A Sage's Pursuit of Power

Yugito stared at her teammates, unsure what to say.

This was Konoha's Team 7: Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Karin Uzumaki, and herself.

Out of the four, there were two Jinchūriki, one Uchiha survivor, and a ninja who was likely a secret technique user from the Uzumaki Clan and also the adopted daughter of the legendary Aoba Kamikawa.

Such a lineup, just to deal with a group of rogue ninjas?

Although Yugito was a Jinchūriki, she was still young and lacked enough information to understand what Kamikawa Aoba was planning.

What puzzled her even more was that there was no supervising instructor for this mission Sasuke Uchiha was in charge.

"Damn it, why is Sasuke the team leader? I'm obviously stronger than him!" Naruto protested loudly.

The question of whether Sasuke or Naruto was stronger remained unanswered. Even Aoba wasn't entirely sure.

Naruto had been personally trained by his father, the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, while Sasuke had progressed rapidly under Aoba's guidance. Both of them had reached heights far beyond their peers.

Aoba didn't like the idea of relying on the protagonist's last-minute breakthroughs to win battles. If possible, he wanted both of them to grow comprehensively, crushing their opponents with raw strength in battle, rather than relying on miraculous comebacks in moments of despair.

"With the way you're yelling, that's exactly why you can't be team leader," Aoba said. "All three of you have the strength of jōnin, but none of you have officially been promoted due to a lack of mission points and experience.

This mission also serves as an assessment for your promotion. Depending on your performance, I'll consider advancing your ranks after the mission."

The mention of promotion silenced Naruto immediately. There was a humorous element here, both Sasuke and Karin were already chūnin, while Naruto was still a genin.

This was largely due to Naruto's atrocious theoretical scores. Not only was his knowledge of ninja theory abysmal, but he also couldn't even distinguish between the First and Second Hokage.

Even Minato Namikaze was at his wits' end with his son. While physically gifted, Naruto's mind seemed to be his kryptonite.

After the four youngsters departed, Aoba nodded toward a figure observing from a distance. It was the Fourth Hokage, who promptly followed them.

Aoba didn't follow. With his mastery of the Flying Thunder God technique, he could intervene immediately if something went wrong. Instead, he turned and headed in another direction.

Waiting for him there was Itachi Uchiha.

This meeting was different from their previous ones. This time, Itachi had requested it.

"You're using Sasuke as bait?"

"In a way, yes. But it's more about putting on a show."

Itachi thought about Yugito being part of the team and nodded. Allowing a Jinchūriki from another village to take part in field missions like any other ninja was a bold and unprecedented move.

Even Itachi had to admit that Aoba Kamikawa's decisiveness and ability to execute such ideas far exceeded his own. If Itachi were in Aoba's position, he could never have made such a decision.

"Your body…"

Aoba noticed something off about Itachi. His aura was unstable.

"As you can see, my time is running out. The battle in the Land of Rain took too much out of me. I may not have much longer."

In the Land of Rain, the Akatsuki had unexpectedly faced the elite forces of Kumogakure. While Itachi and the others had managed to retreat, the toll on them had been greater than anticipated.

Itachi, in particular, struggled in prolonged, large-scale battles.

Itachi was the pinnacle of the traditional ninja style, excelling in one-on-one or small-team engagements. Against organized ninja armies, he was less effective.

By contrast, his partner Kisame Hoshigaki thrived in prolonged battles or on large-scale battlefields. Their partnership was essentially a complement to one another's strengths.

"Sasuke still needs some time."

"Why? By my calculations, he should've awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan by now." Itachi couldn't understand why Sasuke hadn't reached that milestone yet.

"Because I don't want Sasuke to end up like you, a frail and sickly warrior. Awakening the Mangekyō too early would cause irreversible damage to his body. His body is instinctively protecting itself, refusing to awaken it."

"...Is Sasuke different from us?"

Itachi was sharp. With just that explanation, he grasped more than Aoba had intended.

"He is indeed different. Biologically and in terms of chakra, Sasuke is… purer than the average Uchiha."

"I see. I'll try to hold on as long as I can. But there's another issue, the Akatsuki is beginning to fracture."

"Because of Nagato?"

The Akatsuki's internal turmoil was within Aoba's expectations. Nagato had once used the Rinnegan to enforce order, but now that he had lost it and was recovering in Konoha's medical facility, the 'god' of the Akatsuki was gone.

Without that unifying force, it was inevitable that the S-rank rogue ninjas would start to act out.

Konan's frequent presence in Konoha, spending more time there than in Amegakure, had further loosened her grip on the organization.

"After Nagato's disappearance, the Akatsuki's core plan lost its direction. Deidara, Sasori, and even Kisame are beginning to voice doubts. Hiruko is also showing signs of ulterior motives.

Right now, only Kakuzu and Shin remain loyal to Konan. If this continues, the Akatsuki will inevitably split. Do you have a plan for this?"

"It's happening a bit earlier than I expected, but it's within predictions. I don't need you to stop it. On the contrary, I want you to push it forward."

"You want me to split the Akatsuki?"

"That's right. I want you to gather the Akatsuki members with dissenting views, break away from the organization, and form a separate faction."

The Akatsuki's members were all extremely dangerous individuals. Letting them roam free was out of the question; there was no telling when one of them might create chaos. Aoba needed these people under his control, even indirectly.

"I understand, you want to remove the unstable elements from the organization. But if you expect me to lead them, I'll need a clear objective."

The Akatsuki had originally united under Nagato because of the allure of the Rinnegan. Itachi's point was simple: if I'm going to lead, I need a goal that everyone in the Akatsuki can rally around.

"That's easy, make the Rinnegan your objective. The Rinnegan is currently in the possession of a rogue Konoha ninja named Obito Uchiha. Your mission will be to find him and seize the Rinnegan. I'm sure none of the Akatsuki members would turn down the chance to pursue such a prize."

"I understand. I'll begin preparations as soon as I return."

"Good. I'll arrange for intelligence and funding to support your efforts."

With his meeting with Itachi concluded, Aoba returned to Konoha and went directly to Nagato's recovery room.

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Currently on Chapter 286 - Face to Face