"Everyone, shut up!"
Mitokado Homura shouted sternly.
He slammed the table and stood up, his sharp gaze sweeping across the room.
*Swoosh!*
Everyone's attention instantly focused on him.
Uchiha Itsuki narrowed his eyes dangerously, his fists clenched with a cracking sound.
Yelling at me?
Are you tired of living?
"Ahem, ahem."
The force Homura had just built up disappeared in an instant.
After a couple of dry coughs, he said, "You two, this concerns both of our villages. How can you make such a rash decision to go to war? Don't forget that behind us are two villages, with hundreds of thousands of civilians."
He continued with a heart-wrenching tone, "Once war starts, our villages will be drenched in blood!"
"Think about the children!"
"Think about the women!"
"Think about the men!"
"Where will they go? Can you truly bear to plunge them into the hell of war?"
"Hmph!"
The Kumo envoy snorted coldly, "We don't want to fight either, but we see no sincerity in your desire for peace."
"Exactly!"
Itsuki added, "Where's the sincerity? Talk is cheap, what does that even prove?"
"Hmm?"
Several people were momentarily stunned.
Whose side are you on?
But Homura let out a sigh of relief. If Kumo was willing to negotiate, that was good.
Who would want war anyway?
All of them had survived wars.
Their teachers, their comrades, they had all died in battle.
So many had once walked side by side with them, united by their dreams.
But in the end, only five of them remained.
He hated war with all his heart!
"Konoha seeks peace!"
Homura said firmly. "We came to this negotiation with sincerity, and I hope Kumo can show sincerity as well."
"Of course,"
the Kumo envoy exhaled in relief. "I hope Konoha can satisfy us."
If possible, they didn't want war either.
All they needed was some compensation from Konoha.
First, they had to deal with Iwagakure.
This time, they would definitely retrieve the Third Raikage's body.
How could it be acceptable for the corpse of the Raikage, leader of one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, to remain on Iwa's operating table?
"Exactly!"
Itsuki nodded in agreement. "If we're not satisfied, then war will be the only option."
"…"
Everyone stared blankly at Itsuki.
What's gotten into him?
Did he forget he's part of Konoha?
He's supposed to represent Konoha!
Did he lose his memory?
"What are you looking at?"
Itsuki snorted, sitting there coldly. "I'm being very clear: if we're not satisfied, we'll go to war!"
"I always keep my word!"
What the hell?!
Everyone was stunned.
Uchiha Itsuki's intentions... could he mean…
Homura's voice trembled, "I-Itsuki, what are you planning? You're from Konoha; don't act recklessly."
Damn it!
Kumo was willing to negotiate, but now Konoha was the problem?
Could it be that this evil Uchiha actually wanted to provoke a war?
Koharu Utatane and Homura exchanged nervous glances, both feeling a chill down their spines.
"What am I planning?"
Itsuki smiled coldly, pointing at the Kumo envoys, speaking slowly and deliberately, "I don't care what you're thinking. These punks dared to insult my sister Mikoto, so they must pay the price."
"War? You think I'm afraid of war?"
"What a joke!"
"If you don't satisfy me, I'll take these guys down. Heh, if the envoys die, will there still be war?"
Damn!
The Cloud Hidden emissary was momentarily dumbfounded.
Encountering a master who could handle everything...
Uchiha Itsuki's words implied that Konoha should satisfy Cloud Hidden.
Does Cloud Hidden need to satisfy him?
Itsuki, towering above, stared at the Cloud Hidden emissary and said, "In war, emissaries aren't harmed. Now, tell me, if I tie you up and send you to Iwagakure, do you think I could make a deal?"
Cold sweat instantly drenched the Cloud Hidden emissary's forehead.
"Uchiha Itsuki!"
Koharu Utatane lost control, standing up abruptly and roaring, "What exactly are you trying to do? Can you at least recognize the situation before you go crazy?"
Itsuki glanced at her casually, replying with just one sentence: "I know the Flying Thunder God Technique."
Checkmate!
...
Amegakure!
Inside the great hall where the Ten-Tails' body was stored.
The air was thick with smoke!
Severed limbs and body parts were scattered everywhere.
Kunai, shuriken, explosive tags...
Summoning jutsu, secret techniques...
Poison needles, white clay, serpent corpses...
Sasori had unleashed his true form. The puppet created from the Third Kazekage had been cast aside, and only one scroll remained on his back.
Orochimaru continually used his Orochi Substitution Technique and Snake Array.
Deidara had thrown out his #18 bomb. If Pain hadn't stopped him, he would've excitedly blown himself up as well.
Juzo's Executioner's Blade had broken multiple times, and with each bloody rebirth, it seemed to grow stronger. Juzo himself had become even more ferocious!
Kisame, the tailless tailed beast, had created a water battlefield suited to him, with countless sharks swimming around.
Each of these top rogue ninjas from various nations had their own unique traits.
But!
When faced with the Rinnegan, they were still crushed.
At last, Pain had his moment of triumph.
All six Paths of Pain appeared, systematically dismantling his opponents, venting all the frustration he had with Itsuki.
Zetsu didn't get involved.
He wasn't a combatant, and after showcasing his unique abilities, the rest of the Akatsuki didn't force him to fight.
Although they had noticed that Zetsu might not be as powerless as he claimed.
Still!
Everyone has their secrets.
Who could say they had fought with all their strength in this battle?
In the company of such madmen, holding back some cards is the only way to survive!
"Everyone, I assume you've come to an understanding of each other?" Pain said, surveying the room slowly. "Now, we'll start forming teams for future operations."
No one responded.
"Sasori, you'll team up with Deidara!"
Sasori glanced at Deidara and nodded slowly.
As for Deidara, who was just 13 or 14 years old and at the Jonin level, he had no voice among these Kage-level fighters.
The recent battle had made that painfully clear.
Deidara had lost.
And lost badly!
Among the Akatsuki members, only a few were defeated in the one-on-one matchups.
Most of the duels ended in draws.
Except for Deidara and Kisame.
Kisame had gone up against Pain, an inevitable defeat.
"Kisame, you'll team up with Juzo."
"Alright!" Kisame grinned, baring his sharp teeth.
Juzo didn't object either.
"Orochimaru..."
Pain looked at Orochimaru, frowning slightly.
Teaming him up with Itsuki would make sense—they were master and apprentice, both with serpent-like qualities.
But!
Pain could sense that Orochimaru was wary of Itsuki and didn't want to team up with him.
"You'll team up with Zetsu!"
Zetsu bowed slightly. "Please take care of me."
"Of course!" Orochimaru licked his lips with his snake-like tongue.
"As for you..."
Pain turned to the ever-smiling Itsuki, feeling a headache coming on.
Konan was out of the question!
"You'll team up with me."
Pain made his decision.
"Fine," Itsuki said nonchalantly. "Just don't slow me down."
"Heh!"
Pain sneered but didn't argue. He simply said, "Everyone, you're dismissed. I'll contact you through the scrolls for any follow-up."
One by one, the Akatsuki members left.
Hidan left with a disgruntled look, but showed no fear of Itsuki.
With his immortal body, fear was a foreign concept to him.
Even Konan pulled Itsuki away as they departed.
Only Pain and Zetsu remained.
Suddenly, the space twisted, and an orange-masked figure, Tobi, appeared. His deep voice echoed:
"Well done, Nagato..."
Pain glared at him coldly. "What do you plan to do next?"
"I need to meet Uchiha Itsuki. I can't let him ruin everything!"
Tobi's lone eye reflected Itsuki's image. "If... if it comes to that, we may have to kill him."
"Heh!" Pain sneered. "Be careful, or he might kill you."
(End of Chapter)