By a small river.
Konan and Nagato felt the vibration beneath their feet.
The two couldn't help but look back toward the direction of the Akatsuki Hideout and saw a mushroom cloud rising up. Konan couldn't hide the shock in her eyes.
"Did Orochimaru... succeed?"
A drop of cold sweat rolled down Konan's cheek.
"Perhaps..."
Nagato's face darkened; they still didn't know what was going on there.
However...
The most urgent thing now was to find a safe place.
"Let's go find Sasori first..."
Nagato decided to look for Red Sand Sasori. He took Konan's ring in his hand, intending to use the Rinnegan's abilities to locate Sasori and the others.
Because Sasori, without a doubt, was the most trustworthy person within the Akatsuki Organization.
Back when Akihara Kagura almost brought disaster to the Akatsuki, it was Red Sand Sasori who took the initiative to bring him and Konan away together.
On a rock in the Land of Rain.
Red Sand Sasori and Kakuzu were still watching Deidara and Hidan argue.
Yet when the massive explosion and vibration came, these two guys finally stopped, looking at the rising mushroom cloud in astonishment.
"This is art!"
Deidara spread his arms wide open, his face full of fervor as he looked at the mushroom cloud rising: "This is the greatest art in the Ninja World; sooner or later, I will bloom my own art too!"
"..."
Red Sand Sasori helplessly shook his head.
"Isn't that the direction of the base..."
Hidan looked at the location of the explosion, curiously turning back to ask.
After this question was asked, it made everyone present simultaneously startled, and each couldn't help but think about why such a huge explosion occurred...
Aside from the Akatsuki members...
It seemed no one else in the Land of Rain could cause an explosion of this magnitude, right?
"Is Pain contacting us?"
Kakuzu glanced quickly at the ring in his hand.
"Let's answer it."
Red Sand Sasori also looked at the ring in his hand.
This was the method of intelligence exchange within the Akatsuki Organization; regardless of how far apart they were, they could use the rings to perform the Illusionary Body Jutsu, and then use the Rinnegan to establish a collective communication channel.
However...
The signal within the ring was soon cut off.
Because Nagato, who originally intended to find Red Sand Sasori and others, encountered a Hidden Rain Ninja who came searching for them and informed them that Jiraiya and Salamander Hanzo were looking for them.
Nagato had no choice but to abandon contacting the Akatsuki members first, only notifying Sasori and Kakuzu to head to the Hidden Rain Village, not to return to the base; they would meet at the Hidden Rain Village.
The Hidden Rain Village.
This is a small village full of industrial style.
Jiraiya stood atop the high tower of the Hidden Rain Village, looking worriedly at the mushroom cloud rising in the distance, feeling a complex mix of emotions.
"That Orochimaru guy..."
"A blast of that magnitude is enough to destroy the Hidden Rain Village."
Salamander Hanzo stood by Jiraiya's side, also watching the mushroom cloud, and solemnly advised: "The probability of that little Sannin surviving is minuscule... you might not even find his body."
"..."
Jiraiya fell silent.
The Akatsuki Hideout.
Or rather, it should now be called the former Akatsuki Hideout.
Because the power of billions of explosive tags' detonation wiped out the entire Akatsuki Hideout, leaving only a city-sized crater.
Fortunately.
These were ultimately just explosive tags.
Quantitative changes ultimately did not trigger a more terrifying qualitative change.
A gigantic Yamata no Orochi lay in the crater, its body still writhing, thoroughly charred black with cracks everywhere.
At first appearance, it had eight heads and tails.
Now...
It had only half a tail and one head left.
This was also because, at the moment of the explosion, it curled its body tightly, wrapping one head to barely keep it.
This head bit down on the charred part of its body, the acute pain made it let out a low growl regardless, yet stubbornly kept biting.
These injuries didn't matter.
As long as it was alive, its body could recover completely.
Perhaps the heavy consumption of Chakra within finally forced the Yamata no Orochi to give up; it ultimately slowly opened its mouth, and a figure crawled out weakly, slumping to the ground.
It was Orochimaru.
This guy survived yet again.
Even in such a sorry state, he still managed to survive.
"Akihara Kagura..."
Orochimaru's fingers were too weak to move.
If he hadn't used the Orochi Jutsu to transform into the body of the Yamata no Orochi just before the explosion, he might have already died without a burial place...
"That guy..."
Orochimaru tried clenching his teeth, but he didn't even have the strength to do that. He could only sit where he was and recover some stamina: "I still have to convey the message to that idiot Jiraiya; that damn disciple of his still has a spare Rinnegan..."
"Tell him to quickly send word to Konoha..."
"To directly have Konoha people kill Uchiha Sasuke and Uchiha Itachi..."
"No..."
"This won't do any good..."
Orochimaru recalled Akihara Kagura's speed, thinking that he was being too fanciful: "There's probably not enough time..."
Yes.
There's probably not enough time.
In this period, it'd be lucky if they managed to find Nagato first.
Yet perhaps, in the time it took for them to find Nagato, Akihara Kagura might have already taken away the winner between Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke.
The Land of Fire.
The abandoned base once used by the Uchiha Clan.
This place had long been deserted, appearing desolate and dilapidated outside, while the inside, though mostly ruins, was somewhat clean, barely suitable for a short rest.
Here...
Was the place Uchiha Sasuke and Uchiha Itachi had agreed on for their duel of revenge.
Uchiha Sasuke sat on a stone chair inside this base, while the other Root ninjas stood disorganized in various locations, some on broken walls, others on crossbeams behind doors.
Theoretically speaking...
This should have been a duel between brothers.
Yet everyone present had the right to seek revenge against Uchiha Itachi because they all once shared the same surname and possessed the same Kekkeigenkai.
"Karin sent a message."
An Uchiha walked in from the front, speaking softly: "Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame are already here, just outside the base..."
"Should we go out and kill him?"
"Kill him!"
"Should we wait for him to come over?"
Everyone present began to get excited.
However, after this group of Uchiha people fell into an uproar here, it was as if they returned to past clan meetings, becoming noisy, causing Uchiha Sasuke some headache.
"Hold it!"
Uchiha Sasuke quickly stopped them, a slightly immature young man trying to mimic his father's demeanor, soothing the multitude of clansmen: "We agreed to have this battle in this old clan ground, so let's wait for him to come over here. Let's kill him here and complete the Uchiha's vengeance..."
Outside this base.
Karin stood here with a team of people.
When Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame arrived, Karin extended her hand to block them, speaking softly: "Leave the shark face, only Uchiha Itachi can enter."
"Mr. Itachi."
Hoshigaki Kisame hefted his Shark Skin Greatsword, pointing it from afar at Karin: "They don't seem too friendly!"
"I'm going in alone."
Uchiha Itachi shook his head, stopping a potential conflict between Hoshigaki Kisame and Karin, and walked past Karin by himself.
It wasn't until Uchiha Itachi passed by Karin that he seemed to remember something, suddenly looking at Hoshigaki Kisame and saying: "Kisame, you go back first!"
"Mr. Itachi?"
Hoshigaki Kisame furrowed his brows, then relaxed them again, chuckling softly: "If you die here, at least there needs to be someone to collect your body, right?"
"That won't be necessary."
Uchiha Itachi shook his head, walking alone into the base.