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"Hehehe," Kisame Hoshigaki let out a sharp, grating laugh. "Because of those two brats with the whirlpool marks, the entire shinobi world has become chaotic. The organization is receiving more and more requests, and we haven't even had time to rest these days. Now they're pushing us to capture the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki again. While it's great to have more work, they should at least give us some time to rest, don't you think, Mr. Uchiha?"
Uchiha Itachi's voice remained as flat as ever, calm and emotionless. "If you spent less time complaining and used it to rest, you wouldn't feel so tired."
"Hahaha, is that so? Is this the secret of the Uchiha clan? Tell me, Mr. Uchiha, how does it feel to be back in your hometown after such a long time? Does it bring back fond memories?"
Itachi's gaze was as empty as still water, betraying no hint of emotion. "No, I feel no nostalgia."
The two leaped off the village walls and began searching for the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki within the village. However, since Naruto had already left, there was no way they could find their target here.
After walking around for half a day, Kisame frowned slightly. "Mr. Uchiha, is this what Konoha is usually like? Or did we somehow take a wrong turn and end up in Earth Country instead of Fire Country?"
Throughout the morning, all they had seen were earthen houses—mud walls shedding dust everywhere. The entire village looked dull and gray, covered in a fine layer of dirt. Because of this, an environmental protection group had even emerged within the village, demanding that Konoha address the issue of dust pollution.
Of course, such measures required funding.
And Konoha's response?
No money!
"No, it wasn't like this before," Itachi said expressionlessly, though his heart stirred faintly. The village he once knew was nothing like this barren, dusty place.
Uchiha Itachi, the S-rank missing-nin of Konoha, had massacred his entire clan before defecting to Akatsuki, where he had served loyally ever since.
In truth, however, he was a spy planted by the Third Hokage to uncover whether Akatsuki was behind the Nine-Tails attack years ago and to determine their ultimate goal. Only the Third Hokage knew of Itachi's true identity, and they maintained a single line of communication. After the Third's death, no one else knew about Itachi's role as a double agent.
Even so, Itachi didn't wish harm upon Konoha. Before his death, his most respected older brother, Uchiha Shisui, had passed on his Will of Fire to him, entrusting Itachi with protecting the village. This time, he had returned to deliver intelligence about Akatsuki's plan to capture the Tailed Beasts to Konoha.
But now, he felt lost. The Konoha in his memories simply didn't align with the dusty "Earth Country"-like village before him.
Closing his eyes briefly and then reopening them, Itachi pushed aside his doubts. For now, he focused on the task at hand. "Let's move. Let's ask around for information about the Jinchūriki. If we still can't find anything, it's likely he's already left the village."
Kisame raised an eyebrow. "The Jinchūriki leaving the village at this time? Could it be a secret mission? Maybe it's related to Suna's declaration of war?"
A certain dumb-looking face flashed through Itachi's mind. That brat had never been treated as a weapon by the village. "No... I doubt it. Anyway, let's investigate further and see where the legacy of the Fourth Hokage might be hiding."
Meanwhile, just slightly earlier...
Shinku suddenly lifted her head while studying the Multi Shadow Clone Technique. "Mukai-san, two chakra signatures just appeared in the village. One of them has the largest chakra presence I've ever sensed."
"Hoh, Kisame Hoshigaki, huh? His traits are unmistakable," Mukai chuckled, finally seeing the moment to act arrive. "Let's go confirm their identities. If it's them, we'll begin our operation."
The two quickly packed their belongings, cleaned up any traces, and headed toward the location indicated by Kagura Shin'gan.
They didn't need to get too close—the distinctive red clouds on black cloaks made identification easy. From hundreds of meters away, Mukai confirmed their silhouettes. They were indeed Akatsuki members: Kisame Hoshigaki and Uchiha Itachi.
"Alright, reinforcements are here. Go inform Chiyo-baa and tell her to prepare for action."
Shinku nodded, and the two created shadow clones to locate Chiyo-baa.
Knowing that Danzo had plans in motion, they couldn't afford to put themselves in unnecessary danger. While they would do everything possible to save Gaara, they weren't going to sacrifice themselves if things went south.
The shadow clones quickly reached Chiyo-baa, who was anxiously awaiting news. Relying on others for hope wasn't a pleasant feeling.
"What!? Attack now? In broad daylight?! When security is at its tightest? What's the difference between this and assaulting Konoha directly?" Having been verbally countered multiple times by Danzo during negotiations, Chiyo-baa was already seething. She had patiently waited for days, only to receive such an outcome.
Mukai laughed. "What, do you really intend to follow Danzo's plan? You can't let someone like him know what you're thinking. Even I don't know when we'll strike, so there's no way he could predict it. Don't worry, reinforcements will come. I put so much effort into bringing Suna into this—I won't let you waste your trip."
Ebisu thoughtfully added, "So does this mean all the plans we made based on the previous intel are canceled?"
"Of course. We don't need a complicated plan. Jiraiya isn't here, but I'll figure out a way to lure Kakashi and the others away. Once we rescue the Jinchūriki, no one in this village will be able to stop us from leaving."
Maki's anger simmered beneath the surface, but he suppressed it. "So all the reconnaissance work we did earlier, spending all that effort—it was just a ploy to deceive us?"
"If you hadn't acted accordingly, how could Danzo believe we'd follow his plans? Though, he probably doesn't fully trust us either."
Maki's breathing grew heavy, but he held his tongue. Saving Gaara came first.
Ebisu continued, "When do we strike?"
Mukai looked toward the distance, in the direction of Kisame and Itachi. "We'll wait a little longer. The signal will appear soon. By the way, I've given this operation a name. Let's call it… 'Grand Parade.'"
"Grand Parade, huh…" Ebisu narrowed his eyes slightly and spoke. "It seems we're just another piece in one of your larger schemes. Let me guess—this is yet another invitation you're sending to the other great ninja nations. When we make a grand entrance in Konoha and brazenly snatch the Jinchūriki like a parade, and if we manage to escape unscathed afterward, no one will be able to resist attacking this weakened Konoha. Especially after Suna declares war on them."
Mukai bowed awkwardly, mimicking the mannerisms of a gentleman from his hazy memories. "A massive vortex will pull everything in… and then…"
"Shatter it all!"