Faced with the sudden Wood Release technique, Kisame did not retreat but attempted to resist.
However, against Yamato, Kisame's expertise in Taijutsu and Water Release was completely countered, preventing him from displaying his full strength. With no other choice, he dove into the sea, peering at Yamato and Kakashi from beneath the water's surface.
Realizing that the newcomer was Yamato from Konoha's Anbu, Kisame knew he would not be able to take down Kakashi.
But his mission was merely to stall Kakashi and prevent him from supporting the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki. He did not need to defeat Kakashi completely. Even with Yamato's interference, he was not without options.
For Kisame, completing his mission was more important than his life.
A shinobi's purpose was to execute missions flawlessly, and this particular mission was one that aimed to bring eternal peace to the world. He saw no reason to give up.
Kakashi, initially startled by the Mokuton, quickly realized it was Yamato providing support.
Understanding this, Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief and took the opportunity to recover some chakra, preparing for the upcoming battle.
Meanwhile, beneath the water, Kisame secretly gathered chakra, readying a large-scale Water Release attack to block Kakashi and his allies.
Just then, Yamato instantly appeared beside Kakashi and said, "Kakashi-senpai, Itachi Uchiha will be here soon. We should retreat!"
Hearing this, Kakashi's expression changed, and he immediately asked about Naruto and the others.
Yamato shook his head and sighed. "I'm not a match for Itachi, but I bought them thirty minutes. I don't know where they managed to escape to."
Kakashi's face darkened, but he still chose to follow Yamato's suggestion and leave. The top priority now was finding Team 7. Both Naruto and Sasuke's identities were crucial. If anything happened to them, Konoha would suffer heavy consequences.
With this decision made, Kakashi and Yamato swiftly left, vanishing into the forest.
After traveling over ten kilometers, Yamato stopped and asked Kakashi, "Kakashi-senpai, what do we do now? Should we report to the Hokage immediately, or go back and face Itachi and Kisame?"
Kakashi thought for a moment before replying, "No need to report to the Hokage just yet. Itachi and Kisame might not have captured Naruto."
Yamato's forehead stiffened, unsure why Kakashi was so confident.
Based on their strength, neither of them could stand against Itachi or Kisame alone. If the two Akatsuki members worked together, they could easily defeat them.
Kakashi smiled bitterly and mentioned Byakuya, the mysterious figure who had appeared before.
He wasn't placing faith in his own power but rather in Byakuya.
Itachi Uchiha was a genius beyond Kakashi's reach, but Byakuya was a monster, someone who had long since surpassed the limits of genius.
Hearing that Byakuya had promised to provide assistance from the shadows, Yamato was briefly stunned.
He had heard of Byakuya's exploits, knowing that he possessed the same Wood Release Bloodline Limit as himself, but his mastery far surpassed Yamato's in both development and combat ability.
If Byakuya truly was lurking nearby, then there was no need to worry about Naruto and the others.
However, it was humiliating for Konoha's Anbu to be unable to protect their own Jinchūriki, relying instead on a shinobi from another village.
Even if Byakuya had already rescued Naruto's group, they still needed to regroup with them as soon as possible.
---
Meanwhile, beneath the water, Kisame waited for a long time before finally surfacing.
Upon confirming that Kakashi and Yamato had left, Kisame's expression shifted. Just as he was about to leave the water, he spotted Itachi Uchiha approaching the shore.
After verifying Itachi's identity, Kisame stepped onto the land and asked, "Itachi, how did it go? Did you capture the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki?"
Itachi shook his head. "During the attempt, I encountered several powerful enemies. Weighing the risks, I decided to abandon the mission."
Kisame glanced at Itachi, suspecting he might be lying.
With Itachi's strength, Konoha shouldn't have been able to put up much resistance, unless they had secretly deployed a Sannin-level ninja to guard Naruto. Otherwise, no one in Konoha could match Itachi.
Still, Kisame understood Itachi's hesitation. Not every shinobi could attack their own village's Jinchūriki without hesitation.
After a brief pause, Kisame asked, "Did you see your little brother? How is he now?"
Mentioning Sasuke, a faint smile appeared on Itachi's lips.
"Sasuke is progressing well. He's already near Jōnin level, but that's still not enough to survive in a time of war. He must awaken the same eyes as mine."
Kisame detected the fondness in Itachi's voice and found his behavior contradictory.
Itachi was a shinobi who always spoke about the grand vision of the world. He could deliver profound insights, helping Kisame understand the world beyond the perspective of a single village or nation.
Instead of seeing the world through the lens of one country or shinobi village, Itachi viewed it from the perspective of the entire ninja world.
To achieve lasting peace, sacrifices had to be made. No individual, village, or even nation was too great to be sacrificed if it meant bringing about true and eternal peace.
Yet, when it came to Sasuke, Itachi displayed an inexplicably complex side.
If he wanted to train his brother, it would make more sense to keep him close and teach him personally. That way, Sasuke could receive the best guidance. Instead, Itachi had left Sasuke in Konoha to be trained by others, allowing hatred to fester between them.
Kisame could easily imagine how much Sasuke despised his older brother after growing up in that environment. And Sasuke's expression during their encounter just a few hours ago confirmed this.
Breaking free from his wandering thoughts, Kisame asked Itachi, "Since capturing the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki failed, what do we do next?"
Itachi glanced toward the distant Land of Waves and replied, "We'll stay in the area for now. Capturing Naruto is unlikely, but we still have Gato's mission to complete."
Kisame nodded. He wasn't willing to give up on the job either.
Although Gato had a nasty attitude and lacked respect, he had offered an enormous sum of money. They couldn't abandon the mission so easily.
---
Land of Waves – Gato's Mansion
Gato sat in his office, listening to a report from one of his subordinates. When he heard that a forest had suddenly appeared on the beach near the bridge, he frowned and harshly scolded his underling.
"If you don't know how to give a proper report, then don't bother at all! How the hell could a forest just appear on the beach?!"
Based on his understanding of shinobi, they were nothing more than a bunch of chakra-wielding savages. Sure, they were stronger and faster than normal people and could pull off flashy magic tricks. But they were still within the realm of normal humans. And no normal human could stand up to a gun.
Creating a forest out of thin air? That's no jutsu, that's a miracle!
Gato's subordinate looked innocent, he knew his report sounded exaggerated, but he was only telling the truth. He hadn't expected Gato to react with such displeasure. After thinking it over, the subordinate revised his report, saying that he had found shipwreck remains near the shore.
Hearing this, Gato nodded in satisfaction and said, "So, it seems Tazuna died at sea. Those two shinobi did a decent job. But your earlier report was too exaggerated, don't make the same mistake again."
Once his subordinate left, Gato stepped onto the balcony and gazed at the distant civilian district and the half-finished bridge stretching across the sea.
This bridge would connect the Land of Fire with the Land of Waves. If completed, it would disrupt his business.
But only slightly. The Land of Waves was a hub for smuggling operations. As long as smuggling between nations existed, he could continue making massive profits.
For Gato, the reason for targeting Tazuna wasn't merely because he was a bridge builder. It was because Tazuna's son was the leader of a resistance movement against him. If Tazuna successfully completed the bridge, the prestige he gained from it would allow his son to threaten Gato's rule, even overthrow him.
That was something Gato could not allow. He refused to tolerate anything that could lead to his downfall.
In the Land of Waves, he was the king, the daimyo. Any signs of rebellion had to be crushed before they could grow.
Pulling himself out of his thoughts, Gato began considering how to further exploit the commoners.
Recruiting those two rogue ninjas might be a good idea. He could use them to assassinate those who opposed him while also gaining valuable intelligence on shinobi.
As one of the world's top smugglers, his ambitions weren't limited to smuggling alone. He wanted to become the most powerful businessman in the world, amass enough land to establish his own legacy, and become the first daimyo of his family.
Just as Gato was lost in his grand ambitions, Byakuya appeared beside him, silently extending a hand.
Feeling the sudden weight on his shoulder, Gato's expression changed. He turned sharply and saw a man in a black cloak with red clouds, Byakuya.
Frowning, Gato demanded, "Who are you? A new shinobi?"
Though Gato didn't recognize Byakuya, he did recognize a ninja forehead protector. Clicking his tongue in irritation, he continued cursing under his breath.
Byakuya looked at Gato in mild confusion before casting a genjutsu, making him faint instantly. Shaking his head, Byakuya muttered, "How did someone this oblivious survive as a major businessman in the shinobi world?"
Thinking back to how Gato treated Zabuza in the original timeline, Byakuya found it unsurprising. Gato's attitude toward shinobi was not unique as many nobles in the shinobi world looked down on them. After all, to most aristocrats, shinobi were nothing more than a slightly more specialized class of mercenaries.
And since most shinobi lacked formal education, they were known more for destruction than creation. This meant that despite their superior combat abilities, they still ended up under the rule of the aristocracy. However, the establishment of the Ninja Academy by the Second Hokage changed things.
Shinobi were no longer just trained within clans, they now had a formal education system. In reality, ninja villages had become nearly independent micro-nations within their respective countries.
Some daimyo had noticed this shift and had begun imposing restrictions on ninja villages.
The Land of Wind and the Land of Rain were prime examples. Their leaders used inherited political authority and a "divide and conquer" strategy to maintain control over their villages. Meanwhile, in countries like the Land of Fire, political bonds were strengthened through arranged marriages between nobles and shinobi clans.
The rulers of these great nations understood that the times were changing. Bit by bit, they ceded power to the shinobi.
But Gato, isolated in the Land of Waves, had not realized this shift. By pushing Zabuza into a desperate situation, he had ultimately sealed his own fate.
Breaking free from his musings, Byakuya stepped over the unconscious Gato and got to work.
His trip to the Land of Waves wasn't just to use Itachi Uchiha and Kisame to test Naruto's growth, he was also here for Gato's wealth. Gato had made a fortune through smuggling. Over the years, he must have accumulated an enormous amount of wealth.
While this money wasn't particularly significant to the Akatsuki, funds were always useful.
The organization had massive expenses since many experiments and research projects required substantial financial investment to develop successfully.
Using genjutsu, Byakuya extracted details about Gato's assets, only to be disappointed. Gato's liquid assets weren't as substantial as expected, most of his wealth was tied up in land and other non-liquid investments.
Converting those assets into usable funds would take time. But more importantly, Gato's greatest asset wasn't his money, it was the Land of Waves itself. Its strategic location made it an ideal port, which was why Gato had been able to amass such a fortune in the first place.
If Byakuya wanted to maximize the benefits of this mission, he needed to bring the Land of Waves under Akatsuki's control.
As he formulated a plan, Byakuya made his way to the underground vault, where a familiar figure stood waiting. It was none other than the masked man, Obito.
Upon seeing Obito, Byakuya smiled and greeted him casually. Then, he said, "Masked Man, you did a great job this time. By having Itachi Uchiha and Kisame attack Naruto, we now have a reason to seize control of the Land of Waves."
Obito's expression darkened, but he said nothing, likely because of Byakuya's overwhelming strength.
Obito had received news of Naruto leaving the village long ago. Originally, he had no plans to attack Naruto yet since his reputation alone made him a target for the Five Great Shinobi Nations. But Byakuya had sought him out, bringing White Zetsu along, and set this entire operation into motion.
Looking at the situation now, the plan had succeeded. It had reinforced Byakuya's reputation. But the cost was that Obito had now painted a target on his back, he would be marked as an enemy of the Five Great Nations.
Obito had long since resigned himself to playing the villain, but he still found Byakuya irritating.
Byakuya, unfazed by the murderous glare, simply asked, "Masked Man, have you moved all of the valuables to Amegakure?"