The Fourth Raikage, A, and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Killer Bee—either one of them alone was a top-tier fighting force in the ninja world.
Together, they were the renowned AB Combo of the Third Great Ninja War.
To survive an encounter with the AB Combo was already a testament to one's strength. To fight both simultaneously and cripple one of them?
That was outrageously formidable.
"You two give it a try. If it doesn't work, I will intervene personally," the Rinnegan phantom said.
"Sasori, Deidara, temporarily halt your current mission. Proceed directly to Sunagakure and capture the One-Tail."
"A perfect Jinchuriki… his strength must be immense. He should be able to withstand my art, un," Deidara muttered to himself.
"Understood," Sasori replied in a deep voice. "But Deidara and I are currently in the Land of Demons. We'll need some time to travel."
"As long as it's resolved within a month," the Rinnegan wielder nodded slightly.
"Those ninja are catching up. Itachi-san and I are logging off first," Kisame suddenly interjected.
The moment his words fell, both their phantoms vanished from the spot.
"In such a hurry?" Deidara said with surprise.
Although he constantly verbally disparaged the two, he acknowledged their strength, especially Uchiha Itachi's…
"The daimyo of the Land of Rivers has some connections with Konoha. Those ninja have Konoha backing," Zetsu stated.
"Kakuzu, Hidan, you two rendezvous with Kisame and Itachi. Zetsu will provide you with the locations of the Two-Tails and Nine-Tails. Prioritize capturing the Two-Tails," the Rinnegan phantom instructed.
"Is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki very strong?" Kakuzu asked.
"Yes. He can use the Flying Thunder God Technique. Without thorough preparation, it will be very difficult to capture him," the Rinnegan phantom nodded.
"Kakuzu, stop dawdling. Let's go," Hidan, carrying his large scythe, said impatiently.
"…" Kakuzu gave him a long, hard look. "Honestly, I really want to kill you."
"Yeah, yeah! Death is the greatest offering to Lord Jashin!" Hidan, far from being alarmed, looked delighted.
"That's all for today's meeting," the Rinnegan phantom said, then vanished from the dim space.
"Hidan, try not to get yourself killed, yeah?" Deidara said, winking.
"Deidara, shut up!" Sasori snapped.
"Yes, yes, sir!"
Their phantoms also disappeared.
"Where were Uchiha Itachi and the others again?" Hidan asked, scratching his head.
"…" Kakuzu said nothing and canceled the Astral Projection Technique.
Hidan quickly followed suit.
Zetsu watched their figures disappear one by one, his thoughts unreadable.
Amegakure – Village Hidden by Rain.
Atop a tower that pierced the clouds, a blond-haired figure slowly opened his eyes.
If Naruto were here, he would definitely recognize this person as Yahiko, who had fought alongside him in the Dragon Vein timeline.
Strangely, the Rinnegan that should have belonged to Nagato was, for some reason, now in Yahiko's eyes.
Furthermore, various parts of Yahiko's body were embedded with strange black rods.
"Pain, do we really need to expose the organization's existence prematurely?" A more mature-looking Konan emerged from the tower.
"The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's influence is simply too great," Yahiko, or rather, Pain, stated.
"Speaking of which, he too is pursuing peace," Konan said, walking to his side, both gazing out at the serene landscape of Amegakure.
"He is also Master Jiraiya's student. Perhaps he might be able to identify with your ideals."
They had been monitoring Jinchuriki for a very long time.
So, while they didn't know every single detail of Naruto's upbringing in Konoha, they had a general understanding.
"Master Jiraiya deeply loves Konoha. His ideology did not influence Uzumaki Naruto to that extent," Pain said, shaking his head slightly.
"Master Jiraiya's perspective will always align with Konoha's interests. Betraying Konoha is something Master Jiraiya is incapable of doing."
"Then what are your thoughts?" Konan asked.
Pain didn't answer, instead looking towards a shadowy area behind him.
Konan's expression shifted slightly. From within the shadows, a swirling spatial distortion slowly rippled, and a figure wearing a yellow spiral mask appeared before them.
"Pain, you have not acted according to the plan we previously agreed upon," the masked man questioned.
"Uchiha Madara, you should understand Pain's reasons for doing so," Konan said, her eyes narrowing slightly, her tone laced with displeasure.
Truthfully, she very much wanted to kill this masked man.
"It's merely the Dragon Heritage organization," the masked man said calmly, glancing at her.
"Merely the Dragon Heritage organization?" Konan almost laughed in anger. "Then why don't you go and capture the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki instead of just standing here talking nonsense?"
"I have told you before," the masked man said, unperturbed by her sarcasm, "in my final battle with Hashirama Senju, I was severely injured. My strength is not even a tenth of what it once was."
"I will pull everything back onto the right track," Pain said, slowly walking past the masked man. "You are questioning a god!"
"…" The masked man said nothing.
Konan gave the masked man a long, deep look, then followed Pain into the shadows.
A few breaths later…
The pitcher-plant Zetsu slowly emerged from the wall beside the masked man.
"You need to make preparations. Nagato, in his current state, is no match for the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's power," Zetsu said.
"Is the Nine-Tails' power truly that strong?" The masked man's tone held a hint of doubt.
"For you, who possess the Mangekyo Sharingan, the Nine-Tails' power is not overwhelming," Black Zetsu stated.
"However, it's unfortunate that the Nine-Tails' power is currently controlled by its Jinchuriki. Your Mangekyo will have difficulty being effective."
"More importantly, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki has learned the Flying Thunder God Technique. You, of all people, should understand how powerful that jutsu is."
"What are your thoughts?" the masked man asked, glancing at Zetsu's black half.
"Find a way to heal Nagato's injuries," Black Zetsu said, his tone extremely serious.
"Unrealistic." The masked man shook his head. "You and I both know the extent of Nagato's injuries. Even if Lady Tsunade of the Sannin were to personally intervene, it's uncertain if he could be healed."
"Forcibly using the Demonic Statue's Nine Consuming Seals caused a massive depletion of his life force, and on top of that, his lower body was destroyed by exploding tags…"
The masked man didn't continue, but his meaning was clear.
Whether it was asking Tsunade for help or replenishing Nagato's lost life force, neither was a practical option.
"The Stone of Gelel can replenish Nagato's lost life force," Black Zetsu said.
The masked man's pupils constricted slightly. As expected, this fellow was still hiding things from him. "Tsunade is currently Konoha's Hokage. Getting her to help is tantamount to putting one's own neck on the chopping block."
"We don't need Tsunade."
"Orochimaru? That man has always coveted Nagato's Rinnegan."
"Besides them, there is one other person who can heal Nagato's lower body injuries," Zetsu said, shaking his head.
"Who?"
"Shinno, from the Sky Ninja Village."