Sand Hidden Mission

Chen Xiaoxi, upon entering the base, immediately saw Pain and Konan waiting for him.

With his hands in his pockets, Chen Xiaoxi strolled over, asking casually, "Looks like you got results from your interrogation last night?"

His relaxed demeanor made it seem as if he were the Leader of the Akatsuki.

However, Pain remained calm, unconcerned with such trivial matters.

He nodded indifferently and said, "Yes."

"That Sand ninja confessed everything."

"Five days ago, the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, suddenly received a mysterious piece of intelligence stating that Hanzo of the Salamander was dead and that the Uchiha clan of the Leaf Village had been exterminated."

"Therefore, eager to expand his territory, Rasa ordered them to infiltrate this place and gather information."

Chen Xiaoxi's gaze shifted slightly upon hearing this.

Intelligence received five days ago?

Tsk, tsk, The source of this intelligence was too obvious...

Chen Xiaoxi couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head.

Six nights ago, Orochimaru's attack on Itachi Uchiha failed, and he subsequently defected to Amegakure.

Just one day after his defection, Sunagakure in the Land of Wind suddenly received news about Amegakure and the Uchiha.

Anyone with a brain could figure out the trick behind this with a little thought.

He had to admit, Orochimaru's move was truly malicious...

To divert the Akatsuki's pursuit, he had even gone out of his way to frame the Kazekage Rasa.

This act was more than just unethical; it was downright wicked.

As Chen Xiaoxi was contemplating this, Heavenly Path Pain suddenly spoke again, interrupting his thoughts.

His gaze was indifferent, his Rinnegan eyes fixed on Chen Xiaoxi, and he said calmly, "Chen Xiaoxi."

"You've noticed it too, haven't you?"

"This intelligence leak is highly likely... the work of the rogue ninja Orochimaru."

"It seems the thing we feared most has finally happened."

"If he can betray Amegakure's intelligence, his next step might be to directly betray the Akatsuki's."

"If that happens, our future operations in the Ninja World will become incredibly difficult."

"This is absolutely unacceptable!"

With that, Pain's gaze deepened abruptly, and he stated decisively, "We can no longer sit idly by."

"We must act immediately."

"Therefore, Chen Xiaoxi, your mission this time... is to head to Sunagakure in the Land of Wind!"

"Based on the interrogation results from last night,"

"Sunagakure's probing of Amegakure will not stop at just one attempt."

"Therefore, we must exert a certain degree of military deterrence!"

"At the same time, you must also take this opportunity to find Orochimaru's whereabouts, the traitor who provided the intelligence to the Sand Village, and... eliminate him!"

Pain finished explaining the entire mission at a leisurely pace, his expression still indifferent.

After hearing this series of words, Chen Xiaoxi raised his eyebrows slightly, then chuckled, genuinely praising, "As expected of the Leader."

"In such a short period, you've already analyzed the situation so thoroughly?"

Pain did not reply, but continued calmly, "Because this mission is rather special, involving direct confrontation with a ninja village."

"The current Akatsuki cannot be exposed directly yet."

"Therefore, for this mission, you must temporarily disguise yourself as a ninja from the Village of Amegakure."

"To deter Sunagakure in the name of Amegakure, not Akatsuki."

"Do you understand?"

"..."

Chen Xiaoxi's gaze was calm, and he nodded.

He naturally knew that the Akatsuki organization couldn't act too high-profile at the moment.

After all, on one hand, their strength had not yet fully taken shape.

On the other hand, the Tailed Beast capture plan had not officially begun, and attracting the attention of the Five Great Ninja Villages was ultimately unwise.

Just then, Pain suddenly spoke indifferently again:

"For the smooth completion of your mission."

"This time, I will dispatch a small team to assist you covertly."

"Come out—"

"Juzo Biwa, Itachi Uchiha."

"...Huh?"

Chen Xiaoxi was immediately stunned.

As soon as Pain's voice fell.

Two people immediately walked out from the cave behind him.

One had bandages wrapped around his face and a large sword on his back, while the other had a calm expression and crimson eyes. The two stood together, their auras completely mismatched.

It was Akatsuki's third team—

Juzo Biwa, and the new member who had just joined Akatsuki not long ago, Itachi Uchiha!

The moment he saw them emerge, Chen Xiaoxi was completely dumbfounded.

What was going on?

Didn't you say I was going solo?

Why were you shoving two burdens onto me again?

One was a simpleton who wanted to chop Tailed Beast Bombs with his sword, and the other was a Leaf Village spy who loved to hold back during fights.

Ah, this...

Pain, who was beside him, seemed to see through Chen Xiaoxi's thoughts and suddenly closed his eyes slightly, calmly explaining:

"Don't worry, Chen Xiaoxi."

"They will not interfere with your mission."

"I have already instructed them that for this mission, they can only assist you from the shadows."

"They will not reveal themselves unless it's a critical moment."

"After all, one is from the Mist Hidden's Ninja Swordsmen, and the other is from the Leaf Village's Uchiha. Both are too conspicuous."

"If they are recognized once they appear, it will be disadvantageous."

"..."

Hearing this, Chen Xiaoxi instantly understood and nodded:

"Mhm, that's more like it."

Pain's arrangement did indeed make sense.

After all, whether it was the Executioner's Blade from Mist Hidden or the Uchiha's Sharingan from Leaf Village, they were extremely famous characteristics.

They were basically recognizable the moment they made a move.

Fortunately.

These two were just observing and slacking off this time. If they also went to snatch achievements, Chen Xiaoxi would be unhappy.

After all, when going to Sunagakure this time, Besides completing Akatsuki's mission, Chen Xiaoxi also had a series of system side quests to complete.

That's right.

Last night, after Chen Xiaoxi annihilated the Sand Hidden's ANBU ninjas.

He immediately triggered a series of new side quests related to Sunagakure in the system—

"Defeat 30 Chunin from Sunagakure (15/30), incomplete, reward unknown."

"Defeat 10 Jonin from Sunagakure (6/10), incomplete, reward unknown."

"Defeat the Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure, Rasa (0/1), incomplete, reward unknown."

"Defeat the One-Tailed Shukaku Jinchuriki of Sunagakure, Gaara (0/1), incomplete, reward unknown."

"..."

A series of tasks like these, accumulated over time, brought in a considerable amount of Reiatsu.

Since he was going to Sunagakure to make a statement this time, there was no reason not to take care of the side quests.

Chen Xiaoxi didn't want these two guys disturbing him.

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