Naruto: I Confronted the Five Kage Before the System Arrived

Chapter 268: Extortion

The battlefield was filled with smoke and chaos.

Kakuzu, now in his Jiongu mode with only two lives remaining, and Hidan, missing an arm, stood battered on one side, staring intently at the man in the same Akatsuki cloak standing across from them.

"Tobi! You've been hiding your true strength all along!" Hidan snarled through gritted teeth.

He knew Tobi well. Tobi had joined the Akatsuki before him but had always been considered a mere backup member due to his supposed lack of strength.

But now, it was clear. As full members, both he and Kakuzu had almost been defeated by Tobi. How could that be considered weak?

"Space-time ninjutsu!" Kakuzu, ever observant, identified Tobi's technique with a serious expression. "I never expected there'd be someone like you in the organization. It seems we all underestimated you."

"You were the only ones who were in the dark," replied Uchiha Obito, standing unscathed. "Pain is fully aware of my presence."

"After all, it was I who truly established the Akatsuki. I am its real leader."

"What??" Kakuzu and Hidan's faces changed, shocked by the revelation.

Tobi was the true leader of the Akatsuki?

Obito smirked coldly, "Now, what should I do with you two traitors? Tell me, what should I do?"

Kakuzu and Hidan had no time to think. They braced themselves for another fight.

Unexpectedly, Obito didn't attack again. Instead, he looked at them calmly and said, "Considering the contributions you've made to the organization, I'll give you a chance to live."

"Go and tell Hagoromo Gengetsu that if he wants the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, he must meet with me. He'll know where."

"If not, he'll never get the Two-Tails."

With that, Obito left the rendezvous point. He grabbed the unconscious Two-Tails Jinchuriki, used his spiraling space-time jutsu, and vanished.

Seeing this, Kakuzu and Hidan breathed a sigh of relief.

Hidan, picking up his severed arm and asking Kakuzu to reattach it, shrugged, "What now?"

Their first mission under the new leader had been a complete failure. Hidan, whose life was now in the leader's hands, was feeling particularly downcast.

Kakuzu, retracting his Jiongu, responded with his usual stoicism, "We tell the leader the truth."

Hidan resigned himself, "Ugh! How did we get so unlucky?"

If Tobi hadn't intervened, they would have captured the Two-Tails Jinchuriki by now.

Now, they had to face the consequences.

Hagoromo Gengetsu, returning from his mission, soon received news of the successful captures of the One-Tail and the Eight-Tails.

Before he could be fully satisfied, he heard about Tobi, or Uchiha Obito, taking the Two-Tails Jinchuriki and the message he left.

Hagoromo Gengetsu frowned and snorted, "The rat finally shows himself."

He had expected Obito to challenge him for control of the Moon's Eye Plan at the final critical moment, not this early.

The timing and the target were well chosen.

Now was the crucial moment for capturing the Tailed Beasts. The Two-Tails, though not as critical as the Eight-Tails or the Nine-Tails, was still significant.

With the Two-Tails captured, he didn't even have the chakra of the Two-Tails to work with.

Trying to recreate the Ten-Tails using just the fragments of the Eight-Tails and the chakra from the Gold and Silver Brothers would be impossible.

"It seems... I have no choice but to agree to Obito's demands."

"As for meeting in front of the Gedo Statue... ha."

Hagoromo Gengetsu could guess that Obito was planning something, likely involving the Gedo Statue.

Having only recently acquired the statue and not yet fully mastering the Rinnegan, his understanding of it was less than that of Black Zetsu and Obito, who inherited Uchiha Madara's legacy.

Thus, it was possible Obito had an advantage.

But if he couldn't solve the problem, he'd solve the person causing it.

Hagoromo Gengetsu took out a container holding Obito's other Mangekyo Sharingan.

Perfect. He had a surprise for Obito too.

Let's see who would be more "moved" by the surprise.

The rain poured down on the ruins of Mount Myoboku after Hagoromo Gengetsu left, washing away the smoke and debris. Over time, the rainwater began to accumulate in the large crater.

If this heavy rain continued for two or three more days, Mount Myoboku's ruins might give birth to a large lake.

Returning with the remaining toads, Fukasaku and Shima hoped this wouldn't happen.

If it did, the last traces of Mount Myoboku would be gone.

"The Great Toad Sage is gone. And Naruto too," Shima said sadly after examining the site.

Fukasaku sighed deeply, preparing to comfort everyone.

The scroll-bodied Toad Gamatora stepped forward with a serious expression, "The Great Toad Sage is gone. According to his wishes, it's time for me to complete my mission."

He spat out a scroll and handed it to Fukasaku, "The Great Toad Sage instructed me to give this to you."

"The Great Toad Sage..."

Opening it, Fukasaku found it was indeed from the Great Toad Sage.

The sage had written instructions for Fukasaku to lead the remaining toads to a new home, to never seek revenge, and to remain neutral, never interfering in human affairs again.

The last instruction emphasized neutrality, a lesson learned from the Great Toad Sage's ultimate sacrifice.

"I understand, Great Toad Sage," Fukasaku nodded solemnly. He led the remaining toads to their new home, leaving the world of shinobi behind.

Toad Gamatora did not follow.

"I have another task to deliver a scroll to Konoha," he explained, then quickly set off.