Chapter 70 – Forced Mission: Capture the Tailed Beast

Otogakure

Hyuga Gakuya brought Sasuke and Neji to a training ground and handed them each a stack of scrolls packed with techniques suited to their individual strengths.

"You'll both be training here. Neji, follow the path I took in ninja body arts."

"Sasuke, I've prepared everything you need—swordsmanship, Lightning Release, Fire Release. It's all there."

"Before each day's training, you two will spar. Use it to measure your progress."

"If you run into any problems, go find Yakushi Kabuto. He's your doctor and your teacher. Even if your arm gets blown off, he can stitch you right back together."

"If you're interested, he can even hook you up with a steel arm. Flesh is weak—mechanical ascension is the future. We've got plenty of experts in Otogakure. After-sales support guaranteed."

The two boys shuddered in unison at the mental image of themselves maimed from overtraining.

Gakuya clapped a hand on each of their shoulders.

"You're both geniuses. Putting too many limits on you would only hold back your talent. It's in wild, untamed environments like this that true prodigies thrive."

Again, the two nodded simultaneously, looking like they'd just been thoroughly bamboozled.

"Well, since I've got some free time today, I'll be your referee for your first match."

"Alright!" Neji's eyes lit up with determination. This was his first time showing off in front of his big brother—no way he could afford to lose.

Sasuke clenched his fists too. "I'm not planning to lose either."

The two stepped into position. Sasuke spoke first.

"This'll be our second fight, huh? The last one was back at the academy, when you graduated early."

"Of course I remember. You got your ass handed to you," Neji replied flatly, clearly trying to mess with Sasuke's head.

"Maybe, but things are different now." Sasuke didn't take the bait. His tone was calm.

Gakuya raised his hand.

"Trash talk's over. Match, begin!"

...

Both of them activated their dojutsu—Sharingan and Byakugan flaring to life—as they opened with a flurry of shuriken and kunai.

Sasuke clearly had the edge when it came to throwing weapons. The Uchiha throwing style was fast, clever, unpredictable—but it wasn't enough to overcome Neji's near-360-degree vision.

Next came close combat. Sasuke's fists blazed with fire while Neji's palms surged with flowing water—Water-Fist vs. Fire-Fist, soft vs. hard.

Tsk tsk, looks like Kakashi taught Sasuke my fire-enhanced taijutsu. And Sasuke's got the chops to make it work too—hasn't been training with it long, but he's already using it like a pro.

But Neji's no slouch either. He's developed a water-based taijutsu to pair with his Gentle Fist—merging fluid water with precise chakra control. Smart.

Neji's chakra nature leaned toward Water, Earth, and Fire. No Lightning or Wind like me, but he's carved his own path with those traits. His body technique fits him perfectly.

In the taijutsu clash, Neji held the upper hand. Sasuke could only keep up with difficulty.

Finally, they moved on to ninjutsu. Sasuke charged up Chidori and lunged toward Neji.

Neji spun rapidly, unleashing Rotation. The Chidori was effortlessly deflected. Neji followed up immediately, closing in to finish the fight with hand-to-hand combat.

Just like last time, their second bout ended in Neji's victory.

From what Gakuya could see, unless Sasuke awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, beating Neji would remain out of reach.

Still, after the match ended, the two quickly returned to training—motivated by mutual rivalry and their desire to improve. Gakuya gave a nod of approval, unable to stop himself from quoting a certain someone:

"This... this is the fire of youth!"

...

Just then, he felt the Akatsuki ring on his finger grow warm.

"A mission?"

He frowned, considering why Nagato would call a meeting out of nowhere.

"No... It's probably about Obito. With him being the organization's secret leader and suddenly vanishing, things are bound to get turbulent."

"You two focus on training. I've got some business to handle," Gakuya said, then turned and left the field.

He entered a hidden chamber, painted his nails black, and activated the Magic Lantern Body Technique. His figure materialized on the hand of the Gedo Statue.

Around him, almost all the Akatsuki members had already gathered—only Zetsu was missing, having been kicked out.

This time, the atmosphere was heavy. No idle chatter, no jokes—dead silence.

Obito's true identity had been exposed. It was a blow not just to the group's power, but to their trust in each other.

Once everyone arrived, Pain finally spoke.

"Everyone's here."

"I'm sure you've all heard the rumors. Our 'Tobi'... was Uchiha Obito. He and Zetsu have now been officially expelled from the organization."

"Some of you may have been recruited by him. But I believe you were simply misled by his lies."

"If any of you wish to leave, I won't stop you. I only ask that you keep the organization's secrets. If not, no matter where you run, you will be silenced."

He spoke first to seize control of the conversation—to maintain unity. His plan hadn't even begun. Akatsuki couldn't fall apart now.

All eyes immediately turned to three people—Hyuga Gakuya, Uchiha Itachi, and Hoshigaki Kisame.

Gakuya was the first to respond.

"My reason for joining was to witness the power of the Ten Tails. The plan isn't finished. I'm not going anywhere."

Everyone shifted their attention away from him, turning to Itachi and Kisame.

In the corner, Konan let out a subtle sigh of relief. After so much time together, she'd come to see Gakuya as a friend. She hadn't wanted to be forced into a confrontation.

Itachi and Kisame gave their own confirmations soon after.

But to Gakuya, it all rang a little hollow. Itachi was clearly a Konoha spy, and Kisame? A loyal believer in Obito's Eye of the Moon plan.

Not that Gakuya was much different—he had his own hidden agenda involving the Ten Tails.

Pain nodded, satisfied. "Good. Then the Tailed Beast Hunt continues. Let's distribute missions."

The usual routine resumed. But this time, Gakuya wasn't able to slip away unnoticed.

"Hyuga Gakuya," Pain said, "according to reliable intel, the Four-Tails' jinchūriki has defected from Iwagakure. He's currently training in northern Earth Country."

"This is a prime opportunity. No one else knows this yet. You will capture him. This will be Akatsuki's first tailed beast."

Wait, wasn't the Four-Tails supposed to be caught after the Three-Tails in the original timeline? Guess they're bumping it up early. Oh well. Roshi's not that important anyway.

"I don't have—" Gakuya started to object, but Pain cut him off.

"Konan will be your temporary partner."

"Alright, alright... Guess I'm not getting out of this one."

"Ha! Gakuya, even you have to do missions sometimes?" Deidara cackled loudly.

Gakuya had barely taken part in missions since joining Akatsuki—he could count them on one hand.

Pain continued, "This is our first capture operation. Keep it quiet. We can't let the Five Great Nations catch wind of it."

"Got it," Gakuya replied, then turned to Konan. "I'm not in Amegakure right now. I'll head over this afternoon and we'll go from there."

Konan simply nodded, her expression as cold as ever.

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