Within the Land of Lightning—Thunderclap Gorge.
This was one of Kumogakure's training grounds. Due to the Land of Lightning's unique geography, countless gorges like this cut through its territory. The terrain here was rugged and uneven, dominated by hills and fractured rock.
Unlike Turtle Island, where Killer Bee trained, Thunderclap Gorge was rarely visited.
This place belonged to Yugito Nii.
Yet now, the deep stillness of the gorge had been shattered.
The ground was damp, scorched in places, and the faint smell of smoke still lingered in the air. Residual heat drifted through the gorge, as though fire and ice had clashed here moments ago.
Two unfamiliar figures stood at the center of the devastation.
One wore the black cloak patterned with red clouds. His face was sharp and feral, resembling a shark.
The other stood calmly beside him—short black hair, an expression devoid of emotion, and dark tear-like lines trailing from his eyes.
They were Kisame Hoshigaki and Uchiha Itachi.
Before them, a figure knelt on one knee, breathing heavily, her eyes locked onto the two intruders.
Yugito Nii.
At this point, Itachi had yet to make a move—yet Yugito was already at her limit.
Kisame's abilities were her natural enemy. His massive chakra reserves suppressed her completely, while the living greatsword Samehada continuously devoured the chakra of the Two-Tails.
What shocked Yugito most was Kisame's chakra itself.
It was vast. Abnormally vast.
"Kisame," Itachi said calmly, "finish this quickly. Kumogakure will notice something is wrong soon."
The moment his voice sounded, Yugito's heart sank.
Kisame casually slung Samehada onto his back.
In the next instant, he vanished.
Yugito's pupils shrank violently.
A powerful gust of wind struck from her flank.
This is bad—
Her exhausted body couldn't react in time.
Bang!!
A massive foot slammed into her side.
Yugito was sent flying, crashing into the ground and rolling several times before finally stopping. Blood seeped from the corner of her mouth as she slowly pushed herself up and wiped it away.
Inside her mind, a familiar voice rang out.
"Yugito—run! If you can hold on for just one minute, reinforcements will arrive!"
It was Matatabi.
Her voice was filled with urgency and concern.
Among all her hosts, Yugito was the one Matatabi truly acknowledged. Yet even with her chakra, Yugito could not overcome the shark-faced man before them.
His chakra reserves were monstrous—and Samehada made matters even worse by continuously absorbing chakra.
What unsettled Matatabi the most, however, was not Kisame…
…but the quiet Uchiha standing beside him.
Suddenly, Itachi lifted his head and gazed into the distance.
"Kisame," he said calmly, "someone's coming."
As his words fell, the three-tomoe Sharingan in his eyes spun and transformed—
Mangekyō Sharingan.
He looked directly at Yugito and spoke softly.
"Tsukuyomi."
Blood flowed from the corners of his eyes.
Itachi raised a hand to cover them as Yugito's body collapsed limply to the ground, consciousness completely severed.
Kisame instantly appeared beside him.
"Mr. Itachi… are you alright?"
Despite his usual bravado, a trace of unease flickered deep within Kisame's eyes.
"I'm fine."
Itachi wiped away the bloodstains.
For Sasuke… I won't die yet.
Sasuke… my time is running out.
The thought surfaced unbidden.
Without delay, Kisame hoisted Yugito onto his shoulder, and the two figures disappeared into the distance.
One minute later—
Several figures wearing animal masks appeared at Thunderclap Gorge.
ANBU.
The leader knelt and pressed his hand against the scorched ground.
"There are traces of an intense battle," he reported. "Residual chakra levels are extremely high."
He raised his head.
"Report immediately to Lord Raikage. Something has happened to Lady Yugito."
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!!
In an instant, the ANBU vanished.
Inside the Raikage's office.
Bang!!
The Raikage slammed his fist down, obliterating the desk before him.
Wood fragments scattered across the room.
Yet Mabui's attention wasn't on the wreckage.
It was on the name that echoed in her mind.
Yugito.
"Who could abduct Yugito in such a short amount of time?" Mabui said, one arm crossed beneath her chest, the other supporting her chin. "And what is their objective?"
Her expression darkened.
At that moment, a shinobi rushed in.
"Lord Raikage," he said urgently, "according to intelligence reports—Jinchūriki across the entire shinobi world are being attacked!"
Silence fell over the room.
And with it, the shadow of Akatsuki spread once more.
"Even Gaara, the Kazekage, was attacked—but the attackers failed," Mabui reported rapidly.
"However, aside from Yugito, the Three-Tails, Five-Tails, Six-Tails, and Seven-Tails were all attacked by unidentified individuals… and were captured."
She paused briefly before continuing.
"The Four-Tails was rescued by Ōnoki."
The information hit like a hammer.
"Their objective is… the Tailed Beasts?"
The Raikage's voice was rough, his brows tightly knit.
In an instant, the situation became clear. A large group of powerful individuals had emerged within the shinobi world, acting without regard for the Five Great Nations—and every one of their targets had been a Jinchūriki.
Suddenly, the Raikage seemed to remember something.
"Has Uzumaki Naruto been attacked?"
His tone sharpened noticeably.
"No," Mabui answered calmly. "The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki has not been targeted. The enemy is likely wary of his strength and chose not to act."
Though officially only a secretary, Mabui held the highest operational authority within Kumogakure, even possessing the power to mobilize ANBU units. Her composure never wavered.
"Damn it!" the Raikage snarled. "Why is that brat Uzumaki Naruto completely untouched?!"
No one in the office spoke.
Mabui sighed inwardly.
She knew better than anyone that Uzumaki Naruto had become the Raikage's inner demon. The moment Naruto's name was mentioned, the Raikage would lose all composure.
The Raikage's expression darkened further.
Since his last defeat, he had returned to Kumogakure and thrown himself into brutal, hellish training. Yet strength was not something that could be improved endlessly.
He had reached a bottleneck.
Once, there had been room for growth—but now his power had reached the level of a top-tier Kage. To go further would require nothing short of a rare opportunity or a miraculous breakthrough.
"Contact Ōnoki and the Mizukage, Mei Terumī," the Raikage said heavily. "We'll discuss countermeasures together."
Though Kumogakure and Iwagakure were long-standing enemies, the situation left them no choice but to cooperate. Still, when mentioning Mei Terumī, he retained the courtesy of her title.
"Yes, Lord Raikage."
Mabui nodded and turned to leave.
"Wait."
Just as she reached the doorway, the Raikage spoke again.
"Get me a new desk."
Mabui paused, answered softly, "Yes," and closed the door behind her.
The Akatsuki's movements had once again stirred the shinobi world's recently calm waters.
At the same time…
Nagato and Konan were already on the move, heading toward the Land of Snow.
Nagato had made his decision.
Among all the Jinchūriki, only Uzumaki Naruto posed any real challenge. As for the others—none were worthy of concern.
Naruto, meanwhile, remained completely unaware that Nagato was already approaching.
And even if he knew…
He wouldn't care.
At this moment, his strength surpassed that of anyone else in the shinobi world.
...
TN:
⚒️ Pa-treon-com/LordMerlin (Support me! 😊)