Chapter 25: Blood Mist Rises Again in the Hidden Mist! Change in the Hidden Rain Village!
The moment Uchiha Itachi activated his Mangekyo Sharingan, the fight was over.
If not for the overwhelming side effects, Yagura might have suffered more than just severe injuries and unconsciousness.
Of course, the main reason was… the arrival of the man claiming to be Uchiha Madara!
The space in front of him rippled, and a man with a mask revealing only a single Mangekyo Sharingan appeared.
Looking at the lifeless body of Juzo Biwa, a twitch passed across Obito's face under his mask.
He hadn't expected that by arriving just a bit late, he would lose an Akatsuki member.
But perhaps it was for the best.
Akatsuki needed individuals who could rival the power of a tailed beast, not dead weight.
So, Obito didn't care about Juzo's death; in fact, he felt a certain disdain.
"How did things go?"
Without Zetsu present to report, Obito naturally turned to Itachi for an explanation.
"We were just about to infiltrate the Hidden Mist Village to locate our target when the Fourth Mizukage found us."
"We were forced to fight, and Juzo Biwa was killed by a Tailed Beast Bomb."
Without hesitation, Itachi briefly recounted the events.
"Return to base. I'll report to Pain."
"I'll take over this mission myself."
Obito spoke coldly.
He hadn't originally planned on it, but seeing the unconscious Three-Tails Jinchuriki lying there brought back memories of Rin.
A surge of rage welled up within him, a desire for revenge against the Hidden Mist Village.
Good! Good! Good!
How could I have forgotten what they did to Rin?
If it weren't for them, Rin wouldn't have died!
"Yes."
Feeling the emotional shift in "Madara," Itachi didn't linger or question it.
He turned, picked up Juzo's body, slinging it over his shoulder, along with the broken executioner's blade, and walked away without looking back.
Obito sneered at Itachi's actions, even finding them amusing.
He showed such care and empathy for a stranger he had only known for a short time, even taking it upon himself to collect the body of this unfamiliar person.
Yet what about his own family and clan?
They had been sacrificed for experiments by that old man in Konoha, and he showed no reaction.
Did he really not know anything?
No matter. It doesn't matter in this world without Rin.
Returning to his senses, Obito's gaze fell back on the unconscious Yagura.
The painful memories played out like a movie reel in his mind, filling him with a renewed desire to carry out the Moon's Eye Plan.
But before that, he decided to exact a little revenge on the Hidden Mist Village.
With that, Obito formed several complex hand seals. This was a control method Uchiha Madara had left on the Three-Tails, though it hadn't been activated.
It was intended for use when capturing the tailed beasts for the Moon's Eye Plan.
Although the plan hadn't officially started, Obito no longer cared. His hatred drove him beyond caution.
Under Obito's influence, the Hidden Mist Village would once again be shrouded in a blood mist.
(As a side note, I've noticed that many authors write about Obito controlling the Hidden Mist between the Nine-Tails Night and Itachi's defection. But in reviewing the story, I found that Yagura was fully conscious when he encountered Juzo and Itachi. If he had been controlled before, the people of the Hidden Mist would've noticed. This arrangement felt more logical.)
Meanwhile, Uchiha Yi returned leisurely to the Akatsuki base.
During his absence, some changes had taken place within Akatsuki.
First, Nagato had finally eliminated the remnants of Hanzo the Salamander's faction, fully taking control of the Hidden Rain Village and moving Akatsuki there.
Second, Nagato, using Hanzo's name, announced that the Hidden Rain would no longer be open to outsiders, cutting off all access.
Any intruders would be executed on sight.
Upon hearing this, some villages, not convinced by the Hidden Rain's unilateral warning, kept sending spies to investigate.
However, under the Rain Tiger at Will technique, every intruder was swiftly located and dealt with, leaving other villages shocked and furious but unable to openly admit their spies had been killed.
Besides, Hanzo's reputation as a demigod still held significant weight in the shinobi world, enough to deter even the Five Great Shinobi Villages from challenging him.
Gradually, most villages chose to cut their losses and stop attempting to investigate the Hidden Rain.
Only then did stability return to the Hidden Rain Village.
One day, Uchiha Yi approached Pain.
"What?"
"You want to spar in taijutsu with me?"
Pain was surprised by Uchiha Yi's request, finding it difficult to understand.
"Yes!"
"I've realized my taijutsu is lacking. I was hoping you could help me improve."
Uchiha Yi spoke sincerely.
This response left Pain in silence.
He had sparred with Uchiha Yi before and had also received some information from Konan.
He knew that Yi was highly skilled in ninjutsu, particularly in Fire Release techniques that even he found intimidating.
Logically, someone so proficient in ninjutsu would focus on refining that talent further, rather than investing time in an area where he was less capable.
Wasn't that putting the cart before the horse?
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