A Devil's Hand Reaching for an Angel

Five days is enough time for an ordinary ninja squad to cross half of the Land of Fire.

It was during these five days that Itachi and Kisame, who were located in the northern part of the Land of Fire near the border, finally managed to cross the border and enter the Land of Land of Grass.

The Five Great Nations do not share a direct border; instead, they are connected by numerous Small Nation that serve as buffer zones.

The Land of Grass, truly lives up to its name.

Unlike the Land of Fire, which is lush and green, with a sea of trees stretching as far as the eye can see, the Land of Grass appears much more gloomy and somber.

In particular, the vegetation here is mostly Jungle Swamp, making the environment more gloomy and damp than that of the Land of Fire.

Two people, dressed in Red Cloud Black Cloak with cloud patterns and wearing Wind Chime Hat, walked forward with extremely elegant steps, one on each side.

The Tree Shadow on both sides rustled in the shadows.

A few leaves hanging high in the treetops drifted down eerily, and the weasel walked on Budong, still maintaining his cold and aloof demeanor.

But those who know him well know that Itachi is already getting impatient.

"The twenty-third time." A faint voice rang out, revealing Itachi's displeasure.

Kisame shrugged and said helplessly, "What can we do? We're both S-rank Rogue Ninja, and our bounties are quite substantial!"

Shadows moved about in the shade of the trees; this was the twenty-third time they had been attacked by Bounty Hunter.

This wasn't something Itachi hadn't encountered before; after all, as a wanted criminal with a hefty bounty on his head in Konoha, he was mentally prepared.

But in those few days of traveling, he was ambushed twenty-three times. Even a clay figure would have some temper, let alone Itachi Uchiha!

A glint One Flash in Kisame's eyes, then disappeared.

Although he didn't understand why Tōka wanted him to do this, it was just a minor matter to delay the process of capturing the Four-Tails.

Itachi glanced at Kisame for no apparent reason, and his aura suddenly changed.

Clank!

Within the wide sleeves, a slender hand clenched into a fist, two Shuriken slipped between the fingers, their sharp points flashing with a cold light.

"Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" Itachi raised his Sword Hand Seal, took a deep breath, and then blew out a burst of flames, like the fruit of Phoenix Sage Flower.

He raised his hand and flicked the Shuriken his fingers. The rapidly spinning Shuriken cut through the air, splitting into two, then into four.

In the blink of an eye, the number of Shuriken equaled the number of fireballs, overlapping in pairs to form a Shuriken burning with flames.

"Earth Release: Earth Style Wall!" With a low shout, a thick earthen wall burst forth from the ground, blocking the Shuriken imbued with Phoenix Flower Fire.

Bounty Hunter dares to attack two S-rank Rogue Ninja must have some skill.

The Phoenix Flower Jutsu, when combined with Shuriken, can enhance the power of the Jutsu Formula, but Itachi never intended to use this method to defeat the enemy before him.

The first move is often a probing attack.

Itachi secretly gave a hand signal, Kisame immediately understood the tactic, wielding his Samehada and dashing directly into the crowd.

The battle had barely begun when it was already over.

A little over fifteen minutes passed...

The once lush primeval forest is now a ruin, the soft, damp ground bare like a plucked pheasant.

It was a battle with no suspense whatsoever; Itachi and Kisame had no intention of killing them all.

These parasites are impossible to eradicate completely; it's better to release some back to deter others. This will also allow us to smuggle out the two individuals' information.

That's right, Kisame did it on purpose. He shook Samehada in his hand, shaking off the bloodstains and bits of flesh that were stuck to it.

Standing at the edge of the Forest, Kisame looked up at the Forest below and saw a dense cluster of houses forming a Town.

"There's a Town ahead, shall we stop there to rest?" Kisame's fighting style was bold and unrestrained, and after more than twenty battles over the past few days, his body was inevitably stained with blood.

"Let's go," Itachi replied casually.

Having reached an agreement, the two quickly left the Woods, their figures disappearing straight at the end of the path on the Small Mountain.

At this moment, a white figure slowly emerged from the ground; it was none other than a White Zetsu that had followed them to monitor the two.

Kisame managed to extend the three-day journey to five days, and now the two have just crossed the border into the Land of Grass.

"Itachi seems to have become suspicious." White Zetsu secretly recorded the two's movements before sinking back into the earth.

The small town on the border of the Land of Grass borders the Land of Fire. It is the most threatened place during times of war, but the most prosperous place during times of peace.

Merchants and travelers from the Land of Fire enter this border town as their first stop upon entering the Land of Grass.

A diverse array of people came and went, and no one was surprised to see two men in Coat.

"There's a Hot Springs Inn over there, wanna try it?" Kisame pointed to the Hot Springs Sign at the end of the street.

Itachi walked on silently, not uttering a word, but his steps were already moving in that direction.

Kisame narrowed his eyes. Itachi-san was acting strangely today!

However, he was merely doing his duty by delaying the mission's progress. Now, five days have passed. Has Mr. Itachi noticed something?

He shook his head, banishing those chaotic thoughts from his mind.

Kisame, carrying the Samehada on his back, followed in Itachi's footsteps, neither of them noticing a figure closely following them in the crowd.

The Land of Water, one of the Five Great Nations.

The Kirigakure Ninja Village is an island nation with a unique culture. Although its territory is surrounded by sea, it also has many mountains.

Thick fog often blankets the sea. Suddenly, a gust of wind blows by, and a huge white bird can be seen flying low over the sea.

Two people stood on the back of the giant bird. One had flowing blond hair tied in a high ponytail, while the other was hunched over and hidden in a large Coat.

"Brother Scorpion, which direction is the Three-Tails from again?"

The thick fog obscured visibility, and Deidara dared not raise the giant bird to a high altitude; even at low altitude, it was difficult to see beyond a hundred meters.

Tōka's order was to delay the mission's progress, so the two of them intentionally or unintentionally slowed down their pace toward the destination. Taking a trip on company-funded travel wouldn't be bad either.

"Fog is not a good time to travel. Let's find a place to rest and then take a boat over," Scorpion said after a moment's thought.

Upon hearing this, Deidara controlled the giant bird, flapping its wings and soaring towards the nearest island.

The giant bird used the Kirigakure itself, bypassed the pirates' main beach, and flew towards a cliff on one side. Both of them were S-rank Rogue Ninja wanted by the Five Great Nations, and it was inappropriate for them to fly directly to the island on a giant bird in such a high-profile manner.

However, Sasori and Deidara were not very lucky.

As the giant white bird flew towards the cliff, it encountered two dark figures passing by. They were the Pursuit Unit from Kirigakure and the rogue Rogue Ninja from Kirigakure engaged in battle!

Immediately, both sides ceased their attacks and jumped back to create distance.

The three of them stared at each other, and an eerie silence fell over them.

Tōka casually tossed the intelligence Scroll Black Zetsu handed him aside, leaned back lazily on the sofa, and said leisurely, "Ten days. Whether it's the capture of the Three-Tails or the Four-Tails, it must be carried out after ten days."

"Ten days? Sasori and Deidara are fine, but what about Itachi..."

Black Zetsu hesitated. Itachi was an extremely shrewd person; Kisame's deliberate delay over several days had probably already been discovered.

Kisame will likely have a hard time holding out for ten days.

"Kisame can't do it, so why don't you lead some Konoha Ninja there?" Tōka coldly curled the corners of his mouth. "Also, tell Nagato about the Six-Tails."

With the Akatsuki Organization's two remaining teams dispatched, and information about the Six-Tails appearing, Nagato will definitely be uneasy.

Tōka's goal was simple: to lure Nagato away from the Land of Rain.

"What do you want to do? If you want to retrieve the Rinnegan, can't you just take action directly with your strength?" A glint of light flashed in Black Zetsu's eyes, followed by a puzzled expression.

He was probing, trying to get Tōka to say something through words.

Black Zetsu didn't know how strong Tōka was, but he had a vague feeling that Tōka was definitely no weaker than Nagato.

"As I've already said, Nagato is a pawn whose benefits outweigh his drawbacks, and I won't make a move against him until he's fulfilled his purpose."

Tōka expressionlessly, her ink- Black Zetsu eyes seemingly able to see through Black Zetsu's thoughts.

Black Zetsu's heart tightened slightly, but his face remained calm and composed as always.

"Nagato's body has reached its limit in controlling the Rinnegan; he can no longer serve as a vessel for Mother. Therefore, Nagato needs to use the Reanimation Jutsu to revive Uchiha Madara."

Seeing that Black Zetsu had backed down, Tōka slowly spoke.

Do you think Nagato will obediently use the Reanimation Jutsu?

"No way!" Without even thinking, the words burst from Black Zetsu's mouth. How could that Nagato possibly obey?

Moreover, there was Konan, who was extremely hostile towards them, and this woman would definitely hinder their plans.

A shadow fell over Black Zetsu's eyes. According to Akatsuki's intelligence, Tōka was a "dead man," and with his power, he was not even worth Nagato and Konan's attention.

"Nagato is a stubborn person, and also a fearless guy." Tōka's hand rested on the sofa, and he felt a soft touch on his palm.

Black Zetsu stood silently to the side, knowing that Tōka had not finished speaking.

After a pause, Tōka continued, "However, Nagato also has a weakness."

"His weakness is Konan!" Black Zetsu suddenly realized that Tōka planned to use Konan to control Nagato.

But it's not that easy, is it? How do we do it?

Sensing the questioning look from Black Zetsu, Tōka grinned wickedly, "That's where your help comes in."

"Me?" Black Zetsu, bewildered.

"The Six-Tails Jinchuriki's strength is quite good. You leaked information about Pain's Six Paths abilities to the Six-Tails Jinchuriki."

Wherever Nagato Original Body, Konan will be.

If Tōka wants to tamper with Konan's body, he must separate the two of them, even if it's just for a few minutes.

Under what circumstances would Konan, Original Body is constantly protecting Nagato, leave?

The answer is, when you have no choice but to leave.

"If the goal is simply to lure Konan away, it seems easier to succeed within the Land of Rain." Black Zetsu hesitated for a moment before voicing his doubts.

"You're right, the Land of Rain is Akatsuki Organization's base. Land of Rain and Konan aren't as vigilant there." Tōka nodded in agreement, but Black Zetsu overlooked one Nagato.

One point that made Nagato and Konan lower their guard!

Rain Tiger At Will Technique is one of the abilities residing in the Rinnegan. Nagato infuses his chakra into the rain, creating Sensory Ninjutsu that allows him to control it freely.

In Amegakure, it rains almost constantly. This rain is created by Nagato using chakra to form Rain Clouds, which then bring down rain.

Every drop of rain that fell during the technique's activation was closely connected to Nagato's senses.

Tōka could infiltrate unnoticed without any problem, but to infiltrate and attack Konan without anyone noticing was something he simply couldn't do!

"I see. So, how do you plan to deal with Konan?" Black Zetsu asked intently.

"Give her a small gift."

The Land of Rain, shrouded in a misty rain.

Black Zetsu made no attempt to hide himself, letting the rain fall on him, as if to tell Nagato that he had arrived.

Inside the Tower, the cold-faced Deva Path and Konan were already waiting.

"Something wrong?" With members of both groups dispatched, the Akatsuki Organization in the Land of Rain was practically empty.

Despite having Nagato Six Paths of Pain, the Akatsuki Organization was incredibly powerful.

But Nagato dared not be careless; he continued to monitor every corner of the Land of Rain.

"The latest news we've received concerns the Six-Tails Jinchuriki." Black Zetsu magically produced a Scroll from his robes and presented it with both hands.

The Deva Path stretched out a hand, its five fingers forming a claw as it grabbed the Scroll from the air and drew it into its grasp.

The Six-Tails Jinchuriki, Rogue Ninja from Kirigakure in the Land of Water, uses Utakata -type Ninjutsu and excels at wide-range attacks. He can also fuse with the Six-Tails' acid abilities to increase the power of his Jutsu Formula.

It has appeared in the Tsuchigumo Clan.

"Six-Tails- Tails..." After quickly scanning the information on the intelligence Scroll, Deva Path fell into thought, but he made a decision after a short while.

"Konan, I've decided to go myself."

"Sasori and Deidara should be close to capturing the Three-Tails by now. After the Three-Tails capture is over, send them to..." Konan's words were Teuchi Deva Path.

"I plan to have them go directly to capture the One-Tail. Sasori is a ninja from Sunagakure, and he's the only one who knows Sunagakure best."

The Deva Path's task allocation was very reasonable. The Art Group, which had the highest mobility, captured the Wild Three-Tails and then went to Sunagakure to bring back the One-Tail.

Itachi and Kisame were responsible for the stronger Four-Tails Jinchuriki.

In order not to disrupt the previous plan, only he personally took action as the Six-Tails Jinchuriki.

"The Land of Rain..." Konan reminded her, "If all the official members of Akatsuki Organization leave the Land of Rain, it will become an empty shell."

"We must go and return quickly." Deva Path made the final decision with a decisive stroke.

A triumphant glint One Flash in Black Zetsu's eyes. Just as Tōka had predicted, Nagato and Konan had personally set out to capture the Six-Tails.

More than that, Black Zetsu was curious about the Tōka was preparing to give to Konan.

What exactly is it?