Is it worth it?

They quickly fell into a disadvantageous position.

Even though they tried their best to escape, they were eventually surrounded by Yagura and his men.

The final result was... Biwa Juzo used the Kubikiribōchō to forcibly intercept a Tailed Beast Bomb, saving Itachi... but he was pierced through the chest and abdomen by the shattered blade and died on the spot.

These were trivial matters; to the Akatsuki, dying due to a lack of strength was simply what one deserved.

Pain looked at Kakuzu and asked, "What about Orochimaru? Why don't I see him? Did he die in battle as well?"

Before Kakuzu could answer, Itachi calmly stated, "I ran into Orochimaru on the way. He attacked me, and I defeated him using Genjutsu."

The Akatsuki members couldn't help but glance over; the dignified Sannin being defeated by your Genjutsu was a bit absurd.

"So... did Orochimaru defect again?"

A faint light flickered in Pain's purple Rinnegan.

On the surface, Akatsuki members were not allowed to attack one another, but since Orochimaru had attacked Itachi and was now nowhere to be seen, what else could it be but a defection from the Akatsuki?

Kakuzu's eyes lit up, and he volunteered, "Leader, shall we hunt down Orochimaru? Let me go."

In the black market, the bounty on Orochimaru was over a hundred million.

Sasori said, "Then add me to the list."

Pain did not refuse, and the team to hunt down Orochimaru was thus decided.

"Zetsu, do you have any intelligence on the golden Rinnegan?"

Pain looked toward the man with the yin-yang face.

Zetsu shook his head and said, "None. I suspect that what Orochimaru released might be false information."

This was a lie.

Ever since learning that a second pair of Rinnegan might exist in the Ninja World, Zetsu had been acting like a madman, fully mobilizing his informants spread across the Ninja World to collect vast amounts of information.

He had finally confirmed that there was indeed a hidden pair of Rinnegan in the Ninja World.

He didn't know exactly who held them, but he had managed to find the woman Orochimaru mentioned.

She was currently wandering in the Land of Fields and was being monitored by a White Zetsu.

Pain was silent for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "Regardless of whether it is true or false, you must search diligently until we capture Orochimaru and confirm it."

"Understood."

Konan spoke up, "There are many miscellaneous tasks now, and the organization lacks personnel. We need to recruit more."

As she finished speaking, Konan handed out a wanted poster for everyone to see.

"Uchiha Obito, S-rank missing-nin. He single-handedly orchestrated the Nine-Tails Incident, caused the death of the Fourth Hokage, and led to the Uchiha clan massacre..."

The more they read, the more shocked they became. This guy... was truly fierce.

Even though they were all individuals with impressive battle records, compared to Obito, they still seemed to pale in comparison.

Kakuzu said, "Leader, are we planning to recruit Uchiha Obito into the organization?"

Sasori said, "I admit he has the qualifications to join the organization."

Pain said, "There is no need. He has always been in our organization... isn't that right, Tobi?"

Tobi?

What did Tobi have to do with this?

Kakuzu and Sasori were stunned and turned their heads to look.

They saw Itachi opening a pair of scarlet Mangekyo, staring fixedly at Tobi, his killing intent overflowing.

"What is... going on with you two?"

Outside the Akatsuki base, a fine rain was falling.

After the meeting ended, Itachi waited for Obito.

"Itachi, are you blaming me for deceiving you?"

Whoosh!

The response to Obito was a Shuriken. Itachi launched an attack on Obito, his hands moving in a blur as he spat out a ball of flames.

"The name of Madara is merely for my convenience in acting. I am not Madara, but that does not mean my strength is weak."

Obito walked out of the flames unscathed, not even a wrinkle on the hem of his robe.

"My strength remains the same. Does it matter whether I am Madara or not?"

Looking at the intangible Obito, Itachi sighed in his heart. What a troublesome situation...

"Senior is right."

Itachi stopped his attack and said flatly, "It is just that... Senior Obito promised me that you would no longer take action against Konoha, yet now you have violated that promise..."

Obito said immediately, "Forgive me, Itachi, this is the last time."

It sounded exactly like the words Itachi used when dealing with his younger brother.

Itachi suppressed the subtle feeling in his heart, turned around, and left, leaving behind a single sentence: "You had better mean it."

--Konoha--

After staying in the hospital for two days to have his body and the seal checked, and confirming that nothing had gone wrong, Naruto Uzumaki was finally allowed to be discharged.

Returning home, the house had already been repaired, showing not a single trace of the battle.

The wood carvings displayed in the cabinet were all there as well.

Looking at the various characters from the second dimension in different poses, Naruto Uzumaki rested his chin on the back of his hand, pondered for a long time, and took out a Fu Hua from among them.

"It's time to find a moment to make a second one..."

Knock, knock, knock...

The sound of knocking came from the door. Naruto Uzumaki put the wood carving back into the cabinet, drew the curtains to cover it, and then turned to open the door.

The visitor was the Third Hokage. He entered the room, offered a few words of concerned greeting, and then placed a stack of money on the table, followed by a scroll.

The money was for living expenses, two thousand ryo, which was four times the original amount.

However, Naruto Uzumaki was no longer short of this little bit of money.

The scroll contained a ninjutsu, the Shadow Clone, which he said was a discharge gift.

However, Naruto Uzumaki had already mastered this ninjutsu long ago.

"Thank you, old man."

Naruto Uzumaki, whose heart remained completely calm, expressed his sincere gratitude.

The Third Hokage smiled, took a deep drag of his pipe, and exhaled two puffs of white smoke from his nostrils, thinking that Minato was just being overly anxious; how could such a good child ever feel disheartened?

"Little Naruto, do you know about your own background..."

Should I know?

Naruto Uzumaki thought quickly and nodded, saying, "I know."

By common logic, it would be strange if he didn't know.

"Stinking old man, going on and on, he's still just unwilling to announce Naruto Uzumaki's identity. What kind of excuses is he looking for, claiming he has his reasons? Bah..."

Inside the Sealing Space, Kushina cursed the Third Hokage angrily.

"Mom, there's no need to be angry. The Third Hokage is right; announcing my background now really isn't appropriate, as it would hinder Dad's reputation."

After seeing off the Third Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki's spirit entered the Sealing Space to comfort Kushina and tell her not to be angry.

"Bullshit! How would it hinder his reputation? If announcing your background would hinder his reputation, then that reputation isn't worth having."

Kushina habitually tugged on her son's ear, warning him not to have such abnormal thoughts.

Naruto Uzumaki, of course, nodded repeatedly, saying, "You're right, you're absolutely right, so could you please let go?"

Kushina let go and continued to vent her anger at the Third Hokage through the air, then said to Naruto Uzumaki, "All the faults lie with the Third Hokage. Naruto, you must not blame the entire Konoha, you hear me?"

Naruto Uzumaki's mouth twitched: "Mom, what are you worried about? I'm not some fragile soul; I won't suddenly lose my mind and take revenge on society..."

"That's good, but if you absolutely must, then take revenge on those who are actually at fault."

Kushina looked as if she had let out a sigh of relief.

Naruto Uzumaki couldn't help but roll his eyes. You really are worried that I'll become like Obito...

In the Land of Fields, Orochimaru walked out of the forest and appeared before the shadow.

"You've stayed in the Land of Fields all these days without leaving, just to find me?"

Is it really necessary? We have no grudges between us; just because I took a few extra looks, is it really necessary for you to pursue me so relentlessly?