The Beginning of a Mistake

Amegakure, Akatsuki's base.

"I've gathered everyone here for one person, someone who has posed a slight threat to our existence..." Pain said calmly, looking at the two rows of organization members below him.

"Who is this person who has gathered us all together?" Kakuzu said, somewhat jealous.

"I'm sure you've all heard this person's name more than once. In fact, three people in our organization have fought against him. First, Kakuzu defeated him when he was young. Then, Itachi attacked Konoha and lost to him. Finally, Deidara fought him and didn't even force him to use his full strength. I'm sure you all know this person very well. Now, his existence is a threat to our organization that is beyond our imagination..." Pain said solemnly.

"So it was him, huh..." Kakuzu snorted softly, still feeling lingering fear about what happened back then. If he hadn't managed to escape by sheer luck, he would probably be a pile of bones by now, no, perhaps not even bones left, long ago turned into a pile of Kitsuchi...

"..." Itachi frowned slightly, clearly worried about the unstable factor of Issui. Apart from that person, no one could make him feel so uncertain. His defeat in the battle with him was not only due to his own physical condition, but also because Yishui had already gained strength that was no less than anyone standing here. Perhaps his existence could help Konoha survive more tenaciously. If he were in charge, he would probably have a better chance of defeating that man.

"Oh... is he really that powerful? Why not sacrifice him to the Lord Jashin? He'd surely be very pleased with this offering... Deidara, it seems your training isn't enough. Abandon your art and join me in worshipping the Lord Jashin, hehehe..." Hidan out. You may fear him, but I don't. I am immortal, hahaha...

"Shut up! You want to taste my art? Then come on..." Deidara was enraged. How dare you mock my art? Do you have a death wish? Come on, I will sublimate you and your Lord Jashin, and make you understand true art!

"Wow, Deidara- senpai and Hidan- senpai are going to fight! Who should I support? I'll support Deidara- senpai, since I'm on Deidara's side now. Hey, Deidara- senpai, let me see your art!" Tobi, as if he wanted to stir up trouble.

"What are you talking about? Believe me or not, I'll let you taste the scythe first..." Hidan looked at the arrogant Tobi and was furious. It was one thing for Deidara to challenge me, but this newcomer also wanted to humiliate me. How despicable.

"Oh no, Deidara- senpai, you have to protect me! Hidan -senpai is going to kill me..." Tobi cried out in terror, crawling behind Deidara and clutching his clothes.

"Quiet! You all need to be mindful of the situation. We're all teammates in the same organization, so it's best not to start any fights. Otherwise, if I find anyone who's detrimental to the organization's development, I'll be the first to eliminate them. Also, Tobi, as a new member, you should show more respect to your seniors..." Pain's deep voice rang out, devoid of any warmth, as if it could freeze one's soul.

"Hmph..." Deidara and Hidan simultaneously snorted at each other, but stopped their provocations, indicating that they still had some respect for Pain.

Hiding behind Deidara, Tobi feigned a tremor, a sliver of crimson light emanating from his mask that revealed only one eye. "Hmph, Nagato, though you're the nominal leader of Akatsuki, you're merely a pawn in my game. The moment your value vanishes, you'll cease to exist in my sight. There you go..."

"Alright, Deidara, give us a brief overview of his strength. After all, you're the only one who truly understands his current power. Itachi only managed to stall him with Genjutsu Magic Lantern Body Technique; he didn't actually assess his true strength. You, on the other hand, fought him for quite some time, so you must have some information about him by now..." Pain said expressionlessly.

"Hmm, I understand part of his strength, but not all. This guy's combat awareness should be top-tier, his Hand Seals are very fast, and his speed is about the same. His Chakra reserves are astonishing; the surging Chakra energy in his body is comparable to that of Tailed Beast, and its quality is also very high. He has a strange ninja beast with a lion's head and a tiger's body, which he can walk on. I'm not sure about its specific strength, but these are secondary. These alone are not enough to trouble me. What I fear most about him is his spatial ability. He can freely travel into a space to evade my attacks, and then reappear after the attack is over, making him impossible to touch or hit. I've used up a lot of Explosive Clay, but it hasn't done anything to him. He hasn't even used a single advanced Ninjutsu... Although I haven't defeated him, I've still been able to analyze the characteristics of his spatial ability..." Deidara said quietly.

"What are its characteristics?" Kisame couldn't help but ask.

"Entering his space from this world takes no time, but there's a three-second buffer between entering this world from that space. This gives the enemy time to prepare. If you attack him the instant he enters this world, he'll have a very hard time dealing with it..." Deidara said calmly. If his Earth Release hadn't been countered by his Lightning Release, his C4 Karura would probably have succeeded...

"Hmm, it seems his strength has increased again. From the sealing ability Kakuzu mentioned, to the fire ability during Konoha's collapse, and finally the space-time ability, his growth is getting faster and faster. Hmph, everyone, when you encounter him while hunting Tailed Beast in the future, you must work together to eliminate him. For now, we don't need to focus on dealing with him. Once all the Tailed Beast are captured, he won't be able to cause any trouble. Let's disperse. Just keep an eye on this person in the future. Our main task right now is still capturing Tailed Beast. The One-Tail has been captured, and next up is Kumogakure, the Jinchūriki of the Two-Tails from Yugito..." Pain concluded, and then instantly disappeared...

"It's our performance time now, let's go, Kakuzu, don't let little Deidara underestimate us..." Hidan glanced at Deidara and said casually.

"Hmph, I'll keep a close eye on things..." Deidara snorted heavily.

Konoha Hokage Konoha.

"Lord Hokage, you want me to carry out this mission alone?" Issui was somewhat puzzled. Tsunade was actually sending him alone on a mission to the Land of Demons. He remembered that it wasn't like this in the anime of his previous life. It seemed that all the countries had sent troops, and Naruto, Neji, Lee, and Sakura were protecting the priestess. This time, he was going to be all alone. Wouldn't that be too lonely...?

"Given that Konoha has a lot of missions lately and everyone is too busy to handle everything, we think it's best to send you, Konoha's Star of Hope, to complete this mission. Among Konoha's current outstanding young First, you are the strongest, and it's best for you to complete this mission..." Tsunade said while tidying up the documents on the table.

"No way... The information says this Undead Army of the Moryo is pretty powerful. Can I handle it alone?" Issui said helplessly. "You guys are so irresponsible!" "It's not that serious. As long as the Moryo are sealed by the priestess of the Land of Demons, everything else will be easy. Your main responsibility is to protect the priestess of the Land of Demons of Demons to the location where the demons are sealed. Don't worry about the rest; we'll handle that. The key is your side. This mission cannot fail; it must be completed. Rest for one night, and we'll set off first thing tomorrow morning!" Tsunade said simply, not giving Issui time to react, and immediately dismissed him.

"!!!" Issui glared resentfully at Tsunade, then sullenly Earth Flow of the Hokage's office. Damn it, they're really disrespecting me! They just dumped me in the Land of Demons like that! So inhumane! Only one night, and they're leaving tomorrow? Are they kidding me? Even slaves need rest! So, I'm free labor? Are they kidding me?

Seeing Issui's listless appearance, Shizune covered her mouth to stifle her laughter. Issui-kun looked like a stray dog. Lady Tsunade really something... sending him on this mission alone! She originally planned to send Naruto, but Lady Tsunade changed her mind...

Watching the Issui, Tsunade chuckled softly. "Now that's more like a child," she thought. "Consider this a trial for him. Since I entrusted him with this mission, it's clear I've already accepted him. He will become a pillar of Konoha. With him and Konoha by our side, Konoha will surely reach the heights of the First and Second once again. "Naruto

Hyuga Clan.

"Kurenai-sensei, please don't go back today. Stay at my house. It's so late, and I'm really sorry to have kept you company while you trained for so long..." Hinata said to Kurenai, who was sitting opposite her, as she cleared the table.

"That's not a good idea, I'd better go back. It's not far..." Hong said, frowning.

"Let's stay here for the night. There's no one else at home, and besides, Issui-kun hasn't come back yet. You can sleep in my room, and I'll go to his. Issui went to do a mission with Kakashi-sensei and the others, and he won't be back for a few more days. It's just me and Sister Haku at home. Father and Mother won't say anything if they find out. If it's this late and I make Kurenai-sensei go back, Father will say I'm being inconsiderate..." Hinata said earnestly, tugging at Kurenai's sleeve.

"Yes, Senior Hong, why don't you stay at home? After all, you're not an outsider..." Bai said, holding Xiao Zhixuan in her arms.

"Alright... seeing how sincere you are, I'll stay for one night..." Hong looked at the two girls and had no choice but to agree to their request. Staying for one night shouldn't be a problem, right?

"Great! Come, Kurenai-sensei, let me take you to my room. Please feel free to stay here tonight, Kurenai-sensei. Everything will be fine. My room is very clean, Kurenai-sensei will definitely feel comfortable here..." Hinata was overjoyed to see that Kurenai had agreed. Great! Kurenai-sensei agreed...

PS: In the next chapter, the protagonist will spark a romance with Hong. Please add it to your favorites!