"Akatsuki... so you're finally making your move."
The organization that struck fear into the world had begun its hunt.
Akatsuki's members were all S-rank rogue ninjas from different nations. Each one was dangerous beyond measure.
The Land of Earth – Somewhere in the Open Fields
Two men, dressed in ominous black cloaks adorned with red clouds, walked slowly across the barren land.
Their presence alone exuded an overwhelming sense of dread.
These two were none other than Akatsuki members Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame.
This time, their mission was to capture the Four-Tails Jinchūriki, Roshi.
Due to the masked man Obito secretly manipulating events behind the scenes, Pain had ordered the tailed beast hunt to be accelerated—prioritizing efficiency over order.
Unlike in the original timeline, where Akatsuki captured the One-Tail Jinchūriki, Gaara, first, this time, they would not follow numerical order.
Instead, they would seize any tailed beast or Jinchūriki they could find.
Of course, the sealing order could not be changed—tailed beasts would still be sealed from One-Tail to Nine-Tails.
But until it was time to seal them, captured Jinchūriki would be restrained or stored away.
As a Rinnegan wielder and a member of the Uzumaki Clan, Pain possessed immense sealing capabilities, allowing him to extract tailed beasts without immediately killing the hosts.
Their target, Roshi, was once a ninja of Iwagakure, but he had abandoned the village due to a disagreement with the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki.
Despite Roshi's status as a Jinchūriki, Onoki had allowed him to leave as long as he did nothing to endanger the village.
Roshi was a distinctive figure—a short, red-haired man with a thick crimson beard.
Having been bonded with the Four-Tails, Son Goku, since childhood, he was not a perfect Jinchūriki but had mastered a considerable portion of its power.
He even knew the Four-Tails' real name—Son Goku.
Kisame, gripping the Samehada, smirked as he set his gaze upon their target.
"Itachi, that's the Four-Tails Jinchūriki, according to the intel."
Roshi stood before them, his sharp eyes narrowing at the two intruders.
Kisame hefted his massive sword and sneered.
"Hmph, it's a pain to take him alive. So, which arm should I slice off first?"
He answered his own question, chuckling as if he were amusing himself.
Roshi, however, was less than amused.
"Damn... these guys are with that organization..."
The black cloaks. The red clouds.
He had heard the rumors.
The dreaded Akatsuki had found him.
His muscles tensed.
"What are you doing here?"
Kisame's shark-like grin widened.
"Oh, nothing much... Just come with us."
His dead-fish eyes gleamed menacingly.
"Well, actually... it's not you we want. It's the Four-Tails inside you."
Hearing this, Roshi's expression darkened.
"So... they're after the tailed beasts!"
There was no other reason these men would come for him.
He had long left the politics of the ninja world behind, yet trouble still found him.
He took a step back, wary of the two figures before him.
"Tsk, I hate chasing after old men." Kisame sighed, stretching his shoulders.
"I'm feeling generous today, so I'll give you a choice—walk on your own, or should I drag you there?"
The menace in his voice was unmistakable.
Roshi scoffed.
"Young men these days... so arrogant."
Kisame's patience was wearing thin. He glanced at his partner.
"Hey, Itachi. This old man sure talks a lot. Mind if I shut him up?"
Itachi remained composed.
"Kisame, remember the orders—take him alive."
Kisame sighed dramatically.
"Ugh... Pain really knows how to make our job harder.
His grip on Samehada tightened.
"Fine, fine... But don't blame me if he 'accidentally' loses a limb or two."
Roshi, sensing their intent, wasted no time.
"Lava Style: Scorching River Rock!"
He inhaled deeply, then exhaled a volley of molten rock bullets aimed directly at the two Akatsuki members.
He didn't discriminate—both Kisame and Itachi were targets.
Lava Style was Four-Tails' specialty, and Roshi had trained tirelessly to master it.
Tapping into the beast's chakra, he was ready for battle.
Kisame grinned.
"Oh? So this old man spits lava? Interesting."
Beside him, Samehada shuddered excitedly.
The bandages wrapped around the sword burst apart, revealing the grotesque, scale-covered blade beneath.
The shark-like maw of Samehada opened and shut eagerly.
"Chachachacha—"
The sword laughed, as if hungry for chakra.
Boom!
The magma bullets crashed toward Kisame.
But before they could land, Samehada lunged forward, devouring the lava in an instant.
Chunks of hardened black rock fell uselessly to the ground.
Roshi's eyes widened.
"That sword... It absorbed my chakra?!"
Samehada pulsed in Kisame's grip, trembling with excitement.
Kisame smirked.
"Hoh? Haven't seen Samehada this hyped in a while."
He stroked the blade gently.
"That means your chakra must be delicious. Well then, let's make sure you give it all up!"
Roshi braced himself.
"I see... That weapon is more dangerous than I thought."
His eyes locked onto Samehada, fully aware of the threat it posed.
Kisame wasn't the only problem.
Itachi, standing off to the side, had effortlessly dodged the lava attack with minimal movement.
Even without fighting, he exuded a chilling presence.
"Tch... These guys are trouble."
Roshi was already breathing heavily, while his enemies had yet to even break a sweat.
Kisame suddenly made a hand seal.
"Water Style: Exploding Water Shockwave!"
A massive surge of water erupted from Kisame's mouth, flooding the battlefield.
In mere moments, the dry land transformed into a vast lake, submerging everything beneath them.
The three combatants now stood atop the water.
Kisame chuckled.
"There. Now it's my battlefield."
Roshi clenched his fists.
"He created a lake… with just one jutsu?!"
Even as a Jinchūriki, he was shaken.
"How... How does a human have this much chakra?!"
Kisame licked his lips.
"Let's have some fun, old man."
And with that, the battle for the Four-Tails began.
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