"Retreat!"
The Kumogakure squad leader gave the order.
One of his teammates protested angrily:
"How can we just let them leave so easily?! We- "
Before he could finish, the captain suddenly turned back, and the Sharingan in his eyes seemed about to burst forth.
The crushing pressure instantly made the shinobi collapse to the ground.
The comrade he knew a moment ago now looked like a terrifying enemy.
"Now you understand why I said to retreat, right?"
Before the fallen shinobi could answer, the illusionary image of Uzumaki Ku continued:
"Do you really think that high-ranking official was worth dying for? Right now, if the Kumo were to lose both the Eight-Tails and Two-Tails, your village would have no reason to even exist."
With those words, the illusion shattered.
At the real scene, Ku and Juzo were already gone, vanished without a trace.
The squad captain, Ren, frowned deeply, staring at the dark forest ahead.
Not only had his teammate been trapped in a genjutsu, but he himself had also heard Ku's cold voice.
"Captain, we…"
"I remember that man. His name is Uzumaki Ku. There's intel on him in the black market. He possesses the Fourth Hokage's space–time ninjutsu, the First Hokage's Wood Release… and now even the Sharingan."
His words stunned everyone. He continued: "If we keep chasing, we'll just die in vain. Report the intel to the village and let the higher-ups decide."
Land of Hot Springs, in a bathhouse.
Ku lay comfortably in the steaming water, glancing at Juzo, who still looked tense.
"No need to be so stiff. Relax a little, we're in a hot spring inn."
Juzo exhaled.
"It's just my long-ingrained habit. In the Mist, we always had hunter-nin on our tails. If you let your guard down even for a moment, you could die without even knowing how."
Ku's expression stayed flat. He knew the Mist was different from Konoha; they really had specialized hunter-nin units.
But since this was just one of his clones, and certain people already knew he could resurrect, he never developed that same level of caution.
"By the way… Ku, which village did you defect from? With a surname like Uzumaki, don't tell me it's Konoha?"
Ku smirked.
"Does being an Uzumaki automatically mean Konoha? When Uzushiogakure was destroyed, very few of my clan were taken in by Konoha. Plenty of us ended up wandering."
Juzo nodded.
"Then which village are you from?"
Ku turned to him.
"Have you decided yet? If you want to know my origins, you'll have to pledge loyalty to me."
The air went quiet.
After a while, Juzo chuckled.
"Sharingan, Wood Release, space–time ninjutsu, so much power gathered in one person, and yet I can't figure out who you are. You seem to know everyone's past, Sasori, Kakuzu, Orochimaru… even mine."
"Today, you didn't kill those Kumo shinobi. For a moment, I thought you might be a Kumo defector yourself."
Ku let out a short laugh.
"Those pawns weren't worth killing. If they kept chasing us, they'd only last a few breaths anyway."
He didn't answer the rest of Juzo's questions.
After a long silence, Juzo asked:
"Then… what's your ultimate goal?"
Ku looked at him calmly.
"World peace. Believe it or not, that's my next goal."
"This world isn't as simple as you think. Because of small accidents, its path has twisted into something unnatural. But you and I, we've both benefited from that distortion. I want to fix it, and I already have a preliminary plan."
"Do you… want to know?"
Juzo nodded slightly.
"If you want my loyalty, at least let me know what we're working toward."
Ku smiled.
"So you agree then?"
Juzo didn't reply, but on his shoulder, a Flying Thunder God seal briefly shimmered.
It had been marked long ago. Even Killer B himself couldn't escape it.
As for reaching the level of someone like Obito with Six Paths power, well, that wasn't something just anyone could achieve.
The two of them relaxed in the hot springs, enjoying their free time after the mission.
Like his true self, Uchiha Yun, Ku believed in enjoying life.
Even though traveling outside wasn't as stable as staying in Konoha, tasting the different foods of every land was its own kind of joy.
For example…
Konoha's bathhouses were nothing compared to the hot springs here.
He couldn't enjoy this every day, but it was still a good way to make up for the hardships.
A week later, inside the Rain Village.
Pain's Deva Path examined the scroll in his hand, then looked at the two who had just returned.
"With your strength, this mission shouldn't have taken so long."
Juzo awkwardly turned his head aside, while Ku casually replied:
"After we finished, we hung around the Land of Hot Springs for a bit. Work-life balance, you know? Juzo seemed really stressed, so I dragged him along."
'Work-life balance?!'
Nagato, controlling the Deva Path, nearly facepalmed.
If he didn't know how powerful this man was, he'd have thought the guy was already dead on his very first mission.
And his excuse was work-life balance?
Nagato suddenly remembered Obito's warning words… and now he was starting to regret things.
Ku ticked off on his fingers:
"A real organization should care about its members' mental health. Look at us, our leader hides in the dark all day."
"The mad scientist keeps licking his lips at sight of his teammates' bodies. The treasurer constantly calculates how much our heads are worth, and sometimes cashes in."
"And Sasori? He spends all day inside a puppet, and even he's become one himself. Honestly, only Juzo and I are normal. If this goes on, everyone will turn into lunatics."
The Deva Path showed no expression, but up in the tower, Nagato twitched at the corner of his eye.
But…
He had to admit, it made a twisted kind of sense.
Kakuzu had gone through countless partners already. Orochimaru did, in fact, look at him and Ku like fresh experiments.
This was not an easy group to lead.
"Leader, I think you really should care more about the team's mental health. Anyway, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
Ku waved and left, Juzo following behind with a nod.
Nagato, watching through the Deva Path, nearly exploded with frustration inside his tower.
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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