Yes, Killer Bee had been captured by the Akatsuki. He had tried to sacrifice his tail to execute a large-scale detonation and annihilate the Konoha forces before sneaking away unnoticed.
But instead, his plan backfired when Aoba used Flying Thunder God to redirect the explosion. The result? Killer Bee's army was annihilated instead.
Killer Bee himself, too close to the blast, was caught in the shockwave.
Shortly after, members of the Akatsuki tracked him down.
Exhausted from expending a vast amount of chakra, Killer Bee stood no chance against the combined assault of Itachi Uchiha, Kisame Hoshigaki, Deidara, Sasori, Kakuzu, and Shin. The fight lasted less than a minute before he was defeated.
He was then transported to the Akatsuki's secret base in the Land of Rain.
Here, the Akatsuki prepared to perform Phantom Dragon Nine Consuming Seals, extracting the Eight-Tails from Killer Bee and merging it into the Ten-Tails.
But before this began, Konan had other plans.
She produced two peculiar scrolls, which she unfurled and laid crosswise over Killer Bee's body.
Immediately, Killer Bee let out a piercing scream as the Eight-Tails within him felt a part of its source chakra being forcibly extracted.
Although a small portion, it proved that the Akatsuki had the ability to do so.
"Wait, wait, let's talk about this! My brother is the Raikage, we can pay you!" Killer Bee pleaded desperately.
Konan, however, remained indifferent. She rolled up the scrolls and gestured for the others to proceed.
Konan did not participate in the Phantom Dragon Nine Consuming Seals ritual.
Though the jutsu required skilled shinobi to assist, Konan had learned much from Aoba Kamikawa over the years.
The untouched Amegakure, free from the war's devastation, had secretly nurtured a number of talented individuals. Konan drew upon these resources to complete the ritual.
Back in her office, Konan formed a series of hand seals, summoning a ninja cat, to whom she entrusted the scrolls.
Konan had been in contact with Aoba for some time. Unlike the radical Nagato, Konan was more inclined toward Aoba's vision of reform for Konoha.
Over the past two years, she had implemented several of Aoba's reform ideas in Amegakure. The results were remarkable, both civilians and shinobi in the village enjoyed significantly better lives than before.
Unfortunately, Nagato remained stubbornly fixated on the Eye of the Moon Plan. While Konan couldn't change Nagato's mind, she maintained communication with Aoba.
Looking at the broader picture, it became evident: Nagato wanted to change the shinobi world, while Aoba was already changing it.
"Deliver this scroll to Aoba Kamikawa," she instructed.
Aoba had not signed contracts with Mount Myoboku, Ryuchi Cave, or Shikkotsu Forest. His summoning beast was Wu, but Wu's enormous size made it impractical for simple tasks like delivering items. So instead, Aoba had contracted with the Uchiha clan's ninja cats.
These intelligent creatures excelled at delivering letters and small items. It was through this method that Aoba, Konan, and Shin communicated discreetly.
In return for his support, Aoba had asked for only one thing: whenever the Akatsuki captured a Tailed Beast, they were to send him a portion of its source chakra.
Konan kept her word and sent the scrolls without hesitation.
Meanwhile, Aoba returned to Konoha after his clash with Madara.
With Kumogakure defeated, they had sent a delegation to Konoha to seek peace. This time, it was no bluff. The representatives were high-ranking members of Kumogakure, fully committed to resolving the conflict.
Aoba left the negotiations to the experts. Such tasks required extensive preparation and attention to detail—areas where the Nara clan, particularly Shikaku, excelled. As long as the negotiations ensured Kumogakure paid a heavy price, Aoba was content.
Back in Konoha, Aoba was far from idle. Tsunade dragged him into endless meetings during the day.
At home, Yumi had her own meetings with him at night.
In Yumi's bedroom
"Aoba, I think Karin might know about us," Yumi remarked.
"She's known for a long time," Aoba replied helplessly. He hadn't brought it up because every time Karin was home, Yumi would adopt this unique mix of caution and excitement.
Frankly, this side of Yumi was something Aoba couldn't resist, so he never addressed the issue.
The truth was, Yumi's abilities meant she had likely known for quite a while. Her reluctance to acknowledge it was more a matter of self-deception.
But Aoba overlooked one thing: women are rarely wrong about such matters. If there's a mistake, it's always on the man's end.
"So, you've known all along that Karin found out our secret but didn't say anything because you enjoyed the thrill?" Yumi asked sharply.
"..." Aoba immediately felt the tension rise.
"Yumi, I—"
Before he could finish, Yumi stepped forward and silenced him with a kiss.
"Looks like you've been having fun. Want to try something fresher?" she teased.
Aoba: "!!! ..."
The next morning, Aoba emerged from the bedroom, supporting his back. Karin had already left for the training grounds, leaving only Yumi in the kitchen preparing breakfast.
Seeing Aoba enter, Yumi's face turned slightly red but quickly returned to normal. She handed him breakfast with her usual composure.
Aoba considered making a joke but remembered the previous night's ordeal and thought better of it. How he missed the gentle Yumi of the past…
After breakfast, Aoba left home and headed to a temporary quarantine area near Konoha.
This was where the Kirigakure ninjas, those who had defected with Mei Terumi, were stationed.
During the recent war, they had also fought, but only against the scattered remnants of Kirigakure's forces.
After losing interest in Kirigakure following their acquisition of the village's Tailed Beast, Black Zetsu no longer saw the crippled Mist Village as a valuable asset. However, this didn't mean Mei Terumi and her faction could easily regain control of the village.
The group led by Mei Terumi consisted of top-tier elites, more than capable of facing the current leadership of Kirigakure.
The problem, however, was that they were still branded as rogue ninja. Whether the current leadership in Kirigakure understood the truth about their defection or not, it made no difference.
A new leadership had already taken control of the village, and they would never willingly relinquish their authority. This wasn't about truth or justice, it was a matter of human nature.
Mei Terumi and her faction didn't want to ignite another civil war. Kirigakure had already fallen from its position as one of the Five Great Nations. If another internal conflict were to break out, the village might have no future left.
They now pinned their hopes on finding a way to return peacefully, uniting all available forces to rebuild the village.
And to achieve this, the most crucial figure was none other than Aoba Kamikawa.
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Currently on Chapter 242 - Aoba's Plan for Sasuke's Rinnegan