Starting as the mastermind behind Naruto

Chapter 219 Let me see your power, Uchiha Sasuke! (Please subscribe! Third update!)

Gaara is really young.

After meeting with Kakashi Hatake and Naraku Uehara who said they would report the matter to the higher-ups in their respective villages, Gaara became even more eager.

Kakashi Hatake believed that Gaara's suggestion might be feasible, so he decided to immediately return to Konoha and report the matter to Tsunade.

Uehara Naraku thought Gaara's proposal was impossible and utter nonsense, but he still wanted to return to the village under the pretext of reporting to Hanzo the Salamander.

They had no choice but to part ways.

Naruto Uzumaki smiled broadly as they parted, waving enthusiastically to Naraku Uehara, looking forward to their next meeting: "The next time we meet will probably be when I bring Sasuke back. Then all of us who participated in the Chunin Exams together will be able to reunite!"

"yes!"

Uehara Naraku returned a friendly smile.

Uehara was all smiles, and the Konoha ninja opposite him could never have guessed what he was really thinking.

Even with their wildly imaginative ideas, they couldn't guess what Uehara was thinking.

Ok…

Uehara's plan was that once the Akatsuki had gathered all seven tailed beasts, he would have Sasuke capture the Nine-Tails, but not the Eight-Tails, to avoid Sasuke being tricked and getting beaten up again, which wasn't worth it.

Before that, the issues of Itachi Uchiha and Sasuke Uchiha need to be resolved; a battle between these two brothers may be imminent.

Uchiha Sasuke has grown a lot recently. He probably feels that his chances of winning are very low, so he wants to endure for a while longer... But people as insightful as Uehara Naraku and Kisame Hoshigaki know that Sasuke's chances of winning are 100%.

Moreover, Itachi Uchiha's health wasn't very good either.

If Sasuke Uchiha wanted to endure for a while, he might have to outlive his own brother to death.

This is also because Itachi Uchiha didn't want anyone to heal him. Ostensibly, he was worried that someone would explore his secrets, but in reality, he was afraid that he would become so energetic that he might accidentally kill his younger brother Sasuke.

Itachi Uchiha had wanted to die for a long time.

Perhaps Itachi Uchiha already wanted to die on the night of the massacre, but his younger brother was not yet grown up, so he suppressed his will.

Uehara Naraku had already planned it all out. After Itachi Uchiha died in battle, he would use Itachi's eyes to threaten Sasuke into capturing the Nine-Tails, or he would just watch Sasuke go blind...

However, before that, a hidden danger needs to be dealt with: Itachi Uchiha has a crow that has been transplanted with the Kotoamatsukami Mangekyou Sharingan.

That crow is a big problem.

Uehara Naraku must find a way to get rid of that crow, and it would be best if he could actively lure Uchiha Itachi into exposing the crow.

According to Uehara Naraku, Uchiha Itachi was moved by Uzumaki Naruto's determination to win back Sasuke, so he hid the crow inside Uzumaki Naruto's stomach as a backup plan if Uzumaki Naruto couldn't persuade Sasuke to turn back.

Of course, the crow wasn't used on Sasuke later; instead, it helped Itachi Uchiha break free of control after being resurrected using the Impure World Reincarnation technique.

That crow didn't fare well either...

To prevent Kotoamatsukami from falling into the wrong hands, Itachi Uchiha used Amaterasu to burn the crow to ashes.

"Before these two brothers duel, we must find a way to destroy Itachi Uchiha's hidden Kotoamatsukami Mangekyou Sharingan..."

Uehara Naraku stroked his chin, still deep in thought. What should he do to get Uchiha Itachi to hand over the Kotoamatsukami Mangekyou Sharingan?

Could it be that I've turned into Naruto?

That's probably not very reliable.

Although the Transformation Technique of the Innate Illusion is powerful and difficult for ordinary ninjas to see through, it will reveal its true form once attacked. Should we try to get Naruto Uzumaki to step in and lure out Itachi Uchiha's Kotoamatsukami Sharingan?

"That seems like a good idea."

Uehara Naraku raised an eyebrow, tapping his fingers on his arm as he pondered his plan: "Why not just lay everything out in the open? First, threaten Uchiha Itachi with Uchiha Sasuke's life, or deceive him once, so that he doesn't leak any of my information."

Using the name of Amegakure, leak information about Itachi and Sasuke to Konoha, so that Konoha will send Naruto to hunt down Sasuke and Itachi, and reveal Itachi's whereabouts to Naruto so that the two of them can meet.

If Itachi Uchiha entrusts the Sharingan crow with Kotoamatsukami to Naruto Uzumaki, then Itachi and Sasuke Uchiha will be allowed to fight each other. Otherwise, it will be necessary to threaten Itachi Uchiha with Sasuke's life and take a gamble!

That eye of the god Kotoamatsukami is too much of a threat.

Uehara Naraku quickly finalized his plan.

We must eliminate Itachi Uchiha's hidden Kotoamatsukami Sharingan as soon as possible, otherwise, if Itachi keeps it and refuses to use it, who knows what kind of genjutsu that Kotoamatsukami Sharingan will use on someone!

What if that Kotoamatsukami was used on Uehara? Wouldn't that be fatal?

Although it's estimated that Itachi Uchiha wouldn't pay attention to a nobody like Naraku Uehara, it's better to be safe than sorry!

Once Uehara Naraku easily eliminates Itachi Uchiha's hidden Kotoamatsukami Sharingan, he will be able to manipulate Itachi and Sasuke Uchiha at will, using these two pairs of brothers at will.

After all, Itachi Uchiha and Sasuke Uchiha are definitely related to the progress of Uehara Naraku's main quest.

To ensure that nothing goes wrong.

Uehara Naraku must arrange everything related to the main storyline perfectly to fit his identity as the mastermind behind the scenes.

Sasuke Uchiha is actually quite easy to manipulate. All it takes is to smear the Konoha leadership on the night of the Uchiha massacre.

When Uehara Naraku returned to the Akatsuki base, Kakuzu, Hidan, Itachi Uchiha, and others had already captured Yugito, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki of Kumogakure.

I have to say, it's so comfortable to go out as a group.

For them, capturing the Two-Tails Jinchuriki was as easy as catching a kitten; they completed the mission effortlessly.

Everyone did their job along the way and didn't encounter any trouble. The only problem was that capturing the Two-Tails Jinchuriki was too easy, and everyone felt a little uncomfortable. The mission of capturing the Jinchuriki was not as exciting as the mission of attacking the Konoha camp!

The Akatsuki members gathered together and absorbed the Two-Tails Matatabi into the Gedo Mazo.

At the same time.

Black Zetsu also promptly reported information about the Three-Tails, Isobu, showing more concern for the progress of the tailed beast collection plan than any other member of the Akatsuki.

After Shukaku (One-Tail) and Matatabi (Two-Tail) were sealed into the Gedo Mazo, Black Zetsu immediately hoped that the Akatsuki would work like a model worker to capture Isobu (Three-Tail).

"This is the location where the Three-Tailed Isobu was reborn."

After handing over a map of the Land of Water, Black Zetsu's voice trailed off in a sinister tone: "The Hidden Mist Village has taken very strict precautions in protecting the Three-Tails' rebirth site. There are at least a thousand ninjas guarding the area. The Hidden Mist Village has sealed off the area around the Three-Tails, prohibiting all unauthorized personnel from approaching."

"Hahaha, do they think they can protect the Three-Tails like this?"

Deidara was still a little weak after helping to seal the Two-Tails, but that didn't stop his lively personality: "Then let's go again! In just a few days, we'll be able to capture the Three-Tails directly, don't you think, Uehara?"

"Uh, what?"

Uehara Naraku's intentions are not entirely pure.

Perhaps because his mind was preoccupied with figuring out how to incite a fight between the Uchiha brothers, he didn't hear Deidara's greeting clearly.

Deidara, with his fiery temper, couldn't hold back any longer and shouted, "I said, let's go to the Land of Water to capture the Three-Tailed Isobu, and while we're at it, let's eat some seafood!"

To be honest, Deidara actually quite enjoyed going on missions with Uehara Naraku's team, because Uehara Naraku and Nagato were quiet and well-behaved.

Along the way, Uehara Naraku would even chime in with whatever Deidara wanted to say; they both loved explosions...

They are the same age and have a lot in common.

Most importantly, Uehara Naraku's summoning beast, the Ancient Dragon, is incredibly cool!

"Yes, the time waits for no one."

Uehara Naraku nodded, then gave Deidara a slightly disdainful look: "But I don't want to take you with me this time. Last time you were capturing the One-Tailed Jinchuriki in Sunagakure, you were way too slow!"

"You bastard, what did you say?!"

Deidara's expression froze for a moment, then he waved his hands angrily: "I just helped you, and you're already looking down on your own comrade like this! I've been putting in a lot of effort!"

"Alright, alright, I'll take you flying, I'll take you flying."

Uehara Naraku glanced at Pain, who was sitting on top of the Gedo Mazo, and said softly, "This time I still want to work with Kisame Hoshigaki and Itachi Uchiha's team. After all, Itachi's Sharingan is very helpful for us to capture the Tailed Beasts."

"Can."

After Pain nodded, he instructed in a deep voice, "After you capture the Three-Tailed Isobu, you don't need to bring it back immediately. Find a suitable spot and use the Illusionary Body Technique. We will work together to seal the Three-Tailed Isobu inside the Gedo Mazo."

"There's really nothing wrong with bringing it back, is there?"

Deidara scratched his head and turned to look at Uehara Naraku: "I think it's safer to bring him back and seal him away."

"Anything is fine."

Uehara Naraku's answer was very perfunctory.

Deidara watched as Uehara Naraku puffed out his cheeks in anger again. Could this guy even handle himself? All that was for naught, thinking their relationship had improved!

There's still a half-dead Four-Tails Jinchuriki, Rōshi, inside the Akatsuki base. Once the Three-Tails is captured, it'll be time to capture the Five-Tails...

This collection is incredibly fast!

Actually, the most time-consuming thing for the Akatsuki was sealing the Tailed Beasts. It would take several days to seal the Tailed Beasts into the Gedo Mazo using the Nine Seals of the Illusionary Dragon.

After the seal is broken, most people will have exhausted a great deal of physical strength and chakra, and will need a period of rest.

Kakuzu slowly stood up and said in a deep voice, "Since we're not needed for this mission to capture the Three-Tails, I'll go kill a few people to replenish the organization's funds. We've spent quite a bit of money on this mission, and we can't just sit around doing nothing!"

"..."

Uehara Naraku's brow twitched. He looked up at Kakuzu, recalling the story of Kakuzu and Hidan, and asked softly, "Does Kakuzu-senpai have any goals?"

"Let's look around!"

Kakuzu looked at Uehara Naraku and casually said, "Whether it's tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even tens of millions of taels of silver, I won't miss it!"

This guy really knows how to manage a household!

Even Uehara Naraku couldn't help but admire him. Kakuzu truly deserved to be Akatsuki's treasurer; he felt quite embarrassed for taking Kakuzu's position a few years ago...

After all, when Uehara Naraku was an accountant, all he knew was how to collect money, while Kakuzu was earning money outside!

Kakuzu touched the bounty book he always kept in his hand and said softly, "This time I received information that Jiraiya, whose bounty is a staggering 30 million ryo, is in the Fire Temple..."

"Um."

Uehara Naraku raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Hozuki Mangetsu: "You guys don't seem to have any missions lately, right? How about accompanying Kakuzu-senpai on a trip?"

To be honest, Uehara Naraku was a little worried about Hozuki Mangetsu and Momochi Zabuza, feeling that the two of them wouldn't be able to protect Kakuzu.

Kaguya Kimimaro and Haku are even less suitable.

The Temple of Fire is not a place to get entangled in, especially since it is very likely to attract a large number of Konoha's Anbu to surround and capture it. Konoha is as curious about the Akatsuki organization as a cat smelling fish!

Before Hozuki Mangetsu could speak and continue their thought with Uehara Naraku, Kakuzu immediately became somewhat displeased: "Why are they coming with me? It'll just cost more money!"

Naraku Uehara: "..."

This guy is risking his life for money!

"Is money more important or life?"

Uehara Naraku looked at Kakuzu with displeasure and said, "The Land of Fire is extremely dangerous; Konoha has been searching for us!"

"But didn't you just deal with Konoha ninjas a few days ago, kid?"

Kakuzu snorted coldly and said confidently, "Of course, money is the most important thing in this world. I have many lives, but it is very difficult for me to make money."

Uehara Naraku closed his eyes and sighed, "What you say makes perfect sense! Then let Itachi, Kisame, Hozuki Mangetsu, and Ringo Ameyuri go with you!"

"Hey, didn't you hear me? These guys are useless. I can handle that guy named Jiraiya myself!"

Kakuzu glanced at Uehara Naraku and said with displeasure, "Besides, didn't you just send Kisame and Itachi to capture the Three-Tails?"

"I think the newcomers to the organization should get some training."

Uehara Naraku's fingers stiffened. He looked at Uchiha Sasuke and asked softly, "Uchiha Sasuke, can your Sharingan control a tailed beast?"

"..."

Sasuke Uchiha slowly lowered his head and said in a deep voice, "I can't confirm it, but with my own strength, I can easily defeat a tailed beast."

"Sasuke can't do it yet!"

Itachi Uchiha spoke coldly, giving Sasuke Uchiha a huge embarrassment.

Ignoring Sasuke's unpleasant expression, Itachi Uchiha continued, "So, let Sasuke Uchiha come with me to assist Kakuzu-senpai!"

Clang!

Sasuke Uchiha immediately drew his ninja sword!

However, the next moment Uehara Naraku appeared beside Sasuke, put his ninja sword back, and said with a light laugh, "It's okay, we're here to watch over him. Even if Sasuke is in danger, I can save him."

Uehara Naraku patted Sasuke on the shoulder and continued with a smile, "The last time I was on a mission with Uzumaki Naruto, he had become incredibly strong!"

I also need to check out the future talents of our Akatsuki. After all, Sasuke has been training with our Akatsuki for three or four years, right? We can't expect him to be inferior to a ninja like Naruto who grew up in Konoha, can we?

Otherwise, why would I have gone through all that trouble to bring you back? Itachi-sensei really disliked you joining Akatsuki back then, thinking your talent and strength were too poor and you were useless in Akatsuki. Do you really think you can be of any use in Akatsuki now?

As Uehara Naraku spoke, he narrowed his eyes and gave Uchiha Sasuke a kind smile: "Back then, I tried my best to recruit you into Akatsuki. This time, in the Three-Tails capture operation, I will also be your examiner."

"If you pass the exam, I will apply to Lord Pain to have the currently unused Ringo Ameyuri become your teammate, allowing you to become a full member of Akatsuki."

Uehara Naraku's hand landed on Uchiha Sasuke's back again, and he continued with a light laugh: "If you can't play any role in capturing the Three-Tails this time, and your performance is not as good as Uzumaki Naruto's in my eyes, then I will have no choice but to let Itachi kill you and let him vent his anger."

Uchiha Itachi: "..."

"Don't worry, I will capture the Three-Tailed Isobu myself and make you acknowledge my power."

Uchiha Sasuke gritted his teeth in resentment. His first thought at that moment was that he must demonstrate enough strength to gain Uehara Naraku's approval.

The next second, Sasuke Uchiha continued in a deep voice, "When we capture the Nine-Tails in the future, I will personally bring Naruto Uzumaki back! After the Nine-Tails seal is broken, I will have a life-or-death battle with Itachi Uchiha, so you can witness my revenge and kill that clan-annihilating man, Itachi Uchiha!"

"very good."

Uehara Naraku clapped his hands lightly, glanced at Uchiha Itachi beside him, and said with a light laugh, "You don't need to wait until you capture the Nine-Tails. As long as you demonstrate sufficient strength when capturing the Three-Tails, Lord Pain will agree to your brotherly duel!"

Uehara Naraku stared at Uchiha Itachi's face and his clenched hands, then chuckled, "Itachi-san, do you have any objections?"

"no."

Uchiha Itachi slowly closed his eyes and shook his head.

This is not a wise time, but Uehara Naraku has the upper hand thanks to Pain, so Uchiha Itachi has no choice but to agree for the time being.

Uehara Naraku's gaze swept past Uchiha Itachi and slowly settled on Kisame Hoshigaki, whose shark-like face subtly grinned.

(End of this chapter)