Still groggy from heavy drinking, Tsunade sat on a chair dozing off, her mind constantly replaying what had just happened. Regret quietly surfaced within her—she thought she should have insisted more and not allowed Jiraiya to go off alone.
"Tsunade-nee, why are you all by yourself here? You look so down," Hakuto's voice chimed in just then.
Tsunade managed a faint smile, then wrapped her arms tightly around Hakuto without a word.
Noticing Tsunade's unusual mood, Hakuto gently asked, "What's wrong exactly?"
Tsunade, still reeking of alcohol, said, "I'm just feeling sad. I shouldn't have let Jiraiya go on that mission."
Coincidentally, Shizune had been out looking for Tsunade and had just returned. Seeing the current Hokage in such a state, she sighed and said, "Ah, Tsunade-sama, you're the Hokage now—you can't drink openly during daylight hours and sit in such a visible spot. Some returning ninja might not feel too good seeing you like this."
Hakuto nodded. "Shizune-nee, she's had a bit too much—why don't you take her home, help her clean up, and get her to bed early?"
"Leave it to me," Shizune replied, already experienced in such matters. She hoisted Tsunade onto her back and turned to ask, "Hakuto, what about you? Where are you planning to stay tonight?"
Hakuto smiled. "Oh, I'm already grown up; you don't need to worry about me. Instead, it's about time you started thinking about yourself."
Shizune replied emotionally, "That's true. Time flies. In the blink of an eye, you've grown up too. Well then, I'll take off first. Bye-bye."
After they waved goodbye, Hakuto gazed into the distance in the direction Jiraiya had gone.
What kind of mission could make Tsunade-mama feel this upset? Maybe I should go check it out. Perhaps I can help somehow.
With that thought, Hakuto activated her Sharingan and silently followed along the trail Jiraiya had left behind.
Inside a ruined ancient site, Sasori walked alone. As one of the puppets sent ahead to investigate was destroyed, his footsteps immediately stopped.
Two figures in Akatsuki cloaks appeared before Sasori—Kisame and Itachi.
Kisame, carrying his Samehada, looked at Sasori and said, "Earlier, Mr. Itachi told me about your other identity, but only now do I truly believe it. So now, is this your real body or a puppet? Also, it seems you've come specifically looking for the two of us."
Sasori replied calmly, "Not you—it's him, Itachi. Come with me."
Before Itachi could speak, Kisame, wearing a grim smile, said, "I'm really not in the mood for a fight, but if you're trying to take Mr. Itachi by force, I definitely won't allow that."
Sasori replied indifferently, "If you want to come along, that's fine too."
Looking at Kisame's Samehada, Sasori indeed considered capturing both of them. Anyo still had unfinished business with the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, and handing this successor over to him might help vent some anger.
Itachi waved a hand to stop Kisame from speaking further and stepped forward, asking, "Where to?"
"Kiri."
At Sasori's words, the two men were simultaneously shocked. Clearly, the location had surprised them both.
Hoshigaki couldn't help but ask, "As a puppet master, you should be from Sunagakure. Why are you helping Mist?"
"Fine then. If you willingly come with me, answering a few more questions won't hurt."
Though Sasori was confident he could defeat both of them, once the fight started, there were too many uncertainties. Plus, neither of these two was weak. He couldn't hold back; accidentally killing them would create even more trouble.
"It's about someone close to you in Mist, Itachi. I think you can probably guess who. Come with me—it'll benefit you and cause no harm."
Hoshigaki was taken aback, puzzled. Didn't Itachi kill off the entire Uchiha Clan? His only remaining brother still wanted revenge. Who could possibly care so much for him?
Suddenly, Hoshigaki recalled the scene where he was cut down by the Single Blade Strike. A thought struck him.
Itachi was silent for a moment before asking, "What if I refuse?"
Sasori directly activated [Ryuchi Cave Sage Art], unleashing the endless Ryumyaku energy within his body. Under this overwhelming pressure, both Itachi and Hoshigaki began stepping backward, completely unable to resist.
"What kind of power is this?" Shock appeared in Hoshigaki's eyes for the first time. The chakra level exceeded even his own. How was that possible?
"If you refuse," Sasori's gaze flashed coldly as barely concealed killing intent seeped out, "then I will have no choice but to take you by force."
Itachi sighed heavily and said, "Fine, I'll go with you."
"A wise choice." Sasori deactivated the sage art and took out a scroll. After summoning it, a flying mechanized suit landed on the ground.
"Climb aboard."
Without another word, Itachi obediently boarded the suit.
Sasori turned his gaze toward Hoshigaki next.
Hoshigaki's face flickered between different emotions until finally clenching his teeth—appearing ready to decide something...
However, Itachi spoke first: "My going with you is enough. This was your only instruction anyway, right?"
"Fine." Sasori didn't insist further. Controlling the suit, the two rose into the sky and vanished at the horizon.
Hoshigaki glared at them as they disappeared into the distance. Gripping Samehada tightly, he felt helpless for the first time.
At that moment, a familiar voice sounded behind him: "Don't get so upset. I still have unfinished business here—I won't leave easily. Later, I'll need your assistance."
Hoshigaki's expression changed instantly upon seeing the person behind him. He couldn't help but smile. That's just like you...
In Rain Country's Sanshouo Hanzo's area, Pain and Obito—the two hidden powerhouses—were meeting.
Pain asked first, "How about Sasuke?"
Obito praised, "Excellent! He has fully unleashed the Sharingan's power and is now potentially your equal. Now, the timing is mature, and we don't have much time left."
"As for the Nine-Tails situation..."
"You handle that. As our leader, failure is not an option," Obito ordered. "With everyone in Akatsuki's efforts, only Three-Tails, Eight-Tails, and Nine-Tails remain now. Finally, our goal is drawing near."
Konan beside them wasn't optimistic: "But... Three-Tails has never shown itself yet. Despite sending numerous members searching, we've found nothing so far."
Calmly, Obito replied, "No problem. Someone else will help us locate it—he has already arrived in Mist to carry out his mission."
"Who?" Konan asked curiously.
Obito spoke with an inexplicable tone, "Someone who used to be your Master."
Konan was slightly startled and fell silent.
Meanwhile, Pain timely asked, "What about the Eight-Tails?"
"I'll handle the arrangements," Obito replied. "The true power of the Sharingan—the power of Madara Uchiha—shall soon appear."
After saying this, Obito transformed into a red lightning bolt and vanished into the rain.
In Kiri, Anya—who had been waiting—saw the two of them and revealed a slight smile on her face.
But as she drew closer, that smile disappeared completely. Her eyes filled with regret as she asked, "Itachi, is this truly your choice?"
Itachi rarely smiled—but now, he did so gently. He gazed at her warmly and said, "Foster Father, is my mother still alive?"
"Yes."
Upon hearing that definite reply, Itachi's smile brightened. "That's good. Thank you for this. Those who slaughter their comrades won't meet a good end. This kind of outcome—it's the best one for me. From now on, I leave Sasuke in your hands."
Once those words were spoken, Itachi scattered away like a flock of crows.
Sasori stood there frozen, muttering, "So it wasn't his real body. How was this even possible? How could he fool me?"
Then, from within the swarm of puppets—disguised as crows—one flew directly toward Anya. The eye of this particular puppet contained something Shisui once gave to Itachi: [Kotoamatsukami].
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