I've Already Confronted the Five Kage, and the System Just Arrived!

After his trip to Konoha, although Gensou failed to locate Naruto, he still reaped some benefits. He obtained Obito's Mangekyō Sharingan and removed Orochimaru's lingering influence on Anko.

In the following days, he dispatched shadow clones to search for the Three Great Sage Lands.

Despite some delays, his speed still placed him among the fastest teams tasked with capturing the tailed beasts.

The only ones faster were Deidara and Seimei, who traveled by air and had already reached the outskirts of Sunagakure.

"This is the Sunagakure where Sasori once lived? Pretty desolate. The environment here is worse than most smaller villages. Hmm," Deidara remarked, standing on his clay bird and peering down at the village, encircled by towering walls with only a narrow passage for entry and exit.

He had thought that the rocky terrain of Iwagakure, often plagued by rockslides, was harsh enough. But Sunagakure, buried in endless sand and lacking greenery, was even more unforgiving.

"For shinobi, a harsh environment can sometimes be an advantage," Seimei commented, hovering nearby.

Desperate conditions breed resilience.

The adverse environment tempered Sunagakure's shinobi, fostering their unyielding spirit despite being the least funded of the Five Great Villages and having fewer ninja.

This was why, despite suffering repeated defeats in past wars, they never bowed their heads completely, always returning to the battlefield at the first opportunity.

In contrast, Takumi Village had a more hospitable environment, yet its shinobi had long since submitted to the Five Great Villages, crafting ninja tools for them in an endless cycle of labor.

Even when the Four Celestial Symbols Men of Takumi tried to revive their former glory, the entire village fled overnight in fear of retribution from the Five Great Villages.

As the founder of Takumi Village, Seimei felt this deeply.

Deidara, uninterested in such historical insights, glanced at his ring. "The leader hasn't given the order to act yet. Guess we'll wait. Hmm."

"Keep an eye on those flying tools; don't let them spot us," Seimei warned.

"Just toys," Deidara dismissed with a wave.

Still, he chose a concealed location to wait. While he wasn't concerned about being discovered and was confident in overpowering the One-Tail's jinchūriki if necessary, he knew their clan leader valued precision.

The thought of delaying the leader's plans sent a chill down his spine.

Deidara admired his leader's art but wasn't eager to experience it firsthand—especially since he believed his own art still had room to grow.

So, he waited patiently.

...

Land of Lightning

Sasuke and Kisame, slower on foot, were making their way to the Valley of Clouds and Lightning.

Though still some distance away, they could already hear the faint rumble of thunder—a hallmark of the area, where lightning struck more frequently than anywhere else due to its unique terrain.

The Fourth Raikage had confined the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki, Killer B, here to aid in his training.

"I hear the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki is a perfect host. I wonder how his strength compares to ordinary jinchūriki," Kisame mused as they traveled side by side.

Sasuke, confident as ever, replied, "Against the Sharingan, whether it's a tailed beast or a jinchūriki, the result is the same."

"Sharingan," Kisame said with a glance. "Compared to Itachi, you're certainly more self-assured."

"Itachi…"

Sasuke's eyes flickered briefly. He considered asking a question but ultimately refrained, instead reminding Kisame, "The Eight-Tails' jinchūriki has a clone technique that even the Sharingan can't easily see through. Be careful not to let his real body escape."

"Also, Gensou-sama instructed us not to harm him too much if possible."

"Got it," Kisame nodded.

The two pressed on toward the Valley of Clouds and Lightning.

Elsewhere in the Land of Lightning

Kakuzu and Hidan were taking a different route, one shorter in distance.

With extra time to spare, Kakuzu had even taken the opportunity to kill a wanted criminal from the bounty list and exchange the reward at an underground market.

Hidan, long accustomed to such detours, sat outside like a philosopher contemplating his new doctrines.

"Kakuzu, what do you think love is?"

"Love is money."

"No, no! Money isn't love. Love is an emotional eruption."

"Money is also an emotional eruption."

"Still wrong! Whatever, I'm not arguing with someone obsessed with money. Kakuzu, do you think I should experience love myself to understand it?"

"The essence of love is money. Do you need a loan? 900% interest."

"…."

Their banter continued as they leisurely made their way to their destination.

However, upon arrival, they found themselves staring at a wasteland.

"If I'm not mistaken, that should be where the Two-Tails' jinchūriki was," Hidan said, pointing at the ruins in shock.

The area, a Cloud Village outpost, was now completely destroyed. A heavy stench of blood lingered in the air.

"Something went wrong."

Exchanging glances, Kakuzu and Hidan dashed toward the ruins to investigate.

"There are traces of the Two-Tails' chakra. This happened about an hour ago. The jinchūriki's body isn't here—either they escaped or were captured," Kakuzu deduced.

"What now?"

"Chase them, of course."

It was their first mission under the new leader, and neither wanted to fail.

As one of the most experienced shinobi in the world, Kakuzu quickly discerned the direction their target had fled.

Without hesitation, they set off to hunt down the culprit and reclaim the Two-Tails' jinchūriki.

After spending considerable time following the flow of natural energy, Gensou's shadow clones located three places where natural energy was most concentrated.

One was full of vibrant life.

Another was a cold, underground cavern.

After dispelling his clones, Gensou chose the third location.

Surrounded by towering mountains with lakes dotting the terrain, the area was shrouded in dense mist that obscured the central region from view.

Activating his Rinnegan, he scanned the area.

Within the mist, he sensed the familiar chakra of a tailed beast.

At last…

Mount Myōboku had been found.

(End of Chapter)

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