Team Dusk didn't have time to enjoy their meal. Each member stopped what they were doing, eyes instinctively turning toward the distant horizon.
There, a blinding red pillar of light had pierced the sky, splitting the heavens in two.
Naruto's eyes widened as he stared at the crimson column. A look of shock flashed across his face. That chakra—he knew it all too well. There was no doubt in his mind.
"That's tailed beast chakra! No mistake... it has to be the Six-Tails!" he shouted, voice laced with urgency and worry.
The others stiffened, exchanging uneasy glances. What could have happened to trigger such a massive release of power? What kind of opponent could force a Jinchūriki to unleash the full strength of their beast?
Could it be... that the Akatsuki had already located the Six-Tails?
Just then, the red light began to fade—but an instant later, a deafening explosion rocked the skies.
A colossal Tailed Beast Bomb shot into the air like a cannonball, tearing the thick storm clouds to shreds in a blink.
Kakashi's face darkened, his eyes sharp as blades. He knew exactly what this meant. Without hesitation, he turned to the rest of the squad and barked, "That's definitely tailed beast chakra! It looks like the Akatsuki may have gotten to the Six-Tails before we did!"
"Everyone, move out—full speed! Head straight for the chakra's origin! We can't let them succeed!"
"Yes!" came the unanimous response, resolute and unwavering.
No sooner had the words left their mouths than the team vanished in a blur, racing off like a gust of wind toward the source of the disturbance.
...
Elsewhere, the Akatsuki had placed high priority on capturing the Six-Tails. The undead duo of Kakuzu and Hidan, as well as the god-and-angel pair of Pain and Konan, had all set their sights on the beast.
Both teams had gone their separate ways in search of the Six-Tails' trail, but the eruption of chakra had taken place far from their locations. They hadn't even caught a glimpse of the blinding column of light.
An hour had passed since the chakra burst.
In a small inn in the eastern region of the Land of Fire, Konan received intel from one of their informants. The message clearly indicated the presence of tailed beast chakra at Mt. Katsuragi.
After calculating the distance, she turned to Nagato—his body connected to a series of machines—and said,
"The Six-Tails appeared at Mt. Katsuragi, but that's way beyond our chakra transmission range. We'll need to relocate."
Nagato's ability to control Pain was limited by distance. Once his black rods reached a certain range, they could no longer transmit chakra effectively. The chakra eruption had occurred well beyond that range.
"Notify Kakuzu and Hidan. Have them delay the enemy's attempt to move the Six-Tails—avoid a prolonged fight. Pain will head there soon to support."
Nagato issued his orders with grim clarity. He knew the overall strength of Team Dusk—each member at least Jōnin level. Even the immortal duo would struggle against them. Pain would need to step in himself if they wanted any chance of wresting the Six-Tails from their grasp.
"Understood." Konan wrote the orders onto a sheet of paper, then merged it with a flurry of other slips, transforming the whole mass into a paper eagle that took flight into the distance.
...
At a bounty exchange station, Kakuzu had just completed a side mission, collecting the reward from a recent target.
They'd intercepted a Konoha team en route to support Team Dusk, and as a result, Asuma hadn't been able to escape his grim fate—he had been slain by Kakuzu, yet another victim traded for a high bounty.
Beside him, Hidan looked agitated and irritable, casually wiping the blood from his wickedly sharp scythe while muttering under his breath.
"Damn it! We should've just wiped them all out from the start. Letting those three escape really pisses me off!"
He replayed the earlier battle in his head, his frustration mounting. They had the strength to annihilate the enemy entirely, but that damn bearded guy had dragged things out, ruining their rhythm and the perfect opportunity.
For someone like Hidan, who reveled in killing, failing to fully indulge in the thrill of slaughter was pure torture. He could almost feel the disapproval of Jashin-sama weighing down on him.
At that moment, the exchange station owner walked out from the back room, grinning as he struck up a conversation with Kakuzu.
"Hey, buddy, we just got a piece of top-tier intel—real big stuff, about a tailed beast."
He leaned in, eyes glinting. "You Akatsuki types are always hunting those things, right? I'll cut you a deal. Five million ryō. What do you say?"
Kakuzu narrowed his eyes, clearly contemplating whether to buy the information... or simply kill the man and take it.
But after a long moment, he decided against it—too much hassle. With a disgruntled grunt, he counted out the five million ryō and handed it over.
His voice was low and cold: "Start talking. If it's not worth the price... you'd better start praying for a miracle."
But the bounty master remained calm. He dealt with cutthroats like this every day.
"Relax. I don't scam customers. The intel's simple: the Six-Tails was spotted at Mt. Katsuragi. That's it. Worth the price, right?"
Kakuzu nodded slightly. A precise location like that was certainly valuable, but he still needed to verify it.
The man casually continued as he pocketed the money,
"The chakra pillar could be seen for miles. The guy who runs the station near Katsuragi sent out a telegram immediately."
The explosion had been far too massive to stay hidden. News like that would soon ripple through the entire Shinobi World. But this was the nature of the information trade—he made his profit off timing and distance. With telegrams in hand, events in the southern regions could reach the northern edges in no time at all.
"I just got the word myself about an hour ago. Passed it to you right away."
Kakuzu nodded again and placed a large case of money on the table.
"Store this. I'll come back for it."
"Sure thing," the man replied with a nod. For a client like this, it was a small favor.
"Hidan," Kakuzu said flatly, "The Six-Tails has shown up. And the ones we're up against... it's Team Dusk. You're going to have your fun."
Inside, he could barely contain his anticipation. Kakuzu had been eyeing the members of Team Dusk for some time. Every one of them carried a high bounty—Ōnoki's granddaughter, the Copy Ninja Kakashi... all incredibly juicy targets.
"They're all Jōnin level, huh?" Hidan's eyes lit up. "If I can sacrifice offerings like that to Jashin-sama... he'll be ecstatic!"
With a gleeful look on his face, he bounced back from his bad mood, fired up with excitement.
Just as they were stepping out of the exchange station, a paper eagle shot down from the sky like lightning.
It landed swiftly, unfolding into a cascade of paper scraps—except for one sheet covered in detailed script, perfectly intact.
Kakuzu picked it up and skimmed the message before holding it over his palm. With a spark, flames erupted from his hand, reducing the note to ash in seconds.
He let out a low snort of annoyance. "You telling me we've gotta tread carefully... with those brats?"
He scoffed at the notion. With his vast experience and power accumulated over a long life, he felt more than confident in handling a few upstarts.
"Exactly!" Hidan shouted. "We don't need Pain himself for this! We'll crush them ourselves!"
With that, the two of them surged forward, heading straight toward Mt. Katsuragi.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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