He glanced over and knew someone was hiding underground.
Hearing the voice, Kakuzu stopped hiding and emerged from the earth.
"Quite perceptive, Obito. This one won't be easy," Kakuzu said coldly.
Kakuzu wasn't even wearing the Akatsuki's black cloak with red clouds, yet Hyōri had called him by name.
"Aren't you Kakuzu of the Akatsuki? Why are you with Obito?"
"None of your business."
Kakuzu's expression darkened. Just how deep were the Hidden Mist's ties with the Akatsuki for them to have intelligence on him? He shot Obito a look, his face unpleasant.
Hyōri wondered why Kakuzu was involved with Obito and had decided to test the waters with a question. Judging by Kakuzu's reaction, the two of them weren't on good terms.
"We are allies of the Akatsuki. Are you trying to betray the organization now?" Hyōri said, looking down on Kakuzu.
Kakuzu's face grew grim, his gaze sweeping over Obito.
A few theories formed in Hyōri's mind. Whatever. The Akatsuki exists in name only at this point anyway. I'll find another chance to deal with Kakuzu later.
Hyōri watched as Obito and Kakuzu blocked his path, seemingly certain of their victory.
"So you're Obito?" Hyōri's tone was icy.
Obito replied confidently, "That's right. I am."
Hyōri retorted coldly, "I heard from the Uchiha that you were exiled from the clan. Are you nothing but a stray dog now?"
Obito's eyes narrowed, instantly shifting into the Mangekyo Sharingan pattern. "You bastard!"
A vortex began to form on Hyōri's arm.
The last thing Hyōri saw was the ridicule in Kakuzu's eyes directed at Obito, before he vanished in a puff of smoke.
Obito froze, his face ashen. "A Shadow Clone! Since when?!"
Obito had clearly seen chakra flaring from Hyōri's body just a moment ago, plain as day. That couldn't have been a Shadow Clone. That meant he must have used the Shadow Clone Technique after that. How on earth did he manage it? He never left my sight, yet he swapped himself with a clone.
A chill ran down Obito's spine. This old fox from the Hidden Mist was not to be underestimated.
He had been almost certain he could capture Hyōri, which was why he had Kakuzu reveal himself. But it turned out to be just a Shadow Clone. This was a huge problem. His blatant attempt to poach an Akatsuki member and cause trouble for an Akatsuki ally had just been relayed back through that Shadow Clone.
Nagato would likely turn on him directly after this.
Obito had planned to recruit a few more Akatsuki members, but that seemed impossible now. Nagato's behavior was already unstable; now he would be completely out of control.
Meanwhile, Kyōkotsu had taken Kisame to a secluded spot.
"Boss, now that I know such a huge secret, you've got to give me a raise!" Kisame said, half-joking.
Kyōkotsu had released his transformation, reverting to Kawasaki's appearance.
Kawasaki clapped Kisame on the shoulder. "Alright, you'll get your raise. I'll add it all to your wedding gift when you and Anzu get married."
Hearing this, Kisame looked uncharacteristically embarrassed. "Uh, Boss... we..."
Kawasaki's eyes widened. "What 'we'? Itachi was engaged at sixteen. How old are you? Anzu isn't getting any younger either."
Kisame was already twenty-eight, and Anzu was only a few years younger. In this world, they were considered well past the typical age for marriage. Kisame had escaped the Village of the Bloody Mist with Anzu and had been living the life he wanted, as if trying to release all the emotions he had suppressed for so many years. The two of them spent their days doing missions, eating, and drinking, living a very leisurely life. However, Kisame hadn't let himself go. In fact, without the need to travel constantly for missions, his strength had surpassed what it was in the original timeline.
Kisame said shyly, "I'll go ask Anzu when I get back, then."
Seeing Kisame like this, Kawasaki decided it was time to tell him a few things.
"You've been with me for so long, it's about time I let you in on some secrets."
Hearing Kawasaki's serious tone, Kisame's expression grew solemn. He created four Water Clones and sent them out in all directions to check for any danger.
Kawasaki appreciated Kisame's caution. "What I'm about to tell you is why Obito wants to control the Hidden Mist..."
Then, Kawasaki told Kisame everything: how Obito had been brainwashed by Madara Uchiha, and how Madara planned to be resurrected in the future to activate the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
"That's why I've been desperately building up my own strength—so I can face them when the time comes."
Kisame's brow furrowed. He had never imagined that Madara Uchiha would actually return, let alone that he planned to launch the Infinite Tsukuyomi. For Kisame, the world where Anzu existed was the only real one. The Infinite Tsukuyomi sounded like nothing more than a dream.
"Of course, Madara is just a pawn himself. There's another power hiding behind him; he's just being used."
"The goal of that power isn't as simple as putting the entire ninja world into a dream."
"They want to destroy this world!"
"Madara is being used, too? And they want to destroy the world?" The sudden flood of information was so explosive that Kisame felt his mind struggling to keep up.
Seeing Kisame's bewildered look, Kawasaki decided not to waste his breath explaining the details about the Otsutsuki. Given his current state, he probably wouldn't be able to process it anyway.
"We have some hard battles ahead of us. You need to think carefully about this," Kawasaki said, patting Kisame's shoulder.
Even though Kisame's combat power was off the charts, Kawasaki intended to respect his wishes. After all, he was a man about to start a family.
Kisame grinned, baring his teeth. "Think about what? The boss has taken care of me for so long. Naturally, I'll stand with you through thick and thin."
"Besides," he added, "I couldn't be happier about the chance to fight so many powerful opponents."
Kawasaki laughed heartily. "Alright, I understand."
"The Hidden Cloud will probably retreat soon. In a couple of days, tell Mei Terumi that the Hidden Stone is massing its troops. The Cloud will pull back immediately."
"Once this is over, you can return to the Hidden Sound Village. Talk it over with Anzu first, see if you want to move to Konoha."
"If you like the climate in the Land of Water, the Uchiha will take over these four islands in the future. You could settle down here then, too."
Kisame was very fond of this boss who always looked out for him. He nodded with a broad smile.
"I get it."
Having given his instructions, Kawasaki's Shadow Clone vanished instantly.
...
Far away in Konoha, the real Kawasaki felt a sudden wave of dizziness before it passed.
It seemed the Hidden Cloud was about to retreat. After losing so many people and supplies, what other choice did they have? As for any pursuit from the Cloud, Kawasaki had already anticipated it. Even if they didn't give chase, he would send a couple of Shadow Clones to their village to teach them a lesson. This would also give the Hidden Mist more confidence and deter other powers from trying to take advantage of them.
Just in case, he had also written a letter to Onoki, informing him in advance that the Cloud had already suffered four thousand casualties. This would prompt the Hidden Stone to feign a large-scale troop mobilization. This time, the Hidden Cloud had no choice but to withdraw.
This guy Kisame was exactly to Kawasaki's liking—loyal and fierce. He was an excellent subordinate, and there would be plenty of use for him in the future.
Kawasaki was already prepared for Obito to be lurking in the Land of Water. But how Obito had managed to pull Kakuzu to his side was a mystery to him. Besides, judging by Kakuzu's behavior, he didn't seem to have genuinely sided with Obito.
Nagato was still around, yet Obito was already trying to poach Akatsuki members. Clearly, he wasn't pretending anymore. He was showing his hand.
It seemed Nagato was now in danger.