Naruto: Echoes of a Distant Home

The return of Minato and Jiraiya, along with Pakura leading the defeated soldiers, signified the complete failure of this mission. What decisions would be made concerning Amegakure and even Akatsuki afterward, however, remained unknown.

The Land of Rice Fields was a nation secretly controlled by the Akatsuki, as well as the place where the Gedo Statue was housed, in a vast underground cave lit by a solitary, ever-burning lamp.

The cold, ferocious upper body of the Gedo Statue loomed above the ground, with only two of its nine eyes open. Soon, the third eye would also open.

While dealing with the Sand and Leaf elite squads, Konan and Kakuzu, accompanied by a White Zetsu clone, infiltrated Sunagakure with the goal of capturing the One-Tail Jinchuriki.

In their effort to weaken Amegakure, Sunagakure had dispatched a team of nearly thirty elite shinobi. Even disregarding those away on missions, the forces remaining in the village were still strong.

Under the cover of night, Konan and Kakuzu slipped in quietly. Using Konan's sensory skills, they managed to locate the One-Tail Jinchuriki with minimal interference, engaging in battle with the shinobi assigned to guard him.

Swiftly dispatching the guards, they succeeded in capturing the young Jinchuriki, while the White Zetsu clone retrieved the ring.

Naturally, the commotion drew more shinobi from Sunagakure. Surrounded on all sides, Kakuzu lost four hearts, while Konan, relying on her paper wings to gain flight, sustained only minor injuries. Using her flying abilities, combined with Kakuzu's Wind Release attacks along the way, the pair managed to escape the Sand's pursuit.

With the One-Tail Jinchuriki captured, Sunagakure was once again shrouded in dark clouds. Since the Third Shinobi War, it seemed as though an invisible hand had been constantly targeting them.

After successfully capturing the One-Tail Jinchuriki, Konan and Kakuzu rushed back to Amegakure. Nagato took the Jinchuriki to the Land of Rice Fields, giving everyone time to rest.

These two simultaneous missions had left almost every member of Akatsuki wounded. A day's rest was just enough for everyone to recover to a state suitable for sealing.

When Nagato arrived at the underground cave, he used the Illusionary Projection Technique to summon the others. One by one, shadowy figures flickered around the ever-burning lamp.

Upon manifesting, Ye Zi glanced around and finally fixed his gaze on Jūzō, saying, "Nan (Jūzō) are you alright?"

Jūzō, responding with a low grunt, replied, "I'll live."

At that time, the wood clone Ye Zi used to perform the Wood Release: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees had exhausted its chakra, separating life from death. Taking this chance, Jūzō decisively retreated, moving quickly while erasing his traces, finally relaxing only after leaving the Land of Fire and returning to Amegakure. However, his wounds had worsened despite initial treatment.

Upon hearing Jūzō's cold reply, Ye Zi looked away. He had indeed almost forgotten about Jūzō back then, but it was fortunate that he was fine… and Sasori…

Noticing Ye Zi's glance, Sasori, now in a different body, slightly nodded without speaking.

Judging by his shadowy silhouette, Sasori had likely found a temporary living body, which, if not ideal in strength, at least restored his mobility.

After confirming that Sasori was in reasonable condition, Ye Zi once again looked away, focusing on a child of about three or four in front of the ever-burning lamp.

Under his short red hair was a pale, childlike face with dark circles around his closed eyes. His sleeping expression looked peaceful, showing no signs of anticipating death.

As a Jinchuriki, the One-Tail's power within him could awaken if he fell asleep. Since birth, the surrounding Sand shinobi had to ensure he couldn't sleep, regardless of his age, as the risk was too high.

This time, thanks to a seal placed by Nagato, even asleep, the One-Tail, Shukaku, could not awaken, allowing the Jinchuriki to rest. This might be the last peaceful sleep he would ever have.

This child was the One-Tail Jinchuriki. After the completion of the Phantom Dragon Nine Consuming Seals, his fate would be sealed in death.

Ye Zi watched silently as the surrounding shadowy figures, all too familiar with life and death, showed no reaction to taking the life of a child.

"I lost four hearts and almost died," Kakuzu complained. If not for Konan's abilities, his second infiltration into Sunagakure might have been his end.

"You've all worked hard."

Nagato surveyed everyone, cutting off any further complaints from Kakuzu.

"As per the usual, take care of yourselves for the next three days."

Without any unnecessary words, they moved on to the main event. Having completed this ritual twice already, everyone moved into position for the Phantom Dragon Nine Consuming Seals.

A chakra dragon emerged from the mouth of the Gedo Statue, swooping down toward the One-Tail Jinchuriki lying on the ground. Enveloped in a pale blue light, the Jinchuriki slowly floated in midair, as chakra was extracted from his mouth, nose, ears, and eyes, flowing into the Gedo Statue's mouth.

As time passed and more chakra was absorbed, the Jinchuriki's life force waned.

During the sealing, silence reigned in the dim cave, with only the faint sounds of chakra transfer breaking the stillness.

Three days passed, and the Gedo Statue opened its third eye, signaling the completion of the seal. The One-Tail Jinchuriki lay lifeless on the ground.

Three down…

Ye Zi thought silently. The next target should be the Five-Tails Jinchuriki… the one in Iwagakure who wields steam.

From the memories of a boy he once devoured, he remembered a seething hatred toward the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, who had once caused him considerable trouble. If a plan to capture him were set in motion, Ye Zi would have to go himself, both to fulfill the incomplete memories of that soul and to exact his revenge.

"It's done."

Nagato cast a cold glance at the One-Tail Jinchuriki's corpse, then looked up at the Gedo Statue's third open eye.

"The next target is the Five-Tails Jinchuriki?" Ye Zi asked.

According to the order, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki should come first, but with the current strength of Kumogakure and their strong Jinchuriki protection, targeting the Two-Tails right now would be unwise.

Moreover, the order of sealing was not crucial. As Nagato had said, the Nine-Tails would be sealed last, while the other Bijuu could be sealed in any order without much effect.

"That's right," Nagato replied to Ye Zi, adding, "Wait until you've all recovered. Afterward, we'll assess the movements of the Sand, Leaf, and Mist to plan the next steps."

Kakuzu needed to replace his hearts, Sasori had to find a suitable living body and ten new human puppets, and Jūzō lacked the regenerative ability of others, requiring more time to heal.

Following this mission, the core members would take some time to recuperate.

Everyone agreed, including Ye Zi, who would use this time to craft more talismans, preparing for the upcoming Impure World Reincarnation.

However, they still didn't know what actions the Sand, Leaf, and Mist would take in response. That would be Nagato's responsibility.

This arrangement suited Ye Zi just fine; each time Nagato acted, he could gather more information.

Seeing the contrast, Ye Zi realized he was still far from strong enough. Yes, still far from enough.

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Currently on Chapter 387 - Desperate Situation