Chapter 244: Akatsuki’s Plan

Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its characters belong to Shueisha and Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the original characters I create.

"Dialogue"

'Thoughts'

-Author notes-

Chapter 244: Akatsuki's Plan

"So… your room was destroyed too?" Ino asked, eyeing Hinata with suspicion.

"Ah, yes. I'm sure Naruto didn't do it on purpose, but during his display last night, several buildings inside the compound were damaged. Unfortunately, that includes my room," Hinata said, settling more comfortably onto Naruto's couch.

Ino had heard her friends recounting the events of the previous night. Naruto's actions had put the entire village on high alert, fearing an enemy attack. However, as far as Ino was aware, only a select few knew that Naruto was the one responsible.

"Seriously...what was he thinking?." Ino huffed.

"I think it was his way to show respect to my father..." Hinata said.

Ino glanced at her. "That's a weird way to go about it."

"Naruto has always been unusual," Hinata responded.

Ino rolled her eyes. "Still...I suppose we should be grateful that things didn't get out of hand."

Lord Hiashi had made the members of his clan swear a vow of silence about the incident. To the officials investigating, he offered a vague explanation of a training exercise gone wrong. Since only the Hyuga clan had suffered damages, they couldn't press for more details even if they knew he was lying.

Although the Hokage had an idea of what had happened, she trusted Naruto enough to avoid pursuing an investigation. She had bigger concerns than Naruto accidentally damaging a few buildings, especially when the affected parties weren't complaining.

Ino had only learned the full truth when Hinata appeared on the doorstep of Naruto's apartment with a large suitcase.

"Wasn't your room on the opposite side of the courtyard from the Great Hall?" Ino asked.

Hinata ignored her question and pretended to read a magazine she found on the table.

"Are you going to stay with us, then?" Ino decided to move on. It was obvious that Hinata had made up her mind about this.

"Do you dislike the idea?" Hinata lowered the magazine to look at Ino properly.

"There's no need to glare at me like that," Ino said, walking over to the couch and sitting beside her. "Of course, I don't mind. We agreed to be in this… weird relationship together, after all."

"Really?" Hinata felt much more relieved now. She had been afraid that Ino might become more possessive now that she was living with Naruto.

"Really," Ino assured her. "It's just that the apartment is a bit small for three people."

Hinata chuckled. "I'm sure we can make it work. I don't mind if we have to sleep together in the same futon."

Ino raised an eyebrow. "I bet you weren't thinking about sleeping…"

Hinata covered her face with the magazine to hide her embarrassment.

<><><><><><><><>

Inside a hidden cavern near the border between the Land of Waterfalls and the Land of Fire, two figures stood facing each other.

The one sitting against a large rock covered most of his face with an orange mask, leaving only his right eye visible. He now went by the name Tobi and was supposed to be one of the newest members of the organization. However, his companion knew better than that.

The other individual was a humanoid with plant-like features. Half of his body was black, while the other half was completely white.

Both wore black cloaks adorned with red clouds, signifying their allegiance to the organization known as the Akatsuki.

"Nagato is becoming doubtful about the success of our plan," Tobi said, his voice calm but laced with concern.

The entity known as Zetsu responded, "I can't blame him for that."

"Neither can I…" Tobi shook his head before glancing at the note in his hands. "You should have intercepted this message before it reached him. That didn't help."

"This was the last message left behind by Danzo. It was meant for the Akatsuki leader. Those two agents were truly talented, so I was unable to track them down until after they delivered the information," Zetsu lamented. "Even I can fail sometimes."

The notes contained a wealth of sensitive information, but the most troubling detail pertained to Naruto Uzumaki and his ability to consume the Bijuu. These ancient creatures were a crucial part of their plans, and Naruto's newfound power threatened everything.

Nagato, who now went by the name Pain, had been acting as the leader of the organization. His role was pivotal, and if he began to believe their plan was doomed to fail, he might refuse to continue playing his part. That was something they had to avoid at all costs.

"Is there no chance of success? Madara did not prepare me for a situation like this before he died," Tobi said. His former teacher could not have predicted the emergence of someone like Naruto.

The Bijuu had always been considered immortal entities. Even if one were to destroy them completely, it would only be a matter of time before they reappeared.

Zetsu smiled. "Worry not. There is always a way…"

Tobi glanced at his partner. "Care to share?"

"I may not know the inner workings of the ability the Uzumaki boy possesses, but at the end of the day, the chakra of the Bijuu cannot be destroyed. Even if he has a way to refine this energy into himself, he is still nothing more than an enhanced Jinchuriki. If anything, he is making things easier for us," Zetsu explained.

"You mean… the ritual could still work if we capture him and bring him to the statue?" Tobi asked.

"Capturing him would be difficult…" Zetsu said. "We're talking about someone capable of killing the likes of Orochimaru. Not to mention, he has already killed one of our members."

"Sasori was easily the weakest of our members," Tobi pointed out.

"And Deidara would have died too if he hadn't put all his effort into running away," Zetsu reminded him, recalling their conversation with the terrified young man.

"I'm not trying to underestimate our enemy. All I'm saying is that we have the power to take him down," Tobi said.

"Perhaps… but only if we prevent him from taking any more Bijuu for himself and growing even stronger," Zetsu mused, wondering how far Naruto could go if he were to absorb all nine of them.

"It won't come to that. We already have the Five and Six-Tailed Beasts in our possession. The Seven-Tails has been located and will soon be acquired," Tobi commented.

"The Jinchuriki of the Four and Eight-Tails… are going to be problematic. They are both too close to their Kage and refuse to leave their villages now that war is approaching," Zetsu said.

Tobi frowned. "We must delay that war at any cost!" If war broke out, they would be delivering those two Bijuu straight into Naruto's hands. "And if we can't do that, then we must convince Nagato to invade Konoha directly and capture Uzumaki before things get worse."

"Why don't you leave the young man to me for now? There may be a different way to get what we want," Zetsu proposed.

Tobi could already imagine what Zetsu was planning. Zetsu was known for his silver tongue. "I may not know this boy, but I knew his parents… if he's anything like them, he'll kill you before you have a chance to convince him of anything."

Zetsu didn't seem worried. "I'd still like to try. There will always be time to break things later."

Tobi shrugged. "Suit yourself, but don't waste too much time on that useless endeavor. I'll try to secure the Seven-Tails in the meantime."

They had been preparing everything carefully for years, but now, because of Naruto, they had to rush.

And rushing often meant making mistakes.

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