Would some of Uchiha Itsuki's words affect Orochimaru?
No idea!
Probably not... right!?
Orochimaru wasn't sure.
Family, dear friends, or siblings?
Orochimaru himself didn't even know if he held such a high position in Itsuki's heart.
"Are you trying to set me up?" Orochimaru thought.
Although Orochimaru had been genuinely teaching Uchiha Itsuki recently, he had an ulterior motive that everyone understood.
Teaching a Uchiha? Purely to annoy Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Moreover, he hadn't taught Itsuki any of the really secret jutsu.
For example, **Impure World Reincarnation!**
Or **Flying Thunder God!**
Though Orochimaru couldn't use Flying Thunder God, he had seen the scroll and had only taught Itsuki part of it.
No way he would teach him everything! What would he do then?
Even Orochimaru couldn't use it!
If Itsuki mastered Flying Thunder God...
Then there'd be no place in the shinobi world for Orochimaru.
Itsuki would be unstoppable!
After teaching him, Orochimaru immediately spread the word, wanting to seriously irritate Hiruzen Sarutobi.
So!
Was Orochimaru really close to Itsuki?
Heh!
Anyone with a brain knew the answer.
Orochimaru was convinced Itsuki didn't have any good intentions toward him.
… Seems like it's time to find a way to leave the Akatsuki.
Orochimaru glanced at his hand, the one bearing the ring.
"Alright, I'm done!" Itsuki had already pulled back his arm.
The treatment was over.
Juzo Biwa slowly stood up, "Uchiha... Itsuki..."
"What is it? No need to thank me. You're a strong fighter on the battlefield."
Itsuki casually said, "I'll need your help in the future. Just remember to repay the favor."
The words were cold, but Juzo nodded, though his expression was complicated.
Kisame didn't plan to kill him; otherwise, Juzo wouldn't have survived.
The one Kisame really wanted to kill was Kakuzu!
Unfortunately, Kakuzu had hidden a heart. While it seemed he only had one left, he had secretly stashed another, which Uchiha Itsuki had found and taken.
It had to be said, the heart was safest in Itsuki's hands.
"And what about you all?"
Itsuki then looked at the rest of the Akatsuki, smiling, "The Ten-Tails may be revived by a mysterious figure. Anyone want to come with me? I won't force anyone who doesn't."
The Akatsuki members looked at Itsuki with strange expressions.
Seriously? You say it so nicely.
What would you really do?
Wouldn't you just kill them the moment they said they wanted to leave?
They weren't fools!
If they really wanted to leave, they'd sneak out quietly.
"Great!"
Seeing no one step forward, Itsuki nodded with satisfaction.
"As expected, our Akatsuki is a united group. I'm so pleased as the leader."
"..."
Heh!
Other than that, they had no other response.
Uchiha Itsuki, don't your words hurt your conscience?
"Let's go, everyone!" Itsuki ignored their awkward looks and waved his hand. "I've picked out a new base. We're all heading there."
"Itsuki!" Konan called softly.
They were currently in Amegakure's territory.
Even though the Akatsuki were missing-nin, they still had strength.
If they left Amegakure, the village would return to being a weak, dark shinobi village.
Itsuki shook his head and softly said, "Don't worry, no one will touch Amegakure."
The Iwa and Kumo shinobi remained expressionless but were filled with mockery in their eyes.
Such a small village? If they wanted, they could destroy it easily.
In the past, with Hanzo the Salamander, they might have hesitated.
Attacking a village led by a demi-god required some thought.
But now?
What did Amegakure have?
A lamb to the slaughter!
Konan seemed to think the same, her face darkening.
"Konan, are you stupid?" Itsuki said with a chuckle. "Did you forget Amegakure has several allies?"
Konan hesitantly asked, "So, if Amegakure is in danger, Fire Village will step in, right?"
"Fire Village won't need to."
Itsuki grinned, "Suna will step in."
"Suna?" Everyone was surprised.
"Yes!" Itsuki pointed to the rain, "Don't forget, Amegakure's water flows into Suna and is their most precious resource. Because of this, Amegakure is a natural ally of Suna and is under their protection."
Itsuki then looked at Iwa and Kumo, grinning, "Suna is no weakling now. With Pakura as its leader and over ten thousand shinobi, it's no longer the weakest of the six great shinobi villages."
The Iwa and Kumo shinobi's expressions changed slightly.
It was true!
Though Suna participated in the wars, they hadn't suffered as much as the others.
Unlike Kumo, which had lost thousands of shinobi to Konoha.
How many shinobi does a village have?
Losing that many had hurt Kumo deeply.
"Of course..."
Itsuki continued, "You could argue that attacking Amegakure wouldn't destroy the river, but I ask you this: Would Suna trust Iwa and Kumo?"
Iwa and Kumo fell silent.
Trust? No way!
They had fought more than once.
Although Suna had fought Amegakure too, Amegakure was weak.
Compared to that, Suna would definitely trust the weaker Amegakure over the powerful Iwa and Kumo, who had fought and beaten them.
"Relax, we have no plans to attack Amegakure, Uchiha Itsuki. You don't need to keep talking."
A deep voice echoed.
Onoki had returned, flying.
"Boom!" In a flash of lightning, the Fourth Raikage, Ay, returned as well.
However, both of their expressions were grim.
"Yo, looks like you two failed," Itsuki said with a grin. "How useless."
"Not as useful as you!" the Fourth Raikage retorted.
Itsuki raised an eyebrow, "Are we still fighting, or can I leave?"
"Wait!"
Both Raikage and Onoki called out almost at the same time. "Uchiha Itsuki, we want to know more about the Moon's Eye Plan."
"What's there to know?"
Itsuki said casually, "It's just that some people think the shinobi world is too chaotic, too full of sorrow, so they want to create a new world."
"The Moon's Eye Plan is about making everyone dream. In their dreams, they can have anything."
"..."
What a simple and crude explanation.
"For example, Onoki, in your dream, you can see your beloved Uchiha Madara again."
Damn it!
Onoki was so angry his nose nearly twisted. He almost blasted Itsuki with a Dust Release.
Like hell, he wanted to see that guy!
Not in this lifetime.
And if he had to, he'd want to see a dead Uchiha Madara!
Yes, a dead Uchiha Madara was the best kind of Madara!
"That's enough, Uchiha Itsuki!" the Fourth Raikage interrupted. "The enemy has the Nine Tailed Beasts, right?"
"Yes!"
"And is that person Uchiha Madara?"
"No!"
Itsuki answered without hesitation, "You didn't believe it was Madara either, did you?"
"Their power is too weak!"
Ōnoki said coldly, "Uchiha Madara can't be that weak."
Itsuki curiously responded, "Didn't he already say? During his battle with Senju Hashirama, he got injured and lost some of his strength."
Ōnoki sneered, "Raikage was severely injured, but he recovered quickly at Madara's hands. You tell me, what kind of injury could he have suffered that hasn't healed after all these years?"
Itsuki thought for a moment, just about to speak, but was interrupted again.
"Enough, that's not important!"
The Fourth Raikage said, "Uchiha Itsuki, the mysterious man has obtained all nine tailed beasts..."
"Obito!"
Itsuki interrupted him, saying, "That mysterious man, his name is Uchiha Obito!"
Ōnoki and Raikage fell silent.
"I remember Uchiha Obito. He was at the Battle of Kannabi Bridge..."
"Exactly!"
Itsuki snapped his fingers and smiled, "Just as you imagined, it's him—the Uchiha ninja who became famous alongside Kakashi, once a hero of Konoha!"
Ōnoki took a deep breath and gritted his teeth, "Uchiha again! Can this clan produce a few normal ninjas? If they're not wreaking havoc on the ninja world, they're on their way to do so."
"Who are you implying?"
Itsuki glanced at him sideways, "Are you saying I'm not normal?"
Hearing this, everyone present exchanged strange looks as they stared at Uchiha Itsuki.
You actually said that out loud?
You are something else!
"Alright, Uchiha Obito!" Raikage said seriously, "He has all nine tailed beasts. No village can stand against him."
"So what?" Itsuki thought for a moment. Indeed, having all nine tailed beasts could cause chaos in the ninja world.
But here's the real question:
If the tailed beasts are so powerful, why were they sealed by humans, one after another?
When they were halfway through being sealed, didn't they think of fighting back?
Are they that slow to react?
"So, we need to unite!" Raikage said in a serious tone, "Gather all the strength of the ninja world to fight Uchiha Obito together."
Itsuki fell silent.
Damn!
Is this because of the storyline, or something else?
We've arrived at this point again!
This is beyond words!
However, this time, Obito doesn't have the help of reanimated ninjas.
"I need time to think!"
"You still need to think?" Raikage roared, "Don't forget, the other side has all the tailed beasts. He can activate the Moon's Eye Plan at any time. We need to act as quickly as possible."
"That's why I need to think—whether we fight or surrender."
Itsuki shrugged.
"..."
You're actually considering surrendering?
What the hell!
Is this shameless or what?
Raikage nearly burst out laughing in anger.
Is this guy really the head of the Uchiha clan?
Is he really a village leader?
Why don't you just drop dead!
Just as he was about to lose it, Ōnoki stopped him.
Ōnoki gave Uchiha Itsuki a deep look and said, "Uchiha Itsuki, think about your people, think about your village. Living in a dream—does that count as living?"
"Well, it's not exactly dying, is it?"
Ōnoki: "..."
"Living might be worse than dying!"
Itsuki raised an eyebrow and remained silent.
"Goodbye!" Ōnoki said seriously, leaving with Raikage.
"I left something inside the Ten-Tails' body, so for a short time, Uchiha Obito won't be able to become the Ten-Tails' Jinchuriki or activate the Moon's Eye Plan."
Itsuki spoke calmly, but his words widened everyone's eyes.
A backup plan?
Ōnoki let out a long breath and said, "Alright, since you've said that, the alliance..."
"We can consider it," Itsuki said directly, "But you only have half a month. After that, even if you take down Uchiha Obito, it will be useless."
"Understood!"
Raikage and Ōnoki exchanged glances, knowing that the time had come to implement their plan.
...
"Damn Uchiha Itsuki!"
Obito used summoning jutsu to bring back the Ten-Tails' body and Nagato.
He couldn't wait to become the Ten-Tails' Jinchuriki.
But!
He failed.
When he threw Killer B into the Ten-Tails' mouth, instead of transforming, the Ten-Tails' body clutched its stomach and fell to the ground.
Clutching its stomach?
Obito was dumbfounded by the scene.
Zetsu was completely speechless.
What's going on?
The Ten-Tails?
This huge thing clutching its stomach like it's about to have diarrhea—is this the Ten-Tails?
At this point, shouldn't they be asking, "Are you okay? Do you need to go to the hospital?"
Damn!
A massive Ten-Tails, actually having a stomachache!
And it's groaning in pain!
Obito stared blankly for a while, then turned to Zetsu, "Could we have made a mistake?"
"How could we have!" Zetsu almost jumped up, "This is definitely the Ten-Tails! Can't you feel it? Inside it, there's a massive amount of tailed beast chakra—and not just one kind."
"Who else but the Ten-Tails could have that?"
"This..." Obito fell silent.
But looking at the Ten-Tails clutching its stomach, his expression was indescribable.
"Uchiha Itsuki?"
"Could he have done something again?"
"Definitely!" Zetsu gritted his teeth, "If it's not that bastard, there's no one else."
"So what do we do now?" Obito asked helplessly, looking at the Ten-Tails' body that seemed on the verge of collapsing, "I thought it would easily swallow Killer B and become the true Ten-Tails, but now..."
He didn't know how to treat a stomachache.
Besides, would Hashirama cells even help with stomach pain?
"I'll go in and check!" Zetsu gritted his teeth and made up his mind.
Obito glanced at him and sneered, "You better be careful."
"Careful?"
"Yeah, I'm worried you'll get digested. If that happens, all I can do is..." Obito's gaze shifted toward a particular area, causing Zetsu to pause in his tracks.
Inside the Ten-Tails' body... Sorry, he'd never been in there, nor had he thought about what it would be like. What if he really got digested?
(End of chapter)