Takumi didn't expect the battle to end so suddenly.
Ultimately, he had overacted.
Made others sense something was off.
Otherwise, he could have continued this battle.
But unfortunately, there was no "if".
His Lightning Release Chakra Mode hadn't reached its limit, but it was close.
Turning back, he saw Konan standing on a tree branch.
Then he saw, to his surprise, Konan give him a slight smile before transforming into countless papers and flying away.
Watching her fly away, Takumi's surprise faded, and a smile tugged at his lips.
His conquest of Konan seemed to be progressing steadily.
He believed it wouldn't be long before he could fully win over this woman with a tragic past.
"Good job, but next time something like this happens, remember to inform us."
Kakashi came to his side, patting his shoulder. "We are your comrades, aren't we?"
"It was just sudden, I didn't have time."
Takumi scratched his head, smiling shyly. "And the enemy was too strong. I was worried they'd cause too much damage to Konoha, so I had to choose a location far away from the village."
"..."
Kakashi looked around. The forest within a one-li radius was gone, replaced by an empty plain.
The aftermath of their battle was so terrifying that even the remnants of trees were reduced to dust and blown away.
"Still, try to leave some clues next time, so we can seize the opportunity."
Kakashi said seriously. "That way, we'd have enough time and might even capture that Akatsuki's member and Orochimaru."
"I'll keep that in mind."
Takumi nodded, but inwardly he didn't think Kakashi could capture them.
Konan, for one, could just turn into paper and fly away; basically no one could stop her.
Orochimaru, in his weakened state, was extremely cautious about his safety.
Whenever he went out, he would definitely have several escape plans ready.
Capturing him without him noticing was basically impossible.
In the art of escaping, Orochimaru was a top-level expert.
"Alright, let's head back. You must be hungry after fighting for three days?"
Kakashi smiled, putting his arm around Takumi's shoulder. After the previous battle, Takumi's shirt was tattered, so he simply tore it off, revealing his muscular upper body.
"I am a bit hungry."
Takumi touched his abs and felt obvious hunger.
So, what troubled him wasn't stamina, but hunger.
That was inevitable.
He still needed to eat.
The Anbu stayed behind to collect any possible evidence.
Kakashi quickly brought Takumi back to Konoha.
Just as Takumi was feasting at a Yakiniku Q restaurant,
In the hidden base of the Akatsuki in Amegakure,
Obito, who had been absent for a while, finally returned.
He had been thinking about how to deal with Takumi.
The intel he gathered from various sources made him realize dealing with Takumi was extremely troublesome.
But everyone has weaknesses; he just hadn't found Takumi's yet.
Arriving at the base's main hall,
He looked in surprise at the other Akatsuki members.
Except for Konan, Kakuzu, and Zetsu, everyone else was there.
And their behavior surprised him.
Sasori was making his puppets, which was understandable; puppets were Sasori's entire combat strength.
And Sasori was worthy of the title a puppet-making genius.
The puppets he made had astonishing defense and considerable combat power.
They were very balanced in all aspects.
Deidara was purifying clay, something Obito hadn't seen him do before.
Previously, Deidara only purified some clay to carry when going on missions.
He was very confident in his clay bombs' power, so he didn't carry much.
Sometimes he ran out of clay.
But he never learned his lesson.
Kisame had created a huge water sphere, merging with Samehada inside, charging around wildly, obviously also training.
Hidan, as usual, was worshipping his Jashin-sama.
But where he usually just worshipped occasionally, now it seemed he had been kneeling for a long time, even pounding his head so hard against the ground that he'd made a considerable crater.
His head was naturally bloody, looking very terrifying.
The one making the biggest commotion was Itachi.
Without the burden of going blind, he had directly summoned his Susano'o and was continuing to perfect it.
For Itachi, Susano'o was his strongest combat power.
Perfecting Susano'o was naturally improving his strength.
He wanted his Susano'o to have greater speed, like Takumi's had been.
Previously, Itachi had the risk of blindness.
So although he always kept his three-tomoe Sharingan active, he rarely used his Mangekyo abilities.
But now,
That risk was gone.
He could confidently use Susano'o to enhance his strength.
If Itachi's blatant training surprised Obito,
Then another person's actions completely shocked him.
In the center of the room,
Pain floated in the air, arms outstretched, eyes closed in concentration.
Then,
He suddenly opened his eyes and accurately pulled over two training iron blocks from the corner.
The attractive force of Bansho Ten'in was very strong; they reached Pain's side in almost an instant.
Just as the heavy iron blocks were about to hit him, a powerful repulsive force suddenly erupted around him.
Shinra Tensei!
Pain didn't expand the range of Shinra Tensei; he just used the instantaneous powerful push to send the iron blocks flying like cannonballs.
Boom! Boom!
Two explosions, and the iron blocks were deeply embedded in the wall.
Everyone was used to it; this wasn't the first time Pain had done this.
At first, they would turn to look.
But now, they were accustomed to the occasional loud noises.
Fortunately, Kakuzu wasn't there.
Otherwise, he would definitely be constantly complaining.
Since he managed the finances, repairing these damaged walls would definitely cost money from his pocket.
Such avoidable expenses would surely lead to Pain being scolded by Kakuzu.
Kakuzu didn't care who it was; anyone who wasted money, he wouldn't easily let off.
Obito watched everyone's efforts. He had been thinking about how to deal with Takumi, but now he felt deeply gratified.
'It seemed everyone's hearts were united.'
Even Itachi, whose loyalty to the organization might be questionable, was performing very seriously.
He was pleased.
However, despite being pleased, he hadn't forgotten his identity.
So, using his Tobi voice, he said, "All the seniors are so diligent. Is it to deal with that treasure from Konoha?"
"Huh?"
Deidara saw Obito and immediately frowned.
He ignored his clay, walked up to Obito, and without hesitation slapped the back of his head.
"You Tobi!"
Deidara shouted angrily at the stunned Obito. "All the seniors are working hard, and you, this half-hearted guy, where have you been?"
"With your half-hearted level, if you don't work harder, you'll be left far behind by us seniors!"
"Don't forget, our organization only accepts elites. A half-hearted guy like you, if you fall behind, just wait to be kicked out!"
Deidara rattled off a long tirade like a machine gun.
He was obviously very angry.
And as he spoke, he kept slapping the back of Obito's head.
Everyone else was used to it.
Deidara bullying the newcomer Tobi was commonplace.
Sometimes Sasori and Kakuzu would join in.
But in the eyes of Pain and Itachi, who knew Obito was hiding his identity, Deidara's behavior was a bit suicidal.
'Aren't you afraid that guy will get angry?'
Although they didn't know Obito's true identity, they knew he was no pushover.