Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 440 Movements of All Parties

After leaving that strange, endless space, all that came into view was pure white snow. Kisame Hoshigaki didn't know where he was, but from the dry and cold air, he sensed that they were probably in the north.

"Let's make contact here." The quirky junior who had taken him away suddenly changed his tone, and Kisame was taken aback by his unique, deep voice.

He already knew this guy's true identity. As a member directly hired by the mastermind, he enjoyed Madara's deep trust and was specially assigned to Itachi's side to monitor his every move. When Tobi first appeared, he was speechless yet full of admiration. Ninjas can certainly disguise themselves with all sorts of personalities, and to conceal his identity, Madara was actually willing to condescend and pretend to be a comedic character eager to join Akatsuki... That's truly dedication.

Now that Mr. Ban has returned to his original voice, does that mean he is also going to reclaim his original identity?

"Don't we need to keep looking for Itachi... anymore?" Kisame swallowed the polite words that were about to come out.

"No need." Ban sneered, "That guy had ill intentions when he joined; it was only a matter of time."

Kisame, who had been Itachi's partner the longest, didn't sense any ill intentions from him at all. In fact, while the man seemed purposeful, he was quite lost in his own world. When they weren't on missions, aimless wandering was common. Kisame would always remain silent during these times, quietly following Itachi, trying to find a pattern in his actions. However, Itachi had no particular thoughts; he just kept walking, walking and walking, as if stopping would mean being overtaken by something.

The only fun they had on their journey was probably encountering quicksand somewhere again.

Kisame wouldn't say these words aloud. He keenly sensed the oppressive atmosphere emanating from Madara; the person he truly followed was probably furious.

Using the communication technology enabled by the ring, three blurry figures were quickly projected. Although the three figures wore the same clothing, their distinctive features made them easily identifiable. Since the tailed beast capture plan officially began, only a month had passed, and they had already lost half of their men.

"Where's Itachi?" Pain asked immediately when he noticed the number of people was incorrect.

"He's defected." Madara's voice was the same as before. All the Akatsuki members who didn't know his identity were dead; there was no need for pretense anymore.

"So, did you manage to win him over?"

"...Flying Thunder God Technique." Madara spat out these words through gritted teeth.

“I see.” Pain was unsurprised and then shared the situation in Amegakure, “Naruto’s clone just rescued Jiraiya right in front of me. It was indeed a very troublesome ninjutsu.”

His eyes, hidden behind the mask, were closed. He seemed to be trying to calm himself down, and when he opened them again, his tone was indifferent.

"Ze, have you found any trace of the Six-Tails?"

Zetsu's large leaf trembled again. He was very reluctant to answer, but he had to speak. "...Just like the case with the Four-Tails, the traces suddenly disappeared in one place."

Madara's laughter broke the long silence. "Very good, very good. This actually makes things easier for us. As long as we capture the Nine-Tails, we can capture all the Jinchuriki except for the Eight-Tails and the Three-Tails."

"The Flying Thunder God Technique is indeed difficult to deal with, but the Nine-Tails has one weakness that it absolutely cannot give up, and that is Konoha."

"Let's prepare to crush Konoha. Only in this way can we force him to fight us head-on."

Of all the people, only Konan frowned, but she didn't say anything until Pain refused other help and decided to venture into Konoha alone, at which point she offered a few words of advice.

"Those missing Jinchūriki are very likely in Konoha. You alone probably can't handle an entire village..."

Payne looked at her from outside the projection, "Mortals will eventually submit to the gods."

Looking into those resolute eyes, Konan was speechless. She knew that Nagato, though seemingly transcending humanity, still harbored a deep-seated human obsession, and Konoha... happened to fall within that obsession. She couldn't be sure if Nagato would lose control once they arrived in Konoha, but she couldn't stop him either.

“No one is trying to steal your prey, and of course I believe in your strength. However, the Nine-Tails' sensory abilities are too strong; you'll likely find it difficult to attack from the outside.” Madara narrowed his eyes slightly and suggested, “How about I send your puppet into Konoha?”

After careful consideration, the plan was finalized. Madara would assist Nagato in invading Konoha, while Kisame, who was left alone, was assigned a more important mission. They were severely short-handed and needed to maximize the effectiveness of each individual.

Nagato's only weakness is his limited mobility. To control the puppets, he can't stray too far from Konoha, but if he gets too close, Naruto could find them. It's a vicious cycle, but thankfully they have a way to avoid it.

The terrain around Konoha had long been thoroughly investigated. Before Naruto was able to eliminate the White Zetsu, they had left many barriers nearby to shield their senses, precisely to closely monitor Konoha's situation. Some of these barriers were dismantled by Naruto, but others escaped unscathed. Madara, with great foresight, had left space-time markers inside these barriers, making it incredibly easy to silently send several people inside.

However, most of the best-located barriers are no longer effective, and the locations they chose aren't ideal, which will likely limit Payne's movement. But that's alright, as long as they can encompass the most important landmarks and prevent the enemy from noticing anything, it's fine.

Pain's deployment required a lot of preparation, and Kisame's mission also required some coordination. Apart from Zetsu, who was still gathering intelligence everywhere, Akatsuki had to temporarily enter a rest phase.

Compared to the Akatsuki, who finally seemed to be united, the situation in Konoha was rather intriguing.

Konoha's largest conference room was unusually well-organized, with representatives from various important departments and clans gathered to discuss strategies for dealing with Akatsuki. However, with so many people, all sorts of characters dared to speak up, and the conversation inexplicably veered off course.

"As far as I know, Naruto Uzumaki, who should have been on a mission, inexplicably appeared on the streets of Konoha. Shouldn't this matter be explained?"

"Did he return without authorization during his mission? This is a serious breach of duty and must be dealt with severely!"

"Yes, following orders is a ninja's duty. Departing without authorization during such an important mission, leading to its failure, must be punished!"

"Lord Hokage, I know you have high hopes for Naruto Uzumaki, but he really went too far this time."

"As the core of the team, he actually deserted his post."

"Uchiha Itachi is an S-rank rogue ninja. It's already quite an achievement that we were able to track him down. Do you really expect a bunch of kids to deal with him? Would you dare to take on this mission?"

"Heh, he might even be protecting the remnants of the Uchiha clan."

"Who are you referring to? Akatsuki's target is Jinchuriki. Even if Naruto is stupid, he wouldn't go out of his way to get himself killed, would he?"

"...Isn't all this manpower and resources just to capture the Uchiha orphan who escaped from Konoha? If you ask me, he's no different from his brothers."

"There is evidence and witnesses to prove that Sasuke Uchiha was kidnapped by Orochimaru. Please watch your words."

"Orochimaru has been dead for so long, why hasn't he come back yet?"

"According to our investigation, we found that Sasuke is also tracking Akatsuki. His goal should be the same as ours, and he is also doing this for the safety of Konoha."