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Within the illusion.
Kagaya urgently spoke up.
"Itachi, we need to be extremely careful on this mission!"
"Careful? What's wrong?" Itachi asked, puzzled.
But Kagaya didn't know how to explain it to Itachi. Should he say the Fourth Mizukage would attack them? On what grounds? Should he say that Tobi was controlling the Fourth Mizukage? How would he know that?
In short, explaining these things was as troublesome as facing the Fourth Mizukage himself. Kagaya could only insist stubbornly.
"In any case, we must be careful! Especially, keep an eye on Izumi!"
Though Itachi didn't understand why Kagaya was acting this way, he trusted him. He nodded.
"Alright, I will."
The illusion ended.
Juzo didn't care much about Itachi and Izumi's arrival. He gave them a casual greeting before turning back to Kagaya.
"Are you sure everything's okay?"
Kagaya's earlier look of dread had startled Juzo. It was the first time he'd seen such a horrified expression on Kagaya's face.
By now, Kagaya had regained his composure. With a faint smile, he repeated his earlier words.
"No, it's fine."
"Is that so? Then, shall we head out?"
"Yeah."
With that, the four of them set off together. Though Kagaya knew this was part of Obito's plan, he didn't choose to back out. It wasn't yet time to completely break ties with Obito and the Akatsuki. In the future, invading the Leaf Village would require the Akatsuki's help. Kagaya hadn't forgotten his promise to Shisui—he would never personally act against the Leaf.
Moreover, in the original story, only one person died when Itachi and Juzo went on this mission. Now, with four of them, Kagaya believed they could at least protect themselves.
Along the way, Juzo began explaining the mission.
"The job itself is simple: assassinate a certain figure from the Land of Water's daimyo family. To give you some context, this is a common case of family infighting and succession disputes in the Land of Water. The Mist Village can't directly intervene in the daimyo's affairs, so they hired the Akatsuki."
Soon, the group arrived at the edge of a cliff, below which flowed a river.
Juzo asked, "This river marks the border. Have any of you been to the Land of Water before?"
Kagaya shook his head slightly.
"No."
Itachi replied calmly, "Not for a mission."
Juzo grinned, his curiosity piqued.
"What about for a trip?"
Itachi didn't respond, remaining silent.
"You're no fun!" Juzo complained.
It was clear that Juzo could be quite playful at times.
"But you must know what happens to ninja from other villages caught in the Land of Water, right?"
Kagaya replied bluntly, "No idea."
Itachi took over, answering, "The Mist Village doesn't negotiate for prisoners. Captured ninja have their techniques thoroughly interrogated before they're executed."
Juzo teased Kagaya, "You're from the same village—how's the gap between you two so wide?"
Kagaya rolled his eyes. "Want to test me?"
Juzo shrugged.
"You're no fun either. Damn it!"
Then, Juzo spoke more seriously.
"You guys are lucky. The Leaf is soft, so you and Orochimaru can leisurely play rogue ninja. The Mist has a dedicated hunter-nin squad for tracking down deserters. If I got caught in this village…"
He paused, not continuing. Clearly, if Juzo were captured, his fate would be grim.
Then, Juzo scratched his head and looked at Kagaya.
"Oh, wait, I forgot to mention Plan C. If I get caught by the Mist, kill me immediately."
Kagaya narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Is that really necessary?"
"Absolutely. Completely necessary!" Juzo replied firmly.
Kagaya closed his eyes, silent for two seconds before responding.
"If I can, I will."
Juzo gave a small smile and raised his blade, pointing it at Kagaya.
"Then, what about Plan D? What do you want me to do?"
Plan D referred to the scenario where Kagaya was captured.
Kagaya gave Juzo a cold glance.
"There's no need for a Plan D. Until I achieve my goal, I won't die. A mere Mist Village can't stop me."
Juzo looked at Kagaya deeply.
"Sounds like you've got a strong obsession."
"Not just strong—it's something I "must" accomplish."
"Then let's go."
That night, Kagaya and the others appeared outside the walls of a house in the Land of Water.
Juzo turned to the three behind him.
"Anyone here good at infiltration?"
Kagaya: "Average."
Itachi: "Decent."
Izumi: "I… I'm not good at it."
Juzo didn't mind.
"Then let's see what 'average' looks like from you two."
Kagaya's eyes slowly turned red.
"We're in the Land of Water now. I don't want to make a big scene. Let's finish this quickly and retreat. Juzo, you're too loud, so stay out of this. Itachi and I will handle it."
Juzo replied with disdain, "Didn't you just say your infiltration skills were average?"
Kagaya: "…"
Itachi: "…"
A short while later, the house looked unchanged from the outside, but everyone inside was already dead.
Kagaya and Itachi suddenly reappeared beside Juzo and Izumi.
Kagaya tilted his head toward Juzo.
"It's done. Lead the way out. You know this place best."
Juzo looked at the silent house, unable to resist another jab.
"Who was it that said their infiltration was 'average' again?"
"Ahem."
Kagaya explained, "That's not important. Let's retreat quickly."
In truth, neither Itachi nor Kagaya's infiltration skills were exceptional. Their success was largely due to the Sharingan's abilities.
The Sharingan's genjutsu could cover any shortcomings. Even if someone spotted them, a quick genjutsu would handle it, ensuring no one noticed.
"Fine, let's go," Juzo said.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The four leaped swiftly through the trees, preparing to leave the Land of Water. But…
Kagaya's eyes flicked back slightly. What was coming had arrived.
"Juzo!"
Juzo sensed it too. Hearing Kagaya's call, he knew what it meant.
He quickly formed hand signs.
"Mist Hiding Technique!"
Suddenly, fog began to rise in the forest, thick clouds of mist obscuring their vision.
However…
"Wind Release: Gale Sweep!"
A fierce gust of wind blew through, dispersing the fog.
Juzo's eyes widened slightly. He realized something.
"This is…"
Seconds later, dozens of masked ninja surrounded Kagaya and the others. Directly in front of them stood a figure who looked like a child, carrying a massive staff-like weapon on his back.
Juzo stared at the "child," knowing things had gotten complicated.
"The Fourth…"
The Fourth Mizukage—Yagura, the perfect Jinchuriki controlled by Tobi!