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Capturing the Six-Tails had been effortless. After extracting the beast from Utakata, Hualong hadn't held back. As the jinchūriki, Utakata met his end.
Leaving the body where it lay, Hualong and Sasori turned and headed back toward Amegakure.
By the time they returned, the members tasked with capturing the Four and Five-Tails were also back.
The missions for the Eight and Nine-Tails had been called off by Pain.
"We must first seal the captured beasts," Pain told the returning Hualong. "Then we will commence the plans for the Eight and Nine-Tails."
Hualong nodded in understanding.
For the next month, the Akatsuki remained in Amegakure, conducting the sealing of the three tailed beasts.
News of three tailed beasts being captured simultaneously spread like wildfire, sending shockwaves throughout the shinobi world.
"Three tailed beasts… taken at once!" Nara Sōsai's expression was grim.
The One through Seven-Tails were now all in the Akatsuki's hands. Only the Eight-Tails of Kumogakure and the Nine-Tails of Konoha remained.
"Lock down all information about Naruto being at Mount Myōboku," Tsuruki rubbed his temples. "Erase the memories of any shinobi who know his whereabouts."
Nara Sōsai nodded. "Understood."
No matter what, Naruto could not be allowed to come to harm.
"A storm is brewing," another voice sighed in the office after Sōsai left.
Jiraiya, finally released, had slipped past the guards and into the Hokage's office. Tsuruki was used to his clandestine entries; his expression didn't change.
He walked to the window, watching the bustling streets below. "I will protect Konoha."
Jiraiya let out a hearty laugh. "I believe you!"
"For now, I'm staying in the village too!" He clapped Tsuruki on the shoulder, forcing a cheerful tone. "Can't let you shoulder this alone!"
…
Amegakure.
The tailed beast sealing was complete.
Tobi, Zetsu, and Sasuke Uchiha set out on the road to Kumogakure.
"Prepare to depart, Konan," Pain said to the woman beside him. Their destination was Konoha.
"I'm coming with you." Hualong stepped forward, his gaze resolute.
"You will remain in Amegakure," Pain replied, his tone flat as he glanced at Hualong.
"The others can guard the village. I am coming with you!" Hualong planted himself in front of Pain.
Pain froze for a moment, startled to realize Hualong was now as tall as he was.
"No…" The refusal died in his throat as Hualong cut him off.
"I'm not a child anymore! I can fight alongside you! I won't be left behind again!" Hualong's voice was raw, a plea wrapped in steel.
The words stuck in Pain's throat. Konan's body went rigid beside him.
They understood. The first to leave them behind had been Yahiko. The second to abandon their only family… had been Hualong himself. Apart from Nagato and Konan, Hualong had nothing left.
How could they bear to abandon him again?
A soft sigh escaped Konan's lips.
Pain relented. "Very well."
…
Land of Lightning.
Kumogakure.
Cloud Rapture Gorge.
A small boat moved across the calm sea.
Tobi gripped the oars, huffing and puffing as he rowed. "I'm exhausted! Are we there yet?"
Zetsu, sitting calmly in the boat, nodded. "This is the place."
Sasuke stood at the stern. He knew this place well but said nothing.
Tobi tossed the oars aside, hopping from the bow to the stern to confront Sasuke. "Hey! Uchiha Itachi's little brother! Why didn't you lead the way? Are you a spy?"
Sasuke genuinely believed Tobi had a few screws loose. He ignored the accusation. "You knew the way. Why would I need to lead?"
His cool gaze swept past Tobi, landing on the island ahead. He was the first to leap from the boat, landing smoothly on the water's surface. In a few bounds, he was on the shore.
Zetsu and Tobi followed.
"Here we are!" Zetsu confirmed.
Tobi, emboldened, turned to Sasuke. "Hey, new guy! You go call out the Eight-Tails jinchūriki!"
Sasuke stared. "…And how am I supposed to do that?"
"You're good friends with him, aren't you? Of course you can call him out!" Tobi retorted with a mocking laugh.
Sasuke's mind raced. Their intelligence is disturbingly specific.
"Sasuke!" A booming voice echoed from deep within the island.
A massive figure landed in front of Sasuke with a thud.
"Yo! Sasuke! Back so soon?" Killer B's eyes sparkled with genuine delight.
Sasuke: "…" Bro, read the room first before catching up.
"Hmm?" Killer B finally noticed something was off. Sasuke's forehead protector…?
His eyes went wide. No rap today. "Sasuke… you defected?"
Sasuke adjusted the Akatsuki cloak. "Isn't it obvious?"
A flicker of panic shot through Killer B, followed by immediate calm. Oh right! He's undercover! I saw it myself!
His expression shifted so fast it left Tobi and Zetsu bewildered.
"Uchiha Sasuke!" Killer B bellowed, launching into a dramatic performance. "How could you be so ungrateful! My brother taught you ninjutsu! I taught you kenjutsu! And you betray us? Betray the village?"
He wore an exaggerated mask of heartbreak.
Sasuke Uchiha: "…" I betrayed Konoha. I betrayed the Hokage. I'm not even from your village.
Tobi and Zetsu were stunned by the wailing. For a moment, they questioned whether Sasuke was a Konoha or Kumo shinobi.
"I'll have you know! The Eight-Tails isn't easy to capture! And I, Killer B, am not easy to deal with!" B brandished several swords between his fingers.
"Go on then!" Tobi jerked his chin at Sasuke, then pulled Zetsu aside to spectate.
Sasuke Uchiha: "…"
Facing the onslaught of B's dense swordplay, Sasuke drew Kusanagi to parry.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG-CLANG!
Steel rang against steel.
B maintained his furious facade, his blades a swirling, impenetrable wall. Sasuke's attacks couldn't find an opening.
Can't fool them without showing some real skill. Sasuke trusted B's strength.
After deflecting a thrust aimed at his face, Sasuke sheathed his blade and leapt back.
Simultaneously, violet-blue chakra erupted around him. Lightning crackled and coiled over his body like serpents.
Lightning Release Chakra Mode. Under its influence, Sasuke's speed would reach terrifying levels—a blue streak.
Not yet at the Fourth Raikage's level, whose speed rivaled the Fourth Hokage's, but impressive enough.
Sasuke vanished from B's sight.
Reappeared. A fist wreathed in violent lightning aimed straight for B's heart.
THWUMP!
Sasuke's face met something soft and fleshy.
The next instant, he was launched backward, smashing into a distant cliff face.
A thick octopus tentacle waved triumphantly behind B.
Tobi: "…" Looks like I have to step in. A three-tomoe Sharingan was too much of a handicap against a perfect jinchūriki.
He vanished.
Reappeared behind Killer B.
A flash of his blade. Two massive tentacles hit the dirt.
"YOWCH!" B instinctively howled.
Gyūki: "Does it hurt?"
Killer B: "Huh? Actually… no!"
Gyūki: "Of course not! They're my tentacles! Why are you screaming?"
Killer B: "…Good point!"
Tobi stored the severed limbs in Kamui. His Sharingan spun furiously, the Mangekyō pattern beginning to imprint itself on Gyūki's mind.
Using the Sharingan to control a tailed beast was the perfect method.
Sasuke, surfacing from the water, saw the spinning Mangekyō in Tobi's eye. His pupils contracted.
An Uchiha? But there are no missing-nin, no disappeared clansmen in recent years. A transplanted eye? He'd never heard of any clansman besides Shisui, Sōjurō, Ayako, his father, and Itachi awakening the Mangekyō.
As he pondered, the Mangekyō pattern slowly solidified in Gyūki's eyes.
Shit. Sasuke's heart clenched. He was an infiltrator, not a true member. And given his bond with B, he couldn't just watch the Eight-Tails get extracted.
Do I expose myself? His hand drifted toward his own eye.
The moment he resolved himself, a familiar roar cut through the air.
"THIS OLD MAN WILL SHOW YOU AKATSUKI SCUM THE MIGHT OF KUMO!"
The massive form of the Fourth Raikage landed before Killer B. His presence broke the genjutsu's hold on Gyūki.
From the distant towers of Kumogakure, four massive energy cannons locked onto Tobi.
Zetsu: "…"
"Uchiha Sasuke! You've truly disappointed me!" The Raikage remembered his role. He fixed a complex, pained stare on Sasuke. His acting wasn't as natural as B's, but it passed.
Sasuke remained silent. Less said, fewer mistakes.
Tobi's mood sank. One perfect jinchūriki was manageable. Adding a Kage changed everything. B and Gyūki could easily break free from the Sharingan's influence with the Raikage's support.
"Let's go. The tentacles hold plenty of the Eight-Tails' chakra," Zetsu advised, appearing beside him. No need for a stalemate. The Eight-Tails could be left for Madara. Or for Hualong.
Tobi nodded. Appeared before Sasuke. The trio vanished.
"Seems Sasuke's deep inside," B remarked once they were gone.
The Raikage, ignoring him, felt his usually sluggish brain kick into high gear for the first time. "If they targeted Gyūki… then Konoha…?"
"They won't let the Nine-Tails go either!" B said.
"But don't worry, big bro!" B slapped the Raikage's shoulder reassuringly. "The Hokage is way stronger than us!"
"True enough," the Raikage murmured, lips pressed tight.
Yet, his heart wouldn't stop pounding. This feeling… it hadn't happened since his father died.
He took a deep breath, voice booming as if to convince himself. "THE HOKAGE IS STRONG! HE'LL BE FINE!"
…
Konoha.
The village sat on a vast plain, surrounded by dense forest.
Now, not far from its towering walls, figures materialized from thin air.
Hualong, Konan, and the Six Paths of Pain.
"First, we locate the Nine-Tails jinchūriki," Pain said.
"The Preta Path will draw their attention. The Animal Path will infiltrate and summon us inside to create confusion."
Konan nodded. "Understood."
Hualong nodded as well.
"Remember. Our primary objective is to find and capture the Nine-Tails jinchūriki," Pain emphasized.
Hualong's mouth twitched. He should be reminding himself. The one who wanted to "make them feel pain" was standing right here. Pain himself seemed to forget why he'd really come.
The Preta Path breached Konoha's barrier.
In a silent chamber, several sensory ninja maintaining the barrier snapped their eyes open.
"Report to the Hokage! An intruder!"
"How many?" a messenger ninja asked urgently.
"One."
"Understood."
A figure flickered into the Hokage's office. "Lord Hokage! One intruder has breached the perimeter!"
Tsuruki froze for a split second, then shot to his feet. "Acknowledged. Dismissed!"
He turned to Nara Sōsai. "The Akatsuki are faster than I anticipated."
"Indeed," Sōsai replied, brow furrowed.
Tsuruki strode out, donning his Hokage robe as he issued commands. "Alert all street patrols to immediately guide civilians to shelters! Dispatch ANBU squads to confirm intruder numbers! Have the Medical Corps coordinate with ANBU on standby…!"
"Yes!"
"Understood!"
"On it!"
Figures shot off in every direction to relay his orders.
The Preta Path became a moving target the moment it entered Konoha. To all observers, it was a lone attacker.
Meanwhile, the Animal Path, having slipped in during the chaos, formed hand seals.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
POOF!
White smoke billowed. Figures solidified within it.
"Split up," Pain ordered, his gaze shifting between Konan and Hualong.
After a final look, Hualong peeled off in a different direction. The others dispersed.
The Animal Path remained, hand slamming to the ground once more.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
ROAR!
Deafening cries tore through the air.
Splitting Dog. Hell Crab. Giant Bird. Chameleon. Bull. Rhino. Panda. Centipede…
Countless massive, vicious beasts materialized, their colossal feet crushing Konoha's streets.
The village once famed for its prosperity was reduced to ruins.
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