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"Are you going to use that?"
Minato sensed Kakashi forming hand seals to concentrate his chakra and immediately watched the masked man charging into the water prison.
In fact, Kakashi had already been concentrating his chakra after the masked man suddenly appeared to save Kisame.
The masked man seemed to be looking in Kakashi's direction.
A hint of amusement flickered beneath his gaze.
"They're trying to escape!"
Might Guy growled, his hands folded.
The aura surging through his body beneath the Sixth Gate surprisingly subsided.
Minato and the masked man simultaneously sensed Might Guy channeling the chakra that was completely filling his body, impacting a specific area of his body.
With both men prepared, Minato didn't need to prepare any other means.
His eyes locked with the masked man, who had already approached Kisame.
The masked man extended his palm towards Kisame.
"Chi!"
At that moment, the three magatama in Kakashi's left eye spun rapidly, connecting to form new patterns.
"Kamui!"
His gaze fixed on the masked man beside Kisame.
The space within the water prison where his gaze landed began to distort.
"Eight Gates, Seventh Gate, Gate of Wonder, Open!"
"Boom!"
The green light radiating from Might Guy's body instantly turned blue.
The powerful aura emanating from his body reached the vast water prison before him.
The water flow within was affected and gradually displaced.
Minato, standing nearby, was already on high alert.
As long as Kakashi's eye technique restrained the masked man, Might Guy's power from the Seventh Gate was more than enough to tear the prison apart.
As the Kamui descended upon the masked man, his palm also made contact with Kisame.
"Swish!"
However, his movements seemed unaffected.
The space before his right eye twisted in a vortex, directly sucking Kisame in.
"Bang!"
At that moment, Might Guy's fist slammed into the water prison.
With his fist as the origin, the prison was ripped apart by the brutal force.
The distortion at the masked man's right eye was already slowly drawing him in.
Swish!
As Might Guy tore through the water prison, Minato flung his kunai.
But he was still a step too slow.
Just as the kunai and Might Guy's force were about to reach the masked man, he was already sucked into the swirling, twisting space and vanished.
In the exposed air, only his voice, filled with gloom and murderous intent, remained.
"Konohagakure, Fourth Hokage, remember this time, I will make you pay!"
The three men gazed at the direction where their enemy had vanished, their expressions solemn.
Without Kisame's control and with Might Guy's destruction, the water prison instantly collapsed, its immense torrent of water transforming into a torrential downpour, pouring down upon the dense forest.
Beside Might Guy and Minato, Kakashi's left eye had reverted to its three-magatama form.
Feeling slightly weak, he took two steps back before steadying himself.
"Why is this happening? My Kamui doesn't work on him!"
Kakashi pressed his Sharingan, a look of horror on his face.
"Is it because of the difference in eye power? After all, that guy was also using space-time ninjutsu."
Might Guy also released the Seventh Gate.
Although he had opened the Eight Gates to almost its maximum strength, he hadn't used any particularly stamina-intensive techniques, so for now, there were no aftereffects from using the Seventh Gate.
"No, it doesn't look like that," Minato shook his head, his brow furrowed, his eyes heavy.
He knew Kakashi must be thinking the same thing. "In any case, let's return to the village first."
Minato patted Kakashi's shoulder.
Kakashi remained expressionless but nodded.
Swish!
Then, Minato used the Flying Thunder God Technique to lead the Konohagakure ninja, who had previously cast the illusionary barrier in the dense forest, and Might Guy back to Konohagakure.
The illusion lasted only three hours, and Konohagakure's sole target this time was Kisame.
Minato learned from Itachi that once the masked man's true identity within Kirigakure was revealed, his connection to Kisame would soon be discovered by the Kirigakure ninja.
Buzz!
Space distorted, and when the masked man and Kisame reappeared, they were no longer within the Land of Birds.
This was at the junction of two mountains, at the foot of the mountain.
Samehada slowly separated from Kisame's body.
Kisame grasped Samehada and placed it on his shoulder, looking at the masked man beside him with a sullen look.
"I never imagined you'd actually be defeated by Konohagakure's current Hokage."
He chuckled faintly.
As a former Anbu of Kirigakure, Kisame had long been accustomed to life and death.
So even having just escaped a near-death situation had no effect on his emotions.
"I don't have the strength I once had. I'm just a shell of myself."
"When our plan succeeds, one day, I'll take care of him and all those Konohagakure guys," the masked man said in a deep voice.
What puzzled him now was that Konohagakure's intelligence system seemed unexpectedly powerful.
Whether it was the events in Kirigakure or Kisame's recent siege, the intelligence was incredibly accurate.
And yet, with Zetsu's abilities, he hadn't noticed anything beforehand.
"Looking at you like you can't go back to Kirigakure," Kisame said calmly.
The masked man looked at him and said, "What? Are you reluctant to leave there?"
"Haha, how boring," Kisame shrugged.
He rather felt that the man before him was reluctant to give up the power of Kirigakure.
Although he still didn't know the specifics of what had transpired in Kirigakure, he believed the masked man's identity had been exposed by Konohagakure's ninja.
"From today on, you will join Akatsuki."
The space before the masked man's right eye distorted again, and he produced an Akatsuki robe.
He then pulled a ring from his sleeve and tossed both objects to Kisame.
Kisame caught them in his left and right hands, smiling, "It seems the treatment in the organization is better than it was in Kirigakure."
"Your codename is 'Nan,'" the masked man said.
"It won't be long before Kirigakure will be looking for you as a wanted criminal."
"Really?"
Kisame shrugged, donning the Akatsuki robe and slipping the ring engraved with "Nan" on his left ring finger.
"In that case, go find your temporary teammate. I need you to monitor his movements and report back to me regularly."
"That guy just joined too," he said, seemingly unwilling to linger.
He performed a space-time ninjutsu and departed.
"Haha, you didn't even tell me how to contact you," Kisame said, then reached into his arms and pulled out a scroll from the robe the masked man had given him.
He unfolded the scroll, and the first thing that caught his eye was a photograph.
The man in the photo had an evil look, his skin was too fair.
Most importantly, his snake-like golden eyes slightly irritated Kisame.
"It's him. Interesting."
Kisame grinned, picked up Samehada, and slowly walked into the mountains.
...
At Shikaku's suggestion, the Konohagakure group slowed their pace after leaving Kirigakure, not rushing back to the village as quickly as possible.
So, on the afternoon of the eleventh day after leaving Kirigakure, all those participating in the Joint Chūnin Exams arrived at the main gate of Konohagakure.
The sun was almost setting, its crimson glow bathing the entire village.
A gentle breeze blew, creating a pleasant atmosphere.
Shikaku and the others' tense nerves gradually relaxed upon seeing the main gate of Konohagakure.
While the Joint Chūnin Exams hadn't officially begun, the many twists and turns that had occurred would have made anyone feel exhausted.
"We're finally back!"
As everyone entered the gate, Izumi's tense expression relaxed.
She stretched herself, spun around in a circle, looked back, and took a deep breath.
"Huh!"
Then, the girl seemed to release the resentment that had been weighing on her heart for days.
Her clear eyes brightened, and she clasped her hands behind her back, offering Itachi a sweet smile.
"It feels so good to be home," Izumi said, a complex mixture of emotions swirling in her eyes as she looked at Itachi.
Others might not know, but this time in Kirigakure, she had faced a life-or-death situation.
So, when all the unpleasantness was over, and all the pressure was gone, that feeling was truly wonderful.
"Yes," Itachi said, a smile gradually creeping onto his face.
Though he still had things weighing on his mind, seeing the girl's completely relaxed, innocent smile brought him joy.
"Now that we're back in the village, let's all go home and get some rest," Shikaku said, smiling at Itachi.
Then, he, Inoichi Yamanaka, and Chōza Akimichi headed towards the Hokage Building.
Immediately, those who remained said goodbye and dispersed, heading home.
"Itachi, let's go too," Izumi said, her eyes fixed on Itachi.
"Well, home!"
Although Itachi still had some things he wanted to know, the thought of the many family members he hadn't seen filled him with anticipation.
The two of them soon walked together, heading towards the Uchiha clan.
Shikaku and two of his peers headed towards the Hokage Building, but once inside, only Shikaku went to the Hokage's office.
"Knock knock!"
"Come in!"
Shikaku knocked on the door, and after receiving an answer from the person inside, he pushed it open.
By then, Minato was standing at his desk, ready to greet Shikaku.
"Thank you for your hard work," Minato said with a smile.
"I don't think I need to report to you about what happened in Kirigakure," Shikaku said calmly.
"From your perspective, the plan you mentioned must have been successful, right?"
"Yes," Minato nodded.
"Konohagakure's suspicion has been lifted."
Having long anticipated this outcome, Shikaku remained silent, but he stared at Minato and said, "So, you're not going to tell me about Itachi's situation?"
"You know, I can't tell you the specifics," Minato shrugged.
"Alright."
Shikaku wasn't angry that Minato had kept something from him, because as a ninja, all they had to do was follow orders.
He also understood that, given Minato's temperament, he wouldn't have kept it from him unless he truly had something to hide.
"But I think you're right," Shikaku said with a smile.
"Since the process can't be explained, let's talk about the results."
He had already prepared himself, because Minato had told him that Konohagakure's suspicion had been cleared, which meant that drastic changes must have occurred in Kirigakakure since they left.
With Itachi and Izumi's speed, they reached the Uchiha clan's territory in just over ten minutes.
Izumi and Itachi said goodbye at the gate.
After such a long absence, they both missed their families terribly.
Izumi, in particular, had already prepared herself for death, and now returned unharmed, so her emotions were naturally even stronger.
Swish!
Itachi was also eager to return home.
After parting ways with Izumi, he immediately leaped onto the rooftop and unleashed his Body Flicker Technique.
Under the setting sun, he shot like a streak of black light towards the Uchiha clan's residential area.
"Bang, bang!"
As Itachi landed on the eaves of his own house, the first thing he heard was the sound of hitting something in the backyard.
Looking down, he saw a thin figure in the backyard, performing a series of taijutsu moves.
The boy's movements shifted continuously, employing every joint in his body—hands, arms, elbows, head, legs.
Despite his small size, he was incredibly powerful.
Sasuke's hair was already damp with sweat, but he showed no sign of stopping.
Itachi's face immediately lit up with a gentle smile upon seeing Sasuke.
Sasuke was already over five years old, and in a short while, he would be old enough to attend ninja school.
Children from prominent Konohagakure clans like them received ninja training much earlier than the average person, naturally possessing a stronger foundation.
However, children from prominent clans also carried a heavier burden than the average child.
If their grades weren't at the top of the class, they would inevitably face criticism within the clan.
As the youngest son of the Uchiha clan leader, Sasuke's pressure was even greater.
It came not only from Fugaku but also from Itachi.
"Sasuke, dinner's ready!"
Mikoto said, approaching the long corridor leading to the backyard.
Sasuke paused briefly, glanced back, and said to Mikoto, "I understand. I'll be there in a minute."
He still felt his training today wasn't sufficient.
"This kid, really," Mikoto, well aware of Sasuke's stubborn nature, simply went along with him.
Swish!
At this moment, Itachi leaped from the rooftop and landed beside Sasuke.
"Itachi!"
Mikoto, a former jōnin of the Uchiha clan, naturally had much quicker eyesight and reflexes than Sasuke.
As Itachi landed, a look of joy filled her face.
She also hurried towards Itachi.
"Mom," Itachi looked at Mikoto and nodded at her.
"Brother?"
Sasuke finally reacted and turned around.
He raised his eyes and saw Itachi clearly, and his young face also showed excitement.
Itachi reached out, placed his hand on Sasuke's head, and said softly, "Sasuke, how could you not listen to your mother?"
There was no blame in his words, only doting.
Mikoto also walked to Itachi's side.
After looking him up and down, she said happily, "That's great, you're back safely!"
Before Itachi returned, Mikoto had been worried.
Because during this period of time, the drastic changes that had occurred in Kirigakure had shaken the entire ninja world!
.....
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