Land of the Moon.
Neji traveled at a rapid pace, and not long after crossing the border of the Land of Lightning and entering the Land of the Moon, the pursuers behind him began to accelerate their approach.
"Ready to make a move?!"
The Main Family, Sogen, led a law enforcement team of five Branch Family members to capture the traitor Neji. They had been secretly following him for some time now.
Perhaps because the Kumogakure once Byakugan Hyuga Clan, they are very well-behaved within the Land of Lightning.
They jumped out as soon as they left the Land of Lightning.
Buzz...
An invisible force suddenly appeared, causing Neji's body to tremble as he ran, and a blinding green light emanated from beneath the bandage on his forehead.
"Ah... it still doesn't work."
The power of the Cursed Seal was too great. Even with the reappearance of the ancestral bloodline, it was still unable to break free of the shackles. As the caster got closer, the binding force of the Cursed Seal increased exponentially.
There's no other way.
Taking advantage of the last Seimei, Neji took out the syringe and plunged it into his own neck.
Pfft!
Neji felt nothing when the transparent liquid was first injected, and he even maintained a certain speed while leaping through the forest.
However, just two minutes later, he fell headfirst from the tree.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh...
Elder Sogen and his team appeared around Neji. Seeing the figure curled up on the ground groaning in pain, he breathed a slight sigh of relief.
"You little bastard, I've let you hide outside for so long, I've finally caught you."
Sogen was getting on in years and had been living a life of luxury for many years. He had been working very hard these days, so he gave a look to a member of the Branch Family.
Bang!
Hyuga Tetsu kicked Neji in the stomach. "Tell me, why did you betray the Hyuga Clan? Why didn't you just be a proper Branch Family member like your father, and die protecting the Main Family in the future?"
"Don't mention my father again. He was forced to his death by the Main Family." Neji struggled to get up from the ground.
"Shut up! The purpose of the Branch Family is to protect the Main Family and guard against the Byakugan. You, who only care about your own selfish interests, have ruined us."
"Eight Trigrams and Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms "
Whoosh whoosh whoosh...
Hyuga Tetsu Tetsuji vented all his anger on Neji. Since Neji's defection, all the Branch Family members had been implicated and interrogated one by one by the Main Family using the Caged Bird Seal.
To prevent such incidents from happening again, the Main Family has implemented stricter control measures and has prohibited individuals from going on missions alone.
"Aaaaaahh...
The Chakra sealed Neji's pressure points and damaged his internal organs, causing him excruciating pain.
The other Branch Family members felt sorry for them and lowered their heads or turned away. The Branch Family members were never of one mind. There were servants who sided with the Main Family, neutral people, and even traitors like Neji.
Sogen was very dissatisfied and said, "You few should take turns teaching this traitor a lesson."
"Hi!"
No one dared to object. After Neji was beaten up by Hyuga Tetsu Tessou, he was finally knocked to the ground by the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm and seemed unable to stand up.
"Tie him to the tree," Sogen commanded.
That's a good idea. The Hyuga Clan members practice Gentle Fist and pressure point techniques on tree stumps all day long, and it's incredibly smooth.
So for the next half hour, the remaining four took turns attacking, some specializing in striking pressure points, others in attacking internal organs.
After enduring excruciating physical torture, Neji lowered his head, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, barely breathing.
Is he dead?
Hyuga Tetsu forward to check and replied, "Not yet. Ever since his father passed away, this kid has harbored resentment towards the Main Family. He has a very strong will and won't die anytime soon."
Hyuga Gen Neji and scrutinized him closely. "You think defecting will bring you liberation? You think escaping will grant you freedom?"
Possessing the Byakugan, wielding Gentle Fist, and with Hyuga blood flowing through her veins, wherever she goes, others will only treat her as a tool.
"So... am I destined to be the Main Family's dog for the rest of my life? Like my father... destined to be used as a substitute for someone else's death!" Neji replied weakly.
"In the ninja world, everyone must follow their own destiny. Those who attempt to break this will not have a good end, just like you are now."
What a pity! You were the only genius of our clan for many years. The best outcome for you now is to be imprisoned for life.
Elder Sogen shook his head, seemingly lamenting Neji's fate.
"Fine, considering your father died in place of the clan chief, I'll grant you a quick death."
Caged Bird Seal!
The green Cursed Seal burst forth with a blinding light. Unlike the punishment seals of the past, this one was a curse-killing seal, obliterating and destroying the Byakugan at the same time.
"Ah...!!"
Neji's eyes bulged, veins bulging around his eye sockets, and he let out a final, mournful cry before abruptly ceasing.
Hyuga Tetsu and the other Branch Family members watched in trembling fear, knowing full well that the elder was showing them what the consequences of betraying the Main Family would be.
As the Byakugan turned gray, the green Cursed Seal on his forehead slowly dissipated.
"This is the freedom you wanted, and now it's yours."
Hyuga Neji glanced coldly at Hyuga Gen, then said to Hyuga Tetsu and the others, "It's not safe here. Take Neji's body and return to the village."
"Yes!" Hyuga Tetsu replied shakily.
No one who has Branch Family the family can remain calm upon witnessing their fellow human being cursed to death on the spot by Caged Bird Seal.
He strode up to Neji, took out a storage scroll, spread it out, and prepared to drag Neji's corpse up, pack it up, and take it away, muttering curses under his breath.
"Damn it, you're free now."
"My pathetic compatriots, what gives you the right to think I'm already dead!"
Thump thump... thump thump...
My heart, which had calmed down, began to beat slowly again.
To Hyuga Tetsu's astonishment, Neji's corpse slowly opened its eyes, its originally grayish-white pupils replaced by purple, both dazzling and cold.
"You..."
Pfft!
Neji plunged his hand into Hyuga Tetsu's heart, gripped it, and crushed it.
Hyuga Tetsu's corpse knelt before Neji, its head drooping lifelessly, blood spurting out and staining Neji's entire body red.
The others were so shocked to see Neji, who had been thought to be dead, stand up again that their mouths nearly dropped to the ground.
"This is impossible!!"
He was clearly dead just now.
"There's a ghost..."
Byakugan!
Hyuga Sogen subconsciously activated his Byakugan and scanned Neji's body. "His heart is beating, he's not a puppet, and there are no enemies lurking around."
What exactly happened to him? And what's wrong with his eyes?
As Neji strode over, Hyuga Sogen attempted to activate the Caged Bird Seal again, but it was clear that it would have no effect.
" The Cursed Seal failed, which means we did kill that brat. No problem, we'll interrogate him properly once we catch him and see what secrets he's hiding."
The other four Branch Family family members instinctively stepped back; Neji's current state was no less than that of a bloodstained demon.
"Don't be afraid, this little beast must have used some secret technique. He can't hold out for long. Attack him and kill him!" Sogen shouted.
Overwhelmed by the authority of the Main Family, the Branch Family members dared not resist and launched a simultaneous attack with their Gentle Fist from four directions.
"Eight Trigrams Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!!"
" Rotation "
Neji spun rapidly in place, his body spewing Chakra to form a pale purple oval shield that blocked the attack. Then, the shield suddenly expanded in size.
Bang!
The four Branch Family members who were besieging Neji were completely caught off guard by this turn of events. They were swept away by the sudden Chakra shockwave, coughing up blood and collapsing to the ground.
Sogen's first reaction upon seeing this was not to rush forward and seize the opportunity to kill, but to turn and run.
Fighting is the Branch Family's job; the Main Family's duty is to pass on the Byakugan, and he cannot take risks.
"Something terrible has happened! They've actually broken free of the Cursed Seal! We must tell the clan this news."
In a flash, Neji appeared before him, and then felt a sharp pain in his abdomen, causing his body to involuntarily bend over and curl up.
Elder Sogen's face flashed with shock. "This speed! How is this possible..."
Puff... Puff
"Ah... my eyes!"
Neji took out a palm-sized glass container from his person, filled with a transparent liquid that served as a preservative and freshener, ready for transplantation at any time.
He placed the freshly dug-out Byakugan into a container before explaining expressionlessly:
"I already promised someone else that this was a dowry for my foolish sister."
"You bastard, the clan will not let you go." Sogen knew that Neji would never let him leave alive, so he could only utter such harsh words.
"Don't worry, I'll send the members of the Main Family down to keep you company soon."
Bagua - Vacuum Palm!
boom...
The violent Chakra pierced through the body, completely shattering Hyuga Sogen's internal organs. Neji quickly walked to the corpse and placed his hand on the head.
A moment later.
"Hmph, the Main Family really does have a lot of good stuff hidden away."
Besides the standard Gentle Fist, Vacuum Palm, Rotation, and Twin Lion Fists, he also possessed some advanced Taijutsu, and even intercepted the activation Cursed Seal of the Caged Bird Seal technique.
Buzz...
A sharp pain shot through his head, Neji collapsed to the ground, clutching his head.
"Was it really too much to handle? The Reincarnation Eye Technique, which can only be activated by a true death, is something I simply cannot control right now."
After resting for a while and tidying up the battlefield, Neji's figure disappeared into the dense forest.
Meanwhile, Aoki Tsuki and Konan, carrying Killer B, sped out of the Land of Lightning and arrived at their base in the Land of Grass.
The Magic Lantern Body Technique.
Apart from Zetsu, everyone else arrived one after another and looked at Killer B lying on the ground.
"So this is the guy known as the Perfect Jinchuriki? He doesn't seem particularly special," Kisame commented.
Aoki Tsuki chimed in, "That's true. It's not as strong as I expected. I'm just lucky; I always run into weaklings, haha..."
'Hmph, always bragging, even though he fought so hard.'
As Konan watched Aoki Tsuki subtly showing off, she inexplicably thought of the time she herself had been secretly groped.
'The situation was urgent at the time; we'll settle the score with him after we seal the Eight-Tails.'
Itachi glanced at Killer B indifferently, unsure of what to say. Madara had told him he would sabotage Aoki Tsuki, and that was it?
Aoki Tsuki and Konan's clothes were still clean, indicating that the battle wasn't particularly intense.
'What a complete failure. I'll do it myself. Sasuke, the village, and everyone else need me to protect them.'
"It looks very strong. Can I use its corpse as a puppet?"
"Um... forgive me, Brother Scorpion, maybe next time. This guy still has some value waiting for me to discover."
"What a pity."
At this moment, Pain had completed his preparations and said, "Let's begin, everyone, Phantom Dragons Nine Consuming Seals."
The seal lasted for three days and three nights.
During this period, Kumogakure of the Land of Lightning officially declared war on Akatsuki, issued a warrant for their arrest throughout the Shinobi World, and called on the Five Great Nations to hold Five Kage Summit to jointly stop Akatsuki's conspiracy.
The attitude was more resolute than ever before.
Tsunade Fifth Hokage of Konoha, was in an unprecedentedly good mood. These people were pretending to be deaf and dumb as long as their own interests were not harmed.
Now it's great, they're more proactive than anyone else, their attitude has completely changed.
Konoha and Sunagakure responded one after another, and Iwagakure, after careful consideration, also agreed to the matter. Kirigakure had no choice but to take sides.
Both sides agreed on the time and place for the talks: the Land of Iron.
Three days later, the Eight-Tails 'Chakra was completely drained, and it lay motionless on the ground.
"Akatsuki's final plan has reached its final stage; peace is imminent," Pain said.
"Now we only need the Nine-Tails. Do you need our help?"
Before Pain could refuse, Aoki Tsuki preemptively said, "It depends on the reaction of the Five Great Nations. They will definitely not sit idly by and watch us gather Tailed Beast."
Capturing the Nine-Tails will most likely face full-scale resistance from the Five Great Nations, so everyone should be prepared.
"That's to be expected. My Samehada is itching for battle, and the battlefield is in Konoha, isn't it?"
" Konoha is a wonderful place, rich in talent and resources, and teeming with powerful individuals. It would be such a great regret if one never had the chance to fight someone from Konoha."
Seeing this, Scorpion reminded him again, "Then don't forget what you promised me, otherwise it will affect my performance."
I'll give it to you later.
After making his assurance, Aoki Tsuki said to Pain, "Leader, the final moment has arrived. Only if all members of Akatsuki participate in the battle will we have even a sliver of hope of victory."
After a moment's thought, Pain finally nodded. "Then everyone will participate in the Nine-Tails capture operation."
"Many people will die," Itachi suddenly said.
This statement plunged everyone into silence. Facing the Five Great Nations, no one could guarantee their survival; in fact, no one could possibly survive.
Aoki Tsuki immediately retorted, "Everyone dies, but not everyone lives. Akatsuki exists to prove one thing."
The Shinobi World is not ruled by the Five Great Nations; we can also redefine peace with power.
"Peace doesn't necessarily have to be achieved through violence."
At this point, Itachi simply stopped pretending. Now that Akatsuki's plan was about to be completed, there was no need to remain in hiding any longer, and it didn't matter whether he concealed his identity or not.
"Did the Land of Fire naturally possess such a large area? Was the most fertile place on the entire continent simply a lucky find?"
Does inheriting a robber's estate automatically make it legitimate property? What a joke!
In the era when the Senju and Uchiha were dominant, they were simply seizing and annexing the territories of other clans. But in Konoha, it became the foundation that their ancestors swore to protect with their lives.
They talk a lot about peace and bonds, but that's not how our ancestors were when they were fighting for territory. They didn't even mention peace when the Shinobi World War used small countries as battlefields.
Now everyone could see that Aoki Tsuki and Itachi had a serious conflict, which had been brought to the forefront, and they all watched with interest.
Pain said, "Moon, Itachi, both of you calm down. There's no point in arguing about this. The final result will prove who is right."
"Perhaps, I'll retreat first." Itachi said this and then dispelled the Magic Lantern Body Technique.
Everyone had already guessed the true meaning of the so-called 'withdrawal'.
"Everyone, you can leave now."
Pain didn't waste any words and released the spell. Akatsuki's goal was basically achieved, and people's hearts were unsettled. In fact, it wouldn't matter if everyone left.
The final extraction of the Nine-Tails doesn't require so many people; the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path itself can complete it independently.