Chapter 275: Being Played! (2)

"Boom!!!"

A massive explosion sounded.

Under the shocked gazes of everyone, the enormous shell of the Ten-Tails began to move.

The members of the Akatsuki standing on its fingers quickly leaped away, distancing themselves from the monster.

"How is this possible?"

Someone exclaimed in disbelief, "The Eight-Tails hasn't even been fully sealed yet! Why is this thing moving?"

In the distance, Uchiha Itsuki watched with a calm expression. He didn't seem surprised by the situation.

The gigantic shell of the Ten-Tails slowly rose from the ground, its massive body resembling a towering giant.

It let out a deafening roar towards the sky and then threw a punch directly at the Raikage.

"Bang!"

With a dull thud, the Raikage spat out a mouthful of blood, his entire body driven into the ground. The impact created a deep crater where he had been standing.

"Roar!"

The Ten-Tails' shell let out a low growl, and the force of its roar sent several ninjas flying backward.

"Is this some kind of joke?"

The ninjas were stunned.

Even the Akatsuki members were taken aback.

The sheer presence of the Ten-Tails made them start to believe what the mysterious figure and Uchiha Itsuki had said.

"Heh, not bad!"

A figure let out a low chuckle.

The voice belonged to Tobi, but the body was Nagato's.

Tobi was remotely controlling Nagato's body and had come here for this battle.

As for why his real body didn't appear, perhaps it was out of fear of Uchiha Itsuki, or maybe some other reason...

One thing was clear, though: the enemy had no intention of engaging in a prolonged fight.

Sure enough, using a teleportation technique, Nagato appeared in front of the Eight-Tails and grabbed it.

"Let go!" Darui shouted angrily, clapping his hands together and sending a massive black lightning bolt toward Nagato.

With a mere flick of his fingers, Nagato absorbed the black lightning.

Despite his limited mobility, he could absorb and reflect all ninjutsu.

"Raikage, do you regret it?"

Nagato's Sharingan eyes locked onto the Raikage, who was crawling out of the ground. A mocking smile appeared on his lips.

"Using your own brother as bait, only to lose him in the process—how does that feel?"

The Raikage's face twisted in anguish.

Did he want this to happen?

When Onoki had proposed the plan, he had almost immediately rejected it.

But Killer Bee overheard the conversation and acted on his own.

By the time the Raikage realized what was happening, it was already too late.

"Regret won't change anything now."

Nagato's voice was calm.

"Who are you, really?" 

Onoki flew to the Raikage's side and restrained him, preventing him from acting impulsively. 

The two were now on the same side; if the Raikage died, Onoki would be in trouble as well.

"Me? I already told you—I'm Uchiha Madara!"

"Impossible!" 

Onoki flatly denied, "You're definitely not Uchiha Madara. You don't have his darkness or overwhelming presence."

In the entire ninja world, Uchiha Madara's personality was unique.

Especially his uncompromising, domineering attitude.

Onoki had never seen Madara show the slightest hint of restraint or fear.

Thinking for a moment, Onoki said, "If anyone is Madara, it would be Uchiha Itsuki."

Yes!

Compared to this mysterious person, Uchiha Itsuki's demeanor was much more like Uchiha Madara.

Nagato fell silent.

If someone could see Tobi's real body at that moment, they would notice his veins bulging and his face twisted with rage.

Uchiha Itsuki again!

Every time, it came back to Uchiha Itsuki!

He was like Tobi's eternal nightmare.

If given the chance, Tobi would go back in time and crush Uchiha Itsuki without hesitation.

With a dark expression, Tobi ceased speaking through Nagato.

Nagato then tossed Killer Bee into the air.

The shell of the Ten-Tails opened its massive jaws and swallowed Killer Bee whole.

"Bee!"

The Raikage roared in fury, surrounded by crackling lightning.

He activated his Lightning Release Chakra Mode.

Onoki also brought his hands together, preparing to unleash Dust Release.

The other ninjas began launching their own attacks as well.

"Boom!!!"

In an instant, the Ten-Tails' shell was engulfed by their combined attacks.

Despite its enormous size, the Ten-Tails seemed small in comparison to the onslaught of so many powerful techniques.

"Rumble!"

When the smoke cleared, the shell of the Ten-Tails was gone.

Nagato had vanished as well.

Everyone was dumbfounded.

"Damn it, damn it!"

The Raikage was furious.

He was overwhelmed by rage, consumed by the desire to destroy everything in sight.

His brother—he had lost his brother!

"Raikage, calm down!"

"Calm down?! How can I calm down?!" 

The Raikage roared, glaring at the Tsuchikage.

In that moment, he even considered attacking Onoki.

If it weren't for this fool's plan to use Killer Bee as bait, Bee wouldn't have acted on his own in the first place!

Onoki met the Raikage's glare coldly, his arm glowing with the gleam of rock.

If they truly fought, Onoki was confident he could take down the Raikage. He had defeated his own father, after all—what was one more brat?

"Heh, so you're already in disarray? Infighting?"

A light chuckle echoed through the battlefield.

Itsuki appeared, watching the two of them with amusement.

"Hmph!"

Both Kage snorted simultaneously, eyeing Uchiha Itsuki warily.

"Enough with the attitude," Itsuki waved dismissively. "You can leave now."

"Leave?"

Both Kage were taken aback by his words.

"Yeah!" Itsuki replied with a grin. "You came here for Killer Bee and the other tailed beasts, but they've all been taken by that mysterious guy. What's the point of staying? You don't seriously want to keep fighting us, do you?"

"Tch!"

Several Akatsuki members chuckled under their breath.

The Raikage and Onoki remained silent.

It was true.

They had come for the tailed beasts.

Now that the beasts were gone, continuing the fight was meaningless.

More importantly, the Akatsuki were not to be trifled with.

Above all, Uchiha Itsuki was a terrifying force on his own.

In just a brief skirmish, they had already lost over a thousand ninjas. Who knew how many more would die if the battle continued?

And for what? The best they could hope for was killing two or four Akatsuki members.

Was it worth it?

With that in mind, both Kage were starting to consider retreating.

"Oh, one more thing!" 

Itsuki suddenly said, "I almost forgot to tell you—the Moon Eye Plan that mysterious guy mentioned? It's real."

"Real?"

The Kage's faces shifted.

"Yes, real," Itsuki said, his smile full of mischief. "So, you'd better prepare."

"Aren't you worried?" 

Onoki glared at Itsuki. "Itsuki, what's your plan for Konoha and your Fire Shadow Village?"

Itsuki remained indifferent. "I have my own ways to avoid the Moon Eye. If anything, the disappearance of the other villages might help the Fire Shadow Village flourish."

His words were unapologetically blunt, making both Kage's faces darken with anger.

"Of course..." 

Itsuki's tone shifted, "That mysterious guy tried to play me this time. I can't let him off too easily. Among the Akatsuki, there's still a spy working for him. I'll leave that spy to you."

"A spy?"

Everyone's attention shifted to the Akatsuki member standing behind Itsuki.

Finally, following Itsuki's gaze, it landed on Kisame Hoshigaki.

The Akatsuki members exchanged puzzled glances.

Among them, there was actually someone working for the mysterious man?

But thinking it over, it didn't seem entirely impossible.

"The tailless beast, Kisame Hoshigaki. Am I right?"

"Impossible!"

Jūzō Biwa was the first to step forward.

He stood in front of Kisame, shouting angrily, "There's no way! Kisame couldn't possibly be a traitor! Uchiha Itsuki, you must be mistaken."

"How could I be?"

Itsuki chuckled and said, "Even if I were wrong about everything else, there's no way I could be wrong about this. Right, Kisame?"

He smiled at Kisame, as if certain.

Kisame quietly stared at Itsuki, then suddenly grinned, showing his sharp teeth. "Care to tell me how you figured it out?"

With that question, Kisame practically confirmed it.

At that moment, the people around them exchanged amused looks. But there wasn't much shock or anger.

Loyalty? Who had they ever been loyal to?

Itsuki?

Even Itsuki himself knew that was impossible.

Jūzō Biwa stared at Kisame in disbelief.

In the Akatsuki, he wasn't particularly strong, and compared to Kisame, he was weaker. But they had a lot to talk about, having both come from Kirigakure and shared discontent with the Mizukage.

They had common ground.

Many of their views were aligned.

"The reason is simple!"

Itsuki spread his hands and said, "You talk too little, which makes people suspicious."

"..."

"What?" Kisame was stunned. "I talk too little? That's your reason?"

"Isn't it?"

Itsuki looked surprised. "Look, I understand what everyone else wants, but you're strong, and yet you're always so quiet. It gives off a bad vibe."

"When something bad happens, who do people always suspect first? It's always the ones who don't fit in, right?"

Kisame was speechless.

Itsuki's reasoning was absurd.

Yet, his expression was so sincere that it was hard to doubt him.

But…

Just because of that?

Just because Kisame didn't talk much, Itsuki suspected him and even confidently accused him?

"Uchiha Itsuki!" Kisame grinned again. "You're something else!"

"I think so too!"

Itsuki waved at Raikage and Tsuchikage. "He's all yours now. However much intel you can get, that's up to you."

"Spurt!"

Suddenly, two people started coughing up blood.

One was Jūzō Biwa!

The other was Kakuzu!

And the one who attacked them was Kisame!

"Kakuzu?"

Hidan shouted in anger.

"A water clone?!"

Itsuki squinted his eyes, noticing the two Kisames that had just appeared.

"Not bad!" Kisame chuckled softly. "Uchiha Itsuki, I couldn't just leave empty-handed, could I? I'll be taking these two Akatsuki members."

"Alright!"

Itsuki nodded without hesitation. "Jūzō Biwa is a fierce warrior. I value him highly, so why don't you take your hand out of his body? I won't hold it against him just because you two were partners."

"As for Kakuzu..." Itsuki held up a mask, smiling. "I still have one of his hearts here, so you can't kill him. Why don't you take your hand out of his heart?"

Kisame: "..."

Everyone around: "..."

"You knew I was going to make a move?"

"Of course!"

Itsuki shrugged. "Your water clones might fool others, but do you really think they could fool me? Do you think my Sharingan is just for show?"

"But seeing how much effort you put into preparing for this, I couldn't let you leave Akatsuki empty-handed. Otherwise, your memories of Akatsuki would be too disappointing."

"Life is short. We should always try to create some good memories, don't you think?"

You're good!

You're really good, Uchiha Itsuki!

I won't forget this!

"Spurt!"

Kisame withdrew his hand and retreated into the distance.

"Don't run!"

Ōnoki and the Fourth Raikage A yelled furiously, giving chase immediately. Several elite shinobi followed closely behind.

Itsuki glanced briefly.

Escaping from two Kages wasn't going to be easy.

But he had faith in Kisame!

Itsuki walked over to Jūzō Biwa, and without even kneeling down, he let a green healing glow flow from his hand into Jūzō's body. The wounds healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

As for Kakuzu...

Itsuki casually tossed the mask in his hand.

It seemed to gain a life of its own, darting toward Kakuzu and merging into his body.

Kakuzu coughed, then slowly stood up.

"Hey, Kakuzu, you okay?" Hidan laughed nervously. That had really scared him just now.

"Hmph!" Kakuzu snorted coldly, glaring at Uchiha Itsuki with vicious eyes. "Uchiha Itsuki, why? How did you get one of my hearts?"

"This was the one you hid."

While still healing Jūzō, Itsuki replied casually, "I thought the place you hid it was far too unsafe, so I kept it for you."

Kakuzu's eye twitched.

You kept it for me?

Should I thank you?

After his initial anger, Kakuzu was left feeling dejected.

Itsuki's strength was overwhelming, and he had such easy control over him...

At this moment, Kakuzu started to consider joining him.

Mainly because he had no choice.

If Itsuki wanted to kill him, he could do so at any time.

He had even discovered the heart Kakuzu had hidden.

Unless Kakuzu didn't want to live anymore...

Otherwise, he'd have to serve under Itsuki!

Itsuki turned to look at Orochimaru, sighing. "To be honest, I thought Kisame would try to kill you before he left, Orochimaru-sensei."

"Why?"

"Because you're the most important person to me!" Itsuki said innocently. "You're my teacher, my closest friend, my brother. Killing you would hurt me the most."

Orochimaru: "..."

You little bastard. If even one word you said was true, I'd throw myself off a cliff right now.

Uchiha Itsuki was clearly just playing around.

With his mind and power, he could achieve anything he wanted effortlessly.

Everything that had happened up until now had probably been part of his plan. Even the Ten-Tails' body being taken was likely within his expectations.

What a terrifying man Uchiha Itsuki was!

Orochimaru suddenly felt a chill run through him.

A feeling of fear began to spread.

And it seemed like the Fear Demon had its sights set on him.

(End of Chapter)