Within the Land of Lightning—Thunderclap Gorge.
This was one of Kumogakure's training grounds. Due to the Land of Lightning's unique geography, countless gorges like this cut through its territory. The terrain here was rugged and uneven, dominated by hills and fractured rock.
Unlike Turtle Island, where Killer Bee trained, Thunderclap Gorge was rarely visited.
This place belonged to Yugito Nii.
Yet now, the deep stillness of the gorge had been shattered.
The ground was damp, scorched in places, and the faint sll of smoke still lingered in the air. Residual heat drifted through the gorge, as though fire and ice had clashed here monts ago.
Two unfamiliar figures stood at the center of the devastation.
One wore the black cloak patterned with red clouds. His face was sharp and feral, resembling a shark.
The other stood calmly beside him—short black hair, an expression devoid of emotion, and dark tear-like lines trailing from his eyes.
They were Kisa Hoshigaki and Uchiha Itachi.
Before them, a figure knelt on one knee, breathing heavily, her eyes locked onto the two intruders.
Yugito Nii.
At this point, Itachi had yet to make a move—yet Yugito was already at her limit.
Kisa's abilities were her natural enemy. His massive chakra reserves suppressed her completely, while the living greatsword Sahada continuously devoured the chakra of the Two-Tails.
What shocked Yugito most was Kisa's chakra itself.
It was vast. Abnormally vast.
"Kisa," Itachi said calmly, "finish this quickly. Kumogakure will notice sothing is wrong soon."
The mont his voice sounded, Yugito's heart sank.
Kisa casually slung Sahada onto his back.
In the next instant, he vanished.
Yugito's pupils shrank violently.
A powerful gust of wind struck from her flank.
This is bad—
Her exhausted body couldn't react in ti.
Bang!!
A massive foot slamd into her side.
Yugito was sent flying, crashing into the ground and rolling several tis before finally stopping. Blood seeped from the corner of her mouth as she slowly pushed herself up and wiped it away.
Inside her mind, a familiar voice rang out.
"Yugito—run! If you can hold on for just one minute, reinforcents will arrive!"
It was Matatabi.
Her voice was filled with urgency and concern.
Among all her hosts, Yugito was the one Matatabi truly acknowledged. Yet even with her chakra, Yugito could not overco the shark-faced man before them.
His chakra reserves were monstrous—and Sahada made matters even worse by continuously absorbing chakra.
What unsettled Matatabi the most, however, was not Kisa…
…but the quiet Uchiha standing beside him.
Suddenly, Itachi lifted his head and gazed into the distance.
"Kisa," he said calmly, "soone's coming."
As his words fell, the three-tomoe Sharingan in his eyes spun and transford—
Mangekyō Sharingan.
He looked directly at Yugito and spoke softly.
"Tsukuyomi."
Blood flowed from the corners of his eyes.
Itachi raised a hand to cover them as Yugito's body collapsed limply to the ground, consciousness completely severed.
Kisa instantly appeared beside him.
"Mr. Itachi… are you alright?"
Despite his usual bravado, a trace of unease flickered deep within Kisa's eyes.
"I'm fine."
Itachi wiped away the bloodstains.
For Sasuke… I won't die yet.
Sasuke… my ti is running out.
The thought surfaced unbidden.
Without delay, Kisa hoisted Yugito onto his shoulder, and the two figures disappeared into the distance.
One minute later—
Several figures wearing animal masks appeared at Thunderclap Gorge.
ANBU.
The leader knelt and pressed his hand against the scorched ground.
"There are traces of an intense battle," he reported. "Residual chakra levels are extrely high."
He raised his head.
"Report imdiately to Lord Raikage. Sothing has happened to Lady Yugito."
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!!
In an instant, the ANBU vanished.
Inside the Raikage's office.
Bang!!
The Raikage slamd his fist down, obliterating the desk before him.
Wood fragnts scattered across the room.
Yet Mabui's attention wasn't on the wreckage.
It was on the na that echoed in her mind.
Yugito.
"Who could abduct Yugito in such a short amount of ti?" Mabui said, one arm crossed beneath her chest, the other supporting her chin. "And what is their objective?"
Her expression darkened.
At that mont, a shinobi rushed in.
"Lord Raikage," he said urgently, "according to intelligence reports—Jinchūriki across the entire shinobi world are being attacked!"
Silence fell over the room.
And with it, the shadow of Akatsuki spread once more.
"Even Gaara, the Kazekage, was attacked—but the attackers failed," Mabui reported rapidly.
"However, aside from Yugito, the Three-Tails, Five-Tails, Six-Tails, and Seven-Tails were all attacked by unidentified individuals… and were captured."
She paused briefly before continuing.
"The Four-Tails was rescued by ??noki."
The information hit like a hamr.
"Their objective is… the Tailed Beasts?"
The Raikage's voice was rough, his brows tightly knit.
In an instant, the situation beca clear. A large group of powerful individuals had erged within the shinobi world, acting without regard for the Five Great Nations—and every one of their targets had been a Jinchūriki.
Suddenly, the Raikage seed to rember sothing.
"Has Uzumaki Naruto been attacked?"
His tone sharpened noticeably.
"No," Mabui answered calmly. "The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki has not been targeted. The enemy is likely wary of his strength and chose not to act."
Though officially only a secretary, Mabui held the highest operational authority within Kumogakure, even possessing the power to mobilize ANBU units. Her composure never wavered.
"Damn it!" the Raikage snarled. "Why is that brat Uzumaki Naruto completely untouched?!"
No one in the office spoke.
Mabui sighed inwardly.
She knew better than anyone that Uzumaki Naruto had beco the Raikage's inner demon. The mont Naruto's na was ntioned, the Raikage would lose all composure.
The Raikage's expression darkened further.
Since his last defeat, he had returned to Kumogakure and thrown himself into brutal, hellish training. Yet strength was not sothing that could be improved endlessly.
He had reached a bottleneck.
Once, there had been room for growth—but now his power had reached the level of a top-tier Kage. To go further would require nothing short of a rare opportunity or a miraculous breakthrough.
"Contact ??noki and the Mizukage, i Terumī," the Raikage said heavily. "We'll discuss counterasures together."
Though Kumogakure and Iwagakure were long-standing enemies, the situation left them no choice but to cooperate. Still, when ntioning i Terumī, he retained the courtesy of her title.
"Yes, Lord Raikage."
Mabui nodded and turned to leave.
"Wait."
Just as she reached the doorway, the Raikage spoke again.
"Get
a new desk."
Mabui paused, answered softly, "Yes," and closed the door behind her.
The Akatsuki's movents had once again stirred the shinobi world's recently calm waters.
At the sa ti…
Nagato and Konan were already on the move, heading toward the Land of Snow.
Nagato had made his decision.
Among all the Jinchūriki, only Uzumaki Naruto posed any real challenge. As for the others—none were worthy of concern.
Naruto, anwhile, remained completely unaware that Nagato was already approaching.
And even if he knew…
He wouldn't care.
At this mont, his strength surpassed that of anyone else in the shinobi world.
...
TN:
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