Afterward, Shinju used Flying Thunder God to instantly teleport Tsunade back to Konoha, then returned to Iwagakure to say his farewells.
When Kurotsuchi learned Shinju was leaving, her eyes welled up with tears as she clutched his hand pitifully.
"Can't you stay here for a few more days?"
Shinju: (°ー°〃)
Did they think one attempt wasn't enough to kill him and wanted a few more chances?
No way!
Absolutely no way he was staying in Iwagakure any longer!!
He yanked his hand back as if electrocuted.
"Sorry, but I still have something very important to do."
Nearby, Ōnoki—who had been looking quite frail before—seemed suddenly revitalized after hearing Shinju had been gravely injured. He looked like he could live another twenty years.
Now, smiling cheerfully, Ōnoki said, "Since you still have important matters to attend to, then I wish you safe travels, little Shinju. May everything go smoothly."
Shinju nodded politely and waved.
"Alright then, goodbye, Grandpa Tsuchikage. ∩_∩"
But in his mind, he couldn't help grumbling—if the Tsuchikage knew he was leaving to find Iwagakure's own Four-Tails Jinchūriki and extract the beast from him, who knows how he'd react. Ծ‸Ծ
After a brief farewell, Shinju walked out through the gates of Iwagakure.
That sight made Karin, who'd been secretly observing, lose her composure.
"Sasuke, look—Shinju just came out!"
"Let's go meet up with him now!"
Before Sasuke could even respond, Karin was already about to rush forward.
Seeing this, Sasuke quickly grabbed her by the hand. "Now's not the time to meet up with Shinju. He'd probably rather see us after we've caught the Five-Tails."
Karin hesitated, her expression turning thoughtful.
At that moment, Suigetsu—who had been keeping watch—suddenly exclaimed,
"Wait! Where'd Shinju go?! (꒪⌓꒪)"
Sasuke waved dismissively.
"He knows Flying Thunder God. It's totally normal for him to just disappear like that."
But as he finished speaking, he noticed the strange looks on everyone's faces.
"What? Why are you all staring at me? Σ(っ °Д °;)っ"
Then, sensing something behind him, Sasuke slowly turned his head—only to meet Shinju's eyes directly!
Shinju smiled. Time seemed to freeze for a moment.
A few seconds later, Shinju was the first to speak.
"Sasuke, your eyes seem to have recovered nicely. Looks like you've fully adapted to your brother's eyes."
Sasuke froze. He couldn't let Shinju know that he was working with Akatsuki, given how hostile Shinju was toward them. So he forced an awkward laugh.
"Heh… it's all thanks to your superb medical skills that I recovered so well."
Shinju narrowed his eyes.
"So, mind telling me why you're here outside Iwagakure—wearing Akatsuki robes, no less?"
Sasuke glanced down at the black cloak patterned with red clouds.
(๑ʘ̅ д ʘ̅๑)!!!
How could he have forgotten about that!
Finally, proud as ever, Sasuke just went all in.
"I've decided to join forces with Akatsuki—to take revenge on Konoha!"
A few black lines formed on Shinju's forehead.
"Did something happen to your brain?"
"I'm not crazy," Sasuke said firmly. "I've just come to understand some things."
"Itachi shouldn't have had to bear so much alone. And the Uchiha shouldn't have been bound to such a fate."
"Itachi wanted me to live in ignorance—for Konoha's sake, for peace—but I just can't do that."
"Ever since the massacre, I've been fated to walk the path of revenge."
"Fate cannot be changed."
Shinju fell silent.
There was no real right or wrong in that—it was all a matter of perspective and conviction.
He could kill Sasuke for Konoha's sake.
But that was something he'd never do.
Seeing Shinju's hesitation, Sasuke continued, "This world needs to change."
Shinju didn't want to argue philosophy with him, so he changed the topic.
"You still haven't said what you're doing outside Iwagakure."
Karin answered, "We're capturing the Five-Tails."
Shinju frowned slightly.
"You're helping Akatsuki capture the Five-Tails?"
Sasuke nodded.
"Whoosh!!"
"Bang!!"
Shinju's left hook smashed directly into Sasuke's jaw!
"You could build your own organization and operate in the ninja world if you wanted—but teaming up with Akatsuki? Absolutely not."
Shinju's tone was cold.
Sasuke: "…"
Couldn't this guy talk before punching someone?!
Was this supposed to make his point more convincing?! (▼ヘ▼#)
"I need power," Sasuke said, holding his sore jaw as he stood up, looking rather embarrassed.
Shinju thought for a moment.
"Then instead of working with Akatsuki… how about joining forces with me?"
"I'm hunting tailed beasts too."
Suigetsu blinked in confusion. "But what's the difference between you and Akatsuki then?"
Shinju shook his head.
"Not much—but unlike them, I'm not trying to make the world suffer. I just want to stop Akatsuki, whatever their goal is. ┐(´-｀)┌"
"As for what comes after… we'll figure it out along the way."
"Anyway, the Five-Tails here in Iwagakure won't be easy to catch. Come with me to the Land of Birds."
...
Meanwhile, in the Land of Birds—
After the deaths of Itachi, Kakuzu, Deidara, Hidan, and Pain, Akatsuki's strength had plummeted. The masked man had now taken control of the organization.
To ensure the next operation's success, he sent out everyone who was still left.
On the road to find Rōshi, the Four-Tails' jinchūriki, Kisame, Sasori, and Konan walked side by side.
Sasori sighed. "To think that the carefree Tobi turned out to be that man."
Kisame chuckled. "I actually knew before you did."
Konan said, "After Amegakure was destroyed, our missions have only become harder."
"That damn red-haired kid—I'll avenge Pain for sure! (′д｀σ)σ"
Sasori muttered, "I heard the Six-Tails isn't inside Utakata anymore. Which means that kid must have taken it."
"So by now, he controls the Three-Tails, Six-Tails, and Nine-Tails… what a headache."
Konan smirked. "No matter what, he's still just one man. And we have many."
"Akatsuki's headquarters may be gone, but after all these years, our intelligence network runs deep across every nation."
"If we act first, we'll always have the advantage."
The group fell silent for a moment.
After a long pause, Sasori finally asked, "Tobi… no, that man—is he coordinating with us this time?"
Konan nodded. "We're in the Land of Birds to capture the Four-Tails. He's heading to the Land of Lightning to capture the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails."
"And Sasuke's over in Iwagakure."
"Three simultaneous moves. That red-haired kid can't be everywhere at once…"
Kisame grinned. "Not a bad plan—but are we sure Itachi's little brother can be trusted…?"
As they talked, the trio entered a dense forest.
The sound of rushing water echoed through the trees.
Suddenly, a Venus flytrap-like plant sprouted from the ground—it was Zetsu, the one in charge of intelligence.
After appearing, Zetsu pointed ahead into the woods.
"Just beyond that waterfall is where Rōshi trains."
"Be careful, everyone."