Sand Hidden Mission

Chen Xiaoxi had just entered the base,

when he immediately spotted Pain and Konan waiting up ahead.

With his hands in his pockets, Chen Xiaoxi strolled over and casually asked,

"Looks like you got the results of last night's interrogation?"

He carried himself so leisurely,

as if he were the leader of the Akatsuki.

Pain, however, merely kept a calm expression, completely unconcerned with such trivialities.

He nodded impassively and said,

"Mm."

"The Sand Shinobi confessed everything."

"Five days ago, Fourth Kazekage Rasa suddenly received a mysterious piece of intelligence. It said that Hanzo of the Salamander was dead and that the Uchiha Clan Massacre had taken place in the Leaf Village."

"So Rasa, eager to expand his territory, ordered them to infiltrate this place and investigate the intelligence."

"..."

After hearing this, Chen Xiaoxi's eyes flickered.

Intelligence received out of the blue five days ago?

Tsk, tsk.

The source of that intelligence was almost too obvious...

Chen Xiaoxi couldn't help giving a soft laugh and shaking his head.

On the night six days ago,

Orochimaru had failed to attack Itachi Uchiha, then defected from Amegakure.

And just one day after his defection, Sunagakure in the Land of Wind had suddenly received two pieces of intelligence, one about Amegakure and the other about the Uchiha.

Anyone with half a brain could figure out what was going on with a little thought.

There was no denying it:

Orochimaru's move had been downright vicious...

To divert the Akatsuki's pursuit away from himself, he had even gone out of his way to cause trouble for Rasa, the Kazekage.

It wasn't just despicable. It was downright despicable.

While Chen Xiaoxi was lost in thought,

Deva Path Pain suddenly spoke again, interrupting him.

His expression was impassive. His Rinnegan eyes fixed on Chen Xiaoxi as he said coolly,

"Chen Xiaoxi."

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

"This intelligence leak was most likely... the work of the rogue Orochimaru."

"It seems that what we feared most has finally come to pass."

"Since he was willing to expose information about Amegakure, his next step could very well be to expose the Akatsuki's intelligence."

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

"That cannot be allowed!"

As he spoke, Pain's gaze darkened. His voice rang out with firm resolve:

"We can't just sit back and do nothing anymore."

"We must act at once."

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

"Judging by the results of last night's interrogation,"

"Sunagakure won't stop at a single probe into Amegakure.

Therefore, we must use a show of force to intimidate them!"

"At the same time, you'll take this opportunity to find out where the traitor Orochimaru, who provided them with the intelligence, is hiding, and... eliminate him!"

Pain laid out the entire mission without haste, his expression still impassive.

After hearing him out, Chen Xiaoxi raised his brows slightly, then chuckled and praised him sincerely,

"As expected of the leader."

"You've already analyzed the situation so thoroughly in such a short time?"

"..."

Pain did not respond. He simply continued,

"This mission is rather unusual, since it involves a direct confrontation with a shinobi village."

"The Akatsuki can't reveal itself just yet."

"So, during this mission, you'll have to disguise yourself as a shinobi from Amegakure."

"Intimidate Sunagakure in Amegakure's name, not the Akatsuki's."

"Understood?"

"..."

Chen Xiaoxi nodded, his expression calm.

Of course he knew that the Akatsuki couldn't afford to draw too much attention yet.

After all, on the one hand, its strength had yet to fully mature,

and on the other, the Tailed Beast capture plan hadn't officially begun. Drawing the attention of the Five Great Shinobi Villages would be unwise.

Just then, Pain spoke again in his usual detached tone:

"To ensure your mission goes smoothly,"

"I'll send a small team to assist you from the shadows."

"Come out—"

"Juzo Biwa, Itachi Uchiha."

"...Huh?"

Chen Xiaoxi froze.

As soon as Pain finished speaking,

two people immediately emerged from the cave behind him.

One had bandages wrapped around his face and a greatsword strapped to his back. The other had a calm expression and crimson eyes. The two stood together, their temperaments completely at odds.

They were the Akatsuki's third team—

Juzo Biwa, and the newest member to join the Akatsuki not long ago, Itachi Uchiha!

The moment Chen Xiaoxi saw them, he was stunned.

What was going on?

Wasn't I supposed to be a one-man team?

Why'd you stick me with two deadweights?

One of them was a musclehead who'd try to slash a Tailed Beast Bomb with his sword; the other was a Leaf Village spy who loved to hold back in a fight.

Uh...

Pain seemed to have read Chen Xiaoxi's mind. He closed his eyes slightly and calmly explained,

"Don't worry, Chen Xiaoxi."

"They won't interfere with your mission."

"I've already given them their orders. They're only to assist you from the shadows this time."

"They won't reveal themselves unless things turn dangerous."

"After all, one is a Mist Hidden Ninja Swordsman, and the other is a Uchiha from the Leaf Village. They're both far too recognizable."

"If they show themselves and someone recognizes them, it could backfire."

"..."

Hearing this, Chen Xiaoxi immediately understood and nodded.

"Mm, that's more like it."

Pain's arrangements did make sense.

After all, whether it was the Kubikiribōchō from Mist Hidden or the Sharingan of a Uchiha from the Leaf Village, both were highly recognizable.

They were the sort of things people could identify the moment they were used.

Good.

Those two would just hang back and watch this time. If they tried to steal the credit too, Chen Xiaoxi would be pretty unhappy.

After all, on this trip to Sunagakure,

Chen Xiaoxi had a whole series of system side quests to complete, in addition to the Akatsuki's mission.

That's right.

Last night, after Chen Xiaoxi wiped out the Anbu Ninjas from Sand Hidden,

he had immediately triggered a whole new series of side quests in the system related to Sunagakure—

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

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

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

"Defeat Sunagakure's One-Tailed Shukaku Jinchūriki, Gaara (0/1), incomplete, reward unknown."

"..."

Taken together, a series of quests like these could bring in a considerable amount of Reiatsu.

Since he was going to Sunagakure to intimidate them anyway, there was no reason not to complete the side quests while he was at it.

Chen Xiaoxi didn't want those two getting in his way.