The Time Had Come

Neji hadn't expected Sasuke's tongue to grow so sharp. He certainly wouldn't claim he could match Uchiha Itachi or Obito Uchiha right now.

Uchiha Itachi was at his physical peak, and who knew how many trump cards he had? The man always seemed able to pull another nasty surprise out of nowhere.

Obito Uchiha's Dōjutsu, Kamui, was even harder to deal with. If he had reclaimed Kakashi's Mangekyō Sharingan in the original story, there would have been no fighting him.

On top of that, he had a suit of Wood Release Biological Armor: Kite, a Special White Zetsu that could greatly amplify Wood Release.

Even Yamato could use the Wooden Man Technique while wearing that Biological Armor. Half of Obito's body was made of Hashirama Cells, and his Wood Release was already strong. Neji couldn't believe he would be unable to use high-level Wood Release Secret Techniques with the armor on.

Seeing Neji fall silent put Sasuke in a much better mood.

"I never said I'd get a pair of eyes now," Neji said.

Now it was Sasuke's turn to fall silent. True. If Neji managed to awaken the Tenseigan, he really might be able to get them.

Neji gave Sasuke a pat. "Enough of that. Hurry up and bring me the stuff."

Sasuke shrugged, went into his room, and came back carrying two things.

One was a Summoning Scroll; the other was a Sealing Scroll for storage.

The Summoning Scroll was large, clearly not something he could carry around. The storage Sealing Scroll was small enough to fit in a Ninja Tools Pouch.

"When you get some Tailed Beast Chakra, get me a share too." Sasuke wanted everything these days.

If something could make him stronger, Sasuke would take it.

As he put it, this was a small sacrifice for the sake of restoring the Uchiha Clan's glory.

Neji was speechless. Sasuke really had changed. He would never have set his sights on Tailed Beast Chakra before.

Sasuke saw Neji's hesitant expression but remained unfazed. "It's just a precaution. It'll save me from having to look for one later. If you happen to find one, bring me a Tailed Beast."

Neji didn't know whether to laugh or cry. In a matter of seconds, Sasuke's appetite had grown from a share of Tailed Beast Chakra to an entire Tailed Beast.

"Seriously? You think Tailed Beasts are like your Ninja Cats, with a whole litter born at once? There are only nine in the entire Shinobi World! They're the most important assets their villages have." Neji was at a loss for words.

"What's there to be afraid of?" Sasuke said dismissively. "When the time comes, we'll go together and take two by force. They're just Tailed Beasts. Before the Sharingan, they're nothing but animals."

"Holy shit." Neji finally realized how overconfident Sasuke had become without him noticing.

Neji gave him a strange look. "Kid, you haven't even graduated from the Ninja Academy, and you're already planning to steal someone else's Tailed Beast? Aren't you getting ahead of yourself? Besides, you talk as if you know where to find a Jinchūriki."

"Heh." Sasuke chuckled. "Have you forgotten I have the Ninja Cat Clan as an information source? I know far more than you think."

Neji looked at him in surprise. "Right. I forgot you had those connections."

Sasuke gave him a smug look. "The Ninja Cat Clan has members throughout the Shinobi World. They're among the information brokers in the Underground Black Market."

Neji considered it for a moment. "When I make my move, I'll see if I can bring you along."

Of course, he wasn't actually planning to go after a Jinchūriki. He meant the Pseudo-Nine-Tails Jinchuriki at the Fire Temple.

And he might not have a chance to bring Sasuke anyway. He still didn't know how the matter with Root would turn out.

Neji picked up the Summoning Contract Sasuke had set beside him and signed his name.

"Summoning Technique!"

With a poof, a great cloud of smoke billowed out, and an orange cat half as tall as a person appeared before him.

The cat was Orange Flame. Since Sasuke had started feeding him, he had grown at a visibly alarming rate.

"Hm? You're not Sasuke. It's you, Neji." Orange Flame immediately recognized who had summoned him.

The moment Orange Flame saw Neji, he understood what had happened. Sasuke must have made Neji a contractor too.

Orange Flame didn't mind. He was quite fond of Neji.

"Where's my Dried Fish? Meow~" Orange Flame looked at Neji.

Neji pointed to the corner behind him.

Orange Flame turned, and his eyes lit up. "Neji, I, Sangbiao, accept you as my contractor."

Neji watched Orange Flame dig into the food. "Orange Flame, help me get a black coat embroidered with Red Clouds. It should look something like this..."

Afraid Orange Flame would get it wrong, Neji carefully described Akatsuki's uniform.

"Easy," the cat replied indistinctly between frantic mouthfuls.

"And a mask with only one eye opening. More specifically, it should look like this..." Neji said.

"Easy."

Sasuke understood at once. Neji was preparing to pose as a member of some organization and stir up trouble.

"I'll be going, then." Neji turned and left Sasuke's house.

"Go on. Summon me again tomorrow, and I'll bring you the stuff." Orange Flame's muffled words reached Neji as he left.

The next day, when Neji summoned Orange Flame again, he received an Akatsuki coat with Red Clouds on a black background and a one-eyed tiger-striped mask.

The mask was custom-made. When Neji wore it, his Byakugan wouldn't be visible. The eye opening appeared pitch-black because it hadn't actually been cut all the way through.

Several days later, Team 3 was walking down the street after completing a mission when Neji spotted Danzo. Leaning on a cane, Danzo was heading toward Konoha Gate with two squads of Root ninja dressed as Anbu.

Tenten watched him, puzzled. "Who's that? He has two squads of Anbu protecting him?"

"That's the Hokage Advisor," Might Guy said.

He had once tried to join Root, but Danzo had rejected him, saying he wasn't suited to its darkness. The incident still left a deep impression on Might Guy.

"He looks like a gloomy old man..." Tenten muttered.

Neji knew his chance had come!

After parting ways with the other three members of Team 3, Neji went near Konoha Gate and found a hidden spot to watch from.

He wanted to make sure Danzo really was leaving Konoha.

Through his Byakugan, he watched Danzo and his two squads of guards race toward the Daimyo’s Mansion.

The chance has finally come... At this critical moment, Neji felt unusually calm.

"Aburame Ryoma wasn't with them. That means he's the only decent fighter left at Root Base." Neji gave an almost imperceptible nod, then went to a street not far from Root.

Before long, Neji found a Hot Spring Shop and booked a deluxe private room.

When night fell, Neji went to the Hot Spring Shop alone.

A short while later, a figure wearing a black coat patterned with Red Clouds and a Swirl Mask appeared in a shadowy street corner.

After a few swift movements, the figure vanished from the street.