Meanwhile, Sasuke learned that the Kara organization had made contact with the Akatsuki from the past. This news left his thoughts in turmoil.
This was no small matter.
After all, these were two organizations from different eras, both aiming to overturn the entire shinobi world. What kind of chaos might erupt now that they had encountered each other? Sasuke couldn't say for sure.
But simply ignoring it wasn't an option either.
He needed to grasp the specific situation as quickly as possible. Neither Akatsuki nor Kara could be underestimated; who knew what kind of changes their meeting would bring about?
With this realization, Sasuke knew he couldn't delay any longer.
He turned to look at Kimimaro.
Kimimaro nodded in understanding. Sasuke then gathered Haku, Boruto, and the others. In the next instant, he activated the Flying Thunder God Technique and vanished.
Once Sasuke was gone, Ao understood what awaited him. He looked up at Kimimaro.
"You... you cannot defeat the Otsutsuki Clan!" Ao declared, a strange smile spreading across his face.
If it hadn't been for Sasuke, he probably wouldn't have known that Kara was founded by the Otsutsuki. Now that he knew, many things suddenly seemed clear to Ao. The recent peculiar orders from Kara finally had a plausible explanation.
Kimimaro sensed that Ao might be holding back more information, but it didn't matter now. In the presence of that master, nothing else mattered. A mere Otsutsuki Clan? Lord Sasuke would undoubtedly handle them.
"You should be worrying about yourself right now!" Kimimaro retorted.
Facing Kimimaro's words, Ao remained unfazed, instead bursting into laughter.
"Hahaha! Worry about myself? There's no need!" he cackled. "You lot will soon..."
Swish!
Blood sprayed from Ao's neck. An instant later, a bone spike pierced through his skull, obliterating his head in a shower of gore.
A mist of blood bloomed in the air.
Kimimaro stared coldly at the lifeless form of Ao.
"Fool! How could you possibly comprehend the power of that master?" he scoffed. "So what if they are the Otsutsuki Clan? Are they truly invincible?"
With a cold smirk, Kimimaro vanished amidst a ripple of spatial distortion, returning directly to Orochimaru's base.
Kimimaro wasn't always shadowing Sasuke. He and Jugo were tasked with guarding the Otsutsuki Clan's divine artifact, 'Plow'. Otherwise, how could Sasuke possibly trust Orochimaru enough to let him research such an item? Even with Orochimaru, Sasuke wasn't completely at ease.
Elsewhere, Sasuke, having swiftly returned to Konoha via the Flying Thunder God Technique, first settled Haku in, then told Boruto and the others to get some rest. He then went alone to find Naruto.
Kara and Akatsuki making contact.
This was definitely not a trivial matter. At the same time, another critical issue surfaced in Sasuke's mind: the sacrifice of an Otsutsuki Clan member required for his Ten-Tails.
It seemed there was another target: Kawaki. As one of Isshiki's vessels, Kawaki also possessed Isshiki's power.
What would happen if the Ten-Tails directly devoured Kawaki? Could it transform into the God Tree right away?
Mulling this over, Sasuke entered Naruto's office.
Naruto wasn't there at the moment. He was currently somewhere in the Land of Fire, working with other Konoha ninja to capture the Seven-Tails. Although Naruto could easily defeat the Seven-Tails, he wasn't like Sasuke, capable of sealing it effortlessly. Sealing a Tailed Beast was never a simple task.
Since Naruto wasn't in Konoha, Sasuke couldn't just wait around. With the Akatsuki involved, he wanted to confirm the situation with his own eyes.
He directly handed the sealed Nine-Tails over to Konoha's Sealing Team.
When the Sealing Team ninjas saw the completely immobilized Nine-Tails materialize out of thin air within the isolation chamber, their perception of Sasuke rose another level.
One man, in such a short time, had traveled to the Village Hidden in the Mist, captured the strongest Tailed Beast, the Nine-Tails, and successfully sealed it. They didn't even need to reinforce the seal; their only job was to guard the Nine-Tails and prevent anyone from stealing it. Such sealing prowess was even more terrifying than that of their own Sealing Team.
"Tell Naruto I'm going to confirm something," Sasuke instructed curtly. "Don't worry about me!"
Without giving them any time for questions, Sasuke vanished, leaving Konoha directly.
His destination was, naturally, the Land of Rain – the Village Hidden in the Rain. If the Akatsuki had indeed traveled from the past to the present, the most likely place they would appear was the Land of Rain. There was no doubt about it.
Sasuke wanted to check immediately. Even if they weren't currently in the Land of Rain, if they had truly appeared in this era, they would have left traces. Others might not notice, but for Sasuke, if they had been there, he could easily find the evidence they left behind.
Moving like lightning, Sasuke raced forward at full speed, not even needing to use the Flying Thunder God or Amenotejikara. Relying solely on the acceleration from his Lightning Release, he shot through the air like a thunderclap streaking across the sky.
Backtracking slightly, after Sasuke had captured Ao in the Village Hidden in the Mist, Jigen of the Kara organization received the intel.
Seeing the report, Jigen reacted instantly.
"It seems that fellow... might know something!" he muttered, glancing towards Nagato beside him. "This place isn't safe anymore. Let's head to my base."
Hearing this, Nagato looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"
"Someone might have already discovered my contact with you, and they likely know about this location!" Jigen explained.
"Who?" Nagato asked, curious.
"You probably don't know him yet. His name is Uchiha Sasuke!" Jigen revealed. "A ninja who is practically unbeatable in this era!"
Unbeatable?
The expressions on the faces of the Akatsuki members darkened. What did 'unbeatable' even mean? They refused to believe that someone in this era dared to claim such a title. How arrogant could one be?
"Uchiha Sasuke!" Nagato's eyes gleamed sharply. Although this Nagato was from a time before Sasuke joined the Akatsuki, he had actually learned quite a bit about Uchiha Sasuke already. After arriving in this era and gathering information, he discovered just how powerful Sasuke had become. He had long wanted to see for himself what kind of existence this legendary figure, hailed as someone whose like would never be seen again in the shinobi world, truly was.
"Then let's go," Nagato decided. "But before we leave, I'm quite curious... just how strong is this Uchiha Sasuke!"
Nagato gently clenched his fist.
"I might as well test my current strength!"
Looking up, Jigen saw the determination in Nagato's eyes and knew further argument was useless. Since Nagato had made up his mind, he wouldn't easily change it. Very well, letting him test Sasuke wasn't a bad idea either.
"You intend to stay behind?" Jigen asked. "You might die, you know!"
Nagato bristled at the remark. "Die? Don't worry! I just want to see what kind of person he is. I have no intention of fighting him to the death!"
"If I'm no match for him, I won't be stupid enough to throw my life away."
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