Land of Lightning, inside a certain mountain cave.
Kabuto leaned against the cave wall, motionless for a long while.
Suddenly, he couldn't help but chuckle—then burst into manic laughter, looking half-deranged.
"Haha… Natsuki, huh? You really are something. Every time you show up, your strength refreshes my understanding of you. But don't get cocky. Me not being your opponent doesn't mean there's no one who can beat you. The Rinnegan—the leader who wields those eyes—you definitely can't defeat him. I do want to dig out those eyes and study them, but I'll wait until you two wear each other down. Then I'll see if there's a chance to make a move."
Kabuto soon calmed himself and pondered his next step—when the ring on his finger gave a faint pulse.
He straightened, sank his focus into the ring, and the next moment his consciousness appeared in a pitch-black cavern, standing atop a stone pillar.
It was a special technique that allowed ring bearers to enter a group-chat style meeting.
Only the leader could initiate it.
On the main dais, a pair of Rinnegan eyes looked down on them all, exuding oppressive might—like facing a god. Worthy indeed of the Sage's eyes.
"Report the status of the tailed-beast captures." Pain spoke.
"I'm with Kisame in the Land of Earth," Itachi said. "Iwagakure has hidden the Five-Tails' jinchūriki, Han. We're searching but haven't found him yet."
Kisame grumbled, "Iwa is extremely cautious now—practically on lockdown. Just the two of us infiltrating is risky, and Sandaime Tsuchikage Ōnoki's Jinton (Dust Release) shouldn't be underestimated."
Clearly, after losing the Four-Tails' jinchūriki Rōshi, Iwa realized how serious things were.
They tightened defenses and hid Han deep. He wouldn't be found any time soon.
Pain's gaze shifted to Kabuto.
Kabuto pushed up his glasses. "I failed this time. Konoha's response was fast—and Natsuki came. He suddenly used a special technique called Mafūba (Demon Sealing Wave) that can easily seal Edo Tensei (Impure World Reincarnation) bodies—terrifying. He also pulled out Ranton (Storm Release) out of nowhere. If I hadn't run fast, I'd have been kicked to death."
"Oi oi oi—he got stronger again!"
Kisame's trauma flared. "Leader-sama, I said it before—something's off about that kid. It's not that Itachi-san and I don't try—Natsuki is just too strong. Looks like the leader will have to move personally to beat him!"
Pain never underestimated Natsuki, but he remained supremely confident.
"In front of these eyes, strength is meaningless. I will show him that god cannot be defied."
Kabuto nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, exactly. Leader, you should hurry and deal with him, so he stops scaring everyone."
The others fell silent—their reports done, awaiting orders.
This was the annoying part about Akatsuki—too few members.
Or rather, it hadn't been too few at first, but Kakuzu, Hidan, Deidara, and Sasori had been killed one after another. Now they were stretched thin, to the point the leader had to act.
And the ones who largely caused this situation—Konoha shinobi.
Konoha was Akatsuki's number-one enemy.
Pain looked to Kuro Zetsu. "Zetsu, your intel."
The pitcher-plant silhouette of Kuro Zetsu spoke: "The Six-Tails' jinchūriki has been located—Utakata, a Kirigakure missing-nin; position confirmed. The Five-Tails' jinchūriki, Han, is deep within Iwagakure; also locked in. The Eight-Tails' jinchūriki remains unknown for now. As for One-Tail, Three-Tails, Seven-Tails, and Nine-Tails—heh—they're all in Konoha right now."
Hmm?! All in Konoha?!
Everyone was shocked—so many jinchūriki gathered in one village.
One-Tails, Seven-Tails, and Nine-Tails could be guessed—but how was the Three-Tails there?
Pain was also surprised. "Explain."
Kuro Zetsu said, "One-Tails' jinchūriki Gaara and Seven-Tails' jinchūriki Fuu fled to Konoha after being rescued by Konoha shinobi. As for the Three-Tails' jinchūriki—it surprised me too—it's none other than little brother, Sasuke."
Whoosh! All eyes turned to Itachi in astonishment.
Kabuto clenched his fist in secret, seething.
So the Three-Tails had been taken by Sasuke. It seemed when Konoha moved against Orochimaru, Sasuke found the Three-Tails' intel and beat him to the seal.
Damn brat—stealing a tailed beast!
Itachi's fingers curled slightly, then relaxed—no one noticed.
His voice stayed cool: "I only discovered it recently. I will handle it. He's fixated on killing me—if I challenge him, he will come. I can capture him alone."
Pain nodded, satisfied. "Very well. The Three-Tails' jinchūriki is yours. But first, you and Kisame will secure the Five-Tails; Zetsu will provide the position. Kabuto, continue tracking the Eight-Tails. I'll send Tobi to team with you. As for the Six-Tails—I will move personally."
Oh? The leader would act himself?
How I'd love to watch… but there was no way they'd let Kabuto tag along. He wasn't anxious though.
One way or another, the leader and Natsuki would collide. When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman profits—and he would be that fisherman.
"Konoha holds too many jinchūriki. We'll address that later. That's the arrangement—dismissed."
The group call ended.
Kabuto stared at his ring and again broke into laughter—edging into madness.
—
Kumogakure. Natsuki ended up bringing Tsunade after all.
At first, it was Kakashi and Raikage A negotiating—but A's forceful presence was overwhelming, and Kakashi was having trouble. After Natsuki reported to Tsunade, she insisted on coming herself.
With Jiraiya arranged to oversee the village, Natsuki whisked her to Kumo with Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique).
Now the two village leaders were in a heated shouting match. Negotiations meant divvying up benefits—differences were inevitable. With both having fiery tempers and very self-centered styles, reaching terms was hard—so the result was loud, explosive arguments.
Yet once the meeting time ended, they could still drink together and get merrily drunk. People were hard to read.
Natsuki didn't bother meddling. He strolled through Kumo, buying local specialties.
Last time he'd come to the Land of Lightning, he hadn't actually visited the village—so now that he was here, he wouldn't miss out.
If he liked something, he bought it. Money wasn't an issue, and bringing gifts back would please his girlfriends. Of course, he didn't forget a present for his "cheap future father-in-law," either.
It was admittedly a bit odd for a guy to go on a shopping spree like this, so he drew plenty of onlookers along the way.
Natsuki didn't care in the slightest. What, he couldn't spend money to buy things now? What was there to be embarrassed about?
(End of Chapter)
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