As that Sky Screen's segment came to an end, many in the Shinobi World began to discuss it.
People across various timelines were still immersed in the heartwarming scene of the Seventh Hokage traveling to the past to save his parents—but the focus of conversation quickly shifted elsewhere.
After all, warmth was warmth, but life went on, and enemies still had to be fought.
---
[Akatsuki Hideout]
Perhaps hearing that even the future Seventh Hokage was still thinking about giving him a beating, Obito felt a bit annoyed.
He leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, his right eye narrowing behind his mask. "Hah! Just as expected of the 'Savior'—even the screen has to play more heartwarming scenes for them."
His voice carried a sour edge from behind the mask.
He had wanted to say "sugarcoating Naruto's image," but swallowed the words.
The Naruto on the screen hadn't done anything out of line—saving his parents, fighting the Nine-Tails, sealing the Tailed Beast, making up for regrets. Everything was done perfectly, and he hadn't even gone to beat Obito up.
But still, it annoyed him.
Hidan tilted his head and looked at him. "That's on you though. If you hadn't killed his parents back then… Huh. Actually, if you hadn't killed the Fourth Hokage, maybe that kid wouldn't have become that great, right?"
Deidara nodded in agreement. "Exactly! He'd probably just be an ordinary shinobi in Konoha, eating ramen every day."
"After all, why would the Hokage's son bother training so hard? So Tobi, you might actually be the real 'maker' of the Savior."
Obito's face twitched beneath the mask—he couldn't be bothered to respond to them.
What kind of twisted logic was that? By their reasoning, he should be getting a medal or something.
The Akatsuki members went back and forth, chatting lively for once, and the hideout became unusually animated.
Just then, the Sky Screen lit up again, and a few words from it silenced the debate instantly.
[The Akatsuki is the strongest villain organization in the early stages—each member at Kage-level, ruthless and deadly, each with their own fighting style, making them incredibly difficult to handle.]
[And the Akatsuki's rules are also very strict: only the strongest rogue-nins are recruited, and they operate in pairs.]
[But the biggest problem is that the Akatsuki never fights as a group. If they all moved together, capturing a few Jinchuriki would be easy—and in the early stages, they could kill anyone in their path. But the Akatsuki always favored fighting solo, and eventually, they were picked off one by one—wiped out entirely.]
[So this time, let's take a closer look at the death scenes of each Akatsuki member. Whose way of death was the most tragic?]
---
[Konoha, Year 60]
The Kage and strategists of the Five Great Nations instantly focused their attention—eyes wide, ears perked, as if trying to engrave every word from the screen into their minds.
They were desperate for this intelligence.
After all, shinobi battles were information wars. If they knew the Akatsuki members' abilities and weaknesses, they would be much better prepared to deal with them.
Otherwise, this group of lunatics constantly eyeing their villages' Tailed Beasts would always be a problem.
---
[Land of Lightning, Kumogakure]
The Fourth Raikage shot upright, his eyes locked on the screen. "Finally! Intel on the Akatsuki members!"
A then gritted his teeth. "As long as we know how they died, we can find ways to deal with them. A bunch of rogue-nins—and they dare to covet Tailed Beasts? They're asking for death!"
"It's fortunate that they seem to have some reservations that stop them from moving as a group—that's our chance."
Dodai nodded. "Raikage-sama is right. If the Akatsuki all moved together, even the Five Great Nations might not be able to stop them. But they fight individually—that's much easier to handle. That's exactly why they seemed to have been picked off one by one in the end."
A nodded in agreement. "Mm, pass the order: intelligence divisions are to operate around the clock. As soon as the screen reveals key information, draw up counter-tactics for each Akatsuki member immediately."
---
[Land of Earth, Iwagakure]
Ōnoki floated in midair, arms crossed, his expression grim.
Behind him, Kitsuchi and several of Iwagakure's top strategists sat around a long table, various scrolls spread out before them.
"The Akatsuki not acting as a group…" Ōnoki murmured. "That makes sense. Those S-rank rogue-nins are all arrogant. For them to follow one leader is already a stretch, but getting them to coordinate in battle? Impossible."
Kitsuchi nodded. "Father, the screen also said that they were defeated one by one. That means as long as we gather intel on each member, we can eliminate them individually."
Ōnoki shot him a glance. "Eliminate them individually? You think Kage-level fighters are as common as dogs? How many Kage-level fighters can Iwagakure actually field?"
Kitsuchi opened his mouth but said nothing—he silently counted in his head.
His old man, Rōshi, and Han—just these three. And Deidara, who was now in the Akatsuki itself.
He himself wasn't strong enough to classify as Kage-level. Kurotsuchi had potential, but was still young—definitely not ready. With that, just two Akatsuki pairs would be enough to give Iwagakure a real headache.
Ōnoki sighed. "Still, having intel is better than nothing. Record every detail of each Akatsuki member's death from the screen—especially their cause of death, the Jutsu used at the time, and who killed them. That information can help us find their weaknesses."
A strategist raised a question: "Tsuchikage-sama, if other villages move first, should we follow suit?"
Ōnoki thought for a moment. "Let's observe first. Konoha will be the most anxious—after all, the Akatsuki leader has his eyes set on the Nine-Tails. Let them go first. We'll pick up the scraps."
He then paused, a glint in his eyes. "Remember, Iwagakure's goal isn't to destroy the Akatsuki—it's to protect our Tailed Beasts. As long as they don't come for us, we won't strike first."
Hearing that, Kitsuchi hesitated. "Father, wouldn't that be too passive?"
Ōnoki sneered. "Passive? We wait until they've exhausted each other—that's called being strategic."
"However, if the screen reveals sufficiently detailed intelligence, we won't rule out taking the initiative against Akatsuki members who enter the Land of Earth. For now, let's just watch."
---
[Land of Wind, Sunagakure]
Rasa sat in the Kazekage's office, tapping his fingers lightly on the desk. Chiyo sat across from him, Ebizō standing nearby. And Sunagakure's other high-ranking officials were gathered in a circle, the atmosphere tense.
"The Akatsuki members' death scenes… finally something useful."
"As long as we know their weaknesses, we won't have to fear them anymore."
Rasa felt a surge of excitement.
Unlike Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure, Sunagakure had only the One-Tails, Shukaku. If it were captured by the Akatsuki, it would be nothing short of a catastrophe for the village.
Though Konoha also had only one Tailed Beast—the Nine-Tails—even without it, their overall strength still far surpassed Suna's.
Chiyo looked at Rasa as if looking at an idiot; she wondered if Rasa had been digging sand too much lately and his brain had gone bad.
How many Kage-level powerhouses did the Akatsuki have, and how many did Sunagakure have? Even if they knew some intelligence, the Akatsuki wouldn't need to come in full force, just two or three members would be enough to overwhelm the Village.
Chiyo picked up her teacup and took a sip, too lazy to speak.
Sensing the strange looks from the others, Rasa quickly added, "That's why Gaara's security must be strengthened. Once the screen reveals the Akatsuki members' causes of death, we'll train Gaara specifically to counter them."
Chiyo agreed with that. She set down her teacup and nodded. "We should especially focus on Deidara—it was him who came to Sunagakure in the future."
She recalled the scene of that blond kid descending from the sky on a clay bird, and her heart tightened.
A strategist raised his hand: "Kazekage-sama, should we consider allying with other villages?"
Rasa glanced at him. "An alliance? Would Kumogakure genuinely cooperate? Or Iwagakure? Konoha might, but they're already stretched thin."
"First, gather intelligence. As for alliances—we'll cross that bridge later."
---
[Land of Water, Kirigakure]
Mei leaned forward, both hands on the desk, her long hair spilling over her shoulders, making her face look particularly alluring. "The Akatsuki wiped out… and Kisame is someone we need to settle accounts with too."
"Samehada is a treasure of our village. It shouldn't remain in outsider hands. If the screen reveals how he died, we'll use that method to kill him."
Ao stood beside her, nodding in agreement, a fire of vengeance in his eyes. "Mizukage-sama, and that Uchiha Obito too—if possible, we should kill him to wash away our shame!"
Chōjūrō asked in a low voice, "Mizukage-sama, should we contact the other villages…"
Mei thought for a moment, then said, "We can talk, but Kirigakure won't be cannon fodder. We'll share intelligence—not troops. Unless…"
"Unless the other villages are willing to pay a sufficient price."
Ao blinked, "What kind of price?"
A sly smile curled at the corner of Mei's mouth. "For example—splitting the Akatsuki's assets after the war. Didn't the screen say Konan has six hundred billion Explosive Tags? That's all money."
Chōjūrō gasped. "Mizukage-sama, you want to target Konan?"
"Why not?" Mei raised an eyebrow. "She's wealthier than all Five Great Nations combined. Who wouldn't be envious of that fortune?"
---
[Land of Fire, Konoha]
Tsunade and Hiruzen exchanged a glance, seeing the same thought in each other's eyes—this was the best opportunity to deal with the Akatsuki.
"The Akatsuki never fights as a group…" Tsunade said. "That makes sense. Those rogue-nins don't respect anyone. Getting them to coordinate without infighting would be a miracle."
Hiruzen nodded. "But even so, their strength is not to be underestimated. We must not let our guard down."
"So we must rely on intelligence. The screen is about to reveal their death scenes—that's our chance. If we know how they died, we'll know how to kill them."
Tsunade stood up and walked to the window, gazing out at the streets of Konoha. Her voice dropping low, "Old man, do you think we should take the offensive or stay on the defensive?"
Hiruzen thought for a moment, the ember in his pipe flickering. "Defend first. Our top priority right now is protecting Naruto. His identity as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki has already been exposed—though the other villages have reached a consensus with us, the Akatsuki will definitely come for him. We must be fully prepared before they arrive."
Tsunade suddenly seemed to remember something and looked at Hiruzen, "Old man, keep an eye on Danzō. Don't let him cause trouble."
Hiruzen gave a wry smile, "Danzō is already under house arrest. He can't stir up anything."
Tsunade snorted, her tone laced with suspicion. "Let's hope so."
---
[Akatsuki Hideout]
The Akatsuki members, who had been quiet for only a moment, erupted into chatter once more.
Hidan was the first to speak again, his tone defiant. "I want to see how my immortal body could possibly die. Lord Jashin protect me—how could I possibly die?"
Deidara sneered, "Immortal? That's only because you haven't faced me. My art will blow you to pieces."
Hidan glared at him: "Your art? I doubt it could even scratch me."
"Then let's try it!"
The two started arguing.
Kakuzu remained expressionless. "Death scenes, huh? I've lived for decades by being careful enough. Dying? Not happening."
Kisame hugged Samehada, a hint of excitement in his voice. "I'm curious who kills me. The one who can take me down must be someone special."
There was no fear in his tone—rather a sense of anticipation.
Sasori's puppet showed no expression.
While Itachi sat in the corner, equally expressionless. With his current body, death was only a matter of time—sooner or later. Just a few more years at most.
And as long as his plan succeeded in the end, dying at Sasuke's hands was his destiny.
So whether the screen revealed it or not, he didn't care.
As long as Sasuke lived, he could care less about how he died.
Obito also said nothing. Wiped out? He would die too? No. The Eye of the Moon Plan wasn't finished. He couldn't die. The screen was showing just one possible future—he could still change it.
Each Akatsuki member had their own thoughts. The only common thread was that none of them feared death.
---
[Land of Rain, Amegakure]
Nagato sat in his wheelchair, curiosity flickering in his eyes.
According to the screen, his strength was among the top in the current Shinobi World.
So how did he die?
The previous intel suggested that even the so-called "Savior," Naruto, couldn't stop him—even his future wife had been critically wounded by him.
So could it be that an Ōtsutsuki from the moon suddenly appeared and killed him?
But that seemed unlikely, as the screen had shown no such information before—it had cut straight to Naruto's berserk tailed-beast transformation.
Surely a rampaging Naruto couldn't kill him?
Preposterous. He hadn't even used Chibaku Tensei yet. Once he did, not to mention a few-tailed Naruto—he could seal even the real Nine-Tails.
And besides—why wouldn't he want the Akatsuki to move as a group? If he could trust them to work together on missions, of course he would.
Those guys… they couldn't even watch the screen without arguing, and he had to suppress them constantly.
Sure the organization's members were all powerful rogue-nins, but they didn't trust anyone—so how could they be expected to follow orders and coordinate in a team battle? They'd just each do their own thing, with no synergy.
And without proper coordination, a full-group operation would actually hinder their combat ability, and they could end up wiped out in one go.
Not to mention Obito and Itachi, both with their own hidden agendas. He was even wary of them stabbing him in the back.
*****
Upto 20 chapters ahead on patreon :-
patreon.com/ReduxMagister