Showdown

"Please, tell me. I'll help however I can."

"I want you and Yamato to help Naruto control the Nine-Tails!"

After obtaining Danzo's intelligence network, many things Jiraiya had not understood suddenly became clear. However, some matters could only be buried in his heart. Danzo's death could not be made public either. As Konoha's second-in-command, if people learned that he had simply died within Konoha, the village's prestige would be swept away. Some ambitious figures might well set their sights on Konoha.

After sending warnings to the major ninja villages, Jiraiya planned to visit the Land of Rain. No matter the reason, he felt that this so-called Hanzo was somewhat strange. He even delayed Naruto's training for it.

Akatsuki, Tailed Beasts—he had a feeling the Ninja World was about to descend into chaos. What exactly should he do next? It was all too chaotic, yet he also felt these pieces of intelligence were inextricably linked.

Nagato controlled Pain and suddenly said to Konan, "Sensei has come again. This time, he seems to be trying to investigate the central area where we are."

Konan's pupils widened slightly before narrowing again. She said coldly, "Should we kill him?"

"...Wait a little longer." Pain watched Jiraiya moving about in the Land of Rain, seemingly lost in thought. But one thing was certain: the moment Jiraiya intended to come to Pain's location, Pain would kill him.

Then he suddenly received a message from Kakuzu... "Adamantine Sealing Chains, the Uzumaki Clan?" Pain pondered it, only to receive another message from Zetsu the next moment. "The Uzumaki Clan again?" Just as the organization had begun to display its strength, members of the Uzumaki Clan appeared one after another, as though foreshadowing something.

Or perhaps those two people were actually the same person?

Black Zetsu also sensed that something was off. But as the mastermind manipulating the Ninja World from the shadows, he had absolute confidence that he could turn any unfavorable outcome around. At worst, he would merely have to wait a little longer to revive Mother.

Still, whether it was members of the Uzumaki Clan or this so-called Uchiha Gen, those who had appeared recently were absurdly strong. And they had all appeared so suddenly, as if they had emerged from thin air. It made Zetsu feel a trace of unease. Since their power had been accumulated almost sufficiently anyway, should they start collecting the Tailed Beasts ahead of schedule?

Pain suddenly noticed a hurriedly glossed-over detail in Kakuzu's report. The mask worn by this Uzumaki Clan member was the same as the one worn by Uchiha Gen, Akatsuki's new trainee. Repeated masks were unavoidable, but this was far too much of a coincidence.

Could all of this have been arranged by Uchiha "Madara"? But what would be the purpose?

In the Land of Rock, Ōnoki of Iwagakure slammed his fist onto the table in fury. Though he had hired Akatsuki before, he had only considered them useful. He had never believed they possessed the strength to threaten him.

But when he combined the information Jiraiya had sent him with the investigation at the scene, the disappearance of the Five-Tails Jinchuriki was likely inseparable from Akatsuki.

Still, Ōnoki dismissed Jiraiya's proposal for an alliance. How strong could a mere Akatsuki possibly be?

Meanwhile, in Kirigakure, the Fourth Mizukage Karatachi Yagura, who was controlled by Obito, merely replied flatly, "Understood," to the message sent by Jiraiya and the objections raised by several members of the council of elders.

As for Kumogakure and Sunagakure, one believed strength came solely from charging headfirst, while the other had already lost its Kazekage. They could only guard against their own One-Tail; they were powerless to do anything else.

In the Konoha office, Uzumaki Reikawa frowned. "Isn't this a little too hasty? For something like this, it would be best to wait until Naruto is older and has gained enough strength before he can possibly form an equal relationship with the Nine-Tails."

Tsunade had not expected Uzumaki Reikawa to say that. Her gaze flickered, but her eyes soon turned weary.

Tsunade knew that she was indeed being a little too impatient.

But dealing with those stubborn old fools alone had already exhausted Tsunade mentally. Danzo had left behind a huge mess that required manpower to take over, and now an Akatsuki had appeared from nowhere, gathering S-rank rogue ninja from every village. They intended to collect the Tailed Beasts. The Five-Tails had already been captured—who would be the next Tailed Beast?

Seeing this, Tsunade no longer intended to beat around the bush. From her probing over the past few days, Uzumaki Reikawa was wary of Konoha, but at least he was not hostile. And now, Konoha needed Uzumaki Reikawa's strength...

"Uzumaki Reikawa, there truly were hidden circumstances surrounding what happened back then. We cannot say we bear no responsibility at all for the outcome. We will give you an explanation for that.

But since you still chose to join Konoha, I hope you can trust us. Your ability may become one of our trump cards against Akatsuki in the future. You know what Akatsuki is, don't you?"

Uzumaki Reikawa nodded silently. It was as though he had put away his disguise, and his entire aura suddenly sank. "Yes."

Tsunade sighed in relief and took the opportunity to settle these matters. "I will not pursue your previous concealment or anything else. I hope you can introduce yourself again now. Konoha will always be your home."

Uzumaki Reikawa seemed to think for a moment before speaking. "Uzumaki Reikawa, a surviving descendant of the Uzumaki Clan. I possess Adamantine Sealing Chains. As for my purpose: to live..."

On Uchiha Gen's side, facing Projection Pain's questioning, he took out a huge bundle of masks from his bag. They were all white-faced masks, piled on the ground as if this were a wholesale market. Then he pointed at Itachi.

Itachi wore a helpless expression as he also took out the mask Uchiha Gen had previously given him.

Pain: "...How many people have you given this mask to?"

Uchiha Gen scratched his head. "Not many, just two or three, I guess? I don't remember their names. But one of them had red hair, and that left quite an impression on me. Mainly because he seemed to be hiding from romantic debts at the time. I did a good deed and lent it to him, but he still hasn't returned it."

...Fine, everything matched up again. Yet Black Zetsu still remained suspicious. In just a few years, Mother would be able to break free of her seal. He absolutely could not allow these inexplicably appearing people to ruin his plan.

As for Uchiha Gen being recruited by Obito? Perfect. Black Zetsu had no intention of letting Obito's influence grow. It was enough for him to obediently act as a tool and complete the Eye of the Moon Plan. More deeply, Black Zetsu simply felt inexplicably uneasy. In his view, both Uchiha Gen and the so-called Uzumaki Clan had to die!!

All he needed to do was leak a little information, make Nagato suspicious of Uchiha Gen, and convince him that Uchiha Gen's existence posed a threat to his plan.

But this needed to be carefully planned. After all, not long ago, Uchiha Gen had helped the organization capture the Five-Tails.

Pain was also weighing the pros and cons. According to the intelligence White Zetsu had previously delivered, Uchiha Gen was very strong—perhaps stronger than any two members of a single team.

Especially during this critical period of collecting the Tailed Beasts, making an enemy by force would undoubtedly be unwise. Moreover, Uchiha Gen had done nothing wrong. Even if Pain personally acted, with that space-warping ability similar to Uchiha "Madara," Pain could not guarantee that he could keep Uchiha Gen behind.