Chapter 143: The Coveter

Obito Uchiha's accusations carried serious weight. Even though Itachi Uchiha had originally joined Akatsuki under pressure, he hadn't left the organization yet. As Obito pointed out, capturing the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki didn't violate their original verbal agreement. As long as Konoha wasn't directly targeted, other actions could be justified.

Plus, Obito's question was particularly sharp and hard to answer. Given Konoha's current state, there was almost no chance they'd let Naruto Uzumaki travel without special protection anytime soon. As for whether Jiraiya was still in the village, even White Zetsu's elite scouting skills couldn't confirm his exact location.

Obito's point was to make his stance clear—to remind Itachi that since Akatsuki had kept its end of the deal by not launching a full-scale attack on Konoha, it was time for Itachi to fully commit to the organization in return.

"You don't need to tell me that," Itachi said coolly. He knew Obito wasn't actually expecting an answer, and he had no interest in arguing over minor details. Once trust was broken, rebuilding it was nearly impossible—and to be honest, there had never been much between them to begin with. "I don't want anyone meddling behind my back next time…"

With those final words, Itachi turned and walked out of the room before Obito could even respond.

Outside, Kisame Hoshigaki saw Itachi emerge and approached him. "How did it go, Itachi?"

"Normal," Itachi replied simply.

"No major fallout then? Everything's settled?"

"Hm." Itachi gave a slight nod. The conversation itself didn't matter—only the outcome did.

"So we're still comrades?" Kisame asked.

"For now," Kisame thought it could've been worse. "That works fine with me. But if something like this happens again, my Samehada won't be so forgiving."

In the end, Kisame decided to go along with Itachi's call—at least there was someone halfway decent to talk to around here.

...

"That's all you two talked about?" After watching Itachi leave, Zetsu entered the room and saw Obito standing by the window, gazing at the crowd below as if deep in thought.

"You heard everything," Obito responded, glancing back briefly.

"The result isn't bad. Pity about Deidara," Zetsu added. He hadn't found where Deidara was being held—searching every usual spot yielded nothing. Some areas of Konoha were heavily guarded, and even with Zetsu's abilities, sneaking in wasn't easy.

"Don't worry about Deidara. I've got things set."

"You really do? Don't try to bluff me—I'm not someone else you can fool with vague words."

"Fine. Truth is, I haven't set anything concrete yet. But there are leads. Our contact in the Land of Earth is making moves and pushing things forward. As long as we hold back from wiping out Konoha completely, we lack the freedom to act inside it directly. We'll need alternative plans."

This botched raid on the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki exposed many flaws.

Despite Konoha's recent loss—their Hokage dead and leadership in chaos—the fact that Akatsuki sent four full members and still couldn't land a real blow made one thing clear: aside from Pain's Rinnegan, even a few elite experts couldn't directly take down a village as powerful as the Five Great Ninja Villages. For a loose-knit outfit like Akatsuki, going all-in on a single mission was practically unthinkable.

"You handle it," the leader said. "If things don't work out, we must find a suitable replacement before the tailed beasts are sealed away. But things aren't going as planned—we're way off track. Some intel has been compromised too—tolerable losses perhaps, but even the truth about us hunting the tailed beasts got out."

Absolute, the leader, was clearly not happy. After all this time… and they'd got nothing to show for it.

Obito Uchiha didn't respond to Zetsu's complaints but instead asked another question. "Regarding the recent report about someone possibly using the Rinnegan's [Universal Pull] a few days ago, have you clarified that yet?"

The mention of the Rinnegan immediately perked Zetsu up. "We've narrowed it down to two suspects, but nothing valuable has come in so far."

"What kind of person could make things so difficult for you? The Hyuga clan head?"

"One of them," Zetsu confirmed with a nod. "The Byakugan's reconnaissance ability is just too strong. I can't get close enough under the watchful eyes of so many Byakugan users. As for the others, we already gathered all the info—the Suna jinchuriki, an ordinary female genin, a branch member from the Hyuga clan, and a Konoha kunoichi specializing in Genjutsu. All have been investigated and ruled out. In contrast, there's a certain Konoha chunin whose behavior stands out as highly suspicious."

"A chunin?" Obito slightly frowned, asking casually, "What's his name?"

"Mizuki. Do you know him?"

"Mizuki? I remember him—he wasn't bad for an average ninja. We crossed paths at the academy once or twice. Are you sure he's suspicious?"

"Trust my intel skills, Obito. This guy really isn't normal." Zetsu firmly backed his own judgment. "From what I've dug up over these past few days, this man hides more than a few secrets."

"Secrets? So you're saying he's more suspicious than the Hyuga clan head?"

"Nothing solid to go on yet, but..." Zetsu replied. "A few days ago, these two individuals had a very secretive meeting. The Hyuga clan deliberately tried to cover it up too…"

"Tell me everything you know about him."

"As I said earlier, until a few months ago, he seemed extremely ordinary—actually, 'mediocre' would be more accurate. And apparently, his situation in Konoha wasn't great either, though things eventually calmed down. All of that seems irrelevant now. What matters is that not long ago, Mizuki suddenly demonstrated extraordinary talent in Sealing Techniques. Within a short time, he earned recognition across Konoha, and his Medical Ninjutsu is also highly impressive, along with exceptional chakra control."

Sure, he's still not physically gifted or in top shape, but listen — for ninja of a certain level, those weaknesses are actually the easiest to fix. Mizuki already has all the essential qualities needed to become an extraordinary powerhouse.

"What caused this sudden transformation?" Obito was especially curious about how someone could undergo such drastic changes in such a short time. This phenomenon wasn't uncommon among members of the Uchiha Clan — extreme events often triggered the awakening of their Sharingan, leading to major shifts in personality, just like what happened to himself. However, such cases were quite rare outside the clan.

"Unclear. According to our investigation, Mizuki had once been severely punished for unknown reasons, then suffered serious injuries during a mission. After that, these unusual talents started showing up."

"Sealing techniques…" Obito fell silent, deep in thought.

"You've already figured it out, haven't you? Think about the Uzumaki Clan — sure, their physical condition gave them an edge, but very few ninja possess real talent in sealing techniques. In fact, such talent is even rarer than Kekkei Genkai bloodline limits — otherwise, they wouldn't have been annihilated like they were."

Lots of powerful ninja can handle basic sealing techniques, but true masters of the art are incredibly rare.

The Uzumaki Clan's centuries-old sealing technique archives? They were completely ransacked. Only someone who'd reached a certain level could truly grasp how terrifying these techniques could be when wielded correctly — they struck right at the heart of the ninja world itself.

"Hurry up and finish your investigation — the information about the Rinnegan is crucial. Fortunately, Sasori had his own agenda; when he returned to report, he deliberately left these things out. Whether he knew or just chose to hide it — either way, for now, keep it away from Pain…"

"You say that so easily. Don't get me started on Hiashi Hyuga. Skilled sealing specialists always have exceptional chakra control and sharp sensory abilities. Monitoring someone like that isn't easy…"

"All right, enough complaining. I'll go back first and discuss things directly with Pain." Although technically speaking, he didn't need to explain much to Pain regarding this matter, for smoother cooperation later on, face-to-face communication would work better.

"Oh, and make sure to head off to the Land of Water soon. Kirigakure's situation keeps getting worse — we're gradually losing control over it. Why don't we secure one of the tailed beasts first?"

"I'll decide after I check the situation myself."

…

In Konoha, Mizuki finally got a rare moment to himself — a chance to breathe easy. While some potential threats still loomed, at least there were no pressing issues demanding immediate attention.

The daytime ambush had been repelled, and once it was over, it no longer concerned him. Mizuki just happened to be nearby and offered help on his own initiative. No one had officially given him the job, so naturally, no one was watching what he did either. Officially speaking, he should still appear to be recovering from serious injuries. Except for Danzo, who had his eyes on his hidden assets, practically nobody paid any special attention to him. As for capturing a White Zetsu replica — Mizuki didn't think it was anything worth worrying about.

In his downtime, Mizuki liked to read and organize his recent research materials. This was probably the most suitable way for him to relax. The second Artificial Jinchuriki had only recently been completed, and he had just started studying it a few days ago, so there hadn't been any major breakthroughs yet. Still, there were some basic observations he could make—like the firsthand records Tsubaki had sent over not long ago.

"Damn cursed seals! So many people wanted to mess with this junk?!"

Looking at these preliminary conclusions written in cipher, Mizuki couldn't help but feel sympathy for Sasuke's plight. A poor kid who didn't even know what was going on—yet everyone had their sights set on him.

As previously mentioned by Tsubaki during the split experiments, the chakra extracted after Uchiha Sasuke's Cursed Seal Outbreak had been divided into five unequal portions. The largest of these was fairly ordinary chakra leaning toward Fire and Lightning natures—it clearly belonged to Sasuke himself. The next biggest portion consisted of natural energy, a substance notoriously difficult to control. Even in early experiments, its destructive power had proven immense. As for its other potential uses or effects, they remained largely unknown.

The remaining three strange components, although no direct interactions with the Artificial Jinchuriki had occurred yet, suggested numerous implications merely from the records alone.

One of them was highly active and showed strong corrosive effects against Sasuke's own chakra. Although weak, it seemed to possess surprisingly strong offensive capabilities and appeared somehow connected to other existing forces.

Another unknown energy source was comparatively more stable. Like the first, it also exhibited certain external connections, but radiated a chillingly cold and indifferent aura. It behaved almost like an observer, stubbornly persisting within the Cursed Seal Chakra. Strangely enough, it shared deep compatibility with natural energy and easily recombined with it.

The third type of energy was especially elusive—it vanished without a trace the moment it escaped containment. Despite days of study, Mizuki hadn't managed to manipulate or alter it at all. It simply remained still until, once freed from sealing techniques, it quickly dissipated without leaving behind any clue.

Based on current observations, one plausible guess was that the first unknown energy originated from Orochimaru's scheme—the Living Corpse Reincarnation technique he had left behind. The second likely came from Jugo himself or served as a hidden safeguard from Ryuchi Cave's Snake Sage. As for the third, it was far less clear: Was it unique to the incarnation of Indra, or perhaps something left behind by the Sage of Six Paths, Otsutsuki Hagoromo? That remained hard to determine.

"Guess what? This world's full of traps. One wrong step and you're done."

Judging from these findings, Mizuki now thought he might have found an explanation for a question that had puzzled him earlier. Why was it that Kabuto Yakushi successfully mastered the Snake Sage Art after transplanting Orochimaru's cells into himself, while Orochimaru himself failed to achieve Sage Mode? Clearly, Orochimaru's inability to master the Snake Sage Art wasn't due to any lack of talent. Intelligence-wise, very few in the ninja world could rival Orochimaru.

From what he'd found out so far, Mizuki figured Orochimaru probably could've mastered the Snake Sage Art if he wanted to—but he just didn't bother. Maybe he even looked down on it for being such a shaky, risky technique.

Maybe Orochimaru just didn't have the same intel as Mizuki, so he couldn't make an accurate call. But if Mizuki had already discovered the flaws in the Snake Sage Art within a short time, there was no way Orochimaru—who had studied it for years—hadn't noticed those issues long ago.

"The Cursed Seal really is something special. Everyone's sneaking backdoors into it. Maybe I can find a way to use that too."

Not that his latest findings were anything groundbreaking, but at least it wasn't a total waste. What really bugged Mizuki was how slowly he was making progress in understanding Natural Energy. Until he fully understood this completely pure energy, there was no way to even start training in Sage Mode.

The next morning early, Mizuki went to the flower shop that hadn't opened in days. From today on, all the intense happenings of the past few months—especially those dramatic events from last month—should finally be wrapping up for now. Sometimes Mizuki felt lucky—not just to be part of it all, but to come out alive and relatively unscathed. Looking at the long list of names carved into the Memorial Stone, he figured he shouldn't ask for much more.

In another life, maybe being a quiet flower shop owner with a small business and a fiancée would've been enough for Mizuki.

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