The Raikage's proposal won unanimous approval from everyone present.
Ninjas lived by the blade, their trade steeped in bloodshed. Sending others to die as cannon fodder wasn't shameful—it was strategy. The Akatsuki were dangerous rogue ninjas, but even if they were saints, the Kages wouldn't hesitate to strike.
With the right excuse, banditry became charity, and murder turned into heroism. They were sacrificing lives for the stability of their nations, for world peace!
Using the Akatsuki wasn't hard. Their goal was clear: they hunted tailed beasts. Dangle a Jinchuriki as bait, and they'd bite.
The question was, which Jinchuriki should they use?
Only Kumogakure's Eight-Tails and the Land of Earth's Four-Tails and Five-Tails remained.
The Raikage froze. He and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Killer B, were like brothers. Risking B's life was unthinkable. But he'd pitched the plan himself, not anticipating tailed beasts as bait, and now he was stuck.
Onoki seized the moment, piling on moral pressure.
"The greater good," "for justice"—he spouted noble platitudes like they were free, offering one of the Land of Earth's Jinchuriki but insisting Kumogakure match the effort. It wouldn't be fair otherwise.
What could the Raikage do?
He gritted his teeth and agreed.
With Onoki and the Raikage sacrificing their prized Jinchuriki, the rest—luring the Akatsuki, covering the Jinchuriki's retreat—fell to Konoha and Kirigakure.
Everyone had to chip in. That's what cooperation meant!
Later, Tsunade and the Raikage couldn't shake a nagging feeling. Onoki seemed to come out ahead, losing nothing while gaining everything.
That Jinchuriki, Rōshi, was already at odds with Onoki's politics.
Tsunade sighed. Even now, they were still scheming against each other?
What a grim reality.
...
Countless white paper shards fluttered from the sky, a cascading waterfall slicing through the air. Each sheet carried a scorching edge, primed explosive tags ready to ignite like a rain of fire, plummeting toward the city below.
Paper wings cut a sharp arc against the ashen sky, the black-and-red-cloud cloak billowing in the wind. The infamous Akatsuki, long lurking in the shadows, emerged without warning, launching a ferocious assault on a refugee militia.
The explosive tags detonated, saturating the air with dense chakra. The city erupted like a volcano, blinding light swallowing everything. Buildings crumbled, and the ground split into jagged fissures under the relentless blasts.
The wind hissed, silver needles trailing long threads lancing skyward, weaving through the chaos. The explosion's shockwaves began to dissipate, unraveled by the threads, which then wove into a massive net, shooting toward the heavens.
Konan, her blue-purple hair adorned with a paper flower, gazed down at the oncoming net. Her body dissolved into a swarm of paper shards, scattering in the wind.
At that moment, a giant clay bird swooped in from the distance. A swarm of clay spiders rained from its back, triggering a cacophony of explosions. Mushroom clouds bloomed as Deidara, his left eye framed by a tiny telescope, grinned maniacally.
"Art is an explosion!"
Clad in the Akatsuki's red-clouded cloak, Deidara had clearly rejoined the organization.
His escape from the Land of Earth was no accident—Onoki had let him slip through. The reason tied back to the Raikage's plan.
To lure the Akatsuki into probing the legion leaders, who better than Deidara, a former member?
The original plan hadn't included him, but the Raikage grew wary of Onoki's intentions. Hearing about Deidara and Sasori, he added them to the mix.
Rumor had it Onoki valued Deidara, his former student. With Deidara involved, Onoki wouldn't dare sabotage the plan, right?
Wrong. The Raikage miscalculated. Onoki no longer cared whether Deidara lived or died.
Onoki's decision to keep Deidara in the Land of Earth wasn't driven by sentiment. It was about clinging to something he was losing.
After making countless wishes with the Box of Ultimate Bliss, Onoki noticed his humanity slipping away. The change was subtle, unnoticed at first. By the time he realized, it was almost too late. His son and granddaughter felt like strangers, and dark impulses whispered to sacrifice them as offerings.
Onoki couldn't fathom why this was happening. A side effect of the Box? He sensed it was dangerous—losing all humanity could spell disaster.
Deidara had been a tool to anchor Onoki's fading emotions. Seeing his rebellious student always stirred something in him.
But lately, Deidara had outlived his usefulness. Onoki's humanity hadn't just faded—it had been replaced, perhaps by divinity, more likely by something demonic. Either way, he'd discarded Deidara.
Onoki, alongside the other Kages, crafted a ruse: Killer B and Rōshi had been captured by a legion leader with an interest in tailed beasts.
They sent B and Rōshi to infiltrate the militia covertly, then leaked the intel to Deidara and Sasori.
The Land of Earth loosened its defenses, giving Deidara the perfect chance to escape.
Meanwhile, White Zetsu confirmed the tailed beasts' location, corroborating the intel with Deidara's, making the bait irresistible.
The plan wasn't airtight, but it was a bold gambit. To revive the Ten-Tails, the Akatsuki would act, even knowing the Ninja Alliance was redirecting trouble their way.
Nagato, with his Rinnegan, fancied himself a god. He'd planned to storm the Land of Earth and seize the Four-Tails, Five-Tails, and Eight-Tails himself. But Onoki's move outmaneuvered him.
Nagato didn't mind being played—for now. Gods didn't sweat the small stuff. Once the Ten-Tails was revived, everyone would bow to him!
Nagato's confidence in the Ten-Tails' supremacy was unshakable. He had to believe it, no room for doubt.
This time, the Akatsuki went all-in. With their ranks already thin, facing a legion leader and two Jinchuriki—one a perfect Jinchuriki like the Eight-Tails—demanded utmost caution.
"Who's got the guts to interrupt my dance practice?!"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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