Raikage's words made his stance clear, bringing the meeting to another deadlock.
Right now, the candidates for commander-in-chief were narrowed down to three: Onoki, Tsunade, and Raikage himself.
Terumi Mei and Gaara had already stated they weren't interested in the position.
Despite Onoki's experience, Tsunade currently had the most influence in the discussion, even surpassing him.
However, Raikage's stubbornness was a major obstacle. His refusal to compromise meant the talks couldn't move forward.
-------------
Meanwhile, Elsewhere…
As the Five Kage argued, Akatsuki had already begun their next moves.
Pain had set out alone to attack Konoha. By now, he was likely already on his way.
The rest of Akatsuki had their sights set on the Land of Lightning, planning an assault on Kumogakure.
Their goal? To capture more tailed beasts.
According to intel from Zetsu, Kirigakure wasn't a priority.
The new Three-Tails Jinchūriki was just a Chūnin with average strength.
It made sense.
Under Obito's influence, most of Kirigakure's bloodline clans had been wiped out.
The infamous "Bloody Mist" era had left deep scars. The brutal graduation exams, where only one student out of a pair could survive, had devastated their ranks.
During Zabuza's time, he had massacred his entire graduating class.
Years of these ruthless policies had drained Kirigakure of its future talent.
Now, aside from a few strong individuals, the village was a shadow of its former self.
Seeing this as an opportunity, Akatsuki planned to capture the Three-Tails quickly before heading straight for the Land of Lightning.
As they traveled, the Akatsuki group moved swiftly using ninja leaps, except for Deidara, who flew ahead on his clay bird, carrying Tobi.
Deidara glanced at Tobi, who was clinging tightly to the bird's back, his mask barely visible as he trembled in fear.
"Senpai! Can you slow down a little?" Tobi's voice shook with panic.
Deidara's expression darkened. He already found Tobi annoying, and now this? Was he actually afraid of heights?
A cruel grin spread across Deidara's face.
"Oh? You're scared of heights?"
With a quick hand sign, the clay bird suddenly accelerated.
"AHH! SENPAI!!" Tobi's scream was barely audible over the wind.
Not satisfied, Deidara commanded the bird to flip midair.
Tobi, unprepared, was suddenly upside down, nearly falling off. He managed to grab onto the bird's wings just in time, but his screams only got louder.
Far below, Kakuzu and Hidan watched the spectacle from the ground.
"They seem to be having fun," Kakuzu remarked dryly.
Kisame chuckled. "Yeah, looks like Tobi's really enjoying himself."
Then, he glanced to the side, noticing Itachi lost in thought.
"Itachi? What are you thinking about?"
Itachi, leaping alongside them, kept his gaze fixed ahead. His expression was unreadable, his voice calm and distant.
"I was just wondering… how I will die. And what death really means."
Kisame frowned. "You think this mission will be dangerous?"
Itachi shook his head. "No. I was just thinking… You don't truly know who you are until the moment before you die. When death comes, you finally understand yourself. Maybe that's the meaning of death."
Kisame smiled slightly and looked up at the sky.
The meaning of death…
Kisame's words faded into the background as Itachi fell into deep thought again. His mind drifted back to the past—memories he had tried to bury but could never escape.
The burden of his choices weighed on him. The mission, his duty, his secret role—none of it ever left his mind. And then there was Sasuke.
At this moment, in the middle of another war, Itachi couldn't help but recall everything he had done.
As a double agent, he had carried out orders with unwavering precision. He had betrayed his comrades, slaughtered those who trusted him, killed his own parents… but he had spared Sasuke.
His love for his younger brother had outweighed everything—even his loyalty to the village.
For him, Sasuke's survival mattered more than anything.
His plan had been simple, yet cruel. He had wanted Sasuke to hate him, to grow stronger through that hatred. To seek revenge. To surpass him. And one day, to kill him.
That way, Sasuke would avenge their clan and be seen as a hero of the village.
Itachi had long accepted that his path would end in death. He had never held back in battle, never sought to prolong his life. His illness, the overuse of his abilities—it had all been slowly killing him. And he let it.
Maybe it was guilt. Maybe it was his way of atoning.
He knew his time was running out. Every day, his body grew weaker. He relied on medicine just to keep moving, refusing any real treatment.
He had planned everything down to his final moments. He would face Sasuke, push him to his limits, and fall before him. In doing so, he would pass on the Uchiha name, giving Sasuke the power and knowledge to survive—without fear of those who sought to use him. Without fear of Danzo.
It was all supposed to be set in motion.
But now…
Now, the world was changing faster than he had expected. And for the first time in a long while, Itachi wondered—
Would his plan still hold?
Pain had gone to Konoha.
Itachi didn't know the full extent of the power behind the Rinnegan—revered as the eyes of a god. But from the few times he had witnessed its abilities, he understood one thing: it was overwhelming.
Pain carried himself with an unshakable confidence, and Itachi had no doubt he had the strength to bring Konoha to its knees.
But Sasuke was still there. His younger brother—his reason for everything—was still in Konoha. And Sasuke wasn't ready yet.
The village he had silently protected for so long was now on the brink of destruction.
At this moment, Itachi knew he had to act.
Even if it meant exposing himself.
Even if it meant revealing his secret role.
Because of that—
The Itachi traveling with Akatsuki now was not his true self.
His real body had already gone ahead to Konoha.
What remained with the group was merely a clone, crafted to be indistinguishable from the real thing.
---
Deep within Konoha—Root Headquarters.
Danzo sat in a dimly lit chamber, sifting through intelligence reports, lost in thought. He was always calculating, planning his next move, keeping a close eye on Tsunade's actions.
Thinking of ways to manipulate the situation in his favor.
Just then—
A faint glow flickered in the corner of the room. From within a small, concealed curse mark, a translucent black crow emerged, its beady eyes locked onto Danzo.
He narrowed his gaze.
A message from Itachi.
Danzo had long established this secret method of communication with him, using Itachi to gather intel on Akatsuki. He had been expecting a report.
"Is it from Itachi?" he murmured, his voice calm but expectant.
He formed a seal with his fingers.
The crow let out a sharp cry.
"Caw!"
A black light pulsed through the chamber—
And then the crow vanished.
In its place, a stream of information flooded Danzo's mind.
His expression remained composed, his breathing steady—
Until he read the first message.
[Konoha is in danger!]
For the first time in a long while—Danzo's eyes widened.
_________
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