From the ridge, Neji and Yugito watched the Kumogakure forces retreat with Killer B in tow.
It surprised Neji. No pursuit. No sweeps. Just a full withdrawal.
"…Not the reckless move I expected," he murmured.
"What do you make of it?" he asked quietly.
Yugito thought for a moment before answering. "They probably realize normal shinobi wouldn't stand a chance against you. And after what you showed last time, draining chakra straight from the source, they're not eager to risk more casualties."
Neji nodded. The Raikage wasn't just muscle. There was a strategy under the rage. Still, it didn't matter. Kumo had nothing left he needed.
In his mindscape, another fragment clicked into place, a piece of the larger puzzle he was chasing.
Akatsuki had bungled: Four-Tails and Six-Tails should have been sealed already, but delays mounted. Clumsy. Sloppy.
"They even let me intercept two of them already," he muttered. "Pathetic."
But there were opportunities. Kisame had taken the Four-Tails' reliable, steady Kisame, the only Akatsuki who truly knew Obito's identity. That one he could leverage.
As for the Six-Tails… Deidara and that buffoon "Tobi" had been dispatched. Deidara never guarded his prizes; Tobi played the fool. Which meant a window.
Neji sent a coded message. The rest would unfold.
He stood, Yugito's hand already finding his shoulder. No words needed. They disappeared into the wind.
---
Far away, firelight danced in a cavern. Obito leaned against a stone, crimson Sharingan spinning lazily as he scrolled through a glowing message.
A chuckle escaped him. "I haven't even pressed him yet, and already he presses me. Impatient."
He closed the device, eyes drifting to the photo he kept as his background. Rin's smile, eternal and untouchable, burned a hole through his chest. Without Rin, the world was nothing but ash.
Zetsu oozed from the wall, having heard enough.
"Four-Tails and Six-Tails progress?" Obito asked.
"Confirmed," Zetsu's voice gurgled. "Kisame has the Four-Tails secured, en route to the base. I've told him to wait. Deidara and Tobi have the Six-Tails' trail and are narrowing locations."
Obito nodded, mask tilting. "Then the trade begins. We give him the Four-Tails… in exchange for the Two-Tails. Once the Six-Tails is captured, he can leak intel on the Three-Tails. It maintains balance."
He tapped the device again, sending instructions: bring the Two-Tails for exchange, then seal together.
"Make it believable," he added. "Tell Kisame to clash with him first. Can't have it look too convenient."
Zetsu smirked. "Naturally. The script was written long ago. Even Pain won't see the strings."
The reply pinged. Obito's lone eye narrowed, then curved. "Efficient. He's already subdued Kumo's jinchūriki. Easier than expected."
"Then I'll notify Kisame," Zetsu said, sinking back into the shadows.
---
Elsewhere, Neji studied Obito's returned message, then glanced at Yugito.
"Your turn to play a part," he said. "I'll split Matatabi's chakra, reseal half in you. Let them siphon what they want. You'll feign death. Someone will 'recover' your body. Understood?"
Yugito nodded once.
"You'll fight them. Make it convincing," Neji instructed, tone iron. "Don't disappoint me."
With that, he shifted them through space, depositing her on the borderlands of Earth Country. Their paths diverged. Yugito headed toward the direction of Uchiha Itachi today's scripted opponent.
Neji, meanwhile, ghosted toward a different rendezvous. Kisame.
---
The clearing was quiet, broken only by the sound of a blade resting heavy on stone. Kisame sat with Samehada across his knees, a shark's smile curling when Neji stepped from the trees.
Beside him lay the unconscious Four-Tails jinchūriki Roshi, or was it Han? Neji didn't bother remembering. Just another disposable vessel.
"Well, well," Kisame greeted. "Last time enemies. Now… business partners?"
Neji didn't waste words. "Spare me. The Six-Tails and Seven-Tails are in motion. I'm here for the Four-Tails."
Kisame shrugged, gesturing toward the old man sprawled in the dirt. "Be my guest."
Neji's eyes flicked briefly to the shadow at the treeline Zetsu, watching. He said nothing, simply extended his hand and drove it into Roshi's chest. The unique pull began, unseen but undeniable. Kisame leaned forward, intrigued, as threads of energy flowed into Neji's palm.
Zetsu, hidden, frowned. The jinchūriki's strength hadn't diminished. No tail was missing. What was this man stealing, if not the beast itself? A puzzle. A dangerous one.
Moments later, Neji withdrew. The fragment he needed was secured.
"Your turn," he told Kisame. "Assist your partner. Bring her back intact. That's the play."
Kisame's grin widened, shark eyes glinting. "Heh. Understood."
And the stage shifted to the next act.
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