Chapter 79: Guy... He's Incredibly Strong

"Namikaze Minato?" Orochimaru froze for a moment. The matter of Namikaze Minato splitting the Nine-Tails into two halves was an exceptionally well-guarded secret. After all, only he and Kushina were present at the time—and now, both were dead.

As a result, no one else knew about it, not even Obito.

"Reanimating him would be a huge hassle. His soul has already been consumed by the Shinigami," Orochimaru explained.

"To achieve it, you'd need to go to the Uzumaki Clan's Mask Storage Temple, find the Shinigami mask there, and release Namikaze Minato's soul from its grasp. But the one performing the ritual would lose their life in the process. It's a very troublesome endeavor."

Orochimaru licked his lips, making it clear that the price for such a feat would be steep.

"What do you want as payment?" Deidara asked, visibly troubled. Collecting the Nine-Tails' Chakra was easier through Minato. Attempting anything with Naruto, the so-called child of destiny, would be courting death.

Between Mount Myoboku and the Sage of Six Paths himself, all eyes were on Naruto. Trying anything now, before Naruto matured enough to control the Nine-Tails' rampage, was asking for trouble.

It wouldn't be Naruto who'd die. No, the Sage of Six Paths himself would likely appear to crush you. Even though the Sage had long passed, his ability to grant immense power to Naruto and Sasuke in the original storyline proved he still existed in some form. And he was undoubtedly among the strongest of the Six Paths-level entities.

Orochimaru mused for a moment. "I don't have anything specific in mind right now. Consider it a debt to be repaid later."

"Of course, if you could bring me Uchiha Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan, we'll call it even for this task."

After learning about Itachi's fatal illness, Orochimaru lost interest in using him for reincarnation. But the allure of Itachi's Sharingan remained irresistible.

"No way!" Deidara rejected outright. "Besides, I believe if your strength is sufficient, you can awaken the Mangekyō yourself. There's no need to take someone else's."

"Look at the Sage of Six Paths—born with the Rinnegan—and his son, Indra, who inherited the Eternal Mangekyō from birth. Clearly, it's not that the Mangekyō requires traumatic triggers or combining sibling eyes, it's simply a shortcut for those lacking the requisite power."

"What kind of power?" Orochimaru's interest was piqued.

"The Sharingan embodies Yin Release. Strengthening one's Yin affinity to the extreme might do the trick," Deidara speculated.

"Interesting theory," Orochimaru nodded. "If you're correct, I'll halve the price for this endeavor."

"What about the third matter?" Orochimaru asked.

"I've heard you have a subordinate with innate Sage Chakra. Kakuzu and Hidan are interested in acquiring some Curse Marks. I've brought them along for the procedure," Deidara explained.

"That's simple enough. In exchange, I'd like some cellular samples from both Kakuzu and Hidan. I'm quite curious about Earth Grudge Fear and Jashin's blessings." Orochimaru's neck elongated, revealing sharp fangs.

"What the hell? That's disgusting!" Hidan snapped. The idea of another man biting him sent shivers down his spine.

Deidara smirked. If they were implanting Curse Marks, Hidan might as well get one, too. His combat prowess had been lagging lately.

Even Kakuzu and Hidan, despite their usual arrogance, couldn't help but feel uneasy. Were it not for their desperation to grow stronger, they might have already turned on Orochimaru.

"Wait a second!" Deidara intervened. "Your standard Curse Marks won't be effective for them. Have your subordinate directly transfer sufficient Sage Chakra."

"Fine. But Jūgo is stationed at the northern base. It'll take a few days to reach him. You can follow one of my clones there," Orochimaru offered. A white snake slithered from his sleeve and transformed into a clone of Orochimaru. Another snake slipped away in a different direction, heading for the Namanaka Shrine.

"Let's move," Deidara said, beckoning to his companions.

...

Land of Frost

Kakashi and Kisame were searching for the Jinchūriki of the Five-Tails and Six-Tails. Akatsuki was unaware that both had already been secretly captured by Obito. They assumed the Jinchūriki had gone into hiding after learning of Akatsuki's plans.

Without Zetsu, Akatsuki's intelligence-gathering capabilities had taken a significant hit, making it challenging to locate them. This information asymmetry worked both ways; Obito, too, was unaware that Namikaze Minato housed half the Nine-Tails. Nor did he know that Deidara had long ago collected samples of the Eight-Tails and entrusted them to Orochimaru for research.

Now, to revive the Ten-Tails, Nagato needed only the Five-Tails and Six-Tails.

"Oh? Kakashi, it seems we've got company," Kisame said with a grin, sensing someone charging toward them with reckless abandon. Was it bravery born of skill or sheer stupidity?

Wearing the Akatsuki's black-and-red cloak, Kakashi turned to see who it was—and his eyes widened.

"Kakashi! I've finally found you!" Guy's voice rang out as he appeared, clad in his trademark green jumpsuit.

"Guy…"

"Come back to Konoha with me, Kakashi!" Guy shouted. "They're saying you've become a rogue ninja, but that's impossible! There's no way you'd betray Konoha!" His face radiated unwavering trust.

Yet that trust only deepened Kakashi's guilt.

"Guy, go back. I've joined Akatsuki now." Kakashi shook his head, his voice devoid of life.

"That's right!" Kisame chimed in, amused. "Kakashi is one of us now. And we're not letting you take our prized recruit away!"

"Kakashi!" Guy's tone grew serious. "There must be some misunderstanding, but I believe we can work it out! Come back to Konoha with me! Youth does not allow for confusion!" He gave a signature thumbs-up, his grin unwavering.

"You don't understand anything!" Kakashi snapped, his voice breaking with anger before softening.

"The decaying Konoha… I'll destroy it."

Guy's expression turned solemn. "It seems words alone won't reach you. If that's the case, I'll use my fists to bring you back!" He crouched into his signature fighting stance.

"Two against one? You're outmatched," Kisame said confidently.

"No, Kisame. Be careful," Kakashi warned. "Guy is… incredibly strong."

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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