Tell Me, Gaara, I Want to Dig for Oil

"What Itachi cannot do, I will certainly be able to do!"

Deidara could hardly wait to head to Konoha right now and put on an artistic performance.

"You..."

Sasori started to speak but stopped himself.

Forget it.

This child's brain had never worked properly anyway.

"What are you muttering about, Sasori!"

"Itachi! You couldn't handle Naruto Uzumaki, and you were scared off by the title of a thirteen-year-old Hokage, weren't you?"

Deidara held a paper crane in his hand, which was actually made of clay and could explode at any moment.

"If you want to blow up the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, you have to get past the Sannin Jiraiya first."

Kisame Hoshigaki could not help but chuckle.

He stroked Samehada and said, "I really want to have another great battle with that guy! Samehada still hasn't forgotten that delicious chakra!"

"His Chakra Enhanced Strength is even on par with mine!"

Kisame's eyes widened, looking as if he truly missed Naruto.

"Itachi."

"How much strength does the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki have in your eyes?"

Pain Deva Path only wanted to purge everything.

If the plan were to begin at this moment, it would only increase the danger further.

"Konoha suffered some damage after Orochimaru's invasion."

"But it actually prompted the return of Jiraiya and Tsunade, and Naruto Uzumaki, as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, also once defeated Orochimaru."

"If we are talking about strength now, it should at least be equivalent to the full force of the Sannin."

"However, when our plan begins, everything will be purged!"

Itachi's tone was as calm as ever.

Yet, it also made it clear that while Konoha appeared riddled with holes, it had actually brought in powerful figures to hold the line.

"What are the Sannin!"

"Can't they just be blown to bits?"

The moment Deidara thought about how even Itachi was being cautious, he wanted to go to Konoha immediately to prove himself.

"Quiet."

"When the time comes, I will take action personally."

Pain Deva Path was confident he could capture all the Tailed Beasts.

In the eyes of Nagato, who was behind the scenes, the Jinchuriki could not be that strong.

In the face of Chibaku Tensei, there were very few people in the world who could resist.

"Everything is proceeding according to our plan!"

Konan covered her shoes with the Akatsuki robe and vanished in an instant.

The incessant rain of the Rain Village corroded the heart of every passerby.

Itachi and Kisame Hoshigaki left the meeting.

They walked along the path as the others retreated.

"Mr. Itachi, do you think I can defeat Naruto Uzumaki?"

Kisame Hoshigaki had always trusted Itachi Uchiha's judgment.

"Neither he nor you have revealed your true strength."

Itachi stood in the pouring rain.

He could not help but cough a few times.

The rain grew heavier.

It was completely different from the sunny skies of Konoha, making one's body and mood grow worse and worse.

Rainwater dripped into Itachi's thin, pale palm, gathering together like a tiny pond.

His palm reflected the sunless, dark clouds covering the Rain Village.

Kisame Hoshigaki also stared at the small pool.

He watched the ripples created by the falling raindrops.

Both of their hearts were questioning the same thing.

Can we still go back to our village?

"Mr. Itachi, it rained often in the village I can never return to, and the houses were always overgrown with trees. It was nothing like the Steel City of the Rain Village."

Kisame Hoshigaki smiled.

In his memories, the Mist Village was always shrouded in an invisible blood mist.

"Konoha has all four seasons—wind, snow, thunder, and rain—and bloodstains that can never be wiped clean."

Itachi thought to himself.

Why did the intelligence reports say that Danzō Shimura supported Naruto Uzumaki for Hokage?

Had that Old Man Danzō Shimura truly seized control of everything?

In the end, Konoha was destined to become the next Mist Village.

His mind was in turmoil.

With a flip of his palm, the rain returned to the earth, carrying away the heavy, dark clouds that had been hidden deep within Itachi's heart.

Wind.

Rain.

A great wind rose once more across the Ninja World.

Land of Water.

The people of the Mist Village were still adjusting to their newfound peace.

Ever since Yagura Karatachi had been freed from the genjutsu, the village had yet to recover from its terror, nor had they appointed a new Mizukage.

Mei Terumi listened as the elder Genshi spoke of the incident regarding Konoha's acting Hokage.

"That Old Man Danzō is desperate to become Hokage himself; how could he possibly support anyone else? Especially a wet-behind-the-ears child!"

Ao of the advisory council shared the same sentiment.

"Could it be the same situation as the Fourth Mizukage? Genjutsu!"

Having suffered through the same ordeal, the people of the Mist Village loathed the very idea.

Land of Wind.

Sand Village.

After finding the corpse of the Fourth Kazekage in the desert, the already impoverished village found its survival even more precarious.

"Who should take up the mantle of the Fifth Kazekage?"

The advisory elders remained silent.

"Why can't it be you, Grandma Chiyo?"

The Daimyo pointed at Grandma Chiyo, believing there were very few people left in the Sand Village capable of shouldering such a burden.

"It's a pity. We had quite a few people, but we lost several more recently just trying to scrape together some money," the Daimyo said with a hint of sorrow.

"If only we could turn all this sand into gold. What a waste of the Fourth Kazekage."

Hearing the Daimyo's words, Grandma Chiyo gritted her teeth. The moment she thought of Naruto Uzumaki becoming Hokage, she naturally thought of Gaara.

"Oh, right, Grandma Chiyo. Should we accept this letter that Naruto Uzumaki sent over?"

"He says he wants this 'Konoha Academy of Sciences' to come to our Land of Wind and drill for something called 'oil.' What even is that? It's truly unacceptable. What right does a child have to come here and throw his weight around?"

The Daimyo tossed the letter aside, muttering, "Konoha is nothing but a paper tiger these days!"

Land of Earth.

Stone Village.

Onoki was clutching his aching lower back while attending to official business.

The news lately had been one bombshell after another.

Especially the death of his contemporary, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and the birth of a new acting Hokage.

It all gave him the surreal feeling that times had truly changed.

"What is all this in the intelligence reports?"

"Konoha Academy of Sciences? I can understand a medical ninja department, but some things must be kept hidden beneath the surface. This child is far too naive!"

"I see Konoha is finished!"

Land of Lightning.

Cloud Hidden Village.

The Raikage was listening to Killer Bee's rapping with endless patience.

"The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki has become the new acting Hokage; he seems like a formidable opponent! I wonder how much of a gap there is compared to your Eight-Tails!"

The Fourth Raikage had absolute trust in the strength of his good brother, Killer Bee.

A perfect Jinchuriki was, after all, the ultimate human weapon!

"Yo! Brother Naruto Uzumaki is also a Jinchuriki! Then let me and Gyuki, the strongest duo, stand against him! Oh yeah!"

Killer Bee didn't care at all about some new Hokage; he spun around a few times and headed toward the village to hold a concert that only his disciples would attend.

"Gyuki! Yo! Is the Nine-Tails even half as strong as us! GO!"

Killer Bee continued to rap.

Although Gyuki had once been incredibly violent, he had eventually developed a friendly relationship with the successive generations of fierce Raikage.

He had finally become approachable.

"If it were the true Nine-Tails, it would be stronger than the two of us combined!"

Gyuki was truly an honest Tailed Beast.

"Nani!"

Killer Bee was someone who had once entertained the idea of uniting all the Tailed Beasts and Jinchuriki.

At this moment, he actually felt a flutter of excitement.

Across the Ninja World.

After gathering intelligence, everyone held different attitudes toward Naruto.

Konoha.

Naruto learned that the Sand Village would not allow him to drill for oil.

"They've gotten arrogant!"

"Bring a scroll to Gaara for me."

"Tell him, I want to drill for oil!"

Naruto finished the scroll.

He walked between Danzō Shimura and Shikaku Nara with the air of a big boss.

"Naruto Uzumaki!"

Neji Hyuga blocked the path.