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"I'm taking him with me."
Kagaya pointed at Zabuza beneath the tree and spoke in a flat tone.
A kunai quietly appeared in Kakashi's hand.
"Are you working together?"
Kagaya noticed Kakashi's subtle movement keenly, his gaze flicking to the kunai in Kakashi's hand.
"There's no need for you to be so wary of me. You could say I'm working with him, but I won't make a move against that old man. That's not my business."
Kakashi couldn't help but let out a slight sigh of relief. Normally, facing an enemy, he shouldn't so readily trust their words. But when it came to Kagaya, Kakashi found himself instinctively choosing to believe him.
"If you take him away, will he come to attack us again?"
Kagaya shook his head.
"That's his business, not something I control. I'm only responsible for saving him now. Whether he chooses to continue attacking you afterwards is his decision."
Kakashi took a deep breath.
"I see. In that case..."
As he spoke, Kakashi raised the hand holding the kunai, pointing it towards Kagaya.
"...In that case, I cannot allow you to take him away."
Kagaya looked at Kakashi impassively.
"Do you stand any chance of winning?"
This was a fundamental question. Even in his peak condition, Kakashi might not necessarily defeat Kagaya, let alone in his current state, having expended a great deal of chakra in his fight against Zabuza.
Kakashi stubbornly replied, "Whether I do or not, I cannot let you rescue him!"
Even though Zabuza had been defeated by Kakashi, it didn't mean Zabuza was insignificant. To Kakashi, Zabuza was still a formidable enemy. If Kagaya took him away, and Zabuza later returned to attack them, he would undoubtedly be much more cautious.
What if—what if Zabuza directly targeted Naruto or the others? That was something Kakashi could not tolerate.
"You washed them away to prevent me from making a move against them, didn't you?"
Kagaya looked into the distance, where Naruto and the others had been swept far away by the rushing water.
Kakashi's earlier "Great Waterfall Technique" hadn't just washed Zabuza away; it had also carried Naruto's group far from the immediate vicinity.
Kakashi tightened his grip on the kunai.
"Well, who knows?"
Kagaya let out a soft chuckle. The Sharingan in his eyes, which had been active all along, shifted its gaze to meet Kakashi's own Sharingan.
"In that case, let's begin."
As soon as the words fell, a sudden, sharp pain exploded in Kakashi's abdomen. His eyes widened in shock.
He had been kicked away!
Just like last time, it was too fast! His Sharingan had barely managed to track Kagaya's movement, but his body was completely incapable of reacting in time.
Indeed, this was a battle where...
After kicking Kakashi away, Kagaya didn't pursue him. That kick had been delivered with considerable force. Coupled with Kakashi's already massive chakra depletion, that single blow would likely leave Kakashi in significant distress, unable to get up for quite a while.
Kagaya jumped down to the base of the tree, reached out, pulled the kunai from Zabuza's body, then hoisted Zabuza over his shoulder. He addressed Karin and Haku.
"Let's go."
"Understood."
Not far away, Kakashi lay on the ground, watching Kagaya and the others vanish. From the moment he decided to stop Kagaya, he had been acutely aware of one thing.
"As expected... I stood absolutely no chance."
In a dark room.
Three figures sat on a sofa: Obito, wearing his spiral-patterned mask; the Deva Path of Pain; and finally, Konan.
"Regarding the matter of Kagaya, have you reached a decision?"
Obito addressed the Deva Path.
The Deva Path nodded.
"What about sending Itachi and Kisame?"
Kagaya had previously requested that Pain fulfill the promise they had made to him: to provide assistance when Kagaya invaded Konohagakure.
This assistance, naturally, meant sending people to help Kagaya during the invasion.
The Sharingan beneath Obito's mask shifted slightly.
"That is indeed a good choice."
When it came to Kagaya, Obito could sense the deep, visceral hatred for Konoha that emanated from him. But regarding Itachi, Obito had always harbored strong suspicions that Itachi still held some attachment to the village.
If Itachi truly was a double agent, it would be extremely detrimental to Akatsuki.
This invasion plan that Kagaya and Orochimaru were orchestrating presented the perfect opportunity to force Itachi and Konoha into a relationship of mutual, irreconcilable hostility, completely severing any lingering connections.
If Kagaya led Itachi in an invasion of Konoha, then even if Itachi still felt some attachment, Konoha would certainly no longer feel any towards him.
Pain inquired further, "Is it truly impossible to capture the Nine-Tails first? I believe now is a very opportune moment."
While Kagaya and Orochimaru were planning their invasion, Pain had also considered taking the opportunity to infiltrate Konoha and capture the Nine-Tails. However, this move had been vetoed by Obito.
Obito spoke seriously, "No. As I've stated before, capturing the tailed beasts must begin with the One-Tail. Capturing the Nine-Tails prematurely offers no benefit and would only prematurely expose the objectives of our Akatsuki organization. If the entire shinobi world learns that Akatsuki's goal is to capture the tailed beasts, the Five Great Shinobi Nations, which possess the beasts, might very well unite to launch an extermination campaign against us. The current Akatsuki does not yet possess the power to contend with the entire shinobi world. Let Kagaya and the others handle the invasion of Konoha. Incidentally, both Kagaya and Itachi are originally from Konoha. I believe most observers will focus on the event of 'rogue ninja attacking their own village' and subconsciously overlook the involvement of our Akatsuki. For now, Akatsuki still needs to remain hidden."
Pain nodded.
"I understand."
Having said this, the three figures rose and slowly departed from the space.
At a seaside location, Kisame swung his massive sword, sending the shinobi before him flying one after another.
Itachi sat silently on a large rock, gazing out at the sea.
Suddenly, a voice echoed in his mind—the voice of Pain.
"Itachi!"
Itachi was slightly taken aback.
"Leader? What is it?"
"Soon, Kagaya and Orochimaru will initiate their plan to invade Konoha. I wish for you to assist Kagaya."
"Kisame and I?"
"Correct."
"Understood. I will comply."
The communication ended there.
Itachi looked out at the sea and sighed softly. Invading Konoha... He had been wrestling with whether or not to inform the Third Hokage about this news. But doing so would seem like a betrayal of Kagaya.
"What is it, Itachi? Did the leader just assign us another mission?"
By now, Kisame had finished dealing with the group of shinobi on the shore. He walked over to Itachi and inquired.
Itachi shook his head slightly and stood up from the rock.
"It can be considered a mission. The leader wants us to assist Kagaya in carrying out the plan to invade Konoha."
Kisame smiled, a glint of interest in his eyes.
"Kagaya? Ah, that young man with eyes like yours, right? And invading Konoha? That's quite the grand undertaking. The number one shinobi village in the world. I like it!"
Unlike Itachi's complex feelings, Kisame was highly enthusiastic about something as thrilling as invading Konoha.
"Do we set off now?" Kisame asked Itachi eagerly.
Itachi nodded.
"Yes. Have you finished up over there?"
"Don't worry. No survivors."
"Then let's depart."
And so, two figures clad in black cloaks adorned with red clouds, along with a young girl, set off towards Konohagakure.