Land of Iron.
Outside a money exchange.
Kakuzu, carrying a cash box, stepped out of the exchange and said to Hidan, who was waiting outside, "Head back to the base first, then we move out!"
"Hah, finally time to go all out!" Hidan, hefting his Bloody March Scythe, grinned wide and followed Kakuzu.
...
In an underground palace.
Shinno, inspecting the body of Wazunagi, said, "This body's durability isn't enough. Even with my medical ninjutsu for maintenance, it'll last a week at most."
"That's enough!" Wazunagi replied, his voice muffled. His vocal cords had already rotted, making his words sound like a leaking bellows.
Shinno asked, "The leader's message has come through. Have you made all the arrangements?"
"Of course!" Wazunagi paused, then turned to Shinno. "But the leader's promise to me—this time, it must be fulfilled!"
Shinno nodded. "Rest assured. Once the mission is complete, the leader has assigned me to help you consume the priestess."
A stiff smile crept across Wazunagi's face. "Then let's move out!"
...
By a small lake.
Loquat Juzo, carrying the Decapitating Carving Knife, approached the lake's edge and spoke to Itachi, who sat staring at his reflection in the water. "The leader's orders have arrived. We need to move out!"
"Oh," Itachi replied, slowly standing.
Juzo said, "Don't overthink it. It's just killing—exactly what you and I are good at, right?"
Itachi responded, "I'm not good at killing."
Juzo smirked dismissively.
...
In Hiruko's secret laboratory.
Hiruko summoned Ranmaru before him. "The leader asked about you, so I reported that you've completed the ritual."
Ranmaru lowered his head, showing deference.
Hiruko continued, "After my efforts, the leader has finally agreed to let you join the organization and take Kurosuki Raiga's place as my partner."
"Thank you, sir!" Ranmaru's tone was respectful, though he sneered inwardly.
Unsuspecting, Hiruko said, "Let's move out. This time, we're finishing the mission we couldn't complete before!"
Ranmaru quickly asked, "Are we going to Hidden Leaf Village?"
"Don't ask too many questions. Just follow me, and you'll see!" Hiruko vanished in a flash.
Ranmaru, also possessing Swift Release, activated his own Swift Release and followed.
...
On a cliff.
Sasori, hidden within Hiruko, asked Deidara beside him, "Everything ready? This will likely be a major battle. You'd better have enough explosive clay!"
Deidara pulled open his red cloud cloak, revealing two bulging clay pouches at his waist. "See this? Enough to blow up an entire village!"
Sasori said, "Then let's move out!"
Deidara molded a clay bird, tossing it into the air. With a boom, the palm-sized clay figure transformed into a white bird with a wingspan of four or five meters.
Jumping onto the clay bird, Deidara laughed, "This time, I'll show those stubborn old shinobi in the villages the power of my art!"
...
At nearly the same moment, Akatsuki members scattered across the Iron Country received action orders from Nagato and began moving.
This full-scale mobilization was a first in the history of the reorganized Akatsuki.
Clearly, to achieve their goal, Akatsuki was pulling out all the stops!
...
Hidden Leaf Village.
After resolving the challenge from Hidden Sound Village, Shinji found himself idle again.
This was largely because his overwhelming presence when suppressing the Sound Four had intimidated others, causing many shinobi from other villages—who had been eager to emulate Hidden Grass or Hidden Sound and challenge Hidden Leaf to make a name for themselves—to hesitate.
Additionally, the lead jonin from Hidden Grass Village kept Ryuzetsu and Chino confined to their temporary base, so the entire village had quieted down.
This phenomenon led Hidden Leaf villagers to believe Shinji had intimidated the other villages' shinobi, causing his popularity and reputation in the village to inexplicably surge.
Of course, Shinji didn't care about this.
His focus was on one thing: achieving the Rinnegan!
But while Shinji was diligently preparing to unlock the Rinnegan, he inadvertently noticed something unusual in the village.
Most notably, the elite jonin from the five great shinobi villages, gathered in Hidden Leaf, had suddenly become low-key. They rarely appeared in public, and under the scrutiny of his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, Shinji realized that those who did appear were merely shadow clones or water clones—not their real bodies.
This was clearly a problem!
Ordinary people might not notice, but Shinji knew the situation well: Akatsuki was on the offensive, while the shinobi village alliance was on the defensive. In such circumstances, any unusual movements by the alliance's elite could only mean one thing—the shinobi village alliance was planning to strike against Akatsuki!
"What's going on? Are the five great shinobi villages making a move?" Shinji grew suspicious.
However, none of his intelligence channels provided any information, which puzzled him.
As the First Chair of Hidden Leaf's ninja academy, Shinji held high authority. His connection with advisor elder Koharu Utatane meant few village operations were hidden from him.
Additionally, Yakumo provided firsthand secrets from Tsunade, Karin gathered intelligence through Hidden Grass Village, and Haku collected information via Hidden Mist's channels.
Yet, with so many sources, no intelligence had come through, indicating this operation's secrecy level was extraordinarily high!
"The five great shinobi villages are getting more cautious," Shinji sighed.
...
Hidden Leaf Hospital.
Sasuke, with a cold expression, was testing his body's movements.
Shizune, standing nearby, said, "Your injuries have fully healed, but your dojutsu power hasn't recovered. I recommend avoiding the use of your Mangekyo Sharingan."
Sasuke frowned. "The Chunin Exams are about to start. If I can't use my Mangekyo Sharingan, how am I supposed to face those strong opponents?"
Shizune patiently explained, "Honestly, in your current condition, you're not suited to participate in the Chunin Exams. With Shinji and Yakumo there, why not withdraw, rest, and wait for the next surgery?"
"No!" Sasuke firmly rejected Shizune's advice and left the hospital under her worried gaze.
Back at his residence, Sasuke began strategizing.
He had assumed he wouldn't need his Mangekyo Sharingan to handle opponents in the Chunin Exams, but now he realized he was gravely mistaken. He needed a solution.
His hand instinctively touched his shoulder, where the Cursed Seal was faintly burning.