[Moon]

Hearing Koko's unwavering refusal, Raiga Kurosuki abruptly raised his head and earnestly pleaded:

Please reconsider. I know you're a good person!

I knew it from the moment you chose to cover the retreat yourself and let your men evacuate first when our Mist Village Army surrounded and attacked you!"

Completely oblivious to the sudden darkening of Koko's face, Raiga Kurosuki continued speaking with increasing urgency:

"That guy who claims to be Madara is far too dangerous. We absolutely cannot let Ranmaru stay by his side! That kid..."

"Stop talking such naive nonsense, you don't deserve it!"

The angry shout interrupted Raiga Kurosuki's unfinished words.

He stroked the scar on his neck, looking at Raiga Kurosuki's suddenly stunned face, his eyes filled with undisguised disgust and coldness:

"You, who were willing to sever my own men's bodies along with mine to leave me with this grievous wound back then..."

"Now you're kneeling before me begging for mercy for a child who's about the same age as the subordinate you personally killed back then? Don't you find that ridiculous?"

Raiga Kurosuki's body trembled, and he opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he said nothing and just lowered his head helplessly.

Kou coldly looked down at the man before him, who was so lowly he was practically dust, and a sarcastic smile slowly curled at the corner of his mouth:

"You may have forgotten, but I remember it very clearly. You were laughing back then, weren't you?"

Trading the life of one of our own Genin for the opportunity to severely injure an enemy Jonin is a huge win no matter how you look at it.

As a ninja, I fully understand your actions.

Kou paused, then sneered:

"But the problem is, why can't you do what a qualified ninja should do right now?"

"Is it because someone very important to you was injured this time?"

"Thump!!"

Raiga Kurosuki remained silent, only slamming his forehead heavily against the cold floor once more, producing a dull, desperate thud.

"Uchiha Kuro, please... save Ranmaru! You're the only one who can help him!"

I'll do anything you ask, as long as you can help me protect that child from Ban's clutches!

I've already said I refuse.

Kou coldly repeated, then turned away, no longer looking at Raiga Kurosuki who was still kneeling on the ground pleading, and slowly walked towards the gate:

"To prevent you from bothering me again in the future, I'd like to explain a few things to you in advance."

First of all, I'm just a slightly higher-ranking employee than you, and I can't influence any of that guy's decisions at all.

Furthermore, it seems you have some rather serious misunderstanding about me.

"The reason I chose to stay behind to cover the retreat was because I knew that even if I left my men behind, they would only hold me back."

Rather than letting them stay and get in the way, it's better to send them to find nearby reinforcements as soon as possible.

At my speed, I could easily retreat alone even if you surround me.

Knocked on the door, pushed it open, and then glanced at Raiga Kurosuki behind him out of the corner of his eye, saying in a low voice:

"But if I were ever in a situation where I had to trade their lives for a chance to survive, I would do it without hesitation!"

I'm not the naive kid you imagine, so don't try to morally blackmail me. I value my life a lot!

Having said that, he lifted his foot, preparing to step out the door.

"Wait a minute!!"

Hearing the sound coming from behind, a hint of impatience flashed in Kou's eyes. He then turned around abruptly, his right hand already on the hilt of the Firebirth at his waist, a crimson glint in his dark eyes.

Feeling the intense killing intent emanating from Kokushiro, Raiga Kurosuki instinctively took a half-step back.

But when he pictured Ranmaru's pale, childlike face in his mind, he instantly calmed down.

Raiga Kurosuki took a deep breath and solemnly addressed Kou:

"There are some things you might want to know about that man who calls himself Uchiha Madara."

Kouch was stunned for a moment, then a cold glint flashed in his eyes:

"You were sent by him to test me."

No, absolutely not!

Raiga Kurosuki shook his head vigorously:

"If I hadn't been certain that the guy who calls himself Madara would never let Ranmaru go so easily, I would never have risked offending him to come and beg you!"

I guarantee he definitely didn't tell you this, and you'll absolutely be interested in it!

There was no response to the knocking.

He simply stared coldly at Raiga Kurosuki before him, his scarlet Three Tomoe Sharingan slowly rotating in the dim light, as if scrutinizing the extent to which Raiga's words were trustworthy.

"That Madara guy actually has more than just us and Akatsuki by his side!!"

Feeling the doubt in Kou's eyes, Raiga Kurosuki clenched his fists and spoke first:

"Besides the Akatsuki, he also has another unknown organization that only obeys his orders!"

"What did you say?!!"

Hearing these completely unexpected words, Kou's pupils contracted sharply. He then barely managed to suppress the shock and doubt that surged within him and asked in a deep voice:

"How did you know all this?"

Raiga Kurosuki gave a bitter smile:

"Because the person who initially found me and Ranmaru wasn't that guy who called himself Uchiha Madara at all."

The person who defeated me and Ranmaru and brought us before Madara was someone else entirely.

Those two individuals were not part of the Akatsuki, yet they directly obeyed Uchiha Madara.

He paused, looking at Kou's furrowed brows, and carefully added in a low voice:

Originally, I thought you were also a member of that organization.

But when I accepted Madara's mission to join the Akatsuki as his partner to monitor Uchiha Itachi, he specifically told me not to tell you anything about that organization.

That's why I'm certain you currently know nothing about that organization.

At this point, Raiga Kurosuki, looking at Kokoro's increasingly gloomy face, murmured with a sigh of relief:

"It seems I made the right bet."

At this moment, Kou was completely deaf to the rest of Raiga Kurosuki's words, which still carried a hint of relief.

He stood on the floor, constantly soaked by the rain, his mind a chaotic Uzumaki of thoughts.

An organization independent of Xiao, that obeys only his orders...

As expected, Obito never truly trusted me!

He silently confirmed in his heart this fact that he had actually had a premonition all along, and a look of realization flashed in his eyes.

No wonder Obito has been wandering all over the Ninja World all these years, disappearing for weeks at a time.

It turns out that he had been secretly cultivating another hidden force all along...

But why did Obito create such an organization behind my back?

What exactly is his purpose...?

He repeatedly considered all sorts of possibilities in his mind, but found that no matter how he thought about it, he could not find a reasonable explanation for Obito's behavior.

Not only Minato, but now, even Obito, who was basically following the original timeline, has undergone tremendous changes that have exceeded his expectations!

This change is definitely not a good thing!

He pressed the heavy thought in his heart, barely managing to suppress all the surging emotions within him back under a cold facade.

He looked solemnly at the Raiga Kurosuki before him and said in a deep voice:

Tell me everything you know about that organization.

I promise you, I will do my best to take care of that child named Ranmaru.

Raiga Kurosuki nodded repeatedly and quickly recounted what he knew about the secret organization:

"Because I only joined recently, I don't actually know much about that organization."

All I know is that the two people who defeated Ranmaru and me and brought us to Uchiha Madara were the twin brothers Kaneki Eito and Kaneki Mitero, who were missing-nin from Iwagakure and possessed the Lava Release and Steel Release Kekkei Genkai respectively.

And the name of that organization...

Under the increasingly intense gaze of Kou, Raiga Kurosuki slowly uttered the name that sent a primal shiver down his spine from deep within his throat:

"[Moon]! That's the name of that organization."