Chapter 35
Seventh floor of the tower, Yuyin Village.
Inside the room, Naruto stood quietly before a mirror, adjusting the black cloak with red clouds draped over his shoulders—the Akatsuki robe. His reflection stared back at him, strange and familiar.
He let out a small chuckle.
"I never thought I'd be the one wearing this one day."
He clasped his fists together with a soft thump, spun on his heel, and stepped out with renewed determination.
In the corridor, Konan leaned by the window, watching the rain trail down the glass. Her bright orange eyes turned toward Naruto as he approached, her voice calm.
"This cloak suits you more than you think."
Naruto waved her off with a sheepish smile. "Don't tease me like that…"
Konan held out her hand.
"This is for you."
In her palm sat a ring—cool, silver, with a pale blue stone set in the center. On its surface, a single kanji was engraved: 『零』—Zero.
Naruto blinked. "Zero…"
Konan's voice turned serious. "Akatsuki operated in pairs. Every official member had a codename. 'Zero' was Pain's ring—it symbolized 'emptiness' and 'nothingness.' I want you to inherit that name."
She lifted her own hand, showing the ring she wore on her middle finger—white on white, marked with 『白』—White.
"My codename is 'White.' White Tiger."
Naruto nodded silently, then slipped the ring onto his left thumb, wearing it with solemn pride.
A faint smile curved Konan's lips.
"And… here." She reached into her side pouch and handed him a small cloth bag. "Food pills. I noticed the ones you've been carrying are damp."
Naruto scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. "Ah… when I went to pick up Kisame, I was lying in wet terrain for hours."
Konan raised an eyebrow. "Throw them out. Eating those will mess up your stomach."
Naruto accepted the new ones gratefully. "Thanks, Senior Sister."
"There's no need to thank me. We're on the same road now."
A few minutes later, the two emerged from the tower. Outside in the steady drizzle, Kisame and Orochimaru were already waiting.
Naruto glanced around. "We probably haven't gone unnoticed. Just to be safe…"
He quickly formed a hand seal.
Poof!
A shadow clone appeared in a puff of smoke.
"I'll leave this one to watch over the base. If anything happens, I can jump back immediately with Flying Thunder God."
The journey from Yuyin to Kumogakure spanned nations. They'd have to cross Grass, Taki, Iron, Sound, Hot Springs, even the Land of the Moon before finally reaching the Land of Lightning.
For an average shinobi, it would take ten to fifteen days.
But Naruto had already marked a location in the Land of Iron. With Flying Thunder God, he could warp there instantly and cut their journey in half. He'd even be able to leave marks along the way for quick return trips to Yuyin.
This was the power of space-time ninjutsu.
He reviewed the geography in his head.
"The battlefield where Raikage and Kisame clashed was in the southern reaches of the Land of Nami. Raikage would've had to cross from south to north—through rugged terrain and waterways. That means heavy chakra consumption and forced rest stops. If we move fast enough… we can beat him back to the village."
Naruto pulled his mask over his face. His chakra flared.
Konan stepped up behind him and placed her hand on his back. Naruto touched the shoulders of Orochimaru and Kisame.
"Let's go."
Before they disappeared, Orochimaru glanced toward the tower's open courtyard.
"When we return… I think it's time I begin preparing my laboratory."
…
Meanwhile…
A raging snowstorm howled over the mountains of the Land of Iron.
"Ugh—!!"
Two patrolling samurai fell to the frozen ground with strangled cries.
CLANG!
Suigetsu stabbed the Executioner's Blade into the snow, baring his shark-like teeth with a wicked grin.
"I left one of you alive, you know…"
Behind him, Jūgo—still in his younger child-like form—strode calmly toward the surviving warrior.
The samurai grit his teeth. "You… you're shinobi…"
"If you want to blame someone… blame that blond bastard who made me like this."
Jūgo crouched on the samurai's back, clamped a hand over his mouth, and activated the power of his curse mark.
"Mmmhhh—!!"
The samurai's screams were muffled. In seconds, his body shriveled like dried husk, leaving only hollow armor behind.
As the last trace of life drained, Jūgo stood up, his body slowly returning to its youthful, calm form.
"Thrilling stuff," Suigetsu chuckled. "You know if we get caught doing this, they'll toss us straight into death row~"
The cursed mark on Jūgo's body retracted with a flicker.
"Let's hurry back to Sasuke. I can feel it again… my killing intent is bubbling over."
Back when Naruto confronted the Five Kage, the two had broken away from Sasuke and remained hidden in the Land of Iron—posing as samurai, waiting for a chance to strike.
"Yo, Jūgo, Suigetsu—fancy seeing you two again."
A voice, casual and amused, came from behind them.
Swish!
They spun around, alert.
Naruto was already standing there—mask on, arms folded. And behind him… Konan. Kisame. Orochimaru.
Suigetsu's eyes widened. "There was a dead end behind us just now! How the hell did he—?"
Jūgo's expression darkened. "Space-time teleportation… this is the worst timing imaginable."
Of all the cursed luck—
"…"
Naruto glanced at the samurai's dried corpse, but didn't say anything. His gaze swept over them calmly.
Monsters like these… no wonder they ended up with Sasuke.
Then his attention shifted to Suigetsu. That robe… and Kisame standing with them?
Wait, Kisame too? He joined Akatsuki again?
Sensing the shift, Suigetsu quickly raised both hands.
"Whoa, whoa, we're on the same side! Don't attack!"
Naruto tilted his head slightly. "Aren't you guys still with Taka?"
Suigetsu grinned. "Taka and Akatsuki are… unofficial allies. Right?"
Naruto's voice was dry. "We're not Akatsuki."
Jūgo narrowed his eyes. "You didn't come looking for us specifically… did you?"
"Not at all. Pure coincidence," Naruto said coolly. "But… now that we've met, maybe it's fate. So—will you come with us… or not?"
Even the suppressed chakra leaking from Naruto was suffocating.
Jūgo hesitated. Deep down, he still felt loyal to Sasuke. But…
Suigetsu was practically flashing him coded signals with his eyes: Hey! Priority #1—stay alive!
Naruto spoke again, his voice low.
"Jūgo. If you want to find Sasuke, it's going to take time. And the longer you're unstable… the more innocent people and animals will suffer. Until then… maybe I can be your cage."
With that, he slowly pulled off his mask—revealing the three brilliant tomoe in his left eye.
Jūgo's eyes sharpened. "Sharingan…"
Naruto met his gaze. "I don't know what your goals are, but you can travel with me for now. I won't ask you to betray Sasuke."
He pointed at the battlefield behind them. "But if you want us to cover for you… Mingxiao will need your help for this mission."
Jūgo was silent for a long beat.
"…Fine. Deal."
Suigetsu let out a huge breath and quickly joined Naruto's side.
Orochimaru chuckled softly. "Suigetsu. My cute little test subject. I never expected we'd be working together again so soon…"
Suigetsu smiled nervously. "Oh, I've always believed in your greatness, Orochimaru-sama! Total loyalty!"
Naruto slipped the mask back over his face.
"Let's move. Next stop—Kumogakure."
Their mission: infiltrate Cloud Village, locate the scroll detailing the secrets of the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, and steal it.
Mission rank: Super S-Class.
With the snowstorm behind them, the six-man team set out from the Land of Iron—headed straight for Cloud.
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