Chapter 133: Tacit Understanding
To be honest, there were still many ways Mizuki could improve his strength. But methods that were both viable and free from side effects? Those were hard to come by. Most options were half-finished products that barely worked, or desperate techniques with severe drawbacks. In contrast, summoning jutsu—useful for travel, laying traps, surveillance, and combat support—was a rare, all-purpose technique.
With the high forestation rate of the shinobi world, and Konoha surrounded by vast expanses of wilderness, placing a few inconspicuous summoning beasts here and there, with a couple of traps, was all too easy for Mizuki. Unless the enemy was deliberately concealing themselves or completely undetectable, they'd have a hard time evading Mizuki's web of summons.
"Mizuki, your reconnaissance abilities are quite something…" Kakashi tugged down his forehead protector to expose the Sharingan, scanning the surroundings carefully. While the Sharingan didn't offer the same wide-range detection as the Byakugan, its perception far surpassed ordinary sight. Yet even so, he couldn't detect the "guests" Mizuki had mentioned.
"They're still some distance away. You have time to prepare—but I doubt I'll be of much help…"
Mizuki considered himself a fairly capable ninja, but with his current health, facing S-rank rogue ninja from the Akatsuki, he might be more burden than benefit. His fragile body couldn't handle a direct confrontation, though his pseudo-jinchūriki clone might contribute via sealing, barriers, genjutsu, or medical support.
"Any more intel?" Kakashi asked, his tone now serious.
"Two confirmed individuals," Mizuki replied, shaking his head. "That's all I've detected so far. I can't rule out others who might be hidden or infiltrating through stealth."
"That's already useful," Kakashi exhaled. "As long as it's not another full-blown assault like the other day, we can manage. We've still got Jiraiya in the village."
"We should count ourselves lucky they came early. If they had waited even one more day, Jiraiya would've already left to find Lady Tsunade…"
"Don't get complacent, Kakashi." Even someone as powerful as Jiraiya wasn't invincible. And the Akatsuki weren't pushovers either. "Think of Sasori and Deidara. None of them are average."
Kakashi nodded. "I understand. I'll gather a few people and notify Jiraiya."
With that, Kakashi vanished in a blur.
Too bad Asuma isn't here. That's one less power player. Mizuki sighed. Originally, Asuma and Kakashi were the main counter to Itachi and Kisame. With Asuma gone and Kurenai still in the hospital, at least Jiraiya makes up for the loss…
Apparently, Konoha's negotiations with Iwagakure weren't going well. Otherwise, Asuma wouldn't have remained away for so long, especially with the threat of Akatsuki looming. The situation in the Land of Earth must have been more troublesome than expected.
…
At Konoha's gates, Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame, both clad in Akatsuki's signature black cloaks with red clouds, strolled in undisturbed. With Itachi's overwhelming genjutsu and Sharingan, the average gatekeeper or patrol ninja couldn't even react—much less stop them.
The pair easily slipped into the village without detection.
"Itachi, do you know where the target is?" Kisame asked as they strolled through Konoha's streets.
"We'll gather some intel first. No need to rush," Itachi replied calmly.
Even returning to Konoha as an enemy, Itachi felt no strong emotions. The Uchiha massacre had long since blurred the lines of guilt. Shimura Danzo's hands were certainly dirty, and the Uchiha clan wasn't entirely innocent either. But what was done was done—the clan was gone. Only he and Sasuke remained, struggling to live on. His long-term goal as a spy still demanded effort, and it was time to ensure Sasuke had the power to control his own fate.
As they spoke, they casually turned into a lively tavern and sat at the counter.
Meanwhile, in a nearby private booth, Jiraiya—somewhat tipsy from his drinks—suddenly stiffened, his eyes narrowing.
They've arrived. That must be Uchiha Itachi… A rare strength indeed.
Veteran shinobi had a keen sixth sense for danger. That intuitive sense of threat—honed through countless battles—was essential to surviving the ninja world.
And then there was Kisame. The immense chakra within him rivaled even that of a Jinchūriki. Few people—aside from tailed beast hosts—could compare. And that massive sword strapped to his back? It emanated a suppressed but primal power.
"The one with the giant sword must be Hoshigaki Kisame, the S-rank rogue from Kirigakure. The same guy who survived an assassination attempt on Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage and Jinchūriki. That makes him no joke…" Mizuki's clone sitting across from Jiraiya shared the intel quietly.
"Mm." Jiraiya nodded. "Is the battlefield prepared?"
"Kakashi is ready, Jiraiya-sama," replied the clone. "I'll head out now. As soon as they move, we strike."
"Good. Make sure the civilians are cleared out."
In Mizuki's mind, the one member of Akatsuki he least wanted to face was the leader, Pain. But given Pain's deteriorating health and need to conserve strength for sealing the tailed beasts, it was unlikely he'd show up this early. Sending the leader to collect Jinchūriki this soon was too risky. A single misstep could fracture Akatsuki's fragile unity. After all, the organization was made up of bloodthirsty lunatics, cultists, sociopaths, and mass murderers—hardly a stable alliance.
That was why the "two-man team" rule was enforced: it helped with missions, but more importantly, it allowed internal surveillance. People like Uchiha Itachi were too dangerous to be left unwatched.
Pain, Konan, Sasori, Deidara, and Kakuzu all had large-scale destruction capabilities. Any one of them inside Konoha could wreak havoc. But Konan rarely left Pain's side, Deidara was in custody, and Sasori had just been repelled and lost most of his puppets. Kakuzu didn't like interfering in others' missions. Pain had foreseen all this when forming the capture teams.
As for Hidan—his immortality and strange curse-based jutsu were more deadly through trickery than raw power. With preparation, he was one of the easier members to defeat.
Mizuki's real concern was Uchiha Obito, with his space-time jutsu, and Zetsu with his terrifying stealth. They were difficult to track, let alone counter.
This mission from Itachi and Kisame felt half-hearted to Mizuki. In the original timeline, they had missed Naruto entirely. And even when they did find him, Itachi never fought seriously. Despite wielding devastating abilities like Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu, and having Kisame at his side, they had retreated when faced with Jiraiya.
Why? Itachi had defeated Orochimaru in his prime. Was Jiraiya truly that much stronger?
Probably not. Mizuki guessed that this time would be the same. He wasn't sure if Jiraiya knew Itachi's true allegiance as a spy. But judging by Danzo's indifference and the advisers' silence, it was likely some people in the upper echelons were aware.
This should be safer than Sasori and Deidara's attack. At least Itachi won't go all out, and Konoha has plenty of backup.
With that in mind, sending a clone of Mizuki's pseudo-jinchūriki into the fray was a perfect way to build reputation—so long as it didn't get caught in the crossfire.
That said, the capture of Deidara was a major deviation from the original timeline. Would it prompt Obito or Zetsu to personally intervene? Hard to say. The death of Yagura, the Three-Tails' Jinchūriki, was imminent. Obito, who had controlled Yagura, was probably too busy with Kirigakure to worry about Deidara. If anyone came to rescue him, it would likely be Zetsu.
…
Near a secluded lakeside, Kakashi and Might Guy intercepted the conspicuous pair of rogue ninja.
"Gentlemen, I don't recall you checking in with us," Kakashi said mildly. "What's your business in Konoha?"
"We've been spotted, huh, Itachi?" Kisame said with a smirk, completely unfazed.
"A former Konoha ninja like you has some nerve coming back, Uchiha Itachi. And you, Kisame of Kirigakure—an S-rank criminal. You'd best surrender. There's no escape," Kakashi warned.
Kisame sneered. "You Konoha shinobi sure are full of yourselves. Just the two of you think you can stop us?"
"We have no intention of fighting you," Itachi said calmly. "Hand over the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, and we'll leave."
"Then we have nothing to talk about." Confirming their target, Kakashi gestured. "Guy—go!"
Before the words even finished, Might Guy dashed forward, leaving a blur in his wake. Before Kisame could react, Guy's spinning kick slammed into him, launching him into the lake. A follow-up barrage of punches and kicks forced Kisame underwater, spraying a torrent of water into the air.
While Kisame was overwhelmed, Kakashi didn't hesitate. He launched a Water Dragon Bullet jutsu at Itachi.
Itachi responded in kind. Two massive dragons of water collided, crashing in a thunderous explosion of spray and mist.
The clash between elite shinobi had begun—and the full power of their jutsu echoed across the lake.
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