Collecting the Tailed Beasts—everything Akatsuki had done until now—was meant to prevent another great war.
Yet Konan's proposal pointed in the opposite direction.
She wanted to reignite it.
This was the method Obito had always kept in mind but never openly voiced.
Now that Nagato was still alive, it made more sense to let Nagato walk this path.
As for everything else—
If Nagato were to fall one day, Obito would not hesitate to take over himself.
Nagato noticed Konan's slight hesitation, his expression tightening with faint anger.
Seeing his reaction, Konan could only sigh and fall silent.
Outside the ancient paper-constructed tree, the Six Paths of Pain were already preparing to move.
Konoha currently lacked its protective barrier.
Entering the village posed no real difficulty.
"Nagato… Jiraiya-sensei may also be in Konoha. You—"
Nagato lowered his gaze.
"Even if it's Jiraiya-sensei, I will not abandon my goal."
Konan froze.
Did that mean… even Jiraiya would be killed if he stood in the way?
She paused, then turned toward the outside world.
"I'll act alongside your Pain."
Nagato gave no reply.
Konan stepped out.
At that moment, a messenger pigeon passed silently through the sky.
Shigure let out a quiet sigh.
So it still can't be changed…
In the end, Nagato still chose to invade Konoha.
All for one purpose—
To capture Naruto Uzumaki.
But this Naruto was no longer the one from the original timeline.
He had mastered Sage Mode and gained control over the Nine-Tails' chakra.
Capturing him would never be simple.
"Are we there?"
Sasuke's voice came from behind.
Shigure lowered his gaze slightly.
"Yeah."
"We're here."
The moment he spoke, a Water Dragon Bullet surged forth, exploding into a torrential downpour that drenched the area.
Inside the house, Itachi Uchiha suddenly lifted his head, listening to the rhythmic sound of rain striking the roof.
The Mizukage of the Hidden Mist…?
Why would the Mizukage come looking for him?
But as two distinct sets of footsteps approached, a faint smile appeared on Itachi's face.
I see… He came with Sasuke.
Outside, Sasuke stared at the tightly shut door.
"Are you sure he's inside?"
Shigure nodded calmly.
"I'm certain."
Sasuke took a step forward, eyes fixed on the entrance.
"Don't interfere. This is between him and me."
Shigure inclined his head.
"I know. I'll leave it to you."
After a brief pause, Sasuke asked, "What is it you want from Itachi?"
Shigure smiled faintly.
"You'll find out once the two of you decide a winner."
Though Sasuke sensed Shigure was hiding something, there was no trace of hostility.
With Shigure's strength, he didn't need to scheme or manipulate.
If he wanted something from Itachi, he could simply take it himself.
With that thought, Sasuke pushed open the door.
Dim light filtered into the room.
At its center, Itachi sat upon a stone throne, unmoving.
The instant Sasuke saw him, his Sharingan activated instinctively.
"Itachi!"
"I finally found you!"
Itachi gazed at the young man before him—far younger than he had expected.
His voice was calm, almost gentle.
"I thought the earliest we'd meet would be two years from now."
"I didn't expect… it would be today."
A trace of regret flickered deep within his eyes.
Perhaps what Itachi truly regretted was not being able to see what Sasuke would become in two years.
"Hmph! What is it?" Sasuke sneered. "Are you afraid of me? Is that why you can't believe I'm standing here right now?"
Hearing this, Itachi slowly shook his head.
"No," he replied calmly. "My foolish little brother… why would I ever fear seeing you?"
Sasuke's eyes narrowed.
"Then what did you mean just now?" he demanded. "Is there really a difference between meeting in two years and meeting now?"
Itachi smiled faintly.
"Of course there is," he said. "The Sasuke of two years from now will be different from the Sasuke standing before me today. By then, you will be far stronger."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"But right now… you are still too weak."
Too weak?
A vein bulged on Sasuke's forehead.
In an instant, his arm snapped forward, and a shuriken shot straight toward Itachi.
Clang!
Another shuriken intercepted it midair.
"I was the one who taught you how to throw shuriken," Itachi said calmly. "Did you really think you could hit me?"
He looked directly at Sasuke.
"Sasuke… do you believe you can surpass me?"
Sasuke let out a cold laugh.
"Why not?"
His killing intent surged.
"I came here today to kill you!"
Itachi's smile deepened slightly.
"Is that so? You sound very confident."
"Then let me see…"
"Whether the current you is worthy."
The next instant, both figures moved.
Their hands blurred into countless afterimages as steel clashed against steel.
Shuriken and kunai collided in rapid succession.
Sharp metallic clangs echoed through the room as sparks burst into the air.
Outside, Shigure listened quietly as the sounds of battle erupted within the building.
He casually found a place to sit down.
I don't sense Obito's presence…
Is he really not here?
In the original course of events, Obito should have been nearby.
Did he truly not care whether Itachi lived or died?
After all, they were both members of the Uchiha Clan.
At that very moment, Obito's eyes were wide with shock as he stared at the scene before him.
Originally, his objective had been simple—to search for the Five-Tails' Jinchūriki, Han.
After carefully avoiding the surveillance of the messenger pigeons, he followed Han into a massive underground structure.
The interior resembled a training ground.
And inside…
Were monsters.
The Three-Tails' Jinchūriki, Yagura, was fully drawing on Tailed Beast chakra, unleashing Ice Release techniques against another Jinchūriki.
Opposing him was Rōshi, the Four-Tails' Jinchūriki, a master of Lava Release.
Ice and magma collided violently, neither side yielding an inch.
Nearby, a female shinobi—Guren, who had obtained Senju lineage traits through Shigure's methods—was engaged in battle as the Six-Tails' Jinchūriki.
Her opponent was Kozuki Kage, the Seven-Tails' Jinchūriki, wielding the Hidden Mist's rare Invisibility Release, also known as In Release.
Their clash was just as fierce.
Han's arrival barely drew any attention.
He stared at the others—each of them training like inhuman weapons, day after day.
Their mastery over Tailed Beast power was terrifying.
Hidden in the shadows, Obito clenched his fists.
"These… are all Jinchūriki?"
His voice trembled.
"How is this possible? Weren't the Tailed Beasts all supposed to be with Shigure?"
A nearby Zetsu clone was equally stunned.
"This is a major discovery," it muttered.
"So the Mizukage of the Hidden Mist didn't keep the Tailed Beasts for himself."
"But then… why?"
Zetsu couldn't understand it.
But Obito didn't care about the reason anymore.
Excitement surged through him.
"If the Tailed Beasts aren't on Shigure himself… then this becomes much easier."
Zetsu paused.
Indeed.
Compared to confronting Shigure directly, targeting individual Jinchūriki would be far simpler.
Still, Obito felt a trace of regret.
Alone, even he couldn't deal with so many Jinchūriki at once.
Suddenly, a name crossed his mind.
Deidara.
If that man could be used to draw the attention of the Hidden Mist Village…
Then capturing the Tailed Beasts afterward would be—
much easier.
A smile slowly spread across Obito's face.
(End of Chapter)
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