Land of Earth.
Two figures clad in red-cloud cloaks and bamboo hats moved slowly through the forest.
CAW, CAW.
Suddenly, a black crow landed on one of their shoulders.
After exchanging a glance with the crow, the figure said calmly, "The target's just ahead."
The other figure chuckled. "Finally caught up to that guy!"
Undoubtedly, these two in red-cloud cloaks were Itachi and Juzo Biwa, sent by the Akatsuki to capture the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, Roshi.
When given the mission, Itachi had hesitated.
But he ultimately chose to follow orders, knowing that even if he refused, the organization could easily send someone else.
The command itself might even be a test of his loyalty.
Soon, the two emerged from the forest into a rugged, winding valley. There, clad in purple and wearing a headband, the Four-Tails Jinchuriki Roshi stood with arms crossed, glaring down at them. "Akatsuki mongrels, you dare come after me!"
"Hey, this guy's pretty cocky!"
Juzo Biwa smirked, raising his Decapitating Carving Knife.
Itachi frowned slightly. "He seems to have noticed us. Be cautious—Hidden Stone reinforcements might be nearby."
Roshi scoffed, "On my turf, I don't need backup to deal with you!"
Juzo snorted. "I'll go first!"
"Be careful!" Itachi warned.
An adult Jinchuriki, even if not a perfect one like Killer Bee, was not to be underestimated.
Seeing Juzo charge alone, Roshi grinned ferociously. "Once I drag your corpses back to the village, let's see what Onoki has to say!"
Moments later.
Juzo sat on a rock, bandaging his wounds. His Decapitating Carving Knife leaned nearby, its blade marred with several noticeable nicks.
Roshi, who had been brimming with confidence, now lay unconscious nearby.
The scene spoke of a fiercely dangerous battle, but in the end, Itachi and Juzo emerged victorious!
Itachi handed Juzo some healing salve.
Taking it, Juzo shook his head. "Good thing you stepped in, or I wouldn't have been able to handle that guy alone!"
Itachi glanced at the unconscious Roshi and shook his head.
Roshi, the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, wielded the "Lava Release" of the Four-Tails. The Akatsuki had sent Juzo, a former member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, to exploit an elemental advantage.
But compared to Kisame Hoshigaki, who could single-handedly hunt the Four-Tails Jinchuriki in the original timeline, Juzo's raw strength fell short. When Roshi entered tailed-beast mode, Juzo quickly fell behind.
Itachi couldn't stand by and watch Juzo lose, so he intervened, taking down the overconfident Four-Tails Jinchuriki.
Of course, Roshi wasn't dead.
Nagato's orders to Itachi and Juzo were clear: capture the Four-Tails Jinchuriki alive, not kill him!
After bandaging up, Juzo surveyed the ravaged surroundings, then walked over to the unconscious Roshi, hoisting him onto his back. "Itachi, let's go!"
"Mm."
Itachi nodded. The battle had caused a commotion, and lingering risked being cornered by Hidden Stone forces.
Elsewhere.
Guided by intelligence, Moryo and Shinno successfully located the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, Han, in a forest in the northern Land of Earth.
Shinno said, "Come with us."
Han's icy gaze swept over Shinno and Moryo. "You're from Akatsuki?"
"Since you know who we are, just come quietly!" Shinno paused before adding, "Or we'll break your limbs and drag you along!"
Han replied coldly, "Try it if you think you can."
Moryo grew impatient. "Why waste words on him? He's just a Jinchuriki. Let's take him down."
With that, Moryo strode toward Han!
Unlike the others, Moryo was a demon, his chakra potency second only to the Nine-Tails, and the gap wasn't large. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to unleash a demonic calamity years ago, destroying several nations with ease.
To him, Jinchuriki, feared by others, were nothing.
After all, the power a Jinchuriki could borrow from their Tailed Beast was limited by various factors, while Moryo's own power was unrestricted.
The towering Five-Tails Jinchuriki didn't back down, charging forward.
A taijutsu expert, Han's mastery of "Boil Release" granted him a secret technique called "Boil Release: Unrivaled Strength"!
In the original timeline, even Naruto in Nine-Tails Chakra Mode was overpowered by Han's strength.
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM.
With a thunderous roar, the battle erupted!
Much later.
The battlefield finally fell silent. The once-lush forest was now littered with fallen trees, as if a typhoon had swept through.
At the center of the ravaged battlefield, Moryo, barely maintaining human form, held the Five-Tails Jinchuriki Han by the neck, lifting him off the ground.
"D-Damn it!"
Exhausted, Han could only pass out unwillingly.
Thud.
Moryo tossed Han to the ground carelessly, inspecting his own body before ordering Shinno, "This vessel's broken. Find me a new one!"
As a demon, Moryo needed to inhabit a living human to maintain a human form.
Initially, he had possessed the leader of the Yomi Cult, but his chakra was too potent and sinister. Even the cult leader, skilled in dark medical ninjutsu, couldn't sustain the possession for long, forcing Moryo to constantly switch vessels over the years.
The recent battle with the Five-Tails Jinchuriki had damaged his current vessel beyond repair.
Shinno, accustomed to this, responded casually before picking up the unconscious Han. "Let's get out of here quickly. The Third Tsuchikage isn't someone to mess with. Once we're out of the Land of Earth, I'll find you a suitable vessel."
Moryo nodded.
Years after his unsealing, Moryo's demonic arrogance had been tempered by several setbacks. He knew the current shinobi world wasn't a place he could act recklessly in.
Both within the Akatsuki and among the five great shinobi villages, there were many who could handle him. So, at least until he could absorb the Priestess's power with Akatsuki's help, he had to tread carefully!