After Kakuzu escaped, he immediately contacted Akatsuki.
When the members of Akatsuki learned the details of this mission, their expressions all turned grave.
They had originally thought Kakuzu and Hidan's mission would be very simple.
After all, Sunagakure simply had no one capable of defeating the two of them.
Even Gaara could have been taken down by them.
And the facts were just as they had expected. Gaara and Sunagakure's ninja had posed no threat to Kakuzu and Hidan.
If Neji had not stepped in, the two of them would have defeated Gaara and Kaede and captured both Jinchuriki.
The leader glanced at the silent Itachi Uchiha and asked, "Itachi, when you went to Konoha last time, did you not encounter Neji Hyuga?"
Itachi Uchiha was silent for a long time before slowly saying, "No."
"But I did see Second Pillar. At the time, he was not this strong yet."
Kisame Hoshigaki, standing beside Itachi Uchiha, spoke up then. "That Neji Hyuga seems to be called the Flame Devil. Over the past few years, he and Mr. Itachi's younger brother have become very famous in the Ninja World."
"When we went to Konoha last time, we encountered Mr. Itachi's younger brother. Even then, he was already quite strong."
Those who had still harbored some doubts about Itachi Uchiha's words all nodded.
If Itachi Uchiha alone had said it, they might not have believed him. But with Kisame Hoshigaki as a witness, there was no problem.
Akatsuki members formed teams of two. Beyond coordinating with their partners, they also monitored one another.
To prevent betrayal.
Nagato looked at Itachi Uchiha. "Itachi, why exactly did you withdraw from Konoha last time?"
Last time, Itachi Uchiha had not given Nagato a detailed report. He had only said that the mission had failed.
At