61-65

*Chapter 61: Akatsuki’s First Collective Meeting*

Black Zetsu handed over a scroll. “This is your last mission for this quarter. Once you complete it, you can relax for a while.”

Aizen took the scroll, paused for a moment, then smiled with interest. He murmured, “Short Book Street, huh. Now that could be interesting.”

He clearly remembered from the original story that Tsunade used to gamble there daily, eventually racking up a mountain of debt and earning the title “The Legendary Sucker.”

He might just run into her. Though whether she'd recognize him or not was uncertain.

Probably not.

Even though he’d wiped out the Sarutobi and Shimura clans, becoming well-known throughout Konoha, Tsunade, after developing her fear of blood, hadn’t followed any news from Konoha for a long time.

She didn’t even know about the Third Hokage’s death until Naruto and Jiraiya told her.

At most, her assistant, Shizune, might know something.

At that moment, Aizen’s ring suddenly emitted a pulling force.

Black Zetsu commented from the side, “Looks like there’s going to be another meeting.”

“Alright, let’s go. Let’s find a safe place.” Leaving those words, Aizen retrieved a conical hat from his system storage and disappeared. Black Zetsu followed closely, merging into the ground with his giant Venus flytrap.

Before long, the two arrived at the mist-covered peak of a valley.

Aizen quickly formed a hand sign with his right hand. With a “poof,” four shadow clones appeared around him. Only then did he let his consciousness enter the dark space.

“What a cautious guy.”

Black Zetsu followed closely, observing the shadow clones fiercely guarding Aizen. He silently mocked but then allowed his consciousness to enter the dark space via his ring.

In a spacious cave, everything was pitch-black except for a single Zen lantern in the center, casting a faint glow.

One by one, shadowy figures appeared, surrounding the lantern.

“How are you settling in, Itachi? Interested in switching partners? You could team up with me,” Orochimaru eagerly suggested, trying to recruit Itachi into forming a two-man team.

Itachi showed no reaction, only casting a brief glance at Orochimaru without replying.

But Itachi’s current partner, Juzo Biwa, who was about to achieve the feat of cutting through a Tailed Beast Bomb with his sword, was not pleased and immediately shot back at Orochimaru.

Soon, Sasori, who had long disliked Orochimaru, joined the argument.

The bickering continued until Aizen’s arrival, which brought it to an end. “What’s all the fuss about?” he asked.

Black Zetsu chimed in, “Oh, just the usual team changes. Orochimaru and Sasori can’t stand each other. Orochimaru wants to poach Juzo and form a team with Itachi.”

Aizen suddenly understood. “If Orochimaru doesn’t want to team up with Sasori, why don’t we switch? I’ll pair up with Sasori, and you can team with Zetsu.”

“Heh. It seems like Aizen-kun isn’t too fond of Zetsu,” Orochimaru said with a sinister smile, not agreeing to the switch right away.

Orochimaru wasn’t genuinely interested in working with Uchiha Itachi; he was merely intrigued by the latter’s body. So naturally, he wasn’t going to accept Aizen’s offer.

“Of course I don’t like him. Zetsu’s useless at most things and always tattles. I’m worried one day I’ll lose my temper and chop him up,” Aizen said with a shrug, glancing disdainfully at Zetsu. “Compared to him, I’d rather work with a reliable guy like Sasori. At least he gets things done.”

“Heh, seems we’re not very popular,” White Zetsu said nonchalantly.

“Shut up,” Black Zetsu snapped.

At that moment, the consciousness projections of Pain, Konan, and Kakuzu appeared one after another. Pain remarked, “It seems many of you aren’t happy with your current partners.”

“Of course! Other than the obedient ones like Hidan and Juzo, the rest of the teams are full of conflict. We definitely need a reshuffle. Actually, things have already gone wrong,” Aizen remarked, glancing pointedly at Kakuzu, whose partner was noticeably absent. Not surprising, since Kakuzu had already killed him ahead of schedule, taking his heart.

Under Aizen’s gaze, Kakuzu clicked his tongue in annoyance and looked away.

Normally, he would snap back at anyone who gave him attitude, even someone like Orochimaru. But facing Aizen, who had destroyed four of his hearts, he kept quiet.

Pain squinted slightly. “Yes, Hidan has been killed.”

Black Zetsu sneered, “Rather than killed, it’s more like he was betrayed.”

“He was being too much of a nag,” Kakuzu growled, glaring at Black Zetsu. In the Akatsuki, aside from Pain and Aizen, Kakuzu didn’t show respect to anyone else.

“The details are up to you to judge,” Black Zetsu said, projecting the final moments of Hidan’s life.

His death was similar to the original story—killed in battle, but this time by Kakuzu, who didn’t bother with finesse. Instead of using Fire Style to finish him off, Kakuzu had impaled both Hidan and their enemy from behind with an Earth Spear, taking their hearts.

It was unmistakably murder.

Even hardened killers like Sasori and Orochimaru couldn’t help but feel a bit of pity.

“Deliberate,” Sasori remarked.

Orochimaru shrugged. “Definitely intentional.”

Hearing this, Kakuzu regained his defiance, his glowing green eyes glaring at Orochimaru. “He could’ve dodged.”

Orochimaru crossed his arms, unfazed. “You didn’t like him, did you?”

“So what?” Kakuzu’s tone grew colder.

“You’ve wanted to kill him for a while, haven’t you?” Orochimaru pressed on.

“So what?” Kakuzu snapped, his patience wearing thin, his eyes filled with killing intent.

Before things could escalate further, Pain intervened. “Enough. That’s the end of it. Finish your current missions. Kakuzu will operate solo for now. In a month, I’ll rearrange the teams.”

“Now for the second matter.”

“Thanks to your efforts, Akatsuki’s name is spreading throughout the underworld. We’re receiving more and bigger contracts, and the payments are growing accordingly. But this is merely a means to gather funds. Akatsuki is about to enter its next phase.”

At this, the atmosphere grew serious. The members knew something significant was coming.

Aizen thought to himself, So, it’s finally starting.

“The next phase is to collect all the Tailed Beasts. Most of them are known to be within the Five Great Nations, but a few are still unaccounted for. Going forward, part of your mission will be to gather intelligence on them.”

Pain looked toward Zetsu, who nodded and began to list the known locations:

“One-Tail is in the Hidden Sand Village.

“Two-Tails and Eight-Tails are in the Hidden Cloud Village.

“Three-Tails is in the Hidden Mist Village.

“Four-Tails, Six-Tails, and Seven-Tails are currently unconfirmed.

“Five-Tails is in the Hidden Stone Village.

“And Nine-Tails is in Konoha.”

“These are the known locations, but where exactly they are being kept and who the jinchuriki are still needs to be investigated.”

*Chapter 62: The Legendary Fat Sheep*

Pain took over the conversation and directed his Rinnegan gaze towards Zabuza. “Next, I will assign tasks. Zabuza, Itachi, you two will continue with the mission in the Land of Water.”

However, before he could finish, Zabuza started complaining. “Isn't there anywhere else we can go?”

“Relax, it's not time to capture it yet. All you need to do is gather intel on the Three-Tails. Besides, you’re familiar with that place, aren’t you?”

Pain didn’t give Zabuza a chance to refuse, and ended the meeting right after.

“It seems like we’ll lose another member soon,” Aizen said, opening his eyes.

“What do you mean?” Black Zetsu asked, looking at Aizen with confusion. Could he have discovered something?

“It’s simple. As far as I know, the Jinchuriki of the Three-Tails is the Fourth Mizukage from the Hidden Mist Village. He’s a perfect Jinchuriki, able to control his Tailed Beast transformation at will. With Zabuza’s strength, this mission is practically a death sentence. I’d bet this is all part of Tobi’s plan—to push Itachi to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan in his left eye and at the same time get rid of weaker members in the Akatsuki.”

Aizen said with a deeper meaning.

“You really don’t miss a thing, do you?” Black Zetsu looked at Aizen in surprise, then added, “So, what are you planning to do?”

After thinking for a moment, Aizen said, “I have a good impression of Zabuza, so I want to spare his life. Of course, I’ll make sure he steps down from his position in the Akatsuki and becomes an ordinary elite jonin in the Hidden Rain Village. It won’t affect your plans.”

He had his reasons for doing this.

First, Zabuza had shown great loyalty by risking his life to protect his comrades during a previous mission, which spoke well of his character.

Someone like that, once treated as an ally, would be unlikely to betray.

Second, Aizen knew that the Akatsuki would eventually fall. In the future, when gods fought in the battles ahead, someone would need to stay behind to protect the wives back in the Hidden Rain Village.

Zabuza would be a good choice for that role.

Although his strength was considered among the weakest in the Akatsuki, he was still an exceptional elite jonin.

That would be more than enough to fend off minor threats.

“I never would have thought that someone like you, who wiped out both the Sarutobi and Shimura clans, would show compassion one day. I’ll need to consult Tobi first,” Black Zetsu said, not giving a direct answer.

“Fine, I’ll be waiting for your good news. Don’t take too long, though; I don’t want to have made this trip for nothing. I’ll be heading to Tanzaku Town to complete my final task,” Aizen said as he dispelled the shadow clones that had been guarding him and disappeared from Black Zetsu’s sight.

A while later, Black Zetsu found Tobi.

“Spare Zabuza’s life?” Tobi looked at Black Zetsu in surprise. “What exactly did he say?”

“He said he had a good impression of Zabuza and wanted to save him without disrupting your plans. Afterward, Zabuza will voluntarily step down from his position as an official member of the Akatsuki and become an elite jonin in the Hidden Rain Village,” Black Zetsu recounted Aizen’s words.

“That guy always acts so unpredictably.” Tobi crossed his arms, looking troubled.

“What do you plan to do, Tobi?” White Zetsu asked.

“Since he knows everything, let’s give him some face. Meanwhile, use the opportunity to gather information on him. A Jinchuriki who can perfectly control the Three-Tails is no easy target. I want to see how he plans to save Zabuza without disrupting my plans,” Tobi said.

On the other side, Aizen had already arrived in Tanzaku Town.

The streets were bustling with activity, full of people and noise.

Aizen’s task was to assassinate a prince from the Land of Fire who had come to the town for leisure.

This prince wasn’t even important enough to be a side character in the original story, having never appeared on screen.

Like Tsunade, he had a bad gambling habit.

However, he was also a strong contender for the position of Daimyo of the Land of Fire.

In short, it was a royal struggle for power.

His rivals had hired the Akatsuki through the black market to eliminate him.

According to Black Zetsu’s intel, the prince wouldn’t arrive until the next day.

So, Aizen was happy to enjoy a rare moment of leisure.

With nothing else to do, he took off his headband and the Akatsuki cloak with the red clouds, changing into some casual clothes and went shopping.

He first found a place to stay, then bought several sets of clothes and cosmetics for Uchiha Izumi and Uchiha Mikoto. Afterward, he stocked up on food and supplies for future use.

By evening, just as Aizen was about to head back to the inn to rest, something unexpected caught his attention.

At the end of the road, a voluptuous woman with an enormous chest came running toward him.

As she got closer, Aizen could finally see her clearly.

She had long, light yellow hair tied into two pigtails, a blue-purple diamond-shaped mark on her forehead, thin light yellow eyebrows, bright brown eyes, and light red lips.

She wore a tea-green long coat with black edges, a sleeveless kimono-like top underneath, tied with a black sash at the waist, and dark blue pants that ended just below her knees.

But what really stood out was her massive chest—so big it was practically a weapon of mass destruction.

There was no need to ask who she was. Aizen instantly knew her identity—Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin, granddaughter of the First Hokage, and future Fifth Hokage.

The “Legendary Fat Sheep.”

At the same time, Tsunade noticed Aizen.

Seeing his handsome face and noticing that he was staring at her chest like Jiraiya would, she frowned. Then, seeing his expensive clothing, she figured he was some rich playboy. A mischievous smile crept onto her lips.

As she got close to him, she suddenly acted weak and hid behind Aizen, softly saying, “Little brother, please help me. Someone is chasing me.”

As soon as Tsunade finished speaking, a group of burly men rushed over. “Hey, fat sheep! Pay us back! Don’t think you can escape just because you found a pretty boy to hide behind!”

Feeling the soft sensation from behind him, Aizen played along. He turned to Tsunade and asked, “Did you owe them a lot of money?”

Tsunade immediately made up a bunch of excuses about how her family was sick, and she had no choice but to take out a huge loan.

The debt collectors were dumbfounded by her story. They almost thought she was some saintly daughter.

Listening to her ridiculous lies, Aizen’s mouth twitched as he thought, This woman is trying to scam me.

At that moment, he suddenly heard a familiar system voice in his mind:

*[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have triggered a system choice.]*

*[1. Pay off Tsunade’s debt and receive Wind Style chakra and its nature transformation.]*

*[2. Ignore the situation, lose a potential 'good' wife, and receive 99,999 Viagra pills.]*

Chapter 63: Mutual Calculations

PS: I’ve made some adjustments to the choices in the previous chapter.

*[Please choose]*

"???"

"???"

"???"

Qianye: “...”

Is it really that easy?

Just paying back Tsunade’s debt can complete the missing wind-nature chakra? Isn’t this a bit too easy?

But whatever.

As long as money can solve the problem, then it’s not really a problem.

After all, I still have a few billion I stole from the Sarutobi family.

Having made up his mind, Aizen thumped his chest and said to the debt collectors, “How much does she owe you? I’ll pay it.”

“Twenty million.” The leader of the debt collectors held up two fingers.

“Haha. Twenty million. Twenty million.”

Upon hearing this, Aizen burst into laughter, walking past Tsunade and heading away.

Just when everyone thought he was going to slink away in defeat,

Aizen suddenly turned around, pointing his index finger forward as a bright cross-shaped light gleamed between his fingers. In a cocky tone, he said, “Alright, I’ll pay it for her.”

The leader’s eyes widened, and he shouted in surprise, “Hey, hey! Twenty million isn’t a small amount. Are you seriously going to pay her debt?”

Tsunade also looked at Aizen in disbelief, as if he were a fool, thinking to herself, Is this kid really that easy to trick?

“Enough talk, bring the IOU over here,” Aizen waved impatiently.

The leader of the group, seeing the number of people around and not worrying about Aizen backing out, took out a box and handed it to him.

Without even looking at it, Aizen tossed the box to Tsunade, saying, “Hey, filial daughter, check if these are your bills and if the amount is right.”

“Filial daughter?” Tsunade’s mouth twitched as she checked the box. Seeing the familiar bills with her signature on each, her face flushed with embarrassment, and she nodded.

“My luggage is at the inn. If you want the money, come with me,” Aizen said before heading toward the inn.

His money was stored in the system’s inventory, so he couldn’t take it out in front of everyone. Otherwise, with Tsunade’s sharp eyes, she might catch on.

Seeing that Aizen seemed serious about paying, the leader, feeling confident because of his numbers, followed cautiously.

Tsunade, holding the box of bills, was left baffled, clicking her tongue, “Is this kid crazy, or is he just burning money? He’s really going to pay my debt.”

Muttering this, she followed along.

Not long after they entered the inn, a short-haired woman with a pure appearance came chasing after them, carrying a pet pig.

Seeing Aizen and Tsunade entering the tavern, she stopped abruptly and muttered, “Ah, is that Lady Tsunade and...?”

Once inside the inn, Aizen went to his room and took a money box from his system’s inventory, tossing it in front of the debt collectors. Crossing his arms, he said arrogantly, “The money’s here. Count it yourself and return whatever’s extra.”

The leader of the group carefully opened the box. Upon seeing it filled with real money, his eyes lit up, and he quickly ordered his men to count.

Soon, they had counted out the twenty million, returned the remaining money, and left happily.

They had no choice but to behave since Tsunade had shown up.

“Hey, did you really pay my debt?” Tsunade looked at Aizen in shock, though a flicker of joy crossed her eyes. Where did this fool come from? He actually paid off my gambling debt from all these years.

*[Ding! Congratulations, host, for acquiring perfect wind-nature chakra and its nature transformation.]*

“Yeah, is there a problem?”

Seeing Tsunade’s reaction, Aizen knew exactly what she was thinking and put on an innocent expression, like someone completely unscathed by the harshness of society.

His expression was so pure that Tsunade felt embarrassed to scam him again.

“Just so you know, I don’t have money to pay you back,” Tsunade tried to hint to Aizen that he had been swindled.

After all, the reason she had targeted him was that he had given her a pervy look earlier, making her assume he was a spoiled rich kid. With a mischievous mindset, she wanted to mess with him.

But now, it seemed she might have been wrong.

However, what she didn’t realize was that the real hunter often appears as the prey.

“With someone like you, a gambler, I never expected you to pay me back. Besides, I don’t need the money. And, by the way, your acting was way too obvious,” Aizen shrugged.

At that moment, a maid brought over a tray of food and drinks.

Aizen motioned for the maid to bring it into the room, then said to Tsunade, “Hey, filial daughter, interested in sharing a drink?”

He planned to see if he could squeeze any more benefits out of her.

“What’s with the ‘filial daughter’? I have a name, you know,” Tsunade sighed in exasperation. Despite her words, she followed him into the room, sitting down out of curiosity, and asked, “Since you knew I was tricking you, why’d you still pay my debt?”

“I know a little about the inner workings of casinos. If you didn’t pay up and got caught, you’d face a fate worse than death. For a beauty like you to end up like that would be a real shame,” Aizen casually explained, pouring her a drink.

Of course, he wasn’t about to say it was because of a system mission.

“You’re quite the soft-hearted one, aren’t you?” Tsunade chuckled, her expression playful.

No woman dislikes being told they’re beautiful, and Tsunade was no exception. She was a medical ninja, so she knew the drink was safe. She raised her glass and downed it in one gulp.

Aizen smiled and also drank his glass in one go.

However, he had forgotten that this body had never drunk alcohol before. A moment later, his throat felt like it was on fire, and he coughed violently, almost choking.

“Haha! Kid, this must be your first time drinking! You’re still too young for this. You should wait until you’re at least twenty,” Tsunade laughed heartily, pouring herself another glass and downing it, praising the drink, “This is pretty good.”

“This is no big deal. Everyone has a first time,” Aizen said, drinking another glass. This time, it went down much easier.

Activating his internal technique, he quickly dispersed the alcohol.

Tsunade, being a medical ninja but not a sensor-type, didn’t notice anything strange. Even if she were a sensor, she wouldn’t have sensed the technique’s activation.

Seeing that Aizen drank without any trouble afterward, she couldn’t help but be a little impressed. She chuckled and said, “Kid, you’re adapting faster than I expected. So, what’s your name anyway? Let me hear it.”

*Chapter 64: We Still Don’t Know What Happened That Night*

"Isn't it polite to introduce yourself before asking someone else's name?" Aizen pretended not to recognize the person in front of him. "Besides, you look like you're in your twenties at most. You don't seem much older than me."

Tsunade hadn't expected this response from Aizen , and her face turned slightly red. There was no way she could explain to him that her youthful appearance was due to the effects of her secret Byakugō technique.

She definitely wasn't about to admit that she was over forty years old.

After a brief hesitation, Tsunade answered seriously, "My name is Tsunade."

"Tsunade?" Aizen feigned confusion. "That name sounds familiar, like I've heard it somewhere before."

"There are plenty of people in the world with the same name. You don’t need to think too much about it," Tsunade replied, not wanting to reveal her identity and make things awkward.

"I remember now! Isn't one of the legendary Sannin, the only female, also named Tsunade? You wouldn't happen to be her, would you?" Aizen looked at her with exaggerated "anticipation."

"How could that be!" Tsunade quickly denied it.

But before she could finish, Aizen spoke again, "You're right. I heard that Lady Tsunade is nearly fifty years old by now. You're so young and beautiful, there’s no way you could be that old lady."

The moment the words "old lady" left his mouth, there was a loud crack, and the wine glass in Tsunade’s hand shattered.

"What’s wrong?" Aizen asked innocently.

"Nothing, nothing at all..." Tsunade's face darkened as she silently reminded herself to stay calm and not to lose her temper.

After a few rounds of drinking and sampling the dishes...

Before long, most of the wine on the table had been consumed. Tsunade’s face was flushed with a hint of drunkenness, while Aizen , having secretly neutralized the alcohol, remained completely sober.

"Hey, kid. After drinking so much, how come you’re not even a little tipsy?" Tsunade slurred, clearly inebriated.

"I’m from the north. We drink from bowls up there. A few ounces of alcohol like this is nothing. I could finish a whole barrel without a problem." Aizen casually came up with an excuse.

Tsunade looked at him with mild amusement. "You're full of it, kid. You were choking on your drink earlier, so don’t try to pretend."

As soon as Tsunade finished speaking, the door opened, and a pure-looking young woman holding a pet pig walked in—it was Shizune.

"Lady Tsunade, you've had enough to drink today. We should head back," Shizune gently reminded her, while subtly glancing at Aizen . She had the strange feeling that she had seen him somewhere before.

"Oh, it’s Shizune. You go back first. I'm finally free from all my debts, so I’m going to drink a bit more." Tsunade downed another cup, then raised her thumb and pointed to herself challengingly. "So, kid, do you dare to drink with me?"

Just then, a familiar voice echoed in Aizen 's mind.

[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You’ve triggered a system selection.]

[1. Challenge Tsunade to a drinking contest. Accept punishment if you lose. Reward: Observation Haki.]

[2. Challenge Tsunade to a drinking contest. Lose intentionally in front of Shizune. Reward: Armament Haki.]

[3. Refuse the contest. Be less than a beast. Reward: 99,999 Viagra pills.]

"What’s there to be afraid of?" Hearing the system’s prompt, Aizen smiled and ordered more wine from the innkeeper, paying no attention to Shizune’s curious look.

Tsunade and Aizen began drinking together.

Seeing that the two were enjoying themselves and that Aizen didn’t seem to be a bad person, combined with her trust in Tsunade's strength, Shizune tried to persuade them once more. However, when Tsunade refused, she had no choice but to leave the room reluctantly, though she didn’t go far. Instead, she waited outside the inn.

Her duty was to protect Lady Tsunade at all costs, ensuring she was never harmed.

---

Thousands of words are omitted here.

---

The next morning, just before dawn, Aizen shakily got out of bed, looking back at the still-sleeping Tsunade with a twitching smile.

[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You have received Observation Haki.]

The system’s notification provided him with a small sense of relief. He hadn’t expected the blackout-drunk Tsunade to be so overwhelming.

If it weren't for his training in the Heavenly Gang Technique, which had nourished his body with natural energy over the years, he would’ve been completely destroyed.

Taking one last long look at Tsunade, Aizen donned his Akatsuki cloak, left behind a box of money and a note, and disappeared from the room.

He didn't leave any gold, fearing that without knowing its true value, Tsunade might just exchange it for cash.

Better to slip away now—if he stayed, things could get ugly once the “tiger lady” woke up.

After all, in the original story, Jiraiya had only been caught peeping at her bath and ended up with several broken ribs and a near-death beating.

He definitely didn’t want to fight Tsunade!

"Ahhh!"

But not long after he left, a loud scream echoed throughout the entire inn.

Shizune, who had been dozing off outside, instantly bolted toward the source of the familiar voice, clutching her pet pig tightly.

What greeted her was a shocking sight.

The room was a complete mess. Empty bottles covered the table, and clothes were scattered all over the floor—some belonging to Lady Tsunade, and others to the young stranger she had seen the night before.

As for the young man himself, he had already vanished, leaving only a box of money behind.

Tsunade herself was huddled in the corner, wrapped in a blanket, trembling.

There was no time for Shizune to process what had happened. She hurriedly helped Tsunade with the blankets, which seemed to bring her some comfort.

"Lady Tsunade, are you alright?" Shizune asked, tears welling up in her eyes as she gathered Tsunade’s scattered clothing. She knew that because of her own negligence, Tsunade had lost something precious—the very thing her uncle had never had the chance to obtain.

"I’m fine..." Tsunade's voice trembled.

She was anything but fine.

As the greatest medical ninja, she already knew full well what had happened to her.

Last night, she had challenged a kid to a drinking contest, blacked out, and then… she couldn’t remember much. Only vague fragments, like she had mistaken him for Shizune’s uncle, Dan.

"I’m going to find that bastard and make him pay!" Shizune screamed, tears streaming down her face, as she turned to rush out in search of Aizen . But Tsunade grabbed her arm.

"Where do you plan to find him? By now, he’s long gone."

Tsunade’s voice had grown soft, almost inaudible, as her hands twisted the note Aizen had left into a crumpled mess.

What Shizune didn’t know was that Aizen had left a note, and Tsunade had read it upon waking up. Her disheveled state was not because of what Shizune thought, but because her hemophobia had kicked in.

(End of Chapter)

*Chapter 65: Iconic Scene of Cutting Through the Tailed Beast Bomb*

"I'll take responsibility for it in the future!"

That was the note Aizen left on the cash box.

Aizen had stood watch on a high vantage point across from the inn for half an hour, watching Tsunade and Shizune walk out with the cash box, and then casually walk into a casino as if nothing had happened.

Only then did he leave with peace of mind, heading to the rendezvous point agreed upon with Black Zetsu.

The location was a straight road flanked by endless rice fields, a necessary route from the Land of Fire to Tanzaku Town.

"You don’t look like you got much rest last night," the massive Venus flytrap slowly emerged from the ground. It was Black Zetsu’s first time seeing Aizen looking this fatigued, and it couldn’t help but be a bit surprised.

"Not bad. I had a few drinks. So, did Tobi agree?" Aizen quickly changed the subject.

It wasn't that he didn’t rest well; in fact, he rested too well. That was an experience he’d never forget for the rest of his life.

It was, without a doubt, the toughest battle he had ever fought. Even now, his lower back still ached faintly.

"As long as Jūzō Biwa doesn’t betray the organization, Tobi won’t mind another elite jonin joining the Hidden Rain Village," Black Zetsu replied.

"That’s good." Aizen nodded.

As they talked, a group of ninja and samurai appeared on the road ahead, carrying a traditional Japanese palanquin.

"It looks like the target has arrived. I’ll leave the rest to you," Black Zetsu said, before sinking into the ground along with the giant Venus flytrap, disappearing without a trace.

"Always leaving me with the dirty work." Aizen stood in the middle of the road, adjusting the brim of his straw hat.

He made a hand sign with his right hand, and with a "poof," several shadow clones appeared out of thin air and dashed toward the end of the road.

Soon, sounds of battle could be heard.

The sounds came quickly and faded just as fast.

Before long, everything was silent.

And thus, the mission in Tanzaku Town was successfully completed.

*Late Night, Water Country, Hidden Mist Village, Mizukage’s Residence.*

Aizen stood atop a large tree, listening to the occasional screams coming from within the residence and muttered, "Looks like I made it in time."

"So, what’s your plan?" The giant Venus flytrap emerged from a nearby tree trunk as Black Zetsu asked.

"I’m not doing anything. I’ll wait until the crucial moment before stepping in," Aizen smiled faintly and turned to Black Zetsu. "But Tobi really is devious, all of this just to test Dai’s right-eye Mangekyō Sharingan ability. Even though he knew it was a trap, he still assigned Jūzō Biwa and Dai the mission."

"Their mission is almost the same as my earlier one in Tanzaku Town—eliminating a prince in line to inherit a Daimyō’s title. Since ninja villages can’t interfere in royal succession, they often hire powerful assassin organizations like the Akatsuki."

"But the Fourth Mizukage placed the prince in his own residence and personally led an ambush. Isn’t this clearly setting up a ‘borrowing a knife to kill’ trap? A double cross?"

"Or maybe the Fourth Mizukage has already been controlled by Tobi’s Sharingan? Otherwise, why would he follow the plan so perfectly, as if reading from a script?"

Black Zetsu was secretly shocked by Aizen ’s words. It hadn’t expected Aizen to see through Obito’s plan so easily.

At that moment, within the residence, Jūzō Biwa and Itachi Uchiha had sensed something was wrong after eliminating their target and bolted from the Mizukage’s residence.

Immediately after, the ambush, led by the Fourth Mizukage Yagura and his hunter-nin unit, specialized in hunting down Mist Village traitors, surrounded them.

Jūzō used the Hidden Mist Technique to try to obscure Yagura’s and the hunter-nin’s vision, but Yagura effortlessly dispersed it with a Wind Release: Typhoon Wave.

Soon, the two were encircled by Yagura and his forces.

Seeing this, Aizen became a bit excited, thinking to himself, "It’s happening, it’s happening. The iconic scene of cutting through the Tailed Beast Bomb is finally coming!"

The events that followed didn’t stray much from the original story. Jūzō used his water clones to distract the hunter-nin, allowing Itachi to use genjutsu and shuriken to finish off the remaining enemies.

Even the Fourth Mizukage was engulfed by Itachi’s Fireball Jutsu.

However, Itachi was still inexperienced, too young to predict that Yagura could fully transform into his Tailed Beast form.

One mistake led to him being hit by Yagura’s Coral Palm, causing his entire body to be covered in coral, rendering him immobile.

Jūzō raised his Executioner’s Blade, attempting to cut away the coral imprisoning Itachi.

But before he could finish, Yagura had already started charging a Tailed Beast Bomb.

"That’s a Tailed Beast Bomb. Even though it’s not a full transformation, the Three-Tails’ power is still lethal. What are you going to do?" Black Zetsu watched everything below and glanced at Aizen , only to find that Aizen had vanished without a trace.

"White Zetsu, where did Aizen go?" Black Zetsu was startled. Just a moment ago, it could still sense Aizen ’s chakra nearby. How did he disappear without a trace?

Even within its sensory range, Aizen had vanished as if into thin air.

"I didn’t notice either," White Zetsu was equally shocked.

At that moment, Yagura finally released the Tailed Beast Bomb, firing it straight at Jūzō and Itachi.

Seeing no way to escape, Jūzō gritted his teeth, just like in the original story, refusing to abandon Itachi and run away.

Instead, he let out a roar and swung his Executioner’s Blade at the incoming Tailed Beast Bomb.

Boom.

The Executioner’s Blade shattered.

Though it absorbed most of the bomb’s impact, both Itachi and Jūzō were still caught in the blast.

Their bodies were thrown back like cannonballs into the trees.

The broken half of the Executioner’s Blade flew straight toward Jūzō’s vital organs.

In that critical moment, Aizen , having already used the Mirror Flower, Water Moon Technique and his Observation Haki to predict the trajectory of the flying blade, appeared suddenly.

Just as the blade was about to pierce Jūzō’s vital organs, Aizen grabbed his shoulder and instantaneously moved him to Black Zetsu’s side.

When the dust from the Tailed Beast Bomb explosion settled, what remained was the illusion of Jūzō being fatally struck by his own blade, on the brink of death.

"How did you do that?" Black Zetsu asked in shock, looking at Aizen . For a moment, it was reminded of the night of the Uchiha clan massacre, when Aizen had faked his death.

Only this time, it wasn’t Aizen pretending to die, but Jūzō.

Even Itachi’s Mangekyō Sharingan hadn’t seen through the illusion.

"Did you forget my title during my time in the Leaf Village? My real strength doesn’t lie in ninjutsu or taijutsu, but in genjutsu. I just cast a simple illusion," Aizen responded nonchalantly.

At that moment, Jūzō, who had narrowly escaped death, looked at Aizen and Black Zetsu with shock and confusion. "Aizen ... and Zetsu... why did you..."

Jūzō wanted to ask why Aizen had appeared so suddenly and why he had saved him.

After all, thanks to Sarutobi Hiruzen, Aizen had a more notorious reputation than even Itachi. He was considered the most dangerous criminal in the Leaf Village since Uchiha Madara.

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