Astral Projection Jutsu.
A phantom figure condensed into form beside him.
It was Pain.
"Rei, the mission is complete."
Gento spoke, disguising himself as Nanashi.
Pain's phantom nodded:
"You did very well."
His gaze swept over Roshi on the ground and Orochimaru standing to the side.
"Bring the Jinchuriki before the Gedo Statue, and prepare to extract the Tailed Beast."
"Is everyone else here?"
In the cave, phantom figures began to emerge one after another.
Kakuzu stood in the darkness, arms crossed, revealing only a pair of cold eyes.
He glanced at Roshi on the ground, his voice raspy:
"The Four-Tails? So fast?"
"It seems Orochimaru and Nanashi indeed have quite some skill."
Sasori sat on his puppet, expressionless:
"It seems you haven't been slacking off."
Deidara's phantom hung in mid-air, swinging his legs back and forth, his tone filled with defiance:
"Hey, what's with you two, Orochimaru?"
"Two people picking on one old man!"
"Shut up, Deidara."
Hidan interrupted Deidara.
Deidara wanted to argue further, but Pain had already raised a hand.
The cave fell silent at once.
"Let us begin."
The fingers of the Gedo Statue moved.
Ten fingers extended from the darkness.
The massive statue opened its mouth, and a purple giant dragon condensed from chakra emerged from its maw.
The dragon's body wound around and pounced toward Roshi on the ground, biting down on his body.
Roshi was lost in the genjutsu.
Yet his body trembled instinctively, the Tailed Beast chakra inside his body being forcibly stripped away by an irresistible force.
The extraction of the Tailed Beast began.
Gento stood aside, watching the purple dragon drag the Four-Tails, Son Goku, out of Roshi's body inch by inch.
The pain caused Roshi's body to spasm, which could not be completely blocked out even within the genjutsu.
His mouth opened, letting out a miserable shriek.
The Gedo Statue opened its mouth wide, devouring the Four-Tails' chakra.
The giant ape struggled with all its might, its four tails swinging wildly, trying to break free from the chains' restraint.
But before the Gedo Statue, the Tailed Beast's struggle appeared exceptionally weak.
Its body was sucked into the statue's mouth bit by bit, finally leaving only a low, unwilling roar echoing in the cave.
Roshi's body collapsed onto the ground.
His eyes were still open, but his pupils had lost all light.
The extraction of the Four-Tails was complete.
Pain's phantom nodded, his gaze sweeping across everyone:
"I will issue the next mission later."
With that, his figure dissipated.
The others also dispersed one after another.
Orochimaru glanced at Roshi's corpse on the ground, then glanced at Gento.
Gento ignored him, forming seals with his hands to split off a shadow clone.
"My main body is heading back first. My clone will still cooperate with you for subsequent missions."
Orochimaru laughed raspily a couple of times but did not speak.
Gento stayed no longer, his figure vanishing directly from the spot.
In the next instant, he was standing in the study of the palace in the Hidden Gento Village.
Mabui was sitting behind the desk in the outer room organizing documents. Seeing him return, she immediately stood up and walked in with a serious expression.
"Gento, something has happened."
Gento took off his outer robe, tossing it onto the back of the chair:
"Speak."
"The fact that the Hidden Gento Village possesses Tailed Beasts has been exposed."
Gento's fingers paused for a moment, and he turned around:
"Which one?"
Mabui's expression became even more solemn:
"All of them! The intelligence on all three Tailed Beasts-the Two-Tails, the Three-Tails, and the Nine-Tails-has been leaked!"
Gento's whole face darkened.
On the surface, the only Tailed Beast possessed by the Hidden Gento Village was Yugito, whom they had captured from the Hidden Cloud Village.
She was the Jinchuriki of the Two-Tails, Matatabi.
As for the Nine-Tails, Kushina's identity had always been highly confidential, and the Leaf would not publicize it either.
Moreover, the Three-Tails had never even been brought back to the village, having been sealed directly on Hozuki Island, and publicly declared to be a Tailed Beast lost by the Hidden Mist Village, having nothing to do with the Hidden Gento Village.
Yet now, all three Tailed Beasts had actually been exposed.
What did this mean?
This meant that a traitor who leaked intelligence had emerged within the Uchiha clan.
And this traitor even held a high position!
One must know that he had not even brought the Three-Tails back to the village, but had taken it directly to Hozuki Island.
For the traitor to actually know even about this matter was enough to show the severity of the situation!
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