"...As expected, there's something off. Good thing I watched 'Cautious Hero' in my past life, oh wait, no, 'Cautious Hero.'"
In less than two days, Izayoi, who had been monitoring the Land of Fire alongside his Shadow Clone, noticed something unusual.
Because he saw a familiar figure.
This figure, during his days in the Land of Rivers, he had glimpsed once in the neighboring Land of Rain using his Tenseigan.
It was none other than one of Jiraiya's disciples, the Angel of the Hidden Rain Village, the White Tiger of Akatsuki—Konan.
She was riding a large, sharp-beaked bird, entering the Land of Fire and flying in a specific direction.
Ever since Nagato's health began to deteriorate, Konan had rarely left the Hidden Rain Village.
After Akatsuki's members were fully assembled, she had never carried out missions alone, always staying in the Hidden Rain Village to help Nagato manage affairs and take care of his health.
In the original storyline, wherever Konan appeared, Nagato or Tendo Pain was sure to be nearby.
Now that Konan had appeared in the Land of Fire, she definitely wasn't here for sightseeing.
Izayoi had a premonition that she might very well be here for him.
Half a day later, Izayoi's guess was confirmed.
Fifty kilometers northwest of the Black Market, on a small hill, Konan leaped down from the back of the Yatagarasu. Her body began to crack, and sheets of white paper peeled off from her, forming two wings behind her, as if an angel had descended, landing in the forest below.
The Yatagarasu also dove down, landing steadily before transforming into a massive cloud of white smoke.
When the smoke dissipated, a large tree formed entirely of white paper appeared.
Then, the tree began to color itself from the bottom up, and in the blink of an eye, it seemed to transform into a real tree, perfectly blending into the forest.
From the perspective of the Tenseigan, the tree was entirely covered in blue Chakra, with numerous tadpole-like seals emerging from it, creating a barrier that blocked all sensory perception.
Even the Mind's Eye of the Kagura would likely be unable to detect this Chakra.
However, it couldn't escape Izayoi's Tenseigan.
In Izayoi's eyes, there were eight sources of Chakra inside the tree, clearly belonging to Konan, Nagato, and the Six Paths of Pain.
"So they hide inside the bird's beak. That's how they move around. I thought it was Konan's lip piercing that summoned it."
Having witnessed the entire process, Izayoi nodded slightly in realization.
Then, he couldn't help but mutter, "The strongest shinobi in the world personally coming after me? That's quite the honor."
But soon, Izayoi fell silent.
The tree tore open, and Tendo Pain stepped out.
His figure floated into the air, and Tendo Pain arrived at a cliff.
Not long after, the space beside him twisted, and a black hole the size of a fist appeared.
Two distorted figures flew out from the black hole.
They were none other than Uchiha Obito and the filial son Izayoi had seen a few times at the school gate during his first year—Uchiha Itachi.
Watching the group standing in a row, reenacting a world-famous scene, Izayoi couldn't help but offer his most sincere greeting in his native tongue: "Damn it all."
The Gatekeeper of the Super Kage, the Six Paths of Pain, who has pushed the Mangekyō Sharingan to its limits; Uchiha Itachi, who possesses countless hidden cards; and Uchiha Obito, who can use Kamui infinitely without fear of blindness... Such a combination would undoubtedly spell certain death even for Ōnoki, the pinnacle of the Five Kage.
These three individuals could easily stand against the combined might of the Five Kage.
If they were to set aside their mutual distrust, even the Five Kage would be no match for them.
To deploy such a lineup against him—what an honor! At that moment, Izayoi heard the voice of his Shadow Clone, speaking in plain language: "Look, there's movement in the Black Market."
Hearing this, Izayoi's gaze immediately shifted to the Black Market.
There, he saw a middle-aged man in a suit, his body pierced by a branch.
Then, a white creature transformed into the man's appearance.
"The Mayfly Technique—even the Tenseigan can't detect it," Izayoi's expression turned grave.
"His Impersonation Technique is flawless, truly the strongest Transformation Technique in the Shinobi World," the Shadow Clone remarked. "If the Tenseigan can't see through it even after its second awakening or final evolution, then the Mind's Eye of the Kagura must gain the ability to discern good and evil."
Hearing this, Izayoi fell into deep thought.
He began pondering what other abilities in the Shinobi World, aside from the Mind's Eye of the Kagura, could expose the Impersonation Technique. Ideally, it should also be able to counter the Mayfly Technique! After all, what makes Black and White Zetsu most fearsome isn't their Impersonation Technique or their ability to possess others, but their Mayfly Technique, which allows them to ignore Barriers, move at high speeds, and merge with the earth and vegetation. It's a technique that even Six Paths-level powerhouses can't detect.
The thought of being watched by such eyes from the shadows made Izayoi feel nauseated.
But for the time being, Izayoi couldn't think of a countermeasure.
So, he temporarily set the thought aside.
With a sweep of his Tenseigan over the White Zetsu Clone in the Black Market and the strongest trio on the cliff, Izayoi chuckled lightly, "I was going to give you a welcoming gift, but on second thought, it's better not to waste the effort. Let's just have you stand there for a while."
This was actually good news!
The fact that they were so openly lying in wait meant that Black Zetsu was unaware of the Tenseigan's existence—or at least its capabilities.
This was Izayoi's advantage.
And he wasn't about to squander it.
"Good thing I prepared a backup plan, or the losses this time would have been huge. I'll remember this grudge, and in due time, I'll return the favor with a grand gift."
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Izayoi took one last glance in the direction of the strongest trio, then dispelled his Shadow Clone and returned to the cave to retrieve Momochi Zabuza.
...
Time passed, and the agreed-upon three days arrived.
At dusk, Uchiha Itachi gazed at the setting sun, now only visible in the northern hemisphere, and couldn't help but ask Uchiha Obito, who was also watching the evening glow, "Has the target still not appeared?"
"You'll have to ask Zetsu for that," Uchiha Obito replied cryptically.
Hearing this, Black and White Zetsu, half of whose bodies were buried in the ground, spoke up. White Zetsu said, "The item has already been delivered to the clone, but the guy hasn't shown up yet, and the clone hasn't been compromised."
"Have we been exposed?"
"It's not impossible," Black Zetsu replied, his mood growing heavier.
If that mysterious person is truly a descendant of Hagoromo, it would mean that his Byakugan is of extremely high purity, and it wouldn't be surprising if its range of vision surpassed the upper limits of the Hyuga Clan.
But they had already distanced themselves by fifty kilometers, and today they were frequently hiding within barriers and alternate dimensions. How could they still be exposed?
This was even more absurd than the Uzumaki Clan's Mind's Eye of the Kagura.
"Wait one more day. Itachi and I will increase the distance," Tendo Pain said indifferently before turning and leaving.
Uchiha Itachi stood up and followed closely behind.
Uchiha Obito also hid within the Kamui Dimension.
Only Black and White Zetsu, using the Mayfly Technique and White Zetsu Clones, monitored the Black Market while expanding their surveillance range to see if that person was hiding nearby.
Another day passed, and the strongest team, still unable to locate the person, left with mixed emotions.
If they couldn't catch him this time, it would be even harder next time.
With this level of perception, they were already at a disadvantage before the battle even began.
...
Six days later, in a forest near the border of the Land of Fire.
"Sir, these are the items you requested. The total cost was 29,870,000 ryo."
Haku, who had just returned from the Land of Rivers to the Land of Fire, unloaded three large scrolls from his back and spoke respectfully to Izayoi.
"Well done. Keep the remaining money as a reward."
Izayoi used Attraction to take the scrolls and then soared into the sky, leaving.
Watching his retreating figure, both Haku and Momochi Zabuza, who had been worried that he might go back on his word, breathed a sigh of relief.
"Zabuza-sama, where should we go next?" Haku asked, supporting Zabuza, who had recovered slightly and could now stand with the help of a crutch.
"We'll go after the Black Market," Zabuza said in a deep voice, his eyes gleaming with a newfound determination.
The Demon Man, having learned a lesson from Izayoi, had grown! (End of Chapter)