Being a rogue ninja is worse than being Hokage.

But Ah Fei knew perfectly well what was going on.

The reappearance of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki has stirred up the "Root," which had been quiet for a long time and whose existence was unknown to most people in Konoha.

"The Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki showed no signs of having the Sharingan transplanted, but judging from the composition of the Konoha Search Party that tracked down the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki and Uchiha Sasuke... the story of Hatake Kakashi losing his Sharingan is highly likely to be true."

Black Zetsu answered Afei's question.

Given the presence of Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, Kakashi had no reason not to participate in the mission, whether from the perspective of strength or intelligence.

However, the two squad leaders sent by Konoha this time, besides Yamato, the Wood Release ninja created using the cells of the First Hokage Hashirama Senju, were Kurenai Yuhi.

This woman, who is skilled in illusion magic, is far inferior to Kakashi Hatake in every aspect.

"Isn't the Sharingan the problem now?"

At this moment, White Zetsu interrupted Black Zetsu and Tobi's conversation, reminding them:

"Sasuke Uchiha already knows Itachi's location, but those guys from the Konoha search party have also tracked down the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and Sasuke because of the previous battle between Deidara and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki... Tobi, your plan to use Sasuke Uchiha to eliminate Itachi could be disrupted by the Konoha ninjas at any time."

"That's exactly why I came here."

Afei gave Zetsu an order: "Zetsu, go and keep an eye on Itachi. As soon as Sasuke and Itachi's battle is over, come and tell me immediately."

"That's no problem, I've been keeping an eye on him all along... But what are you planning to do now?"

Jue asked out of curiosity what Afei planned to do next.

Despair was directed at Afei, and suddenly a crimson glint appeared in Afei's right eye, which was originally black, behind his mask.

As the strange light appeared in Afei's eyes, the space around him began to distort again.

"I will go and stop Konoha's search team."

As Afei spoke, his entire body transformed into a strange spiral.

Then it disappeared from Jue's sight.

The space returned to normal.

The mysterious masked man, dressed in a black robe with auspicious clouds and the color "Xiao," was referred to as Afei by Jutsu.

It's as if it never existed.

Chapter 54 At the Same Time

"Is this really okay?"

Tayuya looked at her identical self with a puzzled expression, and expressed her undisguised and blatant doubt about Naruto's idea.

"Our goal is not to deceive the Konoha search team, but to slow down their pursuit by misleading their search direction. Once their movement slows down, we, who are speeding away, will naturally break free from their search range."

It wasn't Naruto, who was being questioned by Tayuya, who answered Tayuya's questions, but Sasuke.

Before Sasuke's eyes, there was also a "self" who looked exactly like Sasuke himself.

Rather, it would be more accurate to say that at this moment, Sasuke, Naruto, Karin, Suigetsu Hozuki, and the Sound Four...

...Standing upright before each of the eight of them were their own replicas, each like a mirror image.

The true forms of these clones are all shadow clones of Naruto after he has undergone a transformation.

"Karin just learned from the descriptions of the Konoha search team members that the team included the Inuzuka clan, known for their control of ninja dogs, and the Aburame clan, who raise insects."

Naruto lowered his hands, which had been raised in front of his chest to perform the ninja seals, back to their natural position between his legs, and briefly explained the characteristics of the Inuzuka and Aburame clans' secret techniques to Tayuya.

"The Inuzuka clan's secret technique of attacking in cooperation with ninja dogs is unrelated to sensory abilities, so we'll skip it for now. Let's just talk about the search methods of the Inuzuka clan's ninja dogs, which are naturally based on 'sense of smell'. Therefore, my clones, who use the Transformation Technique, carry objects with our respective scents, which confuse the ninja dogs' sense of smell and render the Inuzuka clan's search abilities ineffective."

"As for the Shadow Clone Jutsu, which is a ninjutsu that the Aburame clan is good at sensing, devouring, and tracking chakra, it is simply a chakra that is separated by the user in order to nullify the sensing ability."

The Shadow Clone Technique, created by the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, is so powerful that even the Sharingan, with its terrifying insight, cannot see through it.

Not to mention the insects of the Aburame clan.

"Any further questions can be raised later. There's no time to linger now." Sasuke took control of the conversation, issuing the order. He didn't want to miss the opportunity amidst various explanations.

"Before those guys in Konoha notice anything amiss, we'll begin moving again!"

As soon as Sasuke finished speaking, everyone disappeared from the spot.

The shadow clones, now in different forms, moved without hesitation in the exact opposite direction to their original counterparts, confusing Konoha's senses.

However, unlike Sasuke, Naruto, and the others who resumed their journey after finishing their battle with Deidara and Sasori, the Akatsuki duo who were intercepted halfway through their journey.

The Konoha search party, which was searching for them, came to a halt due to an unexpected situation.

……

"Wow, one, two... seven, eight... there are two teams in total."

After a short rest, the Konoha search team followed the trail of Sasuke and Naruto that Ino had obtained by possessing a ninja hawk using the Mind Transfer Technique. However, they were ambushed while moving through the forest.

But it's described as a blockade.

Judging from the number of people, the lone person blocking the way seems to be the one being surrounded.

Kurenai Yuhi and Yamato, the squad leaders with rich combat experience, were the first to react.

Both men stared warily at the man in front of them, who was wearing a spiral-shaped orange single-eyed mask.

"Who are you!"

Yamato clenched his hands and immediately completed the hand seals.

"Nice to meet you, my name is Afei."

When confronted by Yamato's questioning, the man who blocked the path of the Konoha people politely bowed and obediently stated his name.

Afei's posture, on the contrary, prevented the imposing Yamato from further displaying its intimidation.

This gave Afei the upper hand in the conversation, while Yamato himself was at a disadvantage.

"The black robe with red auspicious clouds... it's 'Akatsuki'!"

Kurenai also deduced Afei's identity from his clothing.

The man who stood in front of the Konoha members, wearing a mask to conceal his true face and calling himself Tobi, was a member of the Akatsuki organization.

"Yes, I am a new member recently recruited by the Akatsuki organization. Please take good care of me."

Not only Yamato, but Tobi also responded to Kurenai's words.

From first impressions, Afei seems to be a good-natured guy who answers every question.

However, the members of the Akatsuki organization are all powerful rogue ninjas. The battle-hardened Yamato and Kurenai Yuhi will not lower their guard against Tobi because of his words and actions.

"Hey! You two don't need to be so sensitive, do you? It's eight against one, I'm the one who should be careful, it's me!"

Afei's actions did not ease the tension; instead, they exacerbated the already strained atmosphere between him and the Konoha team, making him feel uneasy.

This made Ah Fei very troubled, so he raised his hand and scratched his head, saying, "Could you please relax a little? Being stared at like this, I can't find a chance to escape..."

"So he's a coward."

Kiba Inuzuka, who was straddling Akamaru, made a disdainful assessment of Tobi.

"That guy doesn't seem scared at all; it's probably just a facade." Shino Aburame, standing to the side, signaled Kiba Inuzuka not to act rashly because of her underestimation.

"The enemy's intelligence is unclear, so we must proceed with caution—Hinata! Keep a close eye on this smooth-talking guy!"

Kurenai Yuhi also gave instructions to the eighth squad she was leading.

"Yes!"

Hinata used her Byakugan to intently observe Tobi.

"Hey, I already told you to relax, everyone. I have no hostility. My purpose in being here is just to block you. If possible, it would be best if we could just stand here and confront each other without fighting!"

Tobi didn't hesitate to reveal the reason for his presence among the Konoha people, which was simply incomprehensible to a ninja who valued information.

But Afei simply stated his purpose, and even spread out his black-gloved hands with a very comfortable air, looking like he had no intention of fighting.

However, it was precisely when Afei declared that he had no will to fight that he suddenly discovered a problem.

"One, two, three... seven... huh?"

Afei let out a questioning sound that could be heard by everyone in Konoha:

"Hey, aren't you guys missing someone?"

Afei glanced around at the Konoha members before him and finally confirmed the identity of the missing person from the original eight-person Konoha team.

"Ah! The little girl with pink hair is missing!"

"Really, so you were using a decoy tactic!"

Ah Fei exclaimed in surprise.

He suddenly turned around and looked behind him.

Sakura had already gotten close to Tobi, and with her right fist clenched, she attacked Tobi's vital parts!

Chapter 55 Justice

"Lord Sasuke, we can already see the man-made structures!"

Without Sasuke using his Sharingan, Kidomaru, who uses archery as his primary fighting method, possesses the best uncorrected visual acuity among the eight-person team targeting the Akatsuki organization.

As the trees gradually thinned out, Kidomaru could already see a corner of a building emerging into view.

Sasuke did not respond to Kidomaru's reminder; he had already seen the town.

After passing through the forest, the small town that appeared before them was the hideout of Itachi Uchiha that Deidara had marked on the map.

The Sound Four were clearly already very familiar with Sasuke's taciturn attitude towards them.

Since Sasuke didn't speak, it meant the plan was still in place, and they continued towards the town.

Tayu, who was leaping between trees a step behind Sasuke, also glanced discreetly at Sakon and Ukon, who were moving parallel to her.

Noticing Tayuya's hint, Sakon and Ukon simply shook their heads slightly.

Tayuya did not entirely trust Naruto's shadow clone decoy tactic to mislead the Konoha search team. Sakon and Ukon were secretly on guard against any chakra reactions that might approach them.

But as it turned out, Naruto's Shadow Clone decoy tactic worked.