After receiving the mission, the group slipped right back into their favorite activity—chatting. Out of the blue, Uchiha Itachi asked,
"Anyone know where Orochimaru is?"
It looked like he'd already found out that Orochimaru had lured away Uchiha Sasuke. Not surprising—the incident happened right near the Konoha border and caused a decent stir. Konoha hadn't exactly tried to hide it either.
Before long, the news that the last of the Uchiha clan, Sasuke, had defected from Konoha spread across the shinobi world.
Everyone shook their heads. Not even Zetsu could find any trace of Orochimaru before, and now that Zetsu was gone, the chances were even slimmer.
Hyuga Gakuya suddenly spoke up,
"Orochimaru died during the Konoha battle. He reincarnated into another body, but he won't be able to do it again for another three years. At the very least, your little brother's safe for now."
He said that just to keep Itachi from losing it. He knew how terrifying Uchiha could get when they snapped.
"Alright. Thank you," Itachi replied sincerely.
"No need," Gakuya said with a grin.
Would Itachi go crazy if he found out I was the one who tricked Sasuke into leaving?
"Hyuga Gakuya, where've you been lately? Haven't seen you at the meetings for a while," Deidara asked, curious.
"I went to Konoha. Brought my little brother back."
After chatting for a bit with Deidara and Sasori, Gakuya deactivated his Magic Lantern Body Technique.
His consciousness returned to the hidden chamber in the Sound Village. Stretching lazily, Gakuya muttered,
"Time to get busy again."
He stepped outside and hopped onto his puppet falcon, heading toward the Land of Rain.
...
Four days later, in the barren wastelands of northern Iwagakure territory, two figures rode atop a puppet falcon.
"That volcano ahead, huh?" Gakuya pointed at the mountain in the distance, molten lava still trickling down its sides.
Konan compared their location to the map.
"Yeah, intel says he's been training somewhere nearby."
"This place is seriously desolate. Closest town is over a hundred miles away. What does a Jinchūriki even eat out here? Chakra pills every day?" Gakuya quipped.
Konan didn't reply. Instead, she focused on activating her sensory jutsu, sweeping the area for any sign of the Jinchūriki.
She really didn't want to stay here a second longer. The dry, searing heat was torture for someone who'd grown up in the rain-soaked Land of Rain.
Gakuya, as if reading her discomfort, handed over a small jar of cream.
"Picked this up in that town yesterday. Locals swear by it."
"Thanks." Konan looked him in the eye and accepted it seriously, gently applying it to her face.
Activating his Tenseigan, Gakuya scanned the surroundings carefully. When he looked toward the volcano's crater, he spotted a middle-aged man sitting cross-legged near the edge. Purple robes, red beard, Iwa forehead protector—it was Roshi, wielder of the Lava Release.
Gakuya clicked his tongue. There couldn't be much oxygen left up there. What was this guy breathing, anyway? Holding his breath and taking turns?
"You hang back up here. I'll handle him," Gakuya said, glancing over his shoulder.
Konan unfolded her paper wings. "I'll go with you."
"Your technique's a bad matchup against him. Better if I go solo." With that, Gakuya leapt from the falcon, free-falling toward the crater below.
Just before hitting the ground, he activated his Tenseigan, halting an inch above the rocky surface.
He approached the volcano's edge. "Roshi of the Lava Release. I'm here to capture you."
Roshi slowly stood up, eyeing the stranger in the crimson Akatsuki cloak.
"Who are you?"
"Akatsuki." Gakuya raised a hand toward him.
Instantly, Roshi felt an overwhelming gravitational pull trying to drag him forward.
"Lava Style: Scorching River Rock Flow!" Roshi shouted, forming hand signs. Balls of lava condensed from the molten rivers around him and launched toward Gakuya.
Gakuya had no choice but to switch from attraction to repulsion, blasting the lava spheres away.
The lava surged over Roshi's body, and he entered his Lava Release Chakra Mode.
"Those eyes—you can control gravity and repulsion, can't you?"
"That's not all. I'll show you what else they can do." Gakuya floated into the air as turquoise chakra flared around him, six black Truth-Seeking Orbs appearing behind him.
Roshi had the terrain advantage—surrounded by lava, plus access to the power of the Tailed Beast. Gakuya could only hope this would be a fun fight.
...
Inside Roshi's subconscious, Son Gokū, the Four-Tails, stared in shock at the black orbs behind Gakuya.
"Those are the Sage's Truth-Seeking Orbs!"
"Did he awaken the Rinnegan? No… that's not the Rinnegan."
Son Gokū shouted urgently, "Roshi, that guy's eyes aren't normal! If we don't work together, we're both gonna die here!"
Roshi was taken aback. For the Tailed Beast to be this rattled… whoever this was, he was seriously dangerous.
"Got it. Lend me your power."
"Gladly."
...
In the real world, a red tail burst from Roshi's back, and his chakra spiked even higher.
"So you've synced up, huh? Too bad—it won't matter against absolute power."
Gakuya guided the six Truth-Seeking Orbs in front of him. Two of them shifted into massive fūma shuriken, wrapped in lightning and gales of wind.
"Go." With a quiet command, the orbs spun violently and shot forward, slicing through the air with a high-pitched shriek.
"Those things can cancel out any jutsu! Roshi, use raw magma to block them!" Son Gokū yelled.
"Understood!" Roshi's expression hardened as he directed a massive pillar of lava from the volcano, slamming it down between himself and the incoming attack.
The shuriken slammed into the lava wall. The wind and lightning layers were shaved away, and the orbs slowed—but the sheer momentum still carried them through, piercing the lava and continuing toward Roshi.
"Don't touch it! Move!" Son Gokū warned.
Without hesitation, Roshi leapt back, landing atop another rising lava pillar.
He formed more hand signs. Four new lava columns erupted from the volcano, roaring like fire dragons as they lunged at Gakuya.
Seeing this, Gakuya withdrew the orbs and summoned a shield in front of him. The lava slammed into it from all sides, battering the black sphere.
"That should do it," Roshi muttered.
"Don't let your guard down!" Son Gokū snapped.
No sooner had the warning landed than two orbs wrapped in turquoise chakra burst through the lava, reuniting with the others.
The shield split into four, each fragment transforming into a glowing orb. From them, countless blue beams of energy erupted, raining down like needles toward Roshi.
The searing beams tore through the lava and streaked straight for him.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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