The moment arrived

Neji had not expected Sasuke's tongue to be so sharp already. He certainly would not dare claim that his current strength could match Uchiha Itachi or Obito Uchiha.

Uchiha Itachi was in his physical prime right now. Who knew how many trump cards he had? The man could always pull something incredible out of his ass.

And Obito Uchiha's Dōjutsu, Kamui, was truly difficult to counter. If he had recovered 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: a Special White Zetsu named Tobi, who could massively amplify Wood Release abilities.

Even Yamato could use the Woode Human Technique after putting on that Biological Armor. Half of Obito's body was made of Hashirama cells, so his Wood Release abilities were already formidable. Neji did not believe for a second that he could not use those high-level Wood Release Secret Techniques with the Biological Armor on.

Seeing Neji fall silent lifted Sasuke's spirits considerably.

Neji said, "I never said I was going to get a pair of eyes right now!"

This time, it was Sasuke's turn to fall silent. True, if Neji successfully awakened the Tenseigan, he really would be able to get them.

Neji gave Sasuke a pat. "Quit going on about all this nonsense and hurry up and bring me the stuff."

Sasuke shrugged, turned, and went into his room. Then he came out carrying two things.

One was a Summoning Scroll, and the other was a Sealing Scroll used for storage.

The Summoning Scroll was fairly large, clearly not something he could carry around with him. The storage Sealing Scroll was compact enough to fit inside a Ninja Tool Pouch.

"When you get your hands on some tailed beast chakra, get me a portion too." Sasuke wanted everything these days.

As long as something could improve his strength, Sasuke would not turn it down.

In his own words, it was a small sacrifice made to restore the glory of the Uchiha Clan.

Neji was speechless. Sasuke really had changed. In the past, he never would have set his sights on tailed beast chakra.

Seeing Neji hesitate, Sasuke maintained his composure and said, "This is just a precaution, so I won't have to go looking for anything later. Anyway, if you spot one somewhere, bring it back for me."

Neji did not know whether to laugh or cry. In just a few seconds, Sasuke's appetite had grown from a portion of tailed beast chakra to an entire tailed beast.

"Seriously? Do you think tailed beasts are like your ninja cats, coming in whole litters? There are only nine in the entire Shinobi World! They're the most important assets those ninja villages have." Neji was speechless.

"What's there to be afraid of?" Sasuke was unconcerned. "When the time comes, we can head out together and just steal a couple. Mere tailed beasts are nothing but animals before the Sharingan."

"Holy shit." Only then did Neji realize how inflated Sasuke's ego 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 thinking about stealing other people's tailed beasts? Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself? Besides, you make it sound like you could actually find a Jinchūriki."

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

Hearing that, Neji looked at him in surprise. "Not bad. I'd completely forgotten you had those connections."

Sasuke looked at him smugly. "The Ninja Cat Clan has members all over the Shinobi World. They're one of the information dealers in the Underground Black Market."

Neji considered it for a while, then said, "When it's time to act, I'll see whether I can bring you along."

Of course, he was not actually planning to target a Jinchūriki. He was only talking about the Pseudo-Nine-Tails Jinchuriki at the Fire Temple.

Besides, he might not have a chance to bring Sasuke along, since the outcome of the matter with Root was still uncertain.

Neji picked up the Summoning Contract scroll Sasuke had set beside him and wrote his name on it.

"Summoning Technique!"

With a bang, a cloud of smoke erupted, and an orange cat half as tall as a person appeared before him.

This half-man-high orange cat was none other than a cat named Ju Huo. Since Sasuke had started feeding him lately, the cat had been visibly growing larger.

"Huh? Not Sasuke. It's you, Neji." As soon as Ju Huo arrived, he recognized who had summoned him.

Seeing Neji, Ju Huo immediately understood what had happened. Sasuke must have let Neji become a contract holder too.

But Ju Huo did not mind that sort of thing. He was quite happy with Neji.

"Where's my dried fish? Meow~" Ju Huo looked at Neji.

Neji pointed to the corner behind Ju Huo.

Ju Huo turned to look, and his eyes lit up. "Neji, I, Biao the Killer, approve of you as a contract holder."

Watching Ju Huo already feast away, Neji said, "Ju Huo, prepare a black cloak embroidered with red clouds for me. It should look something like this..."

Worried Ju Huo might get it wrong, Neji carefully described the Akatsuki uniform.

"Piece of cake." The cat's reply was muffled as he gobbled down his food.

"And a mask, too. It should only have a space for one eye. Specifically, it should look like this..." Neji said.

"Piece of cake."

Sasuke immediately understood that Neji was preparing to impersonate a member of some organization and stir up trouble.

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

"Go ahead. Summon me again tomorrow, and I'll bring you the stuff." Ju Huo's muffled words reached Neji's ears.

The next day, when Neji summoned Ju Huo again, he received an Akatsuki black cloak patterned with red clouds and a one-eyed Tiger-Skin Mask.

The mask was specially made. Wearing it would not expose Neji's Byakugan; instead, the eye opening appeared pitch-black. In fact, the hole in the mask had never been punched all the way through.

Several more days passed. As Team 3 walked down the street after finishing a mission, Neji saw Danzo heading toward the Konoha Gate with a cane in hand, accompanied by two squads of Root Ninja dressed in Anbu uniforms.

Tenten looked at Danzo in puzzlement. "Who's that? He actually has two squads of Anbu guarding him?"

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

He had once wanted to join Root, but Danzo had rejected him for lacking sufficient darkness. Even now, Might Guy remembered the incident vividly.

"He looks like a gloomy old grandpa..." Tenten muttered quietly.

Neji knew his opportunity had arrived!

After saying goodbye to the other three members of Team 3, Neji went near the Konoha Gate, then found a concealed spot and began watching.

He wanted to see whether Danzo was really leaving Konoha.

Within his Byakugan's field of vision, Danzo sped toward the Daimyo's Mansion with his two squads of guards.

"The opportunity has finally come..." At this critical moment, Neji became exceptionally calm.

"I didn't see Aburame Ryoma in the group. That means he's the only halfway decent fighter left at the Root Base right now." Neji gave an almost imperceptible nod, then headed to a street not far from Root.

Before long, Neji picked out a Hot Spring Shop and booked a luxurious private room for one.

Night fell, and Neji arrived at the Hot Spring Shop alone.

Not long afterward, a figure wearing a black cloak with red clouds and a Swirl Mask appeared in the shadows of a street corner.

After a few rapid flickers, the figure in the black cloak with red clouds vanished from the street.