Starting as a pirate, he rose to become the strongest Shinigami in Soul Society.

Chapter 371 The Raikage's Investigation, Kisame Hoshigaki and Itachi Uchiha's Whereabouts.

In the end, Waver couldn't dissuade the stubborn Zoro, who carried the two Yugitos back towards Ryuchi Cave on his own.

Zoro, on the other hand, decided to go to Kumogakure alone to see if he could find anything there.

On the afternoon of the day after they parted ways.

In the underground facility's passageways, several members of the Hidden Cloud Village's ANBU, along with the Fourth Raikage A, followed the trail through the passageways to the spot where the chaotic battle had previously erupted.

Emerging from the broken wall, the Fourth Raikage immediately spotted Kakuzu's corpse lying on the ground.

He frowned and went forward to investigate. At the same time, several ANBU ninjas dispersed to search for clues and make judgments at the scene.

"There are remnants of Lady Yukito's chakra here."

"These marks were caused by the claws of the Two-Tailed Matatabi."

The Fourth Raikage knelt beside Kakuzu's corpse, reaching out to touch the knife wound near his heart. Feeling the slightly charred marks, he frowned slightly and said, "Lightning Release? But it doesn't quite seem like it. Yugito isn't exactly a master of the ninja sword either."

As he spoke, he turned to look at the ground not far away, which had been ravaged by a large amount of lightning power, as well as a patch of ashes and a strange scythe that had been burned into a twisted shape.

Reaching out and wiping away the ashes, the experienced Fourth Raikage immediately made a judgment: this was a corpse burned to ashes by a very powerful Lightning Release ninjutsu!

"Two corpses." The Fourth Raikage turned back to look at the hole in the wall he had just passed through and said in a deep voice, "The pursuit along the way only yielded traces of three people: Yugito and the two ninjas who chased her. There were traces of scythes, and also the black lines inside this corpse."

It's almost certain that the two Yugitos were chased all the way here by these two already dead guys.

However, an unexpected event occurred here: there was a third-party force in this passage, and a very powerful one at that.

"An accident or a trap?" The Fourth Raikage was uncertain.

"Lord Raikage, the trail ends here. It must have been cleared out, making it impossible to continue tracking Lord Yugito," said an Anbu ninja.

Another ANBU ninja said, "Judging from the clues here, besides the two who were tracking Lady Yugito, there were two other people here, and they were extremely strong."

"I understand," the Fourth Raikage said, standing up.

He was indeed very strong. Judging from his situation, the two ninjas who were able to chase Yugito were quickly killed by one of the third-party forces they encountered in a very short time.

Meanwhile, another member of the third-party forces was able to directly stop and even defeat Yugito Nii, who had already used Matatabi's power.

Furthermore, judging from the traces of the fight at the scene, the two Yugitos were almost unable to fully unleash their tailed beast powers before being defeated. She didn't even release a tailed beast ball, which shows that the third-party force also achieved a crushing victory over Yugito.

"Since the trail ends here, let's start here. The clothes worn on this corpse are unique; perhaps it's their signature attire. Let's follow that lead to investigate the rogue ninja of Takigakure." The Fourth Raikage, clutching Kakuzu's rogue ninja headband, said, "We must find out as quickly as possible. I want to see who's so bold as to come to our Kumogakure and do this!"

After speaking, the Fourth Raikage pondered for a moment and said, "As for the other two, they should both be experts in ninja swordsmanship. Pay close attention to the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. At the same time, investigate any unfamiliar pairs of people who have recently appeared in the vicinity, especially those carrying swords!"

"Yes!" Several ANBU ninjas quickly responded.

The Fourth Raikage was a big, burly man who looked like a reckless tough guy, but in reality, he was also quite thoughtful. After standing there for a moment and thinking, he realized another blind spot.

"Whether it's this rogue ninja organization in trench coats or that mysterious third-party force, their target should be the Tailed Beasts." A solemn look flashed in the Fourth Raikage's eyes as he said, "Go and contact the other villages to confirm whether their Jinchuriki have been attacked recently. Also, share our information with them."

"Understood," the ANBU ninja replied.

At this point, one of the ANBU ninjas said, "Fourth Hokage, more than three months ago, during the Chunin Exams when Konoha was attacked by Sunagakure, the One-Tailed Shukaku of Sunagakure was lost. As a result, Sunagakure lost the power of the Tailed Beast."

"Speaking of which, there is such a thing." The Fourth Raikage frowned and said, "It is said that a mysterious man forcibly extracted the Tailed Beast from the Jinchuriki's body in full view of everyone."

"Konoha calls that man the Spirit Lord, which seems to show him great respect and importance," a member of the Anbu said.

"Let's make contact with Konoha and see if we can get any relevant information. Let's also ask where this Spirit Lord came from. Could it be that he is not, given the situation in Konoha, a member of a rogue ninja organization? But perhaps he is this third-party force?" the Fourth Raikage said in a deep voice.

The Land of Water.

In a dense forest, the corpses of several Hidden Mist Village ninjas lay scattered about.

Kisame Hoshigaki, a former ninja of Kirigakure, is carefully preparing the bodies one by one. Perhaps this is his last act of tenderness as a rogue ninja of Kirigakure.

Under a tree, Itachi Uchiha's eyes gleamed with the three-tomoe Sharingan, and standing before him was a Hidden Mist Village ninja who was clearly trapped in a genjutsu.

After a few breaths, Itachi Uchiha deactivated his Sharingan, and before the Hidden Mist Village ninja could even regain his senses, the kunai in his hand had already pierced the man's throat, giving him permanent death.

"Have you obtained any relevant information?" Kisame Hoshigaki asked naturally as he approached Itachi Uchiha after he finished dealing with the corpse.

"I didn't expect you to have this kind of hobby. You should team up with Kakuzu." Itachi Uchiha said softly, watching Kisame Hoshigaki's actions.

"Hehehe, Mr. Itachi, this is a craft I do. After my treatment, even if Kirigakure discovers the situation here, they won't be able to find any useful traces," Kisame Hoshigaki chuckled.

"I see, I was too naive." Itachi Uchiha nodded, then said, "Your Kirigakure is quite interesting. The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, has been dead for a long time, but you haven't chosen a Fifth Mizukage yet. Instead, all the power in the village has fallen into the hands of..."

"It's in Master Yuan's hands, right?" Kisame Hoshigaki calmly continued, "Master Yuan is highly respected in the village and possesses power comparable to the Mizukage, which is normal. But that's not what we should be focusing on, is it? The Tailed Beast."

"After Yagura died, the Three-Tails Isobu was secretly kept in a lake by Kirigakure, but he didn't know the exact lake. Meanwhile, the Jinchuriki of the Six-Tails Saiken has defected and his whereabouts are unknown," Itachi Uchiha said softly.

"Huh?" Kisame Hoshigaki asked, somewhat surprised. "So, Kirigakure doesn't have a single Jinchuriki of a Tailed Beast right now?"

"As a former Jonin of Kirigakure, which lake do you think the Three-Tails Isobu is in?" Itachi Uchiha asked.

Kisame Hoshigaki was silent for a moment before speaking, "There are too many. There are lakes everywhere in the Land of Water. There are dozens of lakes of all sizes around Kirigakure that are suitable for Isobu's survival. If we were to check them one by one, it would probably take a lot of time and we would also be very likely to expose our whereabouts, especially since we have already taken action."

After a slight pause, Kisame Hoshigaki said, "Itachi-san, our mission this time was not to capture the Tailed Beasts, but to confirm the relevant information first. Now, we can consider the mission accomplished. We just need to bring this information back. As for the defected Six-Tails Jinchuriki or the Three-Tails Isobu, let Zetsu and the others find them. They are more experienced in this kind of thing."

Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!

Itachi Uchiha looked at Kisame Hoshigaki without changing his expression. After a few breaths, he nodded and said, "Then let's go."

Just as Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki were about to leave, a strange figure suddenly emerged from a tree—it was none other than Zetsu Black and White.

"Itachi-san, Kisame." Black and white Zetsu emerged from the tree and greeted them first.

"Hehehe, I was just talking about you with Itachi, Zetsu." Kisame said with a laugh, carrying the greatsword Samehada.

Uchiha Itachi looked at Black and White Zetsu expressionlessly and asked, "What is it?"

"The other groups encountered some minor issues, so Payne changed your missions and asked me to inform you," said Black and White Path.

"No need to change anything, our mission here is complete, let's move on to the next mission." Kisame Hoshigaki grinned, revealing his shark teeth.

First, he informed Black and White Zetsu about the situation in Kirigakure, and then asked him to find the Six-Tails Jinchuriki rogue ninja and confirm the location of the lake where the Three-Tails Isobu was hiding.

After saying all that, Black and White Zetsu finally spoke up: "Mr. Kakuzu and Hidan failed in their mission to retrieve the Two-Tails Matatabi in Kumogakure. Unfortunately, both of them have been confirmed dead."

As soon as he finished speaking, even Itachi Uchiha, whose expression remained unchanged and who was always very calm, showed a hint of surprise in his eyes and said, "I did consider the possibility of the mission failing, but I really didn't expect that the first to die would be those two guys who were supposed to be immortal?"

"Who did this?" Kisame Hoshigaki asked in a deep voice.

As a member of Akatsuki, he knew very well that the rogue ninjas who could join them were all quite powerful. Putting aside Hidan, Kakuzu was a veteran in the ninja world, with considerable strength, intelligence, and experience. How could such an old guy die in Kumogakure?

Is Kumogakure really that powerful? It truly lives up to its reputation as the second strongest ninja village after Konoha.

"I don't know, but the possibility of the Fourth Raikage cannot be ruled out." Black and White Zetsu shook their heads, and then said, "Precisely because they have already failed once, the Hidden Cloud Village should be quite vigilant at this time, but the retrieval of the Tailed Beasts is a necessary matter, so Pain has decided to send the two of you."

Clearly, within the Akatsuki organization, Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki seem to be more valued and stronger.

After a moment of contemplation, Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki exchanged a glance, then nodded and said, "I understand. We will head directly to Kumogakure from here on out."

"Then I'll leave it to you two," Hei Bai Jue said with a smile.

Just then, Black Zetsu seemed to have thought of something and suddenly spoke up: "Mr. Itachi, there is something you might be interested in. Not long ago, before the war between Konoha and Sunagakure was over, Konoha's Chunin Uchiha Sasuke chose to leave the village. If nothing unexpected happens, he should have gone to follow that traitor Orochimaru."

Itachi Uchiha frowned, seemingly somewhat displeased.

"Orochimaru has betrayed our Akatsuki organization for so long, and you still haven't tracked down his whereabouts?" Itachi Uchiha said coldly.

Black and White Jue still had a smile on their faces. After a moment, Black Jue said, "He kept changing his hiding place before, which made him difficult to find, but now he seems to have stopped. If you give me a little more time, I will definitely be able to find him."

"Hmph," Itachi Uchiha snorted coldly, said nothing, and left without saying a word.

Kisame Hoshigaki, who was carrying the large sword Samehada nearby, chuckled and teased, "Oh dear, it seems you've angered Itachi-san. Be careful, though Itachi-san may look gentle, but when he gets really angry, he can be quite dangerous."

(End of this chapter)