Takumi was somewhat alarmed, genuinely alarmed.
"Put me down first! Put me down, then you can run!"
However, Guy, caught up in his excitement, didn't clearly hear what Takumi said.
Mainly because the crowd surrounding them was chattering, their voices noisy and chaotic, making it hard to hear anything.
Takumi couldn't hear clearly either.
But it was likely just monotonous words of praise for him, the village's hero.
Initially, Takumi found it novel, but now, he was somewhat tired of it.
After all, hearing the same thing repeatedly easily becomes tedious.
And so, Takumi returned to the village surrounded by the crowd.
Everything seemed to have calmed down.
But news of Takumi defeating Itachi was quickly reported by spies embedded in other villages within Konoha.
Especially the Susano'o, visible from a great distance, was emphasized many times in the reports.
Land of Rain, Amegakure.
Pain led everyone back swiftly to the secret base.
"Itachi, you did well. Although you didn't kill Takumi, you at least forced out another of his trump cards."
Pain offered a slight consolation to Itachi, but his expressionless face made it feel utterly unconvincing.
"I did my best."
Itachi nodded, then went to a corner to lean against the wall and rest with closed eyes.
He didn't care about the outcome of the battle.
The only thing he cared about was his foolish little brother, Sasuke.
"I wonder if you received my gift?"
He murmured softly, a flicker of reminiscence in his eyes.
He thought of the time when he was still in Konoha.
Back then, he had seen too much death. Sasuke was once the only pure land in his heart.
So for Sasuke's sake, he was willing to do anything.
Even massacre his entire clan.
"Now what?"
Hidan shouted loudly. "If that Takumi can summon such a monster, who can possibly defeat him next?"
"Let's brainstorm together."
Sasori said. "Even a clumsy mind like yours might have a flash of inspiration occasionally."
"Right! Even someone like me... huh?"
Hidan snapped out of it, glaring fiercely at Sasori. "Do you want to die?"
"Can you kill me?"
Sasori retorted indifferently.
This question genuinely left Hidan somewhat confused.
Although he could connect his life to a target by ingesting their blood and kill the enemy by killing himself, this method wouldn't work on Sasori.
Because Sasori's body was a puppet.
Meaning Sasori's body had no blood at all.
In a way, Sasori was Hidan's natural counter.
"Arguing is pointless. Since we won't reach a conclusion in a short time anyway, I'll take my leave first."
Kakuzu said, heading towards the door. "Rather than wasting time here, it's better to go raise some funds for the organization's activities."
"Kakuzu-san, wait for me!"
Hidan stared blankly as Kakuzu walked away, then remembered he was Kakuzu's partner and quickly ran after him.
"Today's meeting ends here."
Pain waved his hand. "Everyone go back and think carefully about how to deal with that hateful Takumi."
The boss had spoken, so everyone left immediately.
It seemed no one intended to stay long.
"Sigh... what do we do now?"
Konan sighed with worry. "That Takumi's strength keeps growing. He's already a major obstacle to our plan, but now, killing him is very difficult."
"Don't worry. If it truly becomes absolutely necessary, I will personally take action."
Pain said.
"But... your body..."
Konan was startled, turning to look at Pain.
Or rather, the person remotely controlling Pain, Nagato.
Nagato's body was extremely frail.
Even relying on the Demonic Statue of Outer Path to supplement his body's nutrition, his frame remained emaciated.
This was perhaps also why Nagato stayed behind the scenes.
If people saw his pitiful state, no matter how strong his power, likely half the Akatsuki wouldn't have joined.
...
Land of Earth, Iwagakure.
"Is this intelligence report accurate?"
Kitsuchi looked worriedly at the decoded secret intelligence in his hand. "If it's true, we need to quickly arrange for someone to assassinate Takumi."
"Two mountain-like Chakra monsters clashing, and the Chakra monster summoned by Takumi defeated the attacking enemy."
Onoki frowned as he read the report again.
The mentioned 'Chakra monster' puzzled him.
Then, he picked up the accompanying rough sketch and his eyes widened in shock.
Without a doubt, Onoki recognized the simple drawing before him.
As a Shinobi who existed during Madara's active days, even if Onoki hadn't witnessed the Susano'o firsthand, he had certainly heard of this ability.
Similarly, he understood that the reason Madara was initially called the God of Shinobi was closely related to this Susano'o.
"Father, do you know what this is?"
Seeing Onoki's strange expression, Kitsuchi immediately guessed something.
He looked hopefully at Onoki, hoping for an answer.
"This thing is called Susano'o. It's a unique ability of the Uchiha Clan, obtainable only after their Sharingan reaches a certain level."
Onoki said. "As for what level exactly, I'm not sure. I've only heard of it, never seen it with my own eyes."
"The Uchiha Clan?"
Kitsuchi looked up in surprise. "So, does that mean Takumi is from the Uchiha Clan? Then why isn't his surname Uchiha?"
"Perhaps there's a unique reason."
Onoki said without thinking. "There are so many war orphans, and it's very common for some to have no clues to their identity."
"Regardless, one thing is very clear: this Takumi cannot be allowed to live any longer."
"Otherwise, he will undoubtedly become our greatest enemy!"
Hearing his father's words and seeing his utterly serious expression, Kitsuchi immediately understood he wasn't joking in the slightest.
"Alright, I'll quickly assemble a team."
Kitsuchi nodded, then looked down at the photos attached to the report. "Conveniently, if we kill him, perhaps Kurotsuchi will stop her wild fantasies?"
"Is she still acting strange?"
Mentioning his granddaughter, Onoki immediately felt a headache. "What has she done this time?"
Ever since that mission where she encountered Takumi, Kurotsuchi had fallen into a strange state.
First, she identified Takumi, whom she had only met once, as her husband.
Then, during the recent Chunin Exams, she personally went to the venue and publicly called Takumi her husband.
How could Onoki possibly tolerate that?
So, after Kurotsuchi returned, Onoki, understanding the situation, immediately placed her under house arrest.
"She hasn't done anything lately, but..."
Kitsuchi didn't finish his sentence, but he knew Onoki would understand his meaning.
It was nothing more than the condition worsening.
"It seems we need to speed things up. Kitsuchi, this mission is of utmost importance. You absolutely must not be careless."
Onoki's face was filled with seriousness.
"Understood, father. I will eliminate him, for the future of our Iwagakure."
Kitsuchi nodded heavily, then left the office.
However, the moment he left, Kurotsuchi came running in.
"Grandpa! I heard you have the latest intel on my husband Takumi! Hurry, let me see!"
Kurotsuchi pounced on the desk, leaning over it, using her height advantage to pressure the short radish-like Onoki.
But Onoki, as the Tsuchikage, wouldn't be pressured by such a small display of force.
He had lived so long and seen too many Shinobi.
"There isn't any."
Onoki said with displeasure. "Also, you're under house arrest. Since you disobeyed and sneaked out this time, your confinement period is extended."
"I refuse to believe you won't return to normal."
"I really am normal."
Kurotsuchi felt somewhat wronged.
She just liked someone, and she loved passionately and openly.
Why didn't anyone approve of her?
"You still say that!"
Onoki's blood pressure spiked, but he ultimately held back. "Get out of my sight immediately. Your house arrest is doubled."
"If I find you sneaking out again, you'll be confined indefinitely. At least until I die, you won't leave that little room of yours."
"Ugh…"
Kurotsuchi was clearly very unhappy about this. She was about to deploy her coquettish skills.
Every time she used this technique, no matter what she wanted, Onoki would smile and happily grant her any wish.
This was the first time Onoki had very clearly refused her and even wanted to punish her.
Kurotsuchi was now both sad and helpless.
"Hmph, old geezer!"
Kurotsuchi said angrily, then turned and stormed out.
"Sigh... what a trouble."
Onoki sighed, then picked up the intelligence report again to study it carefully.
"Takumi's identity is suspected to be from the Uchiha Clan, but the report mentions two Susano'o. Who could the other one be?"
He frowned, utterly perplexed. "If the intelligence agent could have gotten closer, we'd have more accurate details. Unfortunately, the battle occurred outside the village."
Just as Onoki was frowning in thought...
Land of Lightning, Kumogakure.
The Yondaime Raikage, A, also received this intelligence report a bit later.
However, the intelligence he received was more detailed than Onoki's.
Even the battle process was described to some extent.
This showed that Kumogakure's intelligence agent was undoubtedly present at the scene.
Otherwise, such detailed information couldn't have been obtained.
"Uchiha Itachi appeared and attacked Takumi?"
A frowned deeply. He was more adept at combat than intelligence analysis.
Beside him, Mabui was also carefully examining the report.
"Uchiha Itachi is the culprit behind the Uchiha Clan massacre night in Konoha. He has long been a Konoha's Missing-nin."
Mabui said, sharing what she knew. "Although his reason for returning to Konoha is unclear, it's certain that Uchiha Itachi has his own companions."
"Because in the end, someone very clearly extracted Uchiha Itachi."