The Same Destination (Third Update)

"So, Itachi-san, are we heading straight to track down the Six-Tails Jinchuriki?"

Kisame Hoshigaki leaped lightly, landing beside Uchiha Itachi, and asked with a grin.

"We only need to relay the intelligence to the leader and let him make the call. According to the organization's regulations, the time to capture the Tailed Beasts has not yet arrived; we must wait at least two more years. Furthermore, the sequence should begin with the One-Tails, Two-Tails, and Three-Tails."

This was the order Nagato had recently issued within the organization.

In its early stages, the Akatsuki focused on recruiting powerful members, accumulating funds, and gathering necessary supplies.

Operating as mercenaries served both to earn essential capital and to collect the intelligence the organization required.

The mid-term phase had now begun.

It was time to lock down the precise locations of the Tailed Beasts and their Jinchuriki.

That was the current objective.

Finding one Tailed Beast was easy.

Finding all nine was not so simple.

Moreover, once they made their move, they had to capture all nine Tailed Beasts in one fell swoop within a short timeframe.

This point was crucial.

Nagato was confident, perhaps even to the point of arrogance.

But that did not mean he viewed the Five Great Shinobi Villages as mere pushovers.

If the Five Great Shinobi Villages were given too much time to react, the difficulty of successfully capturing all nine Tailed Beasts would increase exponentially.

Therefore, they would either not act at all, or they would strike with the force of a thunderbolt.

This was why, during this period, every member of the organization—save for Kakuzu, who was responsible for finances and had no specific assignment—had been dispatched to conduct the first wave of reconnaissance to pinpoint the locations of the Tailed Beasts and their Jinchuriki.

Once all