"All right, this spot will do! I checked the area. There are no spies nearby," Uchiha Shunichi said calmly as he led the two of them to a river.
"Naturally, I have every confidence in your abilities, Lord Shunichi." The Hidden Mist Anbu Captain was cordial. After all, Uchiha Shunichi had saved the Mizukage.
"I don't like beating around the bush, so I'll get straight to the point. Utakata, someone has set their sights on the Tailed Beast inside you. There are nine Tailed Beasts in the Shinobi World, and that organization has already captured five of them."
Utakata looked at Uchiha Shunichi in bewilderment. He had no idea who the young man before him was, nor did he understand what Uchiha Shunichi meant.
The Hidden Mist Anbu Captain, however, understood perfectly. At this latest news of the Akatsuki, his expression shifted slightly.
"Has the situation already become that serious? Don't worry. Kirigakure will protect the Six-Tails. We will never let him fall into the Akatsuki's hands." Though he lacked confidence, the Hidden Mist Anbu Captain showed no sign of backing down.
He admitted that he was afraid of the man before him. But for his village's sake, he was willing to risk standing against him.
"Don't worry. I'm not planning to steal Kirigakure's Tailed Beast. The First Hokage's willingness to distribute the Tailed Beasts back then shows that Konoha never needed them in the first place," Uchiha Shunichi said nonchalantly.
He personally did not care about them, but as for the present-day Konoha...
"So that's it. This is about the monster inside me. I'm not going to surrender without a fight. Don't think you can settle things just like that!" Utakata had not understood their conversation. His long years on the run had left him with very limited knowledge.