[900 Power Stones Reached!!! Let's Get 1050!!]
Swish! Swish! The howling wind roared.
As Sasuke sped through the forest, the wind blew his black hair back, and his sharp eyes scanned his surroundings, not daring to overlook any movement.
Suddenly, he noticed something and quickly stopped, hiding behind a large tree, peeking out cautiously.
"One, two, three, four. It's a Konoha patrol squad."
Konoha's forces weren't all concentrated within the village.
Aside from border defense units, Konoha also had patrol squads around the village to prevent any sudden enemy incursions.
The previous Chunin Exams saw many VIPs and visitors, leading Konoha to pull in many external squads for village security, making the surprise attack so successful.
Learning from that lesson, Konoha now maintained robust patrols around the perimeter, ensuring no more unexpected attacks.
Between patrol squads and the occasional Konoha mission team passing by, Sasuke's escape was anything but smooth.
To avoid alerting anyone, he waited patiently until the patrol squad passed before moving again.
The Sound Four faced similar challenges but with their superior strength, they could force their way through if needed, keeping them hot on Sasuke's trail.
Despite leaving last, Shikamaru's team, benefiting from home ground advantage, was steadily closing the gap.
When viewed from a broader perspective, the distances between Sasuke, the Sound Four, and Shikamaru's team were gradually shrinking.
Of course, there were always other players in the game.
News of the last Uchiha of Konoha defecting had quickly reached the ears of certain individuals.
Beep... Beep... In a dim underground base, Orochimaru suddenly sat up on his hospital bed, howling in pain.
"The new drug didn't even last a day. Still not working?" Kabuto adjusted his glasses and sighed.
"Sasuke... Where is Sasuke?" Orochimaru, sweating profusely, looked at his bandaged arms, his tone urgent.
"There's been a complication," Kabuto replied. "According to the latest report from Tayuya and the others, Sasuke left the village but didn't meet up with them."
"It seems... he has another option?"
"Useless!"
Gritting his teeth in pain, Orochimaru cursed.
"Who besides me can give Sasuke the power for revenge? Tell the Sound Four, if they can't bring back Sasuke, they needn't return!"
Kabuto nodded. "I'll relay the message. By the way, that boy wants to make one last effort. Should we let him?"
"Let Kimimaro go!"
At this point, Orochimaru was willing to play all his cards to achieve his goal.
Receiving his orders, Kabuto left. Outside, Orochimaru's pained screams continued.
"Ah!! Damn old man... Who the hell is ruining my plans... Ah!!"
...
"Madara! Madara! I've got big news!"
In the Land of Rain, Obito, still watching the rain, heard the excited voice of White Zetsu behind him.
"Is it about Hagoromo Gensou?"
Like other villages, Obito hadn't been able to track down Gensou. Despite White Zetsu's formidable intelligence network, it wasn't omnipotent.
Recently, several Zetsu had gone missing, raising Obito's suspicions, but he found no clues.
"No," White Zetsu shook his head.
Obito's interest waned, but when White Zetsu mentioned Uchiha Sasuke, he perked up.
"Uchiha Sasuke defected!" White Zetsu grinned.
"Defected?"
Obito's eye narrowed behind his mask.
He had long planned for Sasuke to replace Itachi and achieve the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
As for why Itachi himself couldn't evolve to the Eternal Mangekyō, it was due to his severe illness and, more importantly, Obito's fear of him.
Within Akatsuki, even Nagato with the Rinnegan was just a useful pawn to Obito. But Itachi, with his Mangekyō Sharingan and deep mind, was beyond his control.
This was why he had Kisame, his true ally, partner with Itachi to keep an eye on him.
Fortunately, Itachi's illness had always been a hindrance, allowing Obito some peace of mind.
"Why did Sasuke defect?" Obito asked.
"Not sure yet. But there's more: Orochimaru's men are chasing him," White Zetsu replied.
"Orochimaru..."
Hearing this, Obito tapped the iron railing thoughtfully.
As an Akatsuki defector, Orochimaru was under a kill order from Pain, and Obito himself wanted to eliminate him to protect Akatsuki's secrets.
But Orochimaru had always been slippery, evading capture despite several base raids.
"If I remember correctly, Itachi and Kisame are still in the Land of Fire, right?" Obito asked.
"Yes. They failed to capture the Nine-Tails and are still there. After all, the Land of Fire is quite large," White Zetsu responded with a smile.
"Inform Itachi. He'll know what to do. Also, notify Pain," Obito ordered.
He knew Itachi's true nature and anticipated his response.
This was a chance to cut off Orochimaru's reach and prevent him from interfering with his plans for Sasuke's Eternal Mangekyō.
Additionally, any information from Orochimaru's subordinates could help locate him.
Akatsuki's members were eager to deal with him.
Thus, Obito found the plan perfect.
White Zetsu went off to relay the messages.
Soon, Pain responded.
He wouldn't miss a chance to kill the Akatsuki traitor Orochimaru.
Using Akatsuki's ring-based communication, Pain contacted Itachi and Kisame in the Land of Fire.
Receiving the orders, Kisame grinned menacingly and looked at Itachi.
"Itachi, it seems we'll see your dear brother again."
Itachi calmly donned his cloak, the wind chime on his hat ringing softly as he replied,
"He was never the target."
(End of Chapter)