Indeed, that was the case!
Before long, Kakuzu received intel from his underground network. There had been an incident in a region near the borders of the Hidden Cloud Village, though the specifics were unclear. However, the Fourth Raikage and many of the Hidden Cloud's elite ninjas had gone there.
It was also rumored that the Eight-Tails had gone, but for some unknown reason, it returned early.
"Impressive!"
Kakuzu couldn't help but exclaim, "Drawing all of the Hidden Cloud's top members out isn't difficult. But getting the Eight-Tails to leave the Raikage's side and return to the village early—that's no small feat."
Sasori sneered disdainfully, "It's probably just like Deidara's last move, manipulating the Eight-Tails' desire to protect the village."
"That's true for the last step, but..." Kakuzu glanced at Sasori and said slowly, "Getting in contact with the upper echelons of the Hidden Cloud isn't a simple task either. And placing that much explosive clay in the village... Did Deidara make some deal with the Raikage?"
"Hmph, why do you care so much?"
Sasori said impatiently, "The Eight-Tails is already in our hands. Even if Deidara did strike a deal with the Raikage, so what? Once we bring the Eight-Tails back to the Akatsuki, it'll be Uchiha Itsuki problem."
"Fair point!"
Kakuzu and Hidan both nodded.
Their expressions even showed a bit of expectation.
Deidara's victory this time was so unexpected, it made them wonder.
What if this was all part of a Hidden Cloud strategy...?
"Let's go!"
The three of them slowly retreated.
Just as they left, the Raikage had returned to the village with his right-hand men.
His expression was fierce.
"Bii!!!"
The Raikage roared furiously toward the sky.
Darui turned to Cee and said, "Stop standing there, get searching!"
If they didn't act fast, the boss would start hitting people soon.
"Oh, right!"
Cee snapped out of it and immediately began using sensory ninjutsu.
The Raikage glared at him with intensity.
"I can't sense B's chakra anymore!"
Cee quickly opened his eyes and added, "However, I do sense three abnormal chakra signatures leaving the Hidden Cloud Village."
"Take me to them!"
The Raikage growled in a low voice.
"Yes, sir!"
Cee dashed off, with the Fourth Raikage and Darui following close behind.
...
"Hmph!"
As they moved, both Sasori and Kakuzu grunted almost simultaneously, their expressions full of anger.
Hidan, puzzled, asked, "What is it? Did you realize something was off? I told you, that kid Deidara—ugh!"
*Bam!*
Both Sasori and Kakuzu struck him, forcing him to shut up.
"What's going on?"
Hidan yelled angrily, "What's your problem?"
"Prepare for battle," Kakuzu said coldly. "Someone's caught up to us. Judging by the fierce chakra, it might be the Raikage!"
"Exactly," Sasori agreed.
Hidan was even more confused. "Since when did you two become sensory ninjas?"
Sasori looked at Hidan with a condescending gaze and said, "It's a basic skill for strong ninjas."
"What do you mean by that?!"
Hidan shouted in frustration. He was sick of being treated like an idiot by these guys.
One day, he swore he would kill both of them.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Hidan paused, then shouted angrily, "What did you say? Someone's caught up to us? Could it really be the Raikage?"
"Yes," Kakuzu said indifferently. "Since we're not sensory ninjas, we can't be sure. But that power is filled with violent energy."
"Why us?!"
Hidan screamed in frustration. "It was Deidara who captured the Eight-Tails! Why are the Hidden Cloud coming after us?"
"Because we're also members of the Akatsuki. Strictly speaking, we're Deidara's comrades. At least, that's how it looks to outsiders."
Hidan: "..."
That made a lot of sense!
"So, we'll have to fight!"
Hidan bared his sharp teeth.
"Of course!"
Sasori was already preparing for combat.
"Troublesome,"
Kakuzu muttered unhappily, but he still took off his cloak.
Also, his heart had been severely damaged while dealing with the Eight-Tails, and he hadn't had time to replace it yet.
More problems...
*Boom!*
A huge figure landed with a crash.
The Raikage's furious face appeared before them.
"Akatsuki! It really is you!"
The Raikage snarled through gritted teeth.
"Raikage?"
Hidan looked at him and burst into laughter, his expression turning slightly maniacal. "Great! Let's take care of you. I'll show Deidara he's nothing compared to me."
Sasori said coldly, "Enough talk."
Kakuzu: "Let's begin."
*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!*
Two more figures appeared.
One was Cee, and the other was Darui.
Three against three!
*Boom!!!*
*Bang!!!*
A violent explosion erupted.
Raging lightning, eerie puppets, black thunderbolts, iron spears formed by magnetism...
Countless attacks intertwined in the area.
In the blink of an eye, the place was completely destroyed.
No one knew how much time had passed before the Cloud Village's ninjas arrived for support.
When they arrived, they were speechless, utterly shocked by the scene before them.
"Lord Raikage!"
A startled shout broke their stunned silence.
The Cloud ninjas hurriedly rushed forward to help the unconscious individuals.
They saw the Raikage and two others lying on the ground, their condition unknown.
After the medical ninjas examined them, they finally let out a sigh of relief.
None of them were dead.
However, they had suffered severe injuries and had fallen into unconsciousness.
"Quick, take Lord Raikage back to the village."
"Yes!"
A ninja responded in a low voice, "What about the surroundings...?"
"Be cautious!" the leading ninja said gravely. "Clean up the area. Gather everything here. Is this black iron? Take it."
"Collect the puppets!"
"Gather that broken mask!"
...
In no time, all traces of the area were collected.
The leading ninja looked in one direction, remaining silent for a long while.
"Sir!"
Another ninja approached him.
"About Lord Raikage and the others..."
"The enemy must have been severely injured as well!"
"Oh?"
"If the enemy wasn't also gravely injured, our unconscious Lord Raikage might have been killed or captured."
"The fact that they're still here suggests that the enemy didn't even have a chance to kill Lord Raikage while he was unconscious."
The ninja became excited. "Should we pursue them?"
"No!"
The lead ninja responded without hesitation, "Our priority is to protect Lord Raikage and stabilize the village."
If they all fell, he couldn't imagine what would happen to the Cloud Village.
The Cloud Village had very few traitors.
It seemed like the only traitors they ever had were the Gold and Silver Brothers.
But!
Even they only rebelled against the Raikage's orders and never acted against the village itself.
Though the Cloud Village seemed strong, it was also filled with dangers.
Because!
Whoever has the biggest fists is the boss!
With the Raikage in this condition, what would happen if someone challenged him?
...
With a dull thud,
The Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, Deidara, was thrown to the ground.
Deidara crossed his arms with a proud expression and said, "Everyone, haven't I completed more missions than any of you? Besides, I captured this guy right inside the Cloud Village."
"Oh!"
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow and said, "Deidara, you captured the Eight-Tails by yourself inside the Cloud Village?"
"What? You don't believe me?"
Deidara snorted and said, "Let me tell you, this is my power."
Unlike other ninja villages, the Cloud Village's combat strength is undoubtedly the strongest.
In one-on-one combat, they might even be stronger than Konoha.
Only the crazy Uchiha clan could suppress them in a one-on-one fight.
"Oh, that strong, huh?"
Orochimaru chuckled coldly. "So, is that why you all called me here?"
"What do you mean by that?"
Deidara glared at Orochimaru. "You got a problem with me, you bastard?"
"Yeah, I do. What are you going to do about it?"
Orochimaru tilted his head, putting one hand on his waist, not taking Deidara seriously at all.
Though Deidara was a genius, in Orochimaru's eyes, he was just average.
As for conflict…
Frankly, the inner workings of the Akatsuki were a mess. Aside from Kisame and Zabuza's pairing, no one really got along well with each other.
"Enough!"
At this moment, Uchiha Itsuki, who had kept his eyes closed the whole time, finally opened them.
He wasn't pretending to be mysterious; he had just completed his mission and was enjoying his promotion reward.
[Mission: Collect all items for reviving the Ten-Tails]
[Mission complete!]
[Mission reward: Eye power enhancement]
[Eye Power: Level 8 (Level 7, 97% → Level 8, 1%)]
Level 8!
Finally, Level 8!
When Itsuki opened his eyes again, they were filled with intricate patterns.
It was as if the world of Samsara was within them!
Rinnegan!
Level 8!
As expected, it was the Rinnegan!
It was a bit disappointing, though, that he hadn't had the chance to fully unleash his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan before it evolved.
Itsuki felt a sense of pride in his eyes.
At the same time!
[Uchiha Itsuki!]
[Age: 18]
[Ninjutsu: Level 7 (9%)]
[Taijutsu: Level 6 (87%)]
[Genjutsu: Level 7 (45%)]
[Kekkei Genkai: Rinnegan {Eye Power: Level 8 (1%)}]
[Chakra: 29 units (78%)]
...
[Ninjutsu]
[Fire Release]
[Great Fireball Technique: Level 7 (78%)]
[Phoenix Sage Fire Technique: Level 7 (36%)]
[Dragon Fire Technique: Level 7 (67%)]
...
[Water Release]
[Water Bullet Technique: Level 7 (34%)]
[Water Dragon Bullet Technique: Level 7 (23%)]
...
[Lightning Release]
...
[Earth Release]
...
[Sage Mode: Level 7 (90%)]
[Flying Thunder God: Level 7 (39%)]
[Chakra: 297,191 points!]
All of his ninjutsu had leveled up, except for Sage Mode.
And that wasn't surprising.
Sage Mode belonged to a whole different tier of power.
If ninjutsu represented his own power, then Sage Mode was about absorbing natural energy from the outside world and using his body as a vessel to harness it.
Moreover!
The power of the Rinnegan was still transforming his body, making it even stronger.
Now all he needed was to fully understand the power of the Rinnegan.
After that…
Everything would come to an end.
Itsuki smiled and said, "We're all comrades. Why fight over such trivial matters? Isn't that pointless?"
"Huh?"
Everyone present widened their eyes in disbelief.
Uchiha Itsuki… did he just get possessed?
Did he just say something so corny?
Did he take the wrong medicine?
"By the way!"
Itsuki ignored their reactions and continued, "Why did only you return? Where's Kakuzu, Sasori, and Hidan?"
"Uh…"
Deidara hesitated.
"I don't know!"
"You don't know?"
Itsuki was a bit stunned.
You all went hunting together, and you come back alone with the catch, but you don't know where your comrades are?
Impressive!
"Uh..."
Deidara awkwardly replied, "Maybe they got held up by something…"
"Nonsense!"
A furious voice rang out.
Then.
Sasori, Kakuzu, and Hidan appeared.
They were projections, but still their actual selves.
Seeing the state they were in, everyone fell silent.
Sasori was no longer in his Hiruko form but had reverted to his original body, which was badly damaged.
Half his head was chopped off, one arm remained, and part of his body was missing.
Kakuzu's back masks were reduced to just one and a half!
No one knew how the half-mask was even attached.
Hidan looked intact, but his body had a lot more stitches on it.
Itsuki, with a smirk, asked, "What happened to the three of you…?"
Did you guys try to solo a ninja village?
The three of them, who were fully capable of soloing a village, now looked like beggars.
"Deidara!"
Sasori could no longer contain his rage as he glared coldly at Deidara. "You had a good time causing havoc in the Cloud Village, didn't you?"
Deidara was sweating profusely under Sasori's gaze.
He knew he couldn't beat Sasori if they actually fought.
"Sasori, brother, what happened to you?"
"You dare ask?" Kakuzu growled coldly. "You took the Eight-Tails and left us to face Raikage's team."
"Pfft!"
Zetsu couldn't hold back his laughter. "What? Did they beat you up?"
"Like hell they did!"
Hidan shouted, "We took them all down! The Raikage was nothing special, just a couple of his subordinates. They were no big deal either."
Itsuki eyed the trio thoughtfully.
Raikage and two subordinates?
That must be Darui and Cee, the Raikage's left and right hands.
For Sasori, Kakuzu, and Hidan to face them, the odds of victory…
Not great!
Darui was still young and needed time to grow.
Cee was also not a strong attacker, more of a support and sensory-type ninja.
Compared to them...
Sasori and Kakuzu were seasoned veterans.
The only real trouble would've been the Raikage!
That guy was seriously tough!
The Raikage, even among the Kage, was considered a top-tier fighter.
The Third Raikage was the strongest, but the Fourth, though not as strong, was still a powerhouse.
Kakuzu and Sasori facing him would've been a rough fight!
END