Hmm…
Izuna stares at Ido's demonic figure and ponders over the matter.
'Looks like I have to delve deeper into the origin of the Kurama clan.'
"Of course, I will help you. You are my student, after all. For now, you should try to assimilate the large amounts of dark chakra you absorbed from the bead."
Izuna waves his hand and exits Yakumo's mindscape.
"Is there something wrong Sensei?"
Hanabi and Yakumo ask him as he staring at the space.
"Hmm… I was wondering about your recent performance in the battle. A ninja should always expect the unexpected."
He shakes his head and turns to Kanami.
Kanami walks towards him with a smile.
"NO!"
Ayaka stands in front of Izuna and crosses her arms to keep her away.
"ARA!"
Kanami purses her lips and chuckles.
"Don't worry Ayaka-chan! I am indeed interested in your brother but I can't stand beside him."
She shakes her head and turns to Izuna.
"I sincerely thank you on behalf of the entire fleet. If not for you, then our entire fleet might have perished in the sea."
Kanami has a sincere expression on her face.
"There is no need to be so modest with me."
Izuna shakes his head.
"These people saved my life once; I am just repaying the debt."
"Thank you so much!" Kanami bows to express her gratitude.
The Mist in the sea gradually clears up and rays of sunlight descend from the clouds.
"Miss Kanami! We are about to reach the shore."
One of the sailors informs them.
"That's a relief!"
Kanami heaves a sigh of relief.
"Ayaka-chan! Hanabi-chan! Yakumo-chan! I will take you on a scenic tour around Benisu island. There are various tourist spots around here."
She waves at them.
"Ohhh…! I am so excited about the trip."
Hanabi has stars in her eyes.
The group gets off at the harbor. The members of the cargo fleet wave goodbye to them.
"You lot enjoy your tour with Kanami, meanwhile I will pick up some supplies," Izuna waves goodbye to them and departs.
"Alright girls, follow me," Kanami and the group walk in the opposite direction.
Whoosh…
Izuna flickers through the streets. He takes out a scroll from his pocket. There is a map on the scroll.
"It must be around here!" He stops at the container near the docks.
"Pride! You can come out." Izuna turns towards a corner.
Swoosh…
A cloaked figure leaps out from the shadows and bows in front of Izuna.
"Report!"
Izuna nods his head.
"Leader, after seven years the three-tails has finally resurrected itself."
Hmm…
"That took a while!" Izuna nods his head.
"It is severely weakened after its previous death. It's still recuperating its chakra at the bottom of a lake in Land of Water."
Pride passes another map to Izuna.
"Hmm… that's good!" Izuna pockets the scroll and asks him.
"What about the six-tails and its jinchuruki?"
"I last spotted him at the Nagi Island. After he deserted the Kiri village, the hunter-nins of the Mist have relentlessly chased him down."
"I see!"
'Akatsuki hasn't made a move in all these years. I haven't even heard any news about Nagato since our previous scuffle. Either they are just lying low or they are planning something big. Anyway, for now, Zero-tails takes the priority.'
Izuna turns to Pride as an idea comes to his mind.
"Pride! I would like you to infiltrate the Land of Sky's flying fortress, Ancor Vantian, and monitor their activities. They are planning an uprise against the five shinobi nations, but I believe someone else is pulling the strings from the dark. Your task is to source out the puppeteer in the shadows."
He assigns another task to Pride.
"Understood!"
Pride bows again and gets ready to depart.
"Wait!" Izuna stops him.
He takes out a small sealing talisman from his pocket and passes it to Pride.
"Keep this talisman with you. It will ward off the sinister chakra of Zero-tails," Pride pockets the talisman and flickers away.
Sigh…
"Lately, I feel like a lot of things are happening in the shadows. Everything seems to be a part of some big conspiracy," Izuna rubs his forehead.
"I still have two months before my body fails and my chakra system ruptures. Even thinking about such a thing scares me. Even after searching nonstop for almost four years, I haven't been able to find a solution. Looks like I have to rely on the chakra fruit to revive myself. As for now…"
Izuna raises his head and notices a fleet of ships sailing towards Benisu island in a distance. He notices the emblem of the Sky troop etched on the hull of the ship.
"Another battalion of Land of Sky! They are most probably here to attack the Benisu island to harvest some fuel for the Zero-tails."
Izuna concludes.
"Hmm… the speed at which they are traveling; they will be here in another hour or so."
He predicts the arrival of the Sky troop.
"In this time, I can strike a deal with the Merchant Association of the Benisu Island in exchange for the protection of this place."
Various ideas pop up in Izuna's mind.
'Running an organization is such a pain. I have to always think about the finances. I am turning more and more like a certain money-loving shinobi Frankenstein.'
-------------
In a small tavern in the Land of Fire,
Achoo…
Kakuzu sneezes loudly.
Sniff…
He wipes his nose and chugs down a cup of sake.
"You caught a cold, haven't you?"
Another shinobi with medium-length grey hair and distinctive purple eyes chuckles at Kakuzu. There is a giant triple-bladed scythe tied around his back.
"Shut up or I will kill you!" Kakuzu growls in anger.
"Haha… You can give it a try!" Hidan laughs hysterically.
"Shut up!"
Kakuzu slowly sips his sake. He gazes out of the window.
A giant Shaolin Monastery appears in front of his eyes. There are a multitude of staircases in front of the monastery, as it is located on top of a small hill.
The walls of the monastery are surrounded by impenetrable sealed iron walls. A gigantic metallic gate lies in the center of the walls. Multiple statues and images of Karasu and Yamabushi Tengu are sculpted on either side of the entrance.
"So, that's the Fire temple of the Land of Fire."
Kakuzu licks his lips as he appreciates the beauty of the temple.
"It sure is a giant temple."
Hidan nods his head.
"After I lay waste to this temple, I will make it a worship place for Lord Jashin."
"What a waste!" Kakuzu snorts.
"Look how fancy this temple is. I am sure there are lots of treasures and hidden wealth buried deep within this temple! That's worth a lot of Ryo. It will be a shame to demolish this temple and make it a worship place for some phony God! I can even sell the bricks of this temple for lots of Ryo," Kakuzu's eyes shine with Ryo.
Hmph…
Swoosh…
Hidan waves his giant triple-bladed scythe and attacks him.
Clang…
Kakuzu blocks the blade with his hand.
"Earth Release: Earth Spear"
He circulates earth chakra through his hand and turns it into a darker shade of black to raise his defense.
"Take it back!" Hidan growls in anger. Take back what you said about Jashin-sama!"
Hidan frantically attacks him.
"Hmph… Make me if you have the skills. A blind worshipper of a phony God!" Kakuzu snorts at Hidan's effort.
"Damnit! I will kill you," Hidan goes berserk and attacks Kakuzu.
"Bring it on! I am not afraid of you and your phony God!"
BOOM…
Both of them start a fight as they flicker towards the middle of the forest.
----------------------
At Benisu Island,
In front of the Merchant Association.
Izuna stares at the gigantic headquarters of the association and clicks his tongue.
"This place sure has a huge influx of money. Can't wait to strike a deal and squeeze some money out of them." He has a sinister smile on his face.
'I am not some saint or messiah who will blindly protect anyone because I am entitled to do so. I will provide my services as an S-Rank shinobi and get paid for the mission commissioned to me.'
Izuna convinces himself and takes a step inside the building.