor can't finish the job, the master has no choice but to handle it himself.
"The Moon's Eye then?"
"Oh? Did Obito trust you that much?" Madara responded with surprise.
"Lord Madara, please follow me—I know where Nagato's main body is located," Kisame offered.
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