Could Orochimaru be up to his little tricks again?
Gento closed his eyes and began to receive the memories sent back by his shadow clone.
Images flooded in like a tide.
Orochimaru dealing with the members of the Akatsuki alongside Gento's shadow clone, Pain's cold face inside the stronghold, and that simple map marking the locations of the Tailed Beast Jinchuriki.
After a while, having sorted through these memories, Gento could not help but let out a long sigh of relief.
So, the Akatsuki had a mission.
He gave a few instructions to his secretary, Mabui:
"I'm going out to handle some matters. Keep an eye on the village for now."
Mabui nodded in agreement.
Gento formed a seal with one hand, sensing the Flying Thunder God formula he had left on Orochimaru in advance.
His figure vanished from the office.
In the next instant, he was already standing in a gloomy forest.
He saw Orochimaru leaning against an old tree, his golden slit pupils gleaming in the dim light.
He was wearing the black cloak with red clouds of the Akatsuki, with the Kusanagi Sword hanging from his waist, his long hair draped down, and his face pale.
Seeing Gento appear, a smile surfaced on his bloodless face, and he spoke in a raspy voice:
"Gento, you must have already learned about the situation through your clone."
"However, to complete the mission, I should still repeat the relevant intelligence regarding this operation."
Gento nodded, gesturing for him to continue.
"Although a few Tailed Beasts are still unaccounted for, the Akatsuki has already finished collecting all the open intelligence on the Jinchuriki over the past few years."
"Now, Pain has decided to act."
"The first target is the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, Roshi."
"And the two of us will be the ones capturing him."
"Roshi?"
Gento raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.
"He's a rogue ninja of the Hidden Stone Village, right? I recall he has been training alone outside for many years to avoid the internal political struggles of his village."
"Exactly."
"That old man is no saint. Back when he was in the Hidden Stone Village, he relied on his status as a Jinchuriki to run amok, alienating his peers and even secretly colluding with the Hidden Cloud."
"The Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, had quite a headache over him, yet did not dare push him too hard."
"Later, he defected on his own, wandering everywhere with the Four-Tails, Son Goku."
Gento nodded, noncommittal about Orochimaru's evaluation.
Whether a rogue ninja or a good person, they were merely insignificant pawns in his eyes.
"Get to the point."
Orochimaru continued:
"The Four-Tails Jinchuriki possesses the Lava Release Kekkei Genkai, capable of freely manipulating magma. His combat power is very strong and his temper is explosive, but he is simple-minded."
"This time, the Akatsuki received word that Roshi will go alone to a small town on the border of the Land of Fire to purchase supplies, which is the perfect opportunity to strike."
"The mission requirement is to capture him alive and bring him back to the stronghold to extract the Tailed Beast."
Gento pondered for a moment, then asked:
"When?"
"In two days. Every time he purchases supplies, he stays in the town for a night, residing in a fixed inn. We can ambush him on his way back."
"Then let's go."
...
Two days later, the two arrived at a winding mountain path.
According to intelligence, Roshi would pass along this road.
With dense woods on both sides and a dirt road in the middle barely wide enough for two people to walk abreast, it was an excellent ambush location.
Orochimaru and Gento chose their respective positions and blended into the shadows.
The sky gradually darkened.
Footsteps echoed from afar, unhurried, carrying an indifferent leisure.
A short, old-looking man appeared at the end of the mountain road.
He wore dark red training attire, a bamboo hat on his head, and a wine gourd hanging from his waist.
His graying beard grew nearly to his chest, his skin was rough and dark, and his face was covered in wrinkles.
Despite his short stature, his entire being exuded an aura that said he was not to be trifled with.
It was indeed the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, Roshi.
He hummed an unfamiliar tune, patting the wine gourd with his hand, his steps light.
After taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped, his nose twitching.
Roshi's eyes suddenly narrowed, and his body rolled to the side.
Boom!
A deep pit was slammed into the spot where he had been standing just now by an invisible giant hand.
Mud splattered, and rubble scattered.
Roshi knelt on one knee, his hands already forming a seal, his face sullen:
"Who is it? Come out!"
Gento stepped out from the shadows.
The crimson three-tomoe merged together, turning into a more intricate pattern.
No chakra leaked from his body's surface, making him look like a passerby casually taking a stroll.
Albeit this composure itself was the most terrifying threat.
"An Uchiha?"
Roshi's pupils contracted.
"You're not Itachi Uchiha, nor are you Shisui Uchiha. You are..."
"You are Nanashi Uchiha! The rogue ninja who poisoned Gento Uchiha!"
Gento did not answer.
He took a step forward, his speed extremely fast.
Roshi only had time to block, and his entire body was blasted backward several meters by a majestic force, stopping only after his back broke three large trees.
A trace of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, and his expression completely changed.
"Are you here to capture me? By yourself?"
"It is enough."
Gento's voice was flat.
Roshi roared, and chakra erupted from his body like a volcanic eruption!
The Tailed Beast cloak instantly covered his entire body, the dark red chakra burning as four tails unfurled behind him.
The scent of sulfur filled the air, and the soil beneath his feet began to melt, turning into boiling magma.
"Lava Release: Granite!"
The ground exploded, and countless rock fragments mixed with magma shot toward Gento like a downpour!
Gento did not dodge.
His Mangekyo spun a few degrees, and the trajectories of those rock fragments became incredibly clear in his eyes.
He turned sideways to dodge the first wave, reached out to grab a flying rock, and flung it back, the rock shattering another larger piece of rubble in mid-air.
His figure maneuvered through the "magma downpour," fast as a ghost.
Within a few breaths, he bypassed the network of fire and appeared in front of Roshi.
"You!"
Before Roshi could finish, a fist slammed into his abdomen.
The force of the punch penetrated the Tailed Beast cloak, ruthlessly striking his physical body.
Roshi's body arched like a shrimp as he spat out blood, the Tailed Beast cloak abruptly collapsing.
Gento did not give him any breathing room.
His right hand locked onto Roshi's neck, his Sharingan close at hand, the three-tomoe spinning slowly.
"Yin Release: Mind Rift Gate."
Roshi's eyes instantly became vacant, and his body went limp.
The Tailed Beast cloak receded like a tide, revealing his old, calm face.
From the start of the battle to the end, it took less than thirty seconds.
Orochimaru stood on a distant treetop, not even having had time to make a move.
He licked his lips, his golden slit pupils filled with complexity and wariness.
"Relying merely on the Mangekyo and taijutsu?"
He jumped down from the branch, walking over to Gento's side.
Gento threw Roshi to Orochimaru:
"Let's go. Find a place to contact Pain."
Escorting Roshi, who was trapped in the genjutsu, the two crossed mountains and ridges, arriving at a hidden stronghold of the Akatsuki.
It was a natural cave hidden underground.
Orochimaru threw Roshi onto the ground.
Gento retrieved a black ring from his sleeve and injected chakra into it.
---
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