"Five targets are good, but it's not entirely these five. Some of them need to be replaced by Zetsu's spore clones."
Feng Xu was murderous but not indiscriminately so; he always distinguished between gratitude and grudges.
For Teuchi and Ayame, who had always been very kind to Naruto and had no other ulterior motives or intentions,
Feng Xu naturally wouldn't let them die and become Pain's Six Paths puppets.
Because in the world of Naruto, everyone possesses Chakra.
So Feng Xu planned to use White Zetsu to obtain Teuchi's Chakra and transform.
Just like Kisame's feigned death in the original story, it was a transformation jutsu that made it impossible for others to distinguish.
Moreover, he was going to deal with Konoha, and these two, father and daughter, would certainly be affected if they stayed in Konoha.
This was a good opportunity to bring them back to Four Stars Village and let them open a ramen shop there.
In short, the five wall-breaking targets Feng Xu chose for Naruto were:
Jiraiya, Sakura, Iruka, Teuchi, and finally, Sasuke.
Ichiraku Ramen only needed Teuchi as a representative, and Sasuke, his good friend, was definitely indispensable.
Just like Teuchi, Sasuke would also be replaced by a White Zetsu transformation.
As for the other three… Heh, they were merely false bonds arranged to die and become puppets!
"Substitute?" Pain was a little puzzled.
Feng Xu chuckled softly: "For the targets that need to be replaced, Zetsu will bring them to me."
"You only need to deal with the people delivered to you."
Zetsu, whose name was called, immediately nodded in response.
"I have no problem. Spore clones have already gone to the targets that need to be replaced."
Pain, having received the answer, nodded: "Then I'll trouble you."
Saying that, he looked around at everyone: "If there's nothing else, then let's disband…"
Hearing the word "disband," one by one, the illusions quickly vanished.
In the blink of an eye, only Pain and Konan remained.
Konan saw that only the two of them were left, but Pain didn't withdraw; instead, he frowned in thought.
She immediately asked, somewhat puzzled: "Pain, what's wrong?"
"I always feel something is off… Never mind, it's nothing."
The current Akatsuki Organization gave Pain a strange feeling.
It was as if the leader wasn't him, but Feng Xu.
And regarding Itachi and Kisame, no one even asked about them!
Before, everyone was so nosy, asking all sorts of questions during meetings!
Did they just assume Itachi and Kisame would die in Four Stars Village?
Just as he thought of this, Konan's comforting voice sounded from beside him.
"They probably guessed Itachi and Kisame's deaths, which is why they're acting a bit strange."
"Don't overthink it. Our plan is about to succeed, and we won't need them anymore after that."
"Let's hope so…"
Pain, with a bad premonition lingering in his heart, sighed and dispelled the Outer Path: Demonic Statue of the Outer Path technique.
Chapter 215: Capture Operation in Progress
Whoosh!
Zabuza, having just exited the Outer Path: Demonic Statue of the Outer Path technique, quickly pulled back.
Bang!
Where he had stood, a fist connected by a black thread punched through the wooden floor.
The flying wood chips from the floor hit Teuchi and Ayame, who were tied up, gagged, and huddled together not far away.
"Wuwuwu!!!"
The two whimpered, huddled together and trembling.
They were clearly terrified by the sudden infighting between their two kidnappers.
"Tch, you old geezer, you're only capable of this much."
"If it weren't to see if the Boss had any more instructions, I would have come out a moment before you and chopped off your head!"
Zabuza, standing in the distance, crossed his arms over his chest.
His cold eyes held a mocking sneer, fully displaying the demeanor of a master.
"Hohoho, little bandage dog, didn't you invent this game first?"
"What, you can't beat this old man, so you can only attack with weak words?"
"But it doesn't matter, I can make five mistakes, but you can only make one!"
"As long as I get your heart, the Four Stars Boss will have to find a new pet dog, hohoho…"
Kakuzu, who was evenly matched with Zabuza, withdrew his fist with a strange laugh.
Ever since Zabuza was the first to rush out a year ago and smash his somewhat smelly bounty target,
the two had completely formed a rivalry, a life-and-death one.
So, usually, when Akatsuki meetings ended, the two would run out the fastest.
Their goal was to get out a moment earlier to ambush the other.
It had already become a traditional act between them.
For this, Kakuzu had had his head chopped off three times, losing three hearts.
Zabuza had also been punched through the chest once by a tentacle fist.
Fortunately, it was his right chest that was injured, so Kakuzu didn't take his heart to turn it into his water-style heart.
"Hmph, it seems you want your head chopped off again."
Zabuza snorted coldly, untying the bandage from his right eye, revealing Shisui's Mangekyo.
Although the Kotoamatsukami Genjutsu still had a cooldown of more than ten years,
the inherent Sharingan's insight, replication, and hypnotism abilities greatly enhanced Zabuza.
Especially the effect of this Genjutsu hypnotism, which was particularly prominent.
The fact that he could chop off Kakuzu's head three times before was inseparable from this powerful Genjutsu hypnotism effect.
Moreover, he didn't have to run out of Chakra due to the Sharingan's consumption like Kakashi!
After all, he had Tailed Beast Chakra provided by Feng Xu as a supplement in his body.
With such a massive supply, let alone one Sharingan, he could afford a whole body full of Sharingan!
If he were to go back to fighting Kakashi more than a year ago,
Zabuza felt that his current self could chop off Kakashi's head and kick it around like a ball in a few rounds!
"You're just a pet dog barking, relying on your master's weapon."
"If it weren't for the worry of exposure, I would have taken your heart today!"
Seeing the Sharingan, Kakuzu uttered a harsh threat, then turned and walked towards the completely dark outside.
"Let's go. At this time, the target has already left the Ninja Academy. It's time to begin the capture."
Zabuza also re-covered his Sharingan.
After creating a Water Clone to guard Teuchi and Ayame, he sneered and followed him out.
"How truly envious."
"Even if I am the Boss's pet dog, you are merely a guard dog the Boss bought from the Akatsuki Organization!"
"If you want to receive rewards like me, then bark a few more times, bark nicely, you idiot!"
Having been continuously bestowed with powerful strength by Feng Xu, Zabuza's sense of shame had long disappeared.
Or rather, it wasn't gone, but only power could provide a sense of shame. Facing a strong opponent like Kakuzu,
if Feng Xu hadn't given him powerful strength and the Sharingan, he wouldn't even have the right to speak to Kakuzu like this.
Let alone infuriate Kakuzu to the point of near death, yet still be helpless against him.
He planned to return to Hidden Mist Village to resolve his personal issues once his employment agreement with Feng Xu expired.
Finally, he would return to Four Stars Village and serve under Feng Xu with peace of mind.
Especially that kid Haku, in his recent letters, he was getting along very well with a young girl named Karin.
Zabuza now only wanted to quickly complete the mission and return to Four Stars Village for a visit.
To prevent that naive little brat Haku from being deceived by some bad woman!
Thinking of this, an unidentifiable rage surged within Zabuza.
His Body Flicker speed also increased significantly, and he instantly surpassed Kakuzu, heading to the ambush location.
Kakuzu also narrowed his eyes slightly, his speed quickening again, and he swiftly caught up with a whoosh.
The image of an unyielding old man came to life on paper… Outside the Tsuchigumo Clan's fortress.
Kakashi and Yamato, with Naruto and Sakura, landed before this strange, rectangular, elevated terrain.
"Amazing, this terrain!"
Looking at the towering pillar in front, Naruto exclaimed.
"Is that the Tsuchigumo Clan's fortress? It looks so strange!"
Sakura, next to Naruto, also looked curious.
Yamato then reminded them: "There are two people below the fortress ahead. They should be the mission targets."
Kakashi, at the very front, gave the order: "Let's go take a look."
As the group approached, they saw a troubled-looking young girl excitedly pulling an old man beside her.
"Tonbee, the adults from Konoha are here!"
The old man named Tonbee looked helpless: "Lady Hotaru, stop pulling, my old bones are going to fall apart…"
"I-I'm sorry!" The girl named Hotaru quickly let go, but still whined.
"Grandpa Tonbee, you must make the Konoha adults help me find Lord Utakata."
"It's been over a month since he went missing; he must have encountered danger!"
The "Lord Utakata" Hotaru mentioned was none other than the Six-Tailed Jinchuriki who was captured over a month ago.
Because he hadn't been found for over a month, she had been pestering Tonbee to find Konoha Ninja for help.
"Alright, alright," Tonbee said, his tone full of doting.
But looking at Kakashi and the other three approaching, his expression became complex.
He had called the Konoha people this time not simply because Hotaru was whining about finding someone.
But because he had been threatened by two mysterious people, prompting him to seek help.
"Sigh, I hope the right people came. Otherwise, asking Konoha for help a second time will surely be misunderstood…"
Shaking his head with a light sigh, Tonbee quickly went to meet them.
Chapter 216: The Art Duo Makes Their Move