This Grudge Is Noted, the Demon's Growth

"...There really was a problem. Good thing I watched Redo of Healer in my previous life—no, wait, it was Cautious Hero."

Less than two days into monitoring the Land of Fire alongside his Shadow Clone, Izayoi noticed something was wrong.

Because he saw a familiar figure.

During his time in the Land of Rivers, he had caught a glimpse of that figure in the neighboring Rain Country through his Tenseigan.

It was Konan, one of Jiraiya's disciples, the angel of the Rain Hidden Village, and the White Tiger of the Akatsuki.

Riding a sharp-beaked bird, she entered the Land of Fire and flew in a certain direction.

Ever since Nagato's health had steadily deteriorated, Konan had gradually stopped leaving the Rain Hidden Village.

After all the Akatsuki members had gathered, she had never carried out missions alone again. She had remained in the Rain Hidden Village, helping Nagato handle affairs and taking care of his health.

After the original plot began, wherever Konan appeared, Nagato or Deva Path Pain would surely be there as well.

Konan's appearance in the Land of Fire now definitely wasn't for sightseeing.

Izayoi had a feeling that she had most likely come for him.

Half a day later, Izayoi's suspicion was confirmed.

On a small hill fifty kilometers northwest of the Black Market, Konan leaped from the Yatagarasu's back. Countless cracks appeared across her body, and sheets of white paper peeled away from her, gathering behind her into a pair of wings. Like an angel descending into the world, she landed in the forest below the hill.

The Yatagarasu dove as well. After landing steadily, it transformed into a huge cloud of white smoke.

When the smoke dispersed, a large tree formed from white paper appeared.

Then, starting from the bottom, the tree automatically took on color. In just a few blinks, it seemed to become a real tree, blending perfectly into the forest.

From the Tenseigan's perspective, the entire tree was covered in blue Chakra. Vast numbers of tadpole-like runes surged from that Chakra, creating a Barrier that blocked perception.

Even the Mind's Eye of the Kagura would probably have been unable to detect that Chakra.

But it could not block Izayoi's Tenseigan.

In Izayoi's eyes, there were eight Chakra signatures inside the tree—Konan, Nagato, and the Six Paths of Pain.

"So they were hiding in the bird's beak. That's how they moved around. I thought Konan had summoned them through her lip piercing."

Having witnessed the entire process, Izayoi finally understood.

Then Izayoi could not help complaining, "The strongest people in the Ninja World are personally making a move. Isn't this taking me a little too seriously?"

But then Izayoi fell silent.

The tree split open, and Deva Path Pain walked out.

Floating into the air, Deva Path Pain arrived at a cliff.

Before long, the space beside him suddenly twisted, forming a Black Hole the size of a fist.

Two distorted figures flew out of the Black Hole.

They were Obito Uchiha and the Filial Son... Itachi Uchiha, whom Izayoi had seen a few times at the academy gates during his first year.

Looking at the lineup standing in a row like some famous painting, Izayoi could not help offering his most sincere greeting in his hometown dialect: "Fuck."

The Six Paths of Pain, the gatekeeper of the Super Kage level; Itachi Uchiha, who had developed the Mangekyo Sharingan to its utmost limit and possessed countless trump cards; and Obito Uchiha, who could use Kamui endlessly without fear of going blind... Even Ōnoki, standing at the pinnacle of the Five Kage, would undoubtedly die if such a combination targeted him.

These three could each contend against the Five Kage working together.

If they put aside their wariness of one another, even the Five Kage would not be their match.

To use such a lineup against him—what had he done to deserve this?

At that moment, Izayoi heard his Shadow Clone's voice beside him, and it was even speaking in Mandarin. "Look, there's movement at the Black Market too."

Hearing that, Izayoi immediately shifted his gaze to the Black Market.

The middle-aged man in the suit had already been pierced through by a branch.

Then a white creature transformed into the middle-aged man's appearance.

"Mayfly Technique... So even the Tenseigan can't detect it." Izayoi's expression immediately turned grave.

"His Impersonation Technique has no visible flaws either. It truly deserves to be called the strongest Transformation Technique in the Ninja World," the Shadow Clone said. "If the Tenseigan still can't see through it after completing the Second Fetal Movement—or even its final evolution—then the Mind's Eye of the Kagura will need the ability to sense good and evil."

Izayoi fell into thought.

He was already considering what abilities in the Ninja World, aside from the Mind's Eye of the Kagura, could expose the Impersonation Technique.

Preferably something that could also counter the Mayfly Technique!

After all, what made Black and White Zetsu truly terrifying was neither the Impersonation Technique nor spiritual possession, but the Mayfly Technique, which could ignore Barriers, move at high speed, and merge with the earth, grass, and trees.

Even Six Paths Level experts could not detect that method.

Just imagining being watched from the shadows by eyes like that made Izayoi feel sick.

But for the moment, Izayoi could not think of a way to deal with it.

So he temporarily put the matter aside.

Sweeping his Tenseigan over the White Zetsu Clones in the Black Market and the Strongest Combination on the cliff, Izayoi chuckled. "I was originally planning to give you a little welcome gift, but on second thought, I shouldn't waste the effort. Just stand there and reflect for a while."

Wasn't this good news as well?

Waiting openly for the rabbit to come to them meant Black Zetsu either did not know of the Tenseigan's existence or did not know what it could do.

That was Izayoi's advantage.

How could Izayoi possibly throw away such an advantage?

"Good thing I prepared a backup plan. Otherwise, the losses this time would have been huge. I'll remember this grudge. In a while, I'll return the favor with a grand gift."

Izayoi gave the Strongest Combination one last look, then dispelled his Shadow Clone and returned to the cave to take Zabuza Momochi away.

Time came to the agreed-upon third day.

At dusk, Itachi Uchiha looked at the setting sun, of which only the northern half remained, and could not help asking Obito Uchiha beside him, who was also watching the evening glow, "Has the target not appeared yet?"

"You'll have to ask Zetsu about that," Obito Uchiha said faintly.

Hearing this, White Zetsu, one half of Black and White Zetsu's body hidden underground, said, "The item has already been delivered to the clone, but that guy still hasn't appeared, and nothing has happened to the clone either."

"Have we been exposed?"

"It's not impossible," Black Zetsu said, his mood growing even heavier.

If that Mysterious Man truly was Hamura's descendant, then the purity of his Byakugan must have been extremely high. It would not be strange for his viewing range to exceed the Hyuga Clan's limit.

But they had already spread out fifty kilometers, and today they had often hidden inside Barriers and alternate dimensions. Could they still have been exposed?

That was even more absurd than the Uzumaki Clan's Mind's Eye of the Kagura.

"Wait one more day. Itachi and I will keep our distance," Deva Path Pain said flatly before turning and leaving.

Itachi Uchiha rose and followed close behind.

Obito Uchiha likewise hid within the Kamui Dimension.

Only Black and White Zetsu used the Mayfly Technique and White Zetsu Clones to monitor the Black Market while expanding their search range, checking whether that person was hiding somewhere nearby.

Then another day passed. Still without seeing anyone come, the Strongest Combination departed with different feelings in their hearts.

If they had failed to catch that person this time, it would only be harder next time.

With sensing abilities at that level, they had already been put at a disadvantage before the battle had even begun.

Six days later, in a forest near the border of the Land of Fire.

"My lord, these are the things you wanted. They cost a total of 29.87 million ryo."

Having just returned to the Land of Fire from the Land of Rivers, Haku removed the three large scrolls from his back and spoke respectfully to Izayoi.

"Well done. You don't need to return the remaining money. Consider it a reward for you two."

Izayoi used Gravity to take the scrolls, then shot into the sky and left.

Watching him vanish into the distance, Haku and Zabuza Momochi, who had worried that he might go back on his word, both breathed sighs of relief.

"Lord Zabuza, where are we going next?" Haku asked as he supported Zabuza Momochi, who had recovered somewhat and could barely stand with crutches.

"To rob the robbers," Zabuza Momochi said in a low voice, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes as though the door to a new world had opened before him.

Mr. Demon, having learned a lesson from Izayoi, had grown!