Escape From Konoha

Yuyin Village, underground.

The huge wooden man with a withered body has his hands wrapped in chains like a sinner, holding lotus flowers in his hands to form an Indian posture.

Although only the upper half of the body is exposed, even so, its huge size is much larger than that of the tailed beast. It is difficult to imagine what kind of posture such an existence would have if it stood completely.

I saw the iron lock in the wooden mouth biting, and four of the nine eyes on the forehead were open. They scanned the earth with cold eyes, like a living creature. After hearing the footsteps, they immediately rolled their eyes. , looking towards the direction where the footsteps came from.

The person who came had long red hair, as bright as fire, but his eyes were as cold as ice, without any emotion.

Next to him, followed a half-black and half-white humanoid creature, wrapped in a huge pitcher plant outside its body, with only the top of its head exposed.

Both of them were wearing coats with red clouds on a black background, as if blood and darkness were blended together.

"Hehe, no matter how many times I come here, the result is still the same shocking. The golem's body is more energetic than Madara's time."

Bai Jue chuckled, seeming to be sincerely happy that the golem had become stronger.

Compared to White Zetsu's irregular personality, Black Zetsu's personality is much calmer.

"After all, the four tailed beasts have been invested. The current demon is no longer the dead thing it was in the past, but is somewhere between half life and half death. Its power is slowly recovering. When all the chakra of the nine tailed beasts are gathered, , you can decide the fate of everyone in this world and hold their life and death in your hands. Eternal peace will come."

Black Jue's eyes met the four open eyes of the demon, and a meaningful look flashed across his eyes.

But even with his ambitious words, Nagato, who was walking in front, still maintained the silent expression of Furui Mubo on his face, as if nothing could arouse the throbbing in his heart.

"It's a pity that the tailed beasts are becoming more and more difficult to capture now. Not only has Orochimaru been killed, but the big countries besides the Demon Country also seem to be plotting something secretly."

Bai Jue's complaining voice sounded, with a hint of bitterness.

"The use value of Orochimaru is gone. I had high hopes for him before, but he was backlashed by his own experimental subjects and trained us a powerful enemy. It is really a waste of the reputation of the Sannin."

Black Zetsu snorted coldly. He seemed not to be sad about the passing of Orochimaru. He just felt that useless things should be cleared away as soon as possible to avoid getting in the way.

"You can't say that. After all, he still left a lot of good things in the organization. As long as he makes good use of his legacy, he can create some trouble for the Kingdom of Ghosts and other big countries."

Bai Jue retorted dryly.

Black Zetsu did not answer, but spoke to Nagato in front: "Nagato-sama, according to the report of White Zetsu who is responsible for reconnaissance, traces of Uchiha Sasuke were discovered not long ago on the eastern border of the Bear Country. However, he did not directly Go to Konoha, but contact the wandering shrine maidens from the Kingdom of Ghosts and ask them to search for something. As expected, he should be coming for Itachi."

After saying this, Nagato's expression became slightly relaxed, and he walked to the demon statue intently, pressed the mechanism here, and a stone slab flew up from the ground, revealing a deep passage leading further below.

Fiery flames ignited on the torches on both sides of the passage, illuminating the depths below.

Even so, the bottom of this passage is still visible at a glance, and the deeper parts are blocked by darkness.

Nagato walked down and asked, "Where are Itachi and Kisame now?"

Black Zetsu replied: "They are now in the Kingdom of Lin. That."

"Lin Kingdom?"

Nagato's voice sounded.

"Yes, this country has a small territory. Every time the Ninja War broke out, it relied on the Land of Fire to preserve the soil for survival. There is no ninja village in the country, but there is an armed organization called Prajna Clan composed of ninjas. Even so, this country has We still rely on the protection of Konoha ninjas from the Land of Fire, and are one of Konoha’s largest clients.”

Black knew all these things very well, and in an understatement, he extracted the intricate relationship between the Kingdom of Forest, the Kingdom of Fire, and Konoha.

"However, I heard that the relationship between the Kingdom of Forest and the Kingdom of Fire has not been particularly harmonious in recent years. The alliance relationship has begun to become cold. There are rumors that the Daimyo of the Kingdom of Forest have begun to hook up with the Daimyo of the Kingdom of Earth, causing the Daimyo of the Kingdom of Fire to Very angry.”

Hei Jue added this sentence again.

This is the normal state of existence in a small country in the ninja world.

Tomorrow, we will be dependent on one big country, and the day after tomorrow, we will be dependent on another big country. We will continue to waver between the big countries.

During the Second Ninja War, Rin no Kuni also surrendered to Sanho Uo Hanzo, the leader of Amegakure at the time, but by the time of the Third Ninja War, it began to remain neutral again. In the end, Konoha, the Fire Country, won, and the Forest Country was a staunch ally of the Fire Country.

Not having a position has become the survival rule of a small country.

Similar to this, there is also the grass-roots behavior in the Country of Grass.

If the Rain Country did not have a being like Nagato, who secretly controlled everything, armed itself, and opened up a soil for the survival of the people of the Rain Country in the era of great power leadership, the Rain Country today must be as different as the Forest Country and the Forest Country. There is no difference at all in a country like the Land of Grass.

There is no need for Hei Zetsu to clarify these matters. Nagato has already seen through it. Where Lin Zhiguo goes is not what he cares about now.

"What are Itachi and Kisame doing there?"

Nagato frowned slightly.

Although Akatsuki's actions have now temporarily ceased, it does not mean that they have given up on capturing the tailed beasts.

Nagato had no intention of letting go of the remaining tailed beasts.

At this critical period, a country like the Forest Country, where tailed beasts do not exist, is not among Akatsuki's goals.

As long as the big countries are pacified, the small countries do not need to deliberately target them, and they will surrender.

"Itachi said he wanted to rest there for a while, and Kisame could only stay with him there. After all, the team was operating with two people, and the risk was too high if one was operating alone."

Hei Jue's voice was low, but it sounded like he was paying attention.

"Hmph." Nagato snorted softly, but still could not hear the emotion or anger: "Now that we have reached this point, does Itachi still want to continue to be stubborn? In this case, let Kisame come back later."

During the exchange, Nagato led Black Zetsu and White Zetsu to the bottom of the passage.

This is also a huge, empty space.

The most eye-catching thing is a huge wooden figure sitting cross-legged in the center of the space, but only the lower body is left, while the upper body stays in the space above. It is sitting on a purple-red lotus platform, unusually quiet.

A road leads straight to the center, and the surrounding land is sunken downwards, densely populated with countless figures and ferocious beasts.

They closed their eyes one after another, and countless tree roots surged down from the walls and ceiling. Connected with these humanoid creatures and giant beasts, they could sense that an extremely terrifying chakra was flowing in the tree roots. A steady stream of energy was being fed into the bodies of these biological soldiers, seemingly using their bodies to evolve something terrifying.

Black Zetsu and White Zetsu followed Nagato onto the straight road ahead and looked at the sunken earth on both sides. In the darkness of the abyss, there were numerous figures and giant beasts rising and falling. They couldn't help but look surprised.

"Has the Golem trained Bai Jue and the dragon beasts to this level? They are really too strong!"

Those humanoid creatures were none other than Bai Jue.

Like a forest of ancient soldiers, standing upright, you can't even see the side at a glance.

Between these soldiers, there would also be a terrifying and ferocious beast mixed in from time to time.

Judging from their thick and huge bodies and sharp teeth, it can be seen that they are extremely terrifying carnivorous creatures.

These existences called "Dragon Beasts" were Orochimaru's DNA extracted from the dragon beast fossils of the Redo Kingdom in the past, and they were reincarnated and resurrected in dirty soil. They control the power of the statues and use chakra, an energy that did not exist in ancient times, to further strengthen their bodies and become dragon beast soldiers controlled by the Akatsuki organization, waiting to conquer various countries in the future.

The number of huge dragon beasts gathered here is equally difficult to estimate.

Standing in the darkness, like shadows of demon gods, giving people a terrible sense of oppression.

"No, not enough."

Nagato said these words.

"The power of the golem can be further improved. There are only more than 70,000 White Zetsu and more than a thousand dragon beasts, which may not be able to resist the power of ninjas. Next, I will stay here to further guide the energy of the golem and prepare in advance. .As for the intelligence work, I leave it to you. If anything happens, I will let the Paynes handle it."

After saying that, Nagato ignored Black Zetsu and White Zetsu, sat cross-legged in front of Bokuto, closed his eyes, and clasped his hands together.

A powerful chakra spurted out from his body, turning into a torrent that enveloped the entire body of the demon, making the body of the demon buzz and tremble. The flowers on the lotus platform under it seemed to come alive, and the colors became more vivid. , dripping dewdrops rich in the essence of life.

Feeling the oppression of this space, Bai Jue swallowed. This huge chakra pressed down on him, making him almost unable to breathe.

"As expected of Nagato-sama, he has surpassed the tailed beasts with his own chakra alone. I feel like the oppression I felt when I faced Madara-sama in his heyday. Even the will of the golem was temporarily dominated."

Bai Jue wiped cold sweat.

In this environment, he found that he could not go any further.

There was an invisible wall between him and Nagato, unable to touch the other's territory.

Hei Jue said in a deep voice: "This is the power of the Samsara Eye, the invincible divine power in the world! Okay, next, we have to move quickly. There are still five tailed beasts left, and we must act in the Kingdom of Ghosts. Recycling has been completed before, otherwise things will be difficult.”

As he spoke, he dominated his body and turned around to leave.

"So, what about Itachi? Although he and Akatsuki are not the same person, he is still a good power after all. It would be a pity to just abandon it. At least he should use it until the end."

Bai Jue was regretting this matter. He thought that Itachi could continue to use it some more and there was no need to give it up so early.

"His existence is too dangerous for Akatsuki. Besides, the power that cannot be used by us can be destroyed. This is also Nagato-sama's will."

"Hehe, then, let Fei take off his eyes. Just give the child new strength, which can be regarded as Itachi's last contribution to Akatsuki."

In the darkness, the figures of Black Zetsu and White Zetsu gradually moved away.

◎

Taking a train to leave the jurisdiction of the Kingdom of Demons, Sasuke's first stop was the Kingdom of Birds, which was adjacent to the Kingdom of Bears.

This country was briefly controlled by the Fire Country during the Fourth Ninja War more than two years ago, and became the springboard for the Fire Country Konoha to launch an attack on the Bear Country.

But after the Fourth Ninja War, the Fire Nation gave up taking over this place, and this country once again became a buffer zone between big powers.

However, although it had been devastated by the war before, the country actually did not lose anything because the war ended so quickly. Development and vitality were quickly restored after the war, and due to its proximity to the circle of influence of the Kingdom of Ghosts, the country's productivity was also increasing year by year.

However, because it is located between several big countries, the Kingdom of Birds does not dare to openly support any country. It just maintains a very neutral attitude and lives cautiously.

Therefore, although this country is close to the Kingdom of Ghosts, it has not received much interference from the Kingdom of Ghosts. The Kingdom of Ghosts seems to have little interest in this kind of buffer state and has acquiesced to the neutral status of the Kingdom of Birds.

After staying one night in the small town of Bird Country, Sasuke set out again.

The only people accompanying him were Jugo, the four of them, and a wandering miko who temporarily joined the team and served as a medical ninja.

Although Sasuke carries a large number of medical talismans, sometimes the medical talismans may not be able to solve the injury. If he is seriously injured, the effect of the medical talismans will be greatly reduced. At this time, having a medical ninja in the team is an inevitable choice.

Every wandering miko in the Kingdom of Ghosts is a medical ninja with superb medical skills. In addition to medical ninjutsu, they are also good at information collection and transmission, and can also play a good role as the "eyes" of the team.

"Lord Sasuke, according to the information collected by the other wandering miko, it seems that the Uchiha Itachi you are looking for is in the Kingdom of Forest."

In a wild place in the Kingdom of Birds, the wandering miko accompanying her exchanged information with her companions in other areas, and then came over to report to Sasuke.

She has a young voice, sounding only about twenty years old.

He wore a thickly painted fox mask on his face to hide his appearance.

"Lin Zhiguo? Hoshino, are you sure this information is accurate?"

Sasuke looked at the wandering miko who had temporarily joined his team. Apart from knowing that her name was Hoshino and that she could use medical ninjutsu, Sasuke didn't know much about her.

In terms of strength, she is no match for any of the four.

"There should be no problem. According to the other wandering mikos, Uchiha Itachi has no intention of covering up his whereabouts. And the place where he is is an abandoned area on the northern border of the Kingdom of Forest."

Hoshino replied meticulously.

"Northern... deserted area."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, seeming to remember something.

"Is there something wrong there, Sasuke?"

Jugo saw the strange look on Sasuke's face and asked.

"I've heard about that place. It used to be a stronghold that the clansmen of Konoha had no longer used. Is that guy Itachi planning to lure me there directly? Well, it would suit me to end things in that kind of place. .”

Sasuke snorted, eager to get going immediately.

"Could it be a trap?"

Jugo followed up with Sasuke and asked.

"Whether it's a trap or another conspiracy, my goal will not change. If there is a troublemaker, just stop him. Let's go."

With that said, before Jugo could speak again, Sasuke's figure flashed and he flew out, heading towards the direction of the Kingdom of Forest.

Seeing this, Chongwu and others could only quickly follow and set off towards the Kingdom of Lin.

◎

"Deidara-senpai, Deidara-senpai!"

The loud screams frightened the birds in the surrounding forest. A man wearing a black background with red clouds and an orange spiral mask crawled out of the lake, all wet. While carrying two fresh and plump fish, he headed towards The sky is loud.

"Afei, there's no need to shout so loudly, I can hear you."

A huge white bird flew out of the woods. Deidara on the white bird looked helplessly at A Fei, who had just climbed out of the lake.

"Haha, look, Deidara-senpai, I caught two fish. Now senior and I finally have lunch!"

However, the way the other party proudly showed off his trophies made Deidara feel tired and like he was raising a child.

But Ah Fei didn't care about this, he just laughed and brought a lively atmosphere to this silent forest.

After a while, a bonfire was lit in the clearing of the woods. After peeling and cleaning the two fishes, they were strung up with branches and placed on the fire to bake.

Ah Fei was watching the grilled fish with his eyes wide open and slurping his saliva, as if others were afraid that they would not know his hunger.

Seeing A Fei's silly look, Deidara felt a little embarrassed.

I don’t know why the leader gave this guy to him.

He either eats or sleeps every day, and doesn't pay attention to the mission at all. When he teamed up with Scorpion, the gap was really too big.

"Speaking of which, since Orochimaru-senpai's death, the atmosphere in the organization has become a lot cooler. If this continues, I think it will be our turn soon, Deidara-senpai."

Ah Fei lay on the ground, blowing fire and sighing at Deidara.

"What did you say it's our turn? Yeah."

Deidara didn't react.

"Of course he died in the line of duty. Look, Deidara-senpai, first it was Scorpion-senpai, then Hidan-senpai, and now Orochimaru-senpai also has a problem. Among the existing teams, we are the weakest and have the most seniority. Shallow, and as the saying goes, you pick a weak persimmon, and if this continues, we will definitely become the next target."

"Asshole, are you planning to curse me to death, A Fei?"

Deidara suddenly became furious.

At the same time, he also felt disdain for A Fei's greed for life and fear of death.

"After all, when Deidara-senpai came back last time, he was in such a mess that he even lost his arm. Doesn't that explain everything? It would be great if I followed Beiruhu-senpai, and I could stay at the base and do research in peace. .”

Ah Fei doesn't open any pot and lift it.

"If you want to go to heaven now, I can give you a free ride."

Deidara smiled softly, his hand already reaching into his ninja tool bag, making a squeaking sound as his mouth swallowed clay.

"Oh, Deidara-senpai, I was just joking, you don't have to be so serious, right?"

"It's not you who caused it. Listen up, Fei. In our profession, whether before life or after death, the most important thing is to have a sense of art. It would be the worst if nothing can be left behind. Things. Hmm.”

Deidara coughed and said to A Fei in a preaching tone.

However, Ah Fei just lay on the ground blowing fire, his mask was covered with black mud, looking very funny and embarrassed.

"Hey, did you hear this?"

Deidara saw that A Fei ignored him and directly breathed fire from his eyes.

"Senior Deidara, let's eat first. Even if you are an artist, you have to eat first before you have the energy to study art."

A Fei picked up a piece of grilled fish and placed it in front of Deidara.

Deidara looked as if he had eaten a fly, his expression ugly.

But considering my hungry belly, I still accepted this extremely cruel reality.

"Damn it, I've decided. Next, I'm going to teach you how to respect a great artist and be aware of it, A Fei. Yeah."

After taking a big bite of the grilled fish, Deidara glared at A Fei.

A Fei blew the hot air on his grilled fish and was about to speak when a piece of information flowed into his brain, and he and Deidara fell silent at the same time.

——Deidara, Fei, there is a new mission for you.

What came was not the voice of the leader Nagato, but a hoarse and deep voice. Deidara remembered that it was Black Zetsu's voice.

A very gloomy and mysterious existence that is different from Bai Jue.

——Where is the leader? Why wasn't he the one delivering the order?

Deidara asked.

——The leader has more important things to do.

--Yeah? What's the mission? Capture the Jinchuuriki?

Deidara continued to ask.

——No, the Jinchuuriki’s information needs further investigation. Uchiha Sasuke will find Itachi soon. Your mission is to meet Kisame at the northern border of Forest Country, remove Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan, and bring it back to Amegakure. That guy has second thoughts about the organization and is no longer useful.

After saying that, Black Zetsu's voice disappeared from the minds of Deidara and A Fei. No matter how Deidara called, there was no response again.

"What's going on, that guy Itachi..."

Deidara looked unhappy and had no idea what was going on and why the above issued such an order.

Therefore, Hei Zetsu's lack of explanation made Deidara feel weird and had an indescribable weird feeling.

"Well, Deidara-senpai, what should we do next? It's always a bit scary to attack Itachi-senpai."

Ah Fei ran over with a humble attitude headed by Deidara.

"Although I really want to go back to the leader immediately to question the secret behind this, but now that the mission has been handed down, we can only complete the mission first. When we go back, we can ask for an explanation from above. Let's go, A Fei, We don’t have time to waste here. Hmm.”

After finishing the grilled fish in a few seconds and barely filling his stomach, Deidara jumped on the back of the white bird waiting next to him. A Fei also jumped on. The white bird immediately flapped its wings and flew over the forest, galloping towards the northeast. go.