146-150

Chapter 146: Infiltrating the Hidden Cloud Village

It was a sleepless night. Touji and Hinata Hyuga spent the entire night just staring at each other, never taking that final step.

Hinata’s younger sister, Hanabi, had gone to bed early and woke up to find the two still kneeling and sitting in place, a look of helplessness on her face.

"Sis, you didn't stay up all night, did you?"

"Ah... uh, yeah, I didn’t sleep!" Hinata replied but quickly realized what she had said and started waving her hands. "But nothing happened!"

Hanabi gave Hinata a disappointed look and then walked over to Touji, grabbed his face with both hands, and kissed him directly.

Hinata's eyes widened in disbelief.

She had hesitated all night, and now Hanabi had beat her to it!

About thirty seconds later, the two parted, and Hanabi wiped her mouth with her sleeve.

"Don't think I don't know anything. I've seen things, and only married couples do what we just did."

Touji felt a twitch at the corner of his mouth.

It’s hard to guard against the members of the Hyuga clan when they want to see something.

He couldn't blame Hanabi for maturing early.

Touji looked at the still-dark sky outside, preparing to leave immediately.

If he waited until Hinata’s father, Hiashi, woke up, he would definitely try to convince Touji to stay. Given Touji’s kind personality, it would be hard for him to refuse.

Turning to Hinata, Touji said, "Hinata, I’m now considered a rogue ninja, so I can’t stay in Konoha. But you have to believe me—I’ve never betrayed the village!"

Hinata, panicking, grabbed onto Touji, afraid that he would leave at any second.

"I know, I’ve always believed in you, Touji. But... will you come back?" Hinata asked, her eyes filled with hope.

Without hesitation, Touji nodded.

"I’ll definitely come back, and when I do, I’ll make sure you’re proud of me!"

Hearing this, Hinata relaxed as if a weight had been lifted from her. She loosened her grip on Touji.

But as Touji turned to leave, her hands grabbed his clothes again.

Touji looked back and saw that Hinata's face had turned bright red.

"I hope... Touji... can do the same thing to me that Hanabi did," she stammered.

Touji froze for a moment but quickly understood.

Hinata was his fiancée, so kissing her was perfectly normal.

Although Touji had kissed before, those times were forced. This time, doing it voluntarily made his face flush red.

As they kissed, Touji realized something.

It wasn’t just Hanabi who had been using the Byakugan to observe. Hinata had been watching quite a bit too, but she was too shy to express it like Hanabi did.

"You finally showed up! I’ve been waiting forever!" Uchiha Obito called out from a treetop as Touji appeared.

But as Touji got closer, Obito's attention shifted.

"So, that’s why you went to Konoha. Turns out the rumors weren’t false... I should warn Konan about this," Obito said with a smirk.

Touji felt a twitch at the corner of his mouth again and quickly pulled out a mirror to check his face.

There was a bruise at the corner of his mouth, a sign that didn’t need much explanation.

Touji then removed his colored contacts and put on a mask used by the Konoha Anbu.

"Alright, enough joking. Where are we headed next?" Obito asked seriously.

At this point, Obito was preoccupied with matters concerning Uchiha Madara. He wouldn’t feel at ease until those issues were resolved.

Touji rubbed his chin and thought for a moment.

"The Hidden Cloud Village."

"Cloud Village? They’ve got a perfect Jinchuriki and the Raikage A’s strength is immeasurable. Are you sure about this?" Obito asked cautiously.

"Yes," Touji replied with a cold laugh.

The Cloud Village had once kidnapped Hinata, which eventually led to the death of her uncle, Hizashi.

This time, Touji’s mission in Cloud Village was to capture a tailed beast and avenge the Hyuga clan.

"Alright, if you say so. There’s got to be a reason for this. I’m not afraid; I’ve already survived near-death once. What’s there to fear now?"

Touji nodded.

Obito, with his Kamui ability, could likely escape even if he couldn’t defeat the Raikage. And Touji, with his dual Kamui and teleportation techniques, would be hard for even the Raikage to capture.

So, there was nothing to fear.

After about ten days of traveling, Touji and Obito finally reached the Hidden Cloud Village.

The Land of Lightning was nothing like the Land of Fire. It was full of mountains and cliffs, with dark clouds hanging overhead, and thunder rumbling every few seconds.

However, the Cloud Village’s defenses weren’t very tight. Touji scanned the area with his Byakugan and didn’t spot any patrolling Anbu.

Still, he remained cautious, knowing that if they were discovered, it would be much harder to infiltrate the village again.

As they walked down the streets of the Cloud Village for over ten minutes, no one noticed them.

Touji soon realized why.

In the distance, there was a poster for a concert, and the star of the show was none other than Killer Bee. The concert was happening today!

Touji couldn’t help but smirk.

Killer Bee, the Raikage’s brother, though not by blood, had long since become like a real brother after years of fighting together.

With Killer Bee performing, how could the Anbu not go to support him?

Leaving the village practically defenseless was quite the move, and Touji gave them a thumbs-up for it.

But Touji’s target wasn’t the Eight-Tails. Killer Bee was too high-profile, and attacking him would have a low chance of success.

Touji’s goal was the Two-Tails.

With the Anbu distracted, it was the perfect time to search for the Two-Tails.

Activating his Byakugan, Touji expanded his vision, scanning the entire Cloud Village. He saw everything—old and young, even spies from other nations.

But the Byakugan’s range wasn’t infinite, so Touji had to move while continuing his search for the Two-Tails.

After about half an hour, Touji’s face lit up with excitement, but then his expression grew serious.

"I’ve found the Two-Tails, but we’ve also been discovered!" Touji said with a cold snort. "Head toward the Two-Tails and be ready for battle."

"I, Uchiha Obito, have never been afraid of anything!" Obito said with a cold laugh.

Three chapters delivered! Please support in any way you can!

(End of Chapter)

*Chapter 147: Racing Against A (Requesting Subscription!)*

Uchiha Obito and Touji quickly took off running.

At their speed, it was almost impossible for any ordinary ninja to catch up.

But one person could!

A flash of lightning streaked by, and a muscular man appeared in front of them.

Touji couldn't help but frown.

Even though he hadn’t gone all out, being caught so quickly surprised him.

"Touji, don't worry about keeping pace with me. You go ahead; I’ll stop him!"

"So, you're one of those Akatsuki rats, huh? Trying to stop me? You can stay right here!" A smirk played on the man's face as his body surged with lightning.

*[Ding! Ninja 'A' detected! Current favorability: 40 points! Caution!!!]*

*[Favorability at 50 points unlocks: Lightning Release Armor!]*

*[Favorability at 60 points unlocks: Lariat!]*

*[Favorability at 70 points unlocks: Guillotine Drop!]*

*[Favorability at 80 points unlocks: Lightning Oppression Horizontal!]*

*[Favorability at 90 points unlocks: Thunderclap Bomb!]*

*[Favorability at 100 points unlocks: Liger Bomb! Activate muscle stimulation mode! Unlock infinite sign-in (sign-in cooldown: 7 days!)]*

Touji’s brow furrowed.

The Fourth Raikage, A, was a well-known figure in the ninja world.

He had mastered taijutsu to the point of being able to slice through the horn of the Eight-Tails with his bare hands.

Defeating A in a short time would be impossible.

And if too much time passed, more Cloud Village ninjas would arrive, leaving even less chance of victory.

"Raikage A, I've heard you’re very confident in your speed. Care for a race?" Touji taunted.

"A race with me? I see now, you must be that ‘Shadow in an Instant’ who left Konoha. They say you’re faster than me, but I’ll be the judge of that!" A’s face lit up with battle spirit.

Touji smiled slightly and pushed his speed to the limit.

In an instant, the scenery around him blurred, racing past. Fortunately, with the help of his Byakugan, he could control his direction. Without it, an ordinary ninja at such speed would crash into obstacles.

Raikage A's face lit up with excitement as arcs of lightning flickered across his body, and his muscles swelled under the electric stimulus.

Watching the two zoom off, Uchiha Obito began questioning his life choices.

He had never taken Touji’s title, ‘Shadow in an Instant,’ seriously. How fast could anyone really be, after all?

Only now did he realize that Touji had been holding back, practically waiting for him.

Still, Obito quickly came to terms with it.

His specialty was spatial abilities, and his Kamui could evade any attack.

No matter how fast Touji was, he couldn't use Kamui, right?

A few seconds into the race, sweat began to bead on Raikage A's forehead.

He had thought he could catch up in just a few moments, but to his surprise, the distance between them only grew, and soon Touji was nearly out of sight.

"Damn it, is this 'Shadow in an Instant' really only twelve years old? Can anyone even move this fast?"

Raikage A felt unwilling to accept it.

His speed could increase further, but he didn’t dare.

At his current speed, the scenery was rushing by so fast he couldn’t gauge how many meters he covered in a second.

Even though his body wasn’t at its limit yet, his eyes were.

At this speed, dodging obstacles ahead was already a struggle, and if he went any faster, he wouldn’t be able to avoid anything.

This was why Raikage A had always wanted to obtain the Byakugan from Konoha’s Hyūga Clan.

"Screw it! If I can’t catch this brat, I’ll be humiliated!" A shouted furiously, once again stimulating his muscles with lightning.

His speed increased by another 30%.

But by now, the scenery ahead had become a complete blur.

Touji noticed A’s speed rise again and smirked. He lifted his right hand, and a light blue sphere appeared in his palm.

"Kidnapping Hinata? Here’s the price for that!"

Touji let out a cold laugh before turning back to face him.

Raikage A, chasing at full speed, suddenly saw Touji charging right at him.

His heart skipped a beat. At this speed, by the time he noticed anything in his way, it was already too late.

Even worse, Touji was rushing straight at him.

All A could do now was defend himself!

"Rasengan!"

Bang!  

The Rasengan slammed into A’s chest, twisting his face in pain as he was sent flying backward.

If he were an ordinary person, stopping so abruptly would have torn their organs apart, let alone taking a Rasengan to the chest.

Fortunately, A had used lightning to strengthen his muscles, making his body several times tougher.

But even so, A was far from unscathed.

Writhing in pain on the ground, getting back up anytime soon seemed impossible.

"The name ‘Shadow in an Instant’ is well-earned. I can’t match your speed," A gritted through his teeth before spitting up blood, fragments of organs faintly visible.

Touji sneered and raised his hand, arcs of blue lightning dancing between his fingers.

Raikage A frowned.

In his current state, if Touji hit him, he might truly die.

A didn’t fear death, but without him, the next generation of A and B wouldn’t have been fully trained, and the Land of Lightning would be thrown into turmoil.

"Touji, I don’t think our Cloud Village has reached the point where we must fight to the death, has it?"

"True, but you once sent people to kidnap my fiancée. I can’t let that slide!" Touji replied, his Chidori crackling more intensely, arcs of lightning even leaping onto A’s body.

A's expression darkened.

He had done plenty of shady things in his years as Raikage, but he couldn’t recall kidnapping Touji’s fiancée. However, Touji’s tone made it clear he wasn’t lying.

"Wait! I know the Akatsuki’s goal is the Tailed Beasts. I’ll give you the Two-Tails if you let me live!" A pleaded with a forced smile.

Touji paused, contemplating.

Now that he’d been exposed, the Two-Tails would certainly be heavily guarded. Plus, with the beast’s strength, capturing it wasn’t guaranteed.

But if A was willing to make a deal, that was the best possible outcome.

Still, what if A reneged on his promise later?

Just then, a female ninja appeared and blocked Touji.

"I won’t let you harm the Raikage!"

"Get out of here! You’re no match for him!" A shouted in panic.

Touji smirked, pointing at Mabui, "She’ll be our hostage until we hunt down the Two-Tails."

*(End of Chapter)*

*Chapter 148: Brutally Killing the Two-Tails (Please Subscribe!)*

Upon hearing Touji's suggestion, A was immediately excited and desperately tried to get up from the ground.

But A was already severely injured. Just as he attempted to stand, Touji stepped on him, pushing him back down.

“Let me be your hostage, stop going after Mabui!”

Touji chuckled coldly.

Even though A was badly wounded, like the saying goes, “a starved camel is still bigger than a horse.” If A fought with all he had, he still had a chance to counter and kill Touji.

Instead of carrying around such a dangerous "time bomb," it was better to take Mabui.

Though Mabui wasn’t as powerful as A, as his assistant, she held a high position.

The key thing was, she was safer!

“You let Lord Raikage go, and I’ll be your hostage!” Mabui walked up to Touji, looking him in the eyes.

At that moment, Mabui suddenly trembled, her eyes went blank, and she moved like a puppet toward Touji.

She pulled out a kunai and held it under her throat.

Not long after, Uchiha Obito arrived. Seeing Mabui under Touji’s control, he smirked slightly.

“Not bad, you’ve only just arrived in the Hidden Cloud Village, and you’ve already taken control of a girl,” Uchiha Obito said, walking over and sizing up Mabui.

“Not bad, not bad. She’s a bit dark-skinned, but still quite pretty!”

Touji rolled his eyes.

Now that Uchiha Obito had arrived, they could start their plan. Touji turned to the gathered Cloud Village ninjas and shouted, “As long as I can see you, I don’t want to see any Hidden Mist Village ninjas! Otherwise, she dies!”

“Alright, I get it. As long as Mabui is safe, do whatever you need to do!” A responded.

Touji smiled slightly.

For a Kage to say something like that, it was clear how important Mabui was to him.

Led by Mabui, Touji and Uchiha Obito approached a small house.

A female ninja stood outside, a look of despair in her eyes.

“You’re here to kill me, aren’t you?” the ninja sneered as she pulled out a kunai. “But you’ll pay a price!”

Touji laughed it off and reached out with one hand toward the ninja.

“Banshō Ten’in!”

The female ninja was pulled toward Touji, and he grabbed her by the throat.

“The Rinnegan!”

Uchiha Obito shuddered.

He’d seen this move, Banshō Ten’in, used by Pain. It controlled gravity to pull enemies in.

Since Touji had always worn colored contacts, Obito hadn’t realized Touji’s secret until now.

“Touji, I’m becoming more and more curious. Who are you really? But since you’ve helped clear up my issues with Kakashi, whatever you’re planning, I’ll follow you!”

Touji smiled faintly.

With Uchiha Obito’s loyalty at its peak, Touji could fully trust him.

As for the Rinnegan’s abilities, they would eventually be revealed anyway. Might as well practice them now. Besides, it wasn’t easy to expose them; he’d already scanned the area with Byakugan and didn’t find any Hidden Mist Anbu. The Two-Tails’ Jinchuriki was about to die, and Mabui was under a genjutsu. What was there to be afraid of?

At that moment, red chakra flared from the Jinchuriki of the Two-Tails, and two tails extended from behind her.

“Going half-beast mode? Get lost!”

With Touji’s chakra surge, the Two-Tails was sent flying.

Mid-air, space began to distort, and the Two-Tails’ tails were sucked into it.

Uchiha Obito stared in shock at what had just happened.

He repeatedly checked his own chakra but grew more and more alarmed.

There were only a few people present. He hadn’t used Kamui, so the only person who could’ve done that was Touji!

“Touji... who the hell are you?”

“Oh, nothing, just practicing.”

The Two-Tails roared in fury. Though it had lost all rationality, its instincts told it Touji was extremely dangerous!

The beast continued to grow, eventually becoming the size of a small mountain—a large blue and black cat.

“The true form of the Two-Tails, huh? Do you need help?” asked Uchiha Obito.

“No need, let me try again!” Touji snorted coldly as his chakra flared up once more, a freezing cold spreading across the valley.

The Two-Tails slowly started freezing from its feet upward, and soon, its entire body was encased in ice.

It stood frozen in place, like a statue.

Uchiha Obito trembled.

He’d seen Ice Release techniques in the Land of Water, but freezing a tailed beast completely required an enormous amount of chakra.

The power Touji had just displayed was enough to freeze the entire coastline of the Hidden Mist Village.

Obito never expected Touji to have such a vast chakra reserve.

However, after freezing the Two-Tails, Touji wasn’t in the best shape either.

His chakra was nearly depleted.

But it had been worth it. Now he knew his limits.

“It’s not enough... with this much chakra, I’d just be cannon fodder against Uchiha Madara!”

At that moment, the Two-Tails began shrinking, reverting to its human form—the female ninja—who collapsed to the ground.

Touji drew the Thunder Blade and walked over to her, stabbing down.

Ding! “You’ve successfully killed Yugito Nii! You may select one technique or item from her.”

“Extract the Two-Tails!”

Ding! “Extraction of the Two-Tails successful! Absorbing now!”

Ding! “As the extracted item has a consciousness, the system is removing it now!”

Touji felt a surge of chakra flood into his body.

The chakra he had nearly depleted was instantly replenished, and his pale face regained its color.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Obito approached the fallen Jinchuriki, pulling out a scroll and beginning to seal the Two-Tails’ chakra.

Just then, a figure suddenly appeared, grabbed Mabui, and fled.

“Yo! You think you can cause trouble in the Hidden Cloud Village? You’re not getting out of here today!” Killer Bee shouted in his usual rapping tone.

In no time, countless ninjas appeared, surrounding Touji and Obito.

The Fourth Raikage, A, was among them, though he looked much better than before, no longer needing support.

“Touji, Shadow of the Blink! You tricked me earlier and injured me. Now, you’ll pay the price!”

Touji frowned.

Uchiha Obito was at a critical point in sealing the Two-Tails, and though Touji had gained the Two-Tails’ chakra, it was still stabilizing inside him. He couldn’t yet unleash his full power.

Suddenly, both Killer Bee and A disappeared, reappearing right in front of Touji.

“Die!”

“Where did you get the nerve?”

(End of Chapter)

---

Chapter 149: Planetary Devastation (Please Subscribe!)

Ai and Killer Bee both charged forward from either side.

Killer Bee wielded several swords, balancing them between various parts of his body as he spun toward Touji like a human top.

Although Ai had no weapon, his fists were his deadliest tool. His entire body radiated with lightning, making it impossible to tell that he had been seriously injured moments ago.

Touji frowned, quickly pulling out the Thunder Blade. With one hand, he blocked Killer Bee's attack, and with the other, he deflected Ai's punch.

"What precise swordsmanship!"

Though Killer Bee's words often seemed careless, his sword techniques were honed through countless battles, each strike lethal. But Touji blocked them effortlessly.

"What immense strength!"

Ai's whole body trembled. Though injured and not at full power, Touji's ability to block with one hand proved his incredible strength. Blocking both attacks from the left and right simultaneously felt suspicious to Ai.

"I was wondering how you could keep up with such speed. Now I understand—you have the Byakugan, don't you?" Ai's eyes burned with intensity.

Ai's current speed wasn't even his limit. The main factor holding him back was his eyes, which couldn't keep up. And the most powerful eyes for tracking movements were the Byakugan.

He recalled Touji's earlier words. Touji's age was similar to a certain someone from the past.

"Since you took the Two-Tails, how about trading the Byakugan in return? That sounds like a fair deal, doesn't it?" Ai's body surged with lightning again.

Though Ai's strength didn't surpass Touji's, his true power lay in his unique combination of ninjutsu and taijutsu, elevating his combat ability.

With Killer Bee assisting him, Ai was confident they could take down Touji.

"The Byakugan? I don't have such a thing," Touji scoffed coldly.

Just then, Mabui regained consciousness and shouted at Ai, "Lord Raikage, run! He doesn't have the Byakugan; it's the Rinnegan!"

"The Rinnegan?" Ai froze, but quickly caught on. Even though he now understood, Ai felt reluctant to retreat. Exchanging a glance with Killer Bee, they launched another attack on Touji together.

Touji was using both hands to defend and appeared unable to counterattack.

"Die! No matter what kind of eyes you have, you're not leaving here!"

Touji smirked. At that moment, the chakra inside him fully fused, growing more intense.

"Shinra Tensei!"

Just as Ai's fist and Killer Bee's blades were about to connect with Touji's head, a powerful force repelled both of them. They were sent flying.

"What power! Is this the Rinnegan?"

Ai's barely-healed wounds opened up again as he lay on the ground, coughing up blood. His eyes were filled with both fear and frustration as he looked at Touji.

The push had been immense, but Ai sensed that, if he were at full strength, he could have broken through it. But in battle, "ifs" didn't matter.

"Killer Bee! Stop this kid at all costs!" Ai commanded.

Killer Bee nodded slightly. Suddenly, one of his tails extended toward Touji, followed by seven more, attacking from all directions.

"There's no way he can dodge that—he's finished!"

Killer Bee was overjoyed, not expecting it to be so easy, but then he heard a voice in his mind.

"Bee, something's wrong. I don’t think we hit anything."

Frowning, Killer Bee slowly retracted his tails, only to see Touji standing in the same spot, unharmed—not even a tear in his clothes.

"How is this possible? A clone technique?"

"A clone? You're underestimating me!"

Touji sneered and reached out with one hand toward the Eight-Tails, which began to rise into the air.

"What kind of jutsu is this? He’s lifting the entire Eight-Tails!"

"Is this... a god?"

"Damn it! Why does someone this powerful exist in the world?"

Ai wanted to get up and help Killer Bee, but his injuries had worsened to the point where he couldn’t even move.

As the Eight-Tails was lifted, the surrounding rocks began to float and quickly gathered toward it. It was like the Eight-Tails had turned into a giant magnet, attracting all the nearby debris. Even the ninjas rushing to help were pulled in.

"So this is the power of the Rinnegan. Maybe he really can defeat Madara Uchiha!" Uchiha Obito clenched his fists, hope gleaming in his eyes.

However, Touji wasn’t feeling so great.

He had initially planned to capture the Eight-Tails, but this was his first time using the Rinnegan. While he had quickly learned Shinra Tensei and Bansho Ten’in (Universal Pull) from watching Naruto, Planetary Devastation was on a whole different level.

It not only required immense chakra but also an extraordinary amount of control. While Touji had enough chakra, he still lacked control, and the impressive Planetary Devastation he had created was on the verge of collapse.

"Damn, the rewards from the sign-in are so much better; they come with all the experience," Touji thought as he struggled to maintain the technique.

Just as Touji was nearing his limit, Mabui approached him with a determined expression.

"Please, let them go. Don’t you like women? If you release them, I’ll go with you!"

Touji almost spat out blood.

"What do you mean, 'don’t you like women'? I’m only twelve!"

While Touji internally groaned, he couldn’t speak, as he was focusing on controlling Planetary Devastation.

Seeing this, Mabui took out a scroll and bit her finger, shouting at Touji, "If you release Killer Bee and Ai, I, Mabui, will follow you forever without any doubts!"

The scroll glowed, and a character floated toward Mabui's forehead, then disappeared. Another character drifted toward Touji's hand.

"This is a contract. Once it's signed, it can’t be broken," Uchiha Obito sneered.

"A mere woman can’t compare to the Eight-Tails. The chakra it holds could greatly enhance one’s power."

Obito was confident Touji would choose the Eight-Tails.

"Give up—you're overestimating your worth!"

Hearing Obito's words, Mabui's eyes dimmed, and she pulled out a kunai, ready to make her final stand against Touji.

But just then, the Planetary Devastation began to unravel.

Three chapters delivered! Please support!

(End of Chapter)

*Chapter 150: Akatsuki Meeting (Please Subscribe!)*

Uchiha Obito stared blankly at Touji.

He originally thought Touji would make the right choice between the Eight-Tails and the woman, but he never expected Touji to be so direct.

However, thinking about it now, Obito understood.

Why Touji had so many girlfriends, while he was still single.

"Touji-kun... do you feel good about betraying that little girl from Konoha?"

Touji’s face twitched.

He didn’t want this either, but the Chibaku Tensei just happened to collapse at that moment.

And judging by Obito’s tone, was he questioning whether Touji didn’t know how to prioritize, thinking all he cared about was picking up girls?

“I didn’t do it on purpose. Do you believe me?”

“I… believe you!”

Ding dong! Mabui’s affection has increased by 100 points! Her affection is now at 140 points!

Ding dong! Due to external forces, the host has directly obtained all of Mabui’s ninja tools!

In an instant, countless memories of Mabui’s jutsu rushed into Touji’s mind.

Touji stuck his hands into his pockets and even felt a few soft pieces of cloth.

This wasn’t the first time Touji had experienced something like this, and since he was wearing a mask, no one could see the nervousness in his heart.

"Very well, since you saved me, I’m yours now!" Mabui said, her face blushing.

Uchiha Obito’s face twitched. He quickly grabbed Touji’s collar and excitedly asked, “You sealed the deal that fast? Please, teach me how to do that!”

Touji shook his head and smiled helplessly, "That’s not something you can just teach..."

At this point, Killer Bee and A had climbed up from the ground, their eyes filled with fear as they looked at Touji.

The jutsu from earlier was just too terrifying.

Even with the Eight-Tails' massive size and incredible chakra, it was still sucked in.

And the jutsu was only halfway completed. If it had been fully unleashed, it would have been impossible for anyone inside to escape.

"You're strong, Shadow of a Moment, but why are you targeting us?" A said, clutching his wound, his eyes fixed on Touji with a serious expression.

A had easily handled the other Kages.

But when facing Touji, a twelve-year-old boy, he had to tread carefully.

“I already told you, you bullied my fiancée, so I must get revenge!” Touji snorted coldly.

“This has nothing to do with Mabui. Please, let her go. If you have a problem, come at me!”

A never expected that once-weak Konoha Village would produce such a powerful warrior.

As long as Touji was around, Konoha would only grow stronger.

This meant A needed to change his policies and form a good relationship with Konoha.

Before Touji could respond, Mabui stepped forward.

“Lord Raikage, there’s no need to say more. I belong to Touji now!” Mabui said, her face turning red again.

“Bui, what are you talking about? No matter what happens, I won’t let you fall into another man’s hands!” A shouted, reaching out to grab Mabui.

Seeing this, Mabui quickly stepped back, a look of disgust crossing her face.

“Lord Raikage, please control yourself. I’m Touji-kun’s woman now!”

“Touji-kun’s… woman?”

A’s face turned green as sparks flew from his eyes, glaring daggers at Touji.

If A wasn’t Raikage at that moment, he would’ve rushed at Touji with everything he had.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Obito tightly gripped Touji. Back when he was younger, no matter how much he tried to win Rin’s favor, she only had eyes for Kakashi.

So whatever Touji was doing, Obito had to learn it!

“Touji-bro, I’m begging you, please teach me that move!”

Touji coughed repeatedly.

It seemed like explaining was pointless.

“Mabui, you should stay in the Hidden Cloud Village. Work things out with A. Don’t cause any unnecessary conflict…”

“I don’t mind staying in the village, but interacting with other men is out of the question!”

A’s face turned green again as he glared fiercely at Touji.

Touji started coughing again, quickly using his teleportation technique to disappear from the scene.

On the way out of the Hidden Mist Village, Uchiha Obito became a chatterbox again, circling around Touji and bombarding him with questions about his “secret technique.”

Touji, however, was so annoyed his head was pounding.

Just then, Touji felt his ring begin to tremble, the gem on it glowing red.

Uchiha Obito also quieted down, looking at Touji with a serious expression.

“That’s Pain summoning us. Touch the gem on the ring, and we’ll enter the space.”

Touji did as Obito instructed and tapped the gem.

Suddenly, everything went dark, and then he found himself in another dimension.

When Touji opened his eyes again, several ninjas stood before him.

As Touji entered, everyone turned to look at him curiously.

“Oh? A new member?”

“Yeah, this is my partner, Touji-kun, Shadow of a Moment,” Obito said.

Hearing Obito speak, everyone couldn’t help but smirk.

“Even you, Tobi, became a full member?”

“Akatsuki’s really going downhill!”

Laughter erupted throughout the Akatsuki, while Uchiha Itachi silently stared at Touji.

“Itachi-san, is this guy really that strong?” Kisame chuckled dismissively.

Itachi’s gaze only grew more intense.

“We’ve met before—back in Konoha, that kid.”

Kisame was stunned, turning to look at Touji in disbelief.

At that moment, Pain appeared before the group. When he saw Touji, he frowned and let out a cold humph.

“I’ve called you all here for two reasons. First, to introduce the newcomer, Touji, the Shadow of a Moment. His strength has been confirmed to be near Kage-level.”

At that, no one dared laugh anymore.

It was hard to believe a twelve-year-old could possess near-Kage-level power.

After all, even in Akatsuki, only a few had reached that level.

“The second reason,” Pain continued, “is to start the Tailed Beast capture plan—”

Before he could finish, Uchiha Obito stepped forward.

“We’ve already captured two Tailed Beasts.”

“What! Two Tailed Beasts? Which ones?” Pain asked in disbelief.

Capturing a Tailed Beast required gathering intel and finding the Jinchuriki’s weaknesses before defeating and capturing them.

Yet in just half a month, Obito and Touji had caught two.

“The Three-Tails and the Two-Tails,” Obito said with a smile.

They had planned this out long ago.

They intended to use Pain as a shield to block Madara’s pressure while they stayed behind the scenes, reaping the benefits.

“Excellent! I knew I could count on you two!”

(End of the chapter)

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