Yahiko stared blankly at the spot where Hanzō and Ibuse had vanished in a puff of white smoke...
With no other choice, Yahiko could only talk to Hanzō on his phone...
Ibuse: Kid, is it true that we're going straight out of the shinobi world and into space?
Akatsuki leader: Absolutely guaranteed, Gramps Hanzō!
Ibuse: Good! I'm in. Never mind anything else—can I stay out of the shinobi world for good?
Akatsuki leader: Uh, well, if that's what you want, you don't have to come back.
Ibuse: Excellent. That's all I needed to hear. Give me a month to hand over Amegakure's affairs.
Akatsuki leader: Hahaha! Sure, Gramps Hanzō! But I've got a question. How are you getting internet inside Ibuse's belly?
Ibuse: Heh, at the height of my debt-dodging days, I spent a full six months inside Ibuse's belly. I've got an entire apartment in here! The signal equipment is fully set up.
Akatsuki leader: Oooooh! That's so cool, Gramps Hanzō!
Outside Amegakure.
"Hehehehe, pulling this trick on me again, are you, Hanzo of the Salamander? Fine." Standing outside Amegakure, Kakuzu watched the tracking signal disappear from his phone again, his eyes gleaming an eerie green.
Kakuzu stood at Amegakure's entrance with his lips slightly curled and a sharp glint in his eyes. He looked like a vengeful ghost just standing there, and everyone who saw him gave him a wide berth.
"Who doesn't have a Summoning Beast or two these days? Hehehehe."
As his words faded, that eerie voice became the last trace he left at Amegakure's entrance...
Yahiko excitedly set off on his journey home. Haha, found someone... I wonder how Nagato's doing?
In Sunagakure...
Nagato looked at the rolling yellow sand before him, his face tense. Why did I come to Sunagakure, anyway...?
In this damned