Chapter 341: Five Kage Summit.

The battle didn't last long. Uchiha Itachi took only half an hour to deal with the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, while Hoshigaki Kisame took a bit longer, about an hour.

Compared to Itachi's clean and tidy appearance, Hoshigaki Kisame looked a bit disheveled. The red cloud black robe of the Akatsuki organization was gone, and he had large burns on his body. The power of the Tailed Beasts was indeed formidable.

"As expected of Itachi-san, you dealt with the Five-Tails so quickly."

Hoshigaki Kisame slung Samehada over his shoulder and smiled at Uchiha Itachi.

During his own battle, he had also observed Itachi's fight. Unlike his own intense battle with the Four-Tails, Uchiha Itachi's fight with the Five-Tails was very calm, as if no battle had taken place at all.

"It's time to go, Kisame. The people of Iwagakure Village should be waking up soon."

"Understood."

With that, Kisame slung Samehada on his back, grabbed the two Jinchuriki, and left Iwagakure Village. Such laborious tasks naturally fell to the laborers.

An hour after they left, the Third Tsuchikage woke up first. Although the Third Tsuchikage was the oldest ninja in Iwagakure Village, he was also the strongest.

Sitting up from his bed, the Third Tsuchikage gasped for air, his breaths heavy and rapid. In the dim room, a sliver of bright moonlight slipped through the window, casting one of the few sources of light in the gloomy space.

"Was it a dream?" the Third Tsuchikage muttered to himself. After all, the room looked exactly as it had when he'd gone to rest, showing no signs of an intruder's presence.

"Someone, come here!"

He shouted towards the door. Normally, an Anbu from Iwagakure Village would appear by his side as soon as he finished speaking, but this time, after waiting a full half-minute, there was still no one in sight.

Suddenly, a bad premonition surged in the Third Tsuchikage's heart. He flew straight out the window and stood above Iwagakure Village, which was eerily silent in a way that was almost terrifying.

"Damn, it wasn't a dream."

The Third Tsuchikage realized the problem instantly. Without time to call for others, he flew alone towards the Valley of Rocks.

"Han, Mei, you two must hold on."

As the main force of Iwagakure Village, the Third Tsuchikage could not afford any mishaps with these two, not any at all.

But when he arrived at the Valley of Rocks, he was stunned. The place was in shambles, with magma that hadn't yet cooled, all signs indicating that a fierce battle had just taken place.

"Han, Mei."

His heart clenched instantly, and he shouted loudly above the Valley of Rocks. Although he knew a battle had occurred here, and that the people from the Akatsuki organization had clashed with Han and Mei, he still harbored a sliver of hope that the victors were the Jinchuriki from his own village.

The Third Tsuchikage's voice echoed throughout the Valley of Rocks, but there was no response.

Oonoki's form descended slowly towards the Valley of Rocks, his descent becoming slower as he neared the ground, for he did not want his hopes to be shattered.

But fantasies are called fantasies precisely because they are unrealistic, while reality is known as such because it is extremely cruel and brutal.

When the Third Tsuchikage finally reached the ground, all he saw were vast patches of blood, which certainly could not have been left by humans. Without guessing, he knew what had happened to those bloodstains.

"Akatsuki, I will never forgive you."

Having fully accepted this reality, Oonoki howled to the sky, his voice filled with anger and unwillingness.

Then, with a 'crack,' the angry expression on Oonoki's face froze.

"My back, my back, oh my aching back."

Otsutsuki groaned, clutching his back as he slowly sank down against the wall. Age had caught up with him; a little excitement, a slightly abrupt movement, and his back would give out.

The next day, by the time the people of Iwagakure Village realized what had happened, it was already too late. They didn't even know when their village's Jinchuriki had been taken.

It wasn't until they found the Third Tsuchikage collapsed in the Valley of Rocks that they learned the full story.

"The Akatsuki took our village's Jinchuriki with just two people? Does that mean any member of the Akatsuki has power comparable to a Tailed Beast?"

Hearing Oonoki's words, Kurotsuchi expressed her shock.

"That seems to be the case. Each one of them is probably no weaker than Deidara."

Akatsuchi chimed in. They had once been proud of Deidara's strength when they heard he had defeated a One-Tail Jinchuriki. Now that the same thing had happened in their village, they were at a loss for words.

"Now, the only Jinchuriki the Akatsuki haven't gotten their hands on are the Six-Tails from Kirigakure Village, the Eight-Tails from Kumogakure Village, and the Seven-Tails and Nine-Tails from Konohagakure Village. If they manage to gather all the remaining Jinchuriki, I really don't know what kind of predicament the ninja world will face," Oonoki said with a worried look. The fact that Iwagakure Village's Jinchuriki had been captured was already a reality. Fortunately, Sunagakure Village shared their plight, sparing Oonoki from too embarrassing a situation.

"The next target of Akatsuki, if things go as expected, should be the Six-Tails Jinchuriki of Kirigakure Village," Kurotsuchi continued.

After the incident with the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, Kumogakure Village will surely prioritize the protection of the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki. Therefore, it won't be an easy task for the Akatsuki organization to capture the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki.

As for Konohagakure Village, it goes without saying. No one from the Akatsuki organization dares to take on a mission involving Konohagakure Village because once they step into Konohagakure, they must be prepared for a one-way trip. The true extent of Konohagakure's power is unknown to anyone, any ninja village.

Thus, the Akatsuki organization can only set their sights on the somewhat weaker Kirigakure Village.

"Tsuchikage-sama, what should we do now?"

"Let's call for a Five Kage Summit. This matter must draw the attention of the entire ninja world. I suppose even the Raikage will attend this time," Oonoki said.

Previously, the Raikage was the one who looked down on the Akatsuki organization the most. But after the incident with the Two-Tails, he has no choice but to take them seriously.

(End of chapter)