Having joined forces with the Hidden Cloud shinobi army led by the Fourth Raikage and confirming that the Third Tsuchikage was on his way, the allied forces shook off the gloom of the Hidden Sand army's defeat and reorganized to pursue the Akatsuki.
However, shortly after setting out, bad news came from the Anbu team tasked with tracking the Akatsuki members.
After breaking free from the allied forces' pursuit, the Akatsuki members, to escape quickly, all boarded Deidara's clay bird and chose to retreat through the air.
This immediately widened the gap in mobility between the two sides.
Moreover, since the Anbu team didn't dare get too close and was tracking from a distance, the massive disparity in mobility caused them to lose the Akatsuki's trail in no time.
Moments later, the allied forces rendezvoused with the Anbu tracking team.
The Fourth Raikage, fuming, demanded, "Which direction did those Akatsuki bastards escape to?"
The Anbu team leader replied helplessly, "Based on their trajectory, they headed west toward the Land of Bears and the Land of Demons. However, we can't rule out the possibility that after shaking off our pursuit, they changed direction and fled elsewhere!"
Boom.
The Fourth Raikage slammed his fist into a nearby tree. "Damn it!"
This was the advantage of flight capability—once free from entanglement, they could swiftly retreat from the battlefield. It also explained why the Akatsuki had deliberately used spore clones to lure away the Third Tsuchikage, one of the few shinobi in the world with flight abilities.
Kakashi asked the sensory team, "Can you sense the Four-Tails Jinchūriki's location?"
The sensory shinobi shook his head. "I'm sorry, they must have placed some kind of sealing technique on the Jinchūriki. We can no longer detect their position."
The Akatsuki members were all elites in their fields, rendering typical methods for tracking rogue shinobi ineffective against them.
Kakashi glanced at the map and said gravely, "At their current escape speed, we'll completely lose the chance to pursue them in half an hour at most."
The group's faces darkened at his words.
After suffering such heavy losses and sacrificing so many shinobi in the rescue operation, failing to save either the Four-Tails or Five-Tails Jinchūriki left everyone deeply unwilling to accept defeat.
Kakashi continued, "The only option now is to fan out in a wide arc to the west, deploying a large number of scouting teams to compensate for the mobility gap with sheer numbers."
The Fourth Raikage nodded. "That's our only choice!"
Soon, the Fourth Raikage and Kakashi selected dozens of scouting teams from the allied forces, each assigned a predetermined route to conduct a carpet-style search westward.
Due to Shinji's outstanding performance, he was given the opportunity to lead a scouting team.
However, since it was only a reconnaissance mission with strict orders to avoid engaging the Akatsuki, the scouting teams were limited to four members. Besides Haku and Karin, Shinji also brought Yakumo, who possessed the Koryugan.
As dozens of scouting teams fanned out toward the western part of the Land of Birds, one of Shinji's shadow clones quietly slipped into a forest in the southern part of the Land of Birds.
Not long after, a gust of wind swept through, and a massive shadow descended from the sky.
The enormous figure was none other than Deidara's clay bird, with Deidara and the unconscious Four-Tails Jinchūriki on its back.
At that moment, Shinji, dressed in Akatsuki garb and wearing a cat-faced mask, slowly emerged from the shadows.
Spotting Shinji, Deidara, who had been sitting cross-legged on the clay bird, jumped up. "Hey, why haven't you contacted me lately?"
Shinji glanced at the unconscious Four-Tails Jinchūriki before responding, "Your current situation is dangerous. Frequent contact would only put you in greater peril."
"Mm-hmm!"
Deidara nodded, accepting Shinji's explanation.
The Akatsuki was indeed a dangerous organization. Every member was formidable—either ruthless killers, lawless maniacs, money-obsessed bounty hunters, clan-destroying renegades, or lunatics who modified their own bodies.
In such an organization, even Deidara seemed relatively normal.
"By the way, why did you have me help the organization retrieve the Four-Tails Jinchūriki?" Deidara paused before adding, "You must know the organization's purpose for collecting the Tailed Beasts, right?"
Shinji nodded lightly. "I can't reveal the specific reasons yet, but when it comes to collecting the Tailed Beasts, you can carry out all the missions assigned to the outer circle!"
"Hmph!"
Deidara let out a dissatisfied huff.
Shinji smiled. "Don't you want to witness the power of the 'Ten-Tails'? I can tell you that compared to the Ten-Tails, even the strongest Tailed Beast, the Nine-Tails, is nothing more than a toy."
Deidara crossed his arms, one hand rubbing his chin. "Now that you mention it, I'm actually kind of curious about the 'Ten-Tails.'"
Shinji said, "Rest assured, the 'Ten-Tails' won't disappoint you. If you want to witness the ultimate art, reviving the 'Ten-Tails' is a must! On this point, whether it's our inner circle, their outer circle, or you yourself, our interests align perfectly."
"The ultimate art?"
Deidara sat back down cross-legged, a glimmer of anticipation in his eyes.
Shinji didn't continue discussing the 'Ten-Tails' and instead asked, "What's the deal with Hiruko's Sharingan?"
Deidara replied, "That guy's a lunatic! He performed some disgusting ritual, fusing several Bloodline Limit shinobi into his body to steal their Bloodline Limits! The Sharingan you mentioned came from that."
Shinji pressed, "His Sharingan doesn't seem like an ordinary one?"
"It was indeed just a three-tomoe Sharingan when it was fused, provided by the organization. Even Big Brother Sasori was a bit jealous at the time," Deidara paused before continuing, "But during the ritual, a mutation occurred. According to Hiruko himself, the ritual triggered a fusion of chakra natures, stimulating the Sharingan and causing that three-tomoe Sharingan to evolve!"
Shinji nodded slowly.
What Deidara described aligned closely with his own speculations.
The Akatsuki would never have provided Hiruko with a Mangekyō Sharingan, so that pair of Mangekyō Sharingan must have been an unintended result of Hiruko's ritual.
However, Shinji couldn't yet confirm whether Hiruko's ritual genuinely had the effect of evolving the Sharingan or if it was merely a coincidence.
With a thought, Shinji ordered, "I need all the intelligence on Hiruko's ritual, including his 'Chimera Technique' for fusing other Bloodline Limit shinobi!"