Land of Lightning - Coastal Town
The surface of the Shinobi World was eerily calm, like the brief tranquility before a storm.
Uchiha Itachi and Kisame Hoshigaki had been searching the Land of Land of Lightning for half a month, but still hadn't found any trace of Orochimaru. They changed into the clothes of ordinary travelers; Itachi wore a dark cloak, while Kisame wore a straw hat to conceal his shark-like face. The two mingled in markets, taverns, and docks, trying to piece together clues from rumors.
Finally, in a tavern in a fishing port, they obtained some clues.
"A while ago, a boat set sail in the middle of the night and never returned," muttered a drunken old fisherman. "The boat wasn't big, but it was incredibly fast; it wasn't like an ordinary fishing boat..."
Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly, his Sharingan appearing and disappearing in the shadows.
"Orochimaru..." he murmured to himself. "The Five Great Shinobi Villages are keeping too close an eye on our land bases, so he chose the sea?"
The vast ocean stretches to the horizon; if Orochimaru were truly hiding on some isolated island, finding him would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Kisame, carrying Samehada, stood on the shore, gazing at the rolling waves, and grinned. "Itachi-san, it seems we'll have to prepare a boat."
Itachi didn't respond immediately, but instead recalled the information brought by Zetsu's clone two days prior—
"I've found quite a few of Orochimaru's bases, but unfortunately they're all empty." Zetsu's voice carried a hint of mockery. "However, perhaps you should make a trip to the Land of Hot Water."
At the time, Zetsu did not explain the reason, but Itachi immediately thought of one person— Naruto Uzumaki.
Jiraiya is currently traveling in the Land of Land of Hot Water with Naruto and the girl from the Uzumaki Clan. If Nagato decides to act ahead of schedule because of the prophecy of the Heavenly Screen, then the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is undoubtedly the top priority.
"Pain... is he about to make his move?"
A rare moment of hesitation flickered in Itachi's heart.
Should we continue investigating Orochimaru, or head to the Land of Hot Water to prevent Naruto from Nagato attack?
Kisame seemed to sense his thoughts, glanced at him sideways, and grinned. "What's wrong, even Itachi-san has moments of indecision?"
Itachi was silent for a moment, then said calmly, "Kisame, do you think... the organization's current actions are really proceeding according to the original plan?"
Upon hearing Kisame turned his gaze to the distant horizon, his thoughts drifting back to the past of Kirigakure.
--That Masked Man who calls himself "Madara Uchiha" hasn't appeared for a long time.
Ever since the battle of Madara Uchiha was revealed by the Heavenly Screen, that man seemed to be deliberately avoiding all Akatsuki members. Kisame even suspected that the man had simply gone into hiding because his disguise had been exposed.
"Heh..." Kisame chuckled softly. "Who knows? That guy's so secretive; he could even control the Fourth Mizukage for so many years. It's not surprising he's hiding now."
A profound glint flashed in Itachi's eyes.
The Masked Man's true identity may be more complex than imagined.
"Let's go." In the end, Itachi made his decision.
"Oh? Where to?" Kisame asked with interest.
"The Land of Hot Water." Itachi's voice was calm yet firm.
Kisame grinned, revealing sharp teeth. "Interesting. Let's go meet the legendary Sannin then."
The waves crashed against the rocks, and the two figures gradually disappeared into the distance.
And behind them, in the unseen shadows—
A white clone slowly sank into the ground, a strange smile curving its lips.
Underground, dark cave
The shadow of Black Zetsu slowly writhed, like viscous darkness, silently spreading across the rock wall.
During this time, he searched almost the entire Shinobi World, but still couldn't find any trace of the Six-Tails Jinchuriki, Utakata. That cunning Utakata ninja seemed to have completely vanished; even the White Zetsu spores couldn't track his Chakra fluctuations.
"What a bunch of useless trash." Black Zetsu's voice was low and cold, his scarlet pupils flashing in the darkness.
He had originally pinned his hopes on those greedy bounty hunters and missing-nin, offering hefty rewards to hunt down Naruto Uzumaki, but what was the result?
A bunch of overconfident fools, they didn't even manage to touch Naruto's Kakuzu before being completely wiped out!
Worse still, after this series of attacks, the blond kid has grown rapidly in actual combat. He can now easily control the Nine-Tails Chakra and even cooperate with Jiraiya to carry out tactics.
"Miscalculation..." Black Zetsu's fingertips dug deeply into the rock wall.
But he quickly calmed down.
--It's okay, no matter how strong Naruto is now, he's still far from reaching the level of the "Six Paths" shown in the Heavenly Screen.
As long as we nip it in the bud before it truly becomes a threat...
White Zetsu clone emerged from the ground, grinning as it reported, "Latest intelligence~ Naruto Uzumaki and his group are still within the Land of Land of Hot Water. Besides Jiraiya, there's also that sensory ninja from the Uzumaki Clan. Oh, and Konoha has also sent six Anbu to protect them in secret~ Quite a formidable lineup~"
Black Zetsu snorted coldly.
Jiraiya, Karin Uzumaki's sensory abilities, six elite Anbu...
With this setup, unless four or more core members of the Akatsuki are dispatched, it would be impossible to break through the defenses and capture the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki in a short time.
"What's going on Nagato?" Black Zetsu asked in a deep voice.
White Zetsu tilted his head. "Pain? He hasn't been paying attention to the Nine-Tails lately~ Ever since the Heavenly Screen revealed the power of Six Paths Madara, he's been relentlessly asking for clues about the ' Six Paths Power '~"
Black Zetsu's pupils suddenly contracted.
The Heavenly Screen revealed too many secrets, especially the scenes of Six Paths Madara controlling the Ten-Tails and gaining the Six Paths Power Heavenly Screen Nagato. He even directly questioned Black Zetsu: "How did Madara Uchiha obtain that power?"
At that time, Black Zetsu could only give vague answers and fabricate some half-true and half-false information to get by.
"We can't delay any longer..." Black Zetsu's thoughts raced.
If Nagato completely breaks free from control, or even turns around and investigates the truth about the Six Paths Power, then the millennium-long plan will be in vain!
We must capture the Nine-Tails as soon as possible!
Ever since the Heavenly Screen revealed Madara's Six Paths Madara power, Pain's attention has been completely focused on finding clues to the Six Paths Power. Black Zetsu knows that this "pawn" is now gradually slipping out of his control.
--We must speed up the plan.
His thoughts quickly swept over the Akatsuki's current fighting force:
Deidara and Sasori are currently collecting materials in the Land of Crafts and will be difficult to recall in the short term.
Kakuzu and Hidan can be used—as long as they are told the exact location of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, given Kakuzu's greed for the bounty, he will definitely act immediately. But these two alone are far from enough to break through Jiraiya's defenses.
Itachi and Kisame were already on their way to the Land of Hot Water, but Itachi's thoughts... Black Zetsu's pupils contracted slightly. This Uchiha Clan genius was always someone he couldn't fathom.
"That Obito guy..." Black Zetsu's voice carried a hint of annoyance.
Ever since the truth about "Madara Uchiha" was Heavenly Screen, Obito has completely disappeared. During their last contact, he claimed he would personally deal with Orochimaru, but so much time has passed without a single word from him.
"If he were here, the plan would be foolproof..." Black Zetsu thought coldly.
But then I thought—if Obito could really take this opportunity to eliminate Orochimaru, and even deal with Sasuke Uchiha at the same time, that would be a good thing. After all, in the future shown in the Heavenly Screen, these two are huge variables.
"Hmph..." Black Zetsu's lips curled into a cold smile. "In the end, these guys are just pawns."
How could a millennium-old plan crumble because of a mere celestial Heavenly Screen?
His figure slowly sank into the rock wall, leaving behind only a sinister command:
"Notify Kakuzu that the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is in the Land of Hot Water."
"As for Itachi and Kisame... let them go and test the waters first."
--The game is over, but the outcome is still uncertain.