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𝑹̲̅𝑨̲̅𝑽̲̅𝑬̲̅𝑵̲̅

goals

  ⭑⭒ㅤ━━━━

THE MYSTERY OF THE SHRINE have left you bothered. a day after the shrine incident, you confirmed that pain had no knowledge of the shrine, adding to the confusion. he had assigned you the mission to investigate it, yet he spoke as if he had no idea about what you were referring to.

apart from recalling the shrine and the old lady, you are equally clueless about what transpired after your clone vanished.

it seems the shrine has the ability to wipe out the memories of those who are aware of it. however, the question remains: how is it that you still retain memories of it, along with the mysterious old lady?

you have numerous questions, but for the time being, you've chosen to let them go. if the shrine didn't completely erase your memory, it likely holds some significance. however, you're hesitant to delve deeper into investigating your missing memories because, once again, it might signify something important.

why did you experience such a sense of relief upon waking up after fainting that day?

“the plan to capture the tailed beasts is still on motion.” your focus shifted to pain as akatsuki convened a meeting in ame, the land of rain. all members were in attendance, with the exception of tobi, who has yet to become an official member.

“gaara, the host of the one-tailed beast and kazekage, undoubtedly possesses a formidable barrier. capturing the ichibi won't be a straightforward task, yeah.” inside his puppet, sasori expressed disdain at deidara with a snort.

“i've stationed eyes and ears within suna. i must admit, that village isn't as formidable as konoha.” sasori, along with his partner deidara, has been tasked with capturing the young kazekage of sunagakure. it's crucial to note that once the tailed beast is extracted from the host's body, the host will perish.

should the duo successfully capture gaara, the extraction process will ensue, and it is anticipated to take a considerable amount of time.

pain's primary goal for capturing all the tailed beasts is to achieve a form of ultimate power and control. by gathering all the tailed beasts, he aims to harness their immense chakra and abilities. pain believes that this accumulation of power will enable him to bring about significant changes in the world and impose his vision of peace through strength.

“sunagakure is in a treaty with konoha, and there's a possibility that they will dispatch reinforcements to aid S
suna during the tailed beast capture. although the journey from konoha to suna spans several days, it's essential not to dismiss the likelihood of suna putting up a resistance. additionally, the extraction process itself is expected to be time-consuming.” kakuzu said

“you're suggesting?” pain didn't direct his gaze towards kakuzu, instead, he focused on the window, observing the rain fall outside.

“it's time to put those bonten bastards into use.” hidan answered instead of his partner. you raised a brow but didn't interfere just yet.

“introducing a distraction wouldn't be detrimental. given our alliance with bonten, let's employ them as a diversion for any potential reinforcements that may arrive.” the individual fixated on wealth proposed.

“using bonten as a distraction? while they may be japan's most notorious criminal group, they aren't likely to pose a threat to shinobis.” kisame rolled his eyes

“their lives don't matter. let's utilize them as a stepping stone to advance towards our goals. moreover, if they happen to perish, being their most recent ally, all their assets will transfer to us. it's a beneficial situation for our cause.” pain seems to consider kakuzu's suggestion as he didn't answer and let the members discuss to themselves.

the conversation about bonten persisted as you remained a silent listener. at times, kisame would join in, but similar to you, he preferred listening over speaking.

in theory, if akatsuki were to employ bonten as a distraction and konoha's reinforcements confronted them, bonten might be fortunate. konoha ninja wouldn't necessarily eliminate them outright, which is uncertain if the reinforcements hail from a different village.

bonten's decision to form an alliance with akatsuki, while seemingly coerced, was a very bad decision. however, aligning with akatsuki is akin to allowing them to tighten their hold around your throat, they won't release their grip until you are deemed useless.

in other words, akatsuki is not working with bonten. the dawn will dominate the countless skies without them knowing.

---

“japan's worst criminal group and an international terrorist group doesn't sound good to me.” the present ninjas attentively listened to their current hokage, godaime senju tsunade.

“capturing akatsuki will always be a formidable challenge, given their roster of s-rank criminal individuals. however, those without chakra abilities might be comparatively easier targets to apprehend.” the copy ninja responded, his preferred book tucked away in his pocket.

“that is precisely why i've gathered you all here. team 7 and team 3, i anticipate seamless collaboration on this mission.” the mentioned teams became serious

team 3, better known as team guy, comprises a group of four members, including their instructor. guy flashed a smile, revealing his impeccable set of teeth, while giving a thumbs up and exclaiming about youth. following suit, lee mimicked his teacher's pose. on the sidelines, tenten simply sweat-dropped at the exuberance of the two, while the genius hyuga's eyes twitched, displaying a mix of irritation, embarrassment, or perhaps both.

on the opposite side of the room stood team seven, once a four-member team but currently missing a member. the renowned copy ninja, kakashi hatake, adjusted his forehead protector. to his left, sakura had her hand on her hips, displaying a determined expression, while on his right, naruto uzumaki crossed his arms over his chest, sporting a smirk of determination.

“team 7 and team 3, i task you with capturing the eight founding members of bonten— sano, haruchiyo, hitto, haitani, hajime, mochizuki, and akashi. employ whatever means necessary, but ensure you bring them to me alive and kicking.” with authority, tsunade issued her command.

“understood, tsunade-sama/shisou.” the two teams swiftly left the hokage tower, leaping from rooftop to rooftop until they reached the gate.

“what are your plans for bonten, tsunade-sama?” shizune inquired of the godaime, presenting her with a bottle of sake. tsunade took her seat on the hokage throne, accepting the sake.

“their destiny hinges on their responses to my inquiries. they might possess information about akatsuki, no matter how scant, it will still matter.” tsunade poured herself a sake and took a sip. on her side, shizune nodded, refraining from further inquiries.

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