"That guy, ever since he learned to fly, he's become way too fond of showing off."
Below, Killer B, complaining internally about why the Eight-Tails couldn't fly while verbally criticizing Sasuke's cocky personality, cast a suggestive glance at Karin.
"Don't even think about it."
Unfortunately, Karin's refusal remained decisive.
Ever since the team size exceeded six people, she had stopped actively acting as the group's mount.
A ten-meter-wide bird isn't small, but it's not that big either.
Not every spot on the bird's back is suitable for sitting, and with just a few more people, they'd have to squeeze together.
Fortunately, whether it was due to Sasuke's improved luck or not, he spotted a small town built in the desert not long after taking flight.
The town wasn't large, but it was more than enough to accommodate the group.
...
Perhaps because it wasn't yet the cycle for merchant caravans, although the number of inns in the small town was small, they all had sufficient vacancies.
Naruto's group of over ten people checked into different inns.
Incidentally, they also inquired with the local residents about information regarding Roran.
After all, Kisame had only given a vague direction.
Presumably, if he and Itachi hadn't encountered Naruto's group, the masked man would have actively appeared to guide them once they reached the vicinity.
But Naruto's group could only feel their way forward on their own.
A night passed, and after replenishing their supplies, everyone set out on their journey again.
"If I were you, I'd erase those marks."
Sasuke suddenly walked up to Gaara, who had been lagging at the very back, and spoke nonchalantly.
"!?"
Gaara seemed startled by Sasuke's silent appearance, instinctively hiding something.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Sasuke looked into the other's eyes, which suddenly transformed into a blood-red lotus shape.
"If they get involved on the path ahead, death will be their only outcome."
Before Gaara could say anything in denial, Sasuke pointed at his own eyes.
"Didn't you witness what happened a few days ago with your own eyes?"
"These eyes of mine can see through [Calamity]."
After saying this, Sasuke couldn't be bothered to say more, reverting to his usual cool demeanor and walking ahead.
Gaara stood still, his expression changing several times.
'Fine, I'll believe him this once.'
In the end, Gaara still removed the marks he had left for Sunagakure.
Actually, after so many days in this team, he had gradually come to believe what Naruto and the others had said at the beginning.
They didn't intend to use his power as a 'weapon of war'.
Or, to put it another way, this group of even more terrifying individuals didn't need his power at all.
Recalling the brotherly battle between Sasuke and Itachi a few days ago...
The scene as if the world was crumbling was still vivid in his mind.
'If they unleashed something like that over Sunagakure...'
Naruto, from a distance, quietly walked up to Sasuke and gently bumped into him.
"Hehe... You weren't so talkative before."
Sasuke, rubbing his sore shoulder, rolled his eyes in annoyance.
"I just want to avoid unnecessary trouble."
As he spoke, his eyes looked towards a certain point in the sky behind them.
"You noticed it a while ago too, right?"
Hearing this, Naruto nodded.
"Ah... yeah. They're really quick."
"Doesn't matter. They're just a motley crew."
In the sky, about two or three kilometers away from the team, a giant mechanical puppet eagle carried a Ninja flying, tailing the Tailed Beast Team from a distance.
He wasn't from Sunagakure.
Or rather, his true identity wasn't.
As a spy planted within Sunagakure by the Land of Wind's Daimyo, this guy hadn't expected to be assigned a reconnaissance and tracking mission outside the village by Sunagakure itself.
But thinking about it, it made sense.
After all, his batch was recruited by the Land of Wind's Daimyo precisely because of their outstanding observational skills and strong infiltration abilities.
Dozens of kilometers behind him, a group of Ninjas were following the trail he left.
It was clear the Land of Wind's Daimyo was very concerned about retrieving his Tailed Beast's power.
But unfortunately, perhaps because Sunagakure's security measures were too good, this Daimyo didn't have a practical understanding of the real destructive power a Tailed Beast could unleash.
That's why he fantastically expected a group of ordinary Ninjas to handle a team of just over ten people, a team capable of overturning the entire Ninja World.
Yes, this Daimyo not only wanted the One-Tail back, but was even considering whether he could seize the Tailed Beasts of other countries, thereby gaining the power to dominate the world.
One could only say the sweet lies fed to him by White Zetsu were too potent.
This wasn't a beautiful dream one could have after just a few drinks.
Back with the team, everyone gathered the clues they had learned the previous night.
After summarizing them...
The situation wasn't optimistic.
First, there indeed was a country within a country named Roran within the Land of Wind.
But in reality, this Roran was only the size of a large town, not even much bigger than Sunagakure.
It was just that its location was too remote and the environment too harsh, so no one paid it much attention.
Yet, even so, this small country was destroyed in the turmoil of war.
"After traveling for so long, that Roran has already been destroyed..."
Karin was somewhat disheartened.
But Naruto shook his head.
"The Roran Country itself isn't the key. The masked man's goal is the so-called Ryumyaku."
"Perhaps we need to pick up the pace."
Naruto was worried about what the masked man intended to do with the so-called Dragon Vein.
He had an ominous premonition... as if something was warning him in the depths of his mind.
But this feeling, similar to 'inspiration', was always elusive.
Whenever he tried to focus his mind to understand the content of the warning, the feeling would instantly vanish without a trace.
...
In reality, Naruto's worry was somewhat unnecessary.
Because Obito and Black Zetsu were also staring blankly at a vast expanse of ruins at this very moment.
"Are you sure there's really that Ryumyaku here?"
Obito had been searching these ruins for a full day. Apart from some scattered murals, there were only ruins of houses with peculiar shapes.
There wasn't even a shadow of the so-called Ryumyaku.
"It can't be wrong. This is a 'secret' that Madara-sama obtained with great difficulty. Its authenticity is absolutely reliable."
The authenticity of the information was, of course, flawless. After all, Black Zetsu had lived on this continent for nearly a thousand years. It could be said that rumors about the Ryumyaku and the Ancient Kingdom of Roran had existed even before Konoha Village was founded.
It was just that at the time, Black Zetsu's focus was on finding a suitable candidate to become the new Ten-Tails' Jinchuriki to free his mother, so he didn't personally verify this rumor.
"Let's just keep looking. We have no other choice."
As he said, they really had no other options at the moment.
In terms of frontal combat power, the few remaining members of the Akatsuki were absolutely no match for Naruto.
Playing schemes and plots from behind the scenes was one thing, but frontal combat wasn't really Black Zetsu's forte.
"Is this Ryumyaku really as miraculous as you say?"
Obito used his intangibility ability to pass through a section of ruins, but unfortunately still found nothing useful.
"It must be there... With this Ryumyaku, we can reach another Space-Time."
"A space-time where Uzumaki Naruto hasn't collected the other Tailed Beasts."
Regarding the Ryumyaku's supposed 'time travel' ability, Black Zetsu quietly played a trick, blurring it into a concept similar to traveling to parallel worlds.
Because he was somewhat worried that this foolish boy he was manipulating might want to go back to the time after the Battle of Kannabi Bridge to change the fate of that girl named Rin.
Although Obito always said he acknowledged Madara's Eye of the Moon Plan and wanted to create a world where Rin could live in peace...
But people's hearts are hard to read, and Black Zetsu never hesitated to speculate the worst about Obito's limits.
After all, he was a fool who could even kill his own teacher and teacher's wife.
It would be truly ridiculous if he ruined his own plan.
"By the way, have you heard anything from Deidara and Sasori yet?"
Suddenly, as if remembering something, Obito turned and asked Black Zetsu.
Although no expression could be seen on Black Zetsu's black face, a certain dissatisfaction could be heard in his tone.
"Those two... might have already defected."
The reason was simple: even his White Zetsu's clones had lost track of those two. Even the Akatsuki's rings had been actively discarded by them.
"... Forget it. What about Kisame?"
"No response either."
"What a bunch of useless trash!"
Obito walked out from the ruins and kicked a brick.
Whoosh-
That wasn't the sound of the brick, but an arrow embedding itself next to Obito's head.
"Who are you people!"
Several individuals, dressed in standard desert dweller attire and riding ostrich-like creatures, surrounded them from not far away.
Simultaneously, the weapons in their hands, like bows and arrows, were aimed at the two.
"What is your purpose for coming to Roran!"
Hearing this, Obito and Black Zetsu exchanged a glance, both sensing the pleasant surprise in each other's hearts.
'A clue had delivered itself to our doorstep!'