In the underground command center of the Divine Court headquarters, the atmosphere was completely different from just a few days ago.
In the past, this place had relied on messenger ninja and scrolls carried by summoned beasts to update information, and intel was always delayed.
Now, on the huge holographic sand table, the map of the Fire Country was covered by an invisible grid.
Dozens of lights flickered over that grid, each one representing an intelligence node.
Jiraiya's voice echoed through the hall via an amplification jutsu, clear and steady, without a trace of noise.
He himself was currently far away in the Hot Springs Country, testing the communicator's maximum range.
"...The temperature of the hot springs is just right, and the hostesses are very hospitable. I believe it's necessary to establish a permanent intel station here for long-term observation. Over."
The Hyuga in charge of communications kept a blank expression as he recorded this, then cut the line.
Jiraiya had already begun treating this era-defining invention as some convenient personal tool.
On the other side of the sand table stood the representative of the Aburame clan, Shibi.
He kept his eyes closed, linking via clan secret techniques to intel insects scattered across every region.
Every few minutes, he would open his eyes and report a string of coordinates and data to the recorder by his side. When it came to work, he was meticulous and relentless, not slacking in the slightest.
The Aburame clan really were unrivaled in this field.
These data streams were immediately fed into the system. Tiny lights representing bug surveillance shifted across the sand table, updating the movements along the borders in real time.
The fusion of forbidden techniques and technology had turned Konoha's intelligence system into a precisely operating machine—its efficiency was terrifying.
Suddenly, in the northeast corner of the map, near the Water Country border, one light turned from safe green to a glaring red.
A streak of red data was projected straight onto the massive screen at the front.
"Not good! This is… top-priority intel," the monitoring ninja said, his tone turning urgent. "Source: codename 'Zhunan' intel group, operatives stationed at the Water Country border."
'Observed Akatsuki member Hoshigaki Kisame. Accompanied by one unidentified individual, self-identified as "Tobi," wearing an orange, single-eye spiral mask. The two have already crossed the border and are heading toward the large lake region east of the Mist Village.'
'Based on their course and intel along the way, their likely target is the wild Sanbi Isobu (Three-Tails Isobu).'
Standing before the sand table, Namikaze Shinju locked his gaze on the two red moving markers that had appeared on the map according to the incoming report.
These two were, with near certainty, moving to capture the Three-Tails.
The markers were advancing quickly, on a straight line.
"Tobi…"
Shinju murmured the name softly.
Because of his interference, this world had undergone enormous changes.
The Uchiha clan massacre had never happened, and the tragedy of the Nine-Tails' Night had been prevented.
Uchiha Obito, who should have been the mastermind pulling strings from the shadows, had never stepped onto the stage.
He was like a venomous snake, lurking in the darkest corner, waiting for an opening.
Akatsuki's earlier operations—Kakuzu, Hidan, Sasori, Deidara—had been more like test pieces tossed forward by this hidden puppeteer to probe the world's reaction.
Now that those pieces were mostly gone, he was finally ready to move personally.
"Hoshigaki Kisame—formerly one of the Mist's Seven Ninja Swordsmen, wielder of the greatsword Samehada, with chakra reserves rivaling a tailed beast. An extremely dangerous opponent," Itachi said, standing beside Shinju. He had studied Akatsuki's intel and was familiar with their members. "His Suiton (Water Release) ninjutsu can exert unbelievable power in watery environments. The lake they're headed for will be tremendously advantageous to him."
Kakashi's attention, on the other hand, was fixed on the codename "Tobi."
"A newcomer who partners with someone like Kisame," he said. "Akatsuki's core members always move in pairs. That means this Tobi's strength has been acknowledged by Nagato. But the intel archive is completely blank on him—that alone is highly abnormal."
"We need to dispatch an interception unit immediately," Minato said. He had already walked up to the map and started calculating the ideal interception point. "The Three-Tails must not fall into Akatsuki's hands. Once they gather all the tailed beasts, the consequences will be unimaginable."
Sanbi Isobu (Three-Tails Isobu) was currently the only tailed beast without a jinchuriki, roaming wild. It was a necessary piece of Akatsuki's Tsuki no Me Keikaku (Eye of the Moon Plan).
For Shinju, it was also an extremely important research subject, and the later strengthening of the heroic spirit legion required an enormous supply of chakra.
This time, the enemies were Kisame and the masked Uchiha Obito. They were no longer the "eccentric artists" and oddballs from before.
Everyone in the command center waited silently for Shinju's decision.
"This time…"
Shinju's voice broke the momentary silence.
"Minato. Kushina. Shisui. Sakumo. Tobirama."
Each name represented the pinnacle of an era.
"I'll go myself."
His decision was simple and direct.
Minato froze for a moment, wanting to speak up, but Shinju's gaze stopped him.
"Father, Mother, Konoha's defenses need you," Shinju said. "Akatsuki's modus operandi is always strange. We can't rule out a diversion tactic. The village's safety is the highest priority."
He looked at Minato and Kushina. The two exchanged a glance and nodded. They understood well that Minato's Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique) and Kushina's Kongō Fūsa (Adamantine Sealing Chains) were the village's most impregnable shield.
Shinju's gaze turned toward the other three.
"Shisui."
Shisui stepped forward.
"Your Kotoamatsukami (Distinguished Heavenly Gods) might be able to deal with the masked man's dōjutsu. I need your support in the realm of genjutsu."
"Sakumo."
Sakumo took a step closer, his hand habitually resting on the hilt at his waist.
"Kisame is a hybrid of taijutsu and ninjutsu, terrifyingly strong in close combat. I need your blade to tear open his defenses."
"Lord Tobirama."
Tobirama stepped forward. His sensory abilities had already merged with the entire communication network; the flow of chakra across the whole Fire Country was mapped in his mind.
"The masked man most likely also possesses jikū ninjutsu (space-time ninjutsu). I need your Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique) to lock down the battlefield and provide tactical repositioning. Your sensing will let us pick up the enemy's movements in the first instant."
The three legendary ninja said nothing, but their actions expressed absolute compliance.
Finally, Shinju looked at Kakashi and Itachi.
"Kakashi, Itachi, you two stay here at the command center. Through the communicators, you're my eyes and brain in the rear. I need you to integrate all intel and provide me with real-time tactical analysis and backup."
"Understood," they replied in unison.
The orders were issued in just a few dozen seconds—clean and precise.
Shinju picked up a custom-made communicator and placed it on his ear.
"Move out."
He didn't waste another word.
Tobirama formed a one-handed seal, and a complex formula blossomed across the floor.
He, Shinju, Shisui, and Sakumo stepped into the center of the formula. Light flared, and the four of them vanished from the command center.
Minato stared at the now-empty floor and clenched his fist.
He knew how extraordinary the significance of this battle was.
This wasn't only about capturing the Three-Tails. It was also a crucial clash where the Divine Court would once again display its strength to the entire ninja world—especially to Akatsuki.
At the same time, on the route to the Water Country—
Shinju, Tobirama, Shisui, and Sakumo appeared atop a mountain peak.
Along the way, Tobirama had already left Hiraishin marks at several hidden relay points, allowing them to cross vast distances at the highest possible speed.
"Target locked." Tobirama closed his eyes as his immense sensory field expanded outward. "One hundred and twenty kilometers to the southeast, two enormous chakra sources are moving at high speed. One is cold and massive—that's Hoshigaki Kisame. The other… is very strange. It flickers in and out, unstable, as if some technique is concealing it."
"That's Obito's Kamui," Shinju thought, fully understanding.
He raised his head and looked toward the Water Country. The sky in that direction was overcast.
This time, he would use overwhelming power to drag the man behind the mask completely out of the shadows.
He would make Uchiha Obito—and Nagato and Konan behind him—clearly understand just what kind of enemy they were facing.
An enemy they could never hope to defeat.
Despair would begin at that great lake, then spread until it engulfed all of Akatsuki.
(End of Chapter)
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