Hearing this, Nagato smiled and replied,
"Then this time, can you tell me the password to enter the Hidden Leaf Village?"
Uchiha Itachi gave an awkward smile, then nodded and told Nagato the code.
After discussing some details, the two logged out and ended the video meeting.
"Let's go, Konan."
Nagato spoke softly and was about to set off when Konan suddenly called out to stop him.
"Wait a second! Nagato."
Nagato turned around in confusion and looked at her.
"What's wrong?"
Konan shook her head with a helpless smile.
"Don't you think your outfit is way too conspicuous for the Hidden Leaf Village?"
She hadn't expected Nagato to overlook something like that.
Hearing this, Nagato smiled awkwardly. He had gotten used to wearing these clothes all the time and had simply forgotten.
He nodded to himself—women really do pay more attention to details.
The two then found a clothing shop, changed into plain outfits, and set off together toward the Hidden Leaf Village.
...
Evening, Hidden Cloud Village, Raikage's Office.
The Fourth Raikage, A, listened to his subordinate's report on the Akatsuki's intelligence. The more he heard, the deeper his frown became.
Bang!
With a casual strike, A smashed the desk beside him and roared in fury.
"Damn it! The Akatsuki is filled with rogue ninja from other villages. Letting such dangerous criminals roam free and endanger the ninja world—those villages can't escape responsibility!"
"I've decided—we will convene a Five Kage Summit!"
With a wave of his hand, A immediately ordered his subordinates to send out the notices.
...
The next day, inside a different dimension.
Rorin's eyelids twitched before he slowly opened his eyes and sat up.
'Was the transplant successful, System?'
[Yes, it's all done, host.]
Joy surged within Rorin. Finally, he wouldn't have to endure poor vision anymore. With a thought, he activated the Byakugan.
"Mm, not bad. That nearsighted feeling is gone." Rorin nodded in satisfaction.
Soon, he felt hunger creeping in. Fortunately, before leaving the Hidden Leaf Village, he had bought a week's worth of ramen from Ichiraku Ramen.
Immediately, Rorin took the ramen out from the system's storage space. One advantage of the storage space was that it halted the flow of time.
So no matter how long passed outside, the ramen remained exactly as fresh as when it was bought.
Rorin quickly began slurping down the noodles in big mouthfuls.
After eating his fill, he patted his bulging stomach and communicated with the system.
'System, you said analyzing that idiot's data would take some time. Roughly how long are we talking? Can you give me an estimate?'
[Host, it's hard to guarantee, but the analysis will definitely be completed.]
'It's fine. Just give me a rough estimate.'
[Hmm… at the fastest, about three months.]
Three months, huh. Rorin nodded slightly. Not too long, not too short—but at least there was something to look forward to.
In that case, the matter of the ninja world war could be postponed for now.
Rorin preferred to act only when victory was assured. He figured it would be better to start the war after obtaining the power of the Six Paths.
He then looked around, realizing he hadn't properly explored this place yet.
So Rorin began strolling after his meal.
After about an hour, he sighed, "If only I could control this space."
Even partial control would be enough—like Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, being able to use black holes to reach wherever he wanted.
At the moment, he could only travel back and forth using Flying Thunder God marks, unable to freely choose his destination.
There wasn't a good solution for now. He could only hope that once the system finished analyzing Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's data, he would gain the ability to use black holes.
Oh right—he had dug out one of Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's eyes back then.
With that thought, Rorin took out the container holding the other eye and examined it for a while, frowning slightly.
To be honest, he didn't want to end up like Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, with mismatched eyes.
That put him in a dilemma. He couldn't just waste this eye, could he? Only kids make choices—of course he wanted both.
'System, is there any way for me to use this eye too?'
[Well… host, you could try installing it on your forehead. If you want, I can help you with that.]
Rorin rubbed his chin, then recalled Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's appearance and muttered,
"Would that affect my looks?"
[Host, you can control it. When you don't want to use it, just don't activate it—it'll look completely normal. And I'll make sure that even when it's activated, it won't affect your appearance at all—in fact, it'll look even cooler. Trust my skills!]
'Alright! With that line, I trust you. Let's do it!'
"It's just a pity I didn't think of this earlier. I only focused on the Byakugan—otherwise I could've done everything in one go," Rorin muttered.
[No problem. It's just another minor procedure—easy.]
Hearing that, Rorin smiled awkwardly. What he regretted was having to fall asleep again. Honestly, the system's anesthesia was incredibly strong—he couldn't feel anything at all.
He then found an open area, placed the container to the side, closed his eyes once more, and fell into a deep sleep.
...
In the outside world, Hidden Leaf Village, Hokage's Office.
Tsunade sat with her hands clasped in front of her, quietly waiting. Beside her, Shizune tightened her hold slightly around Tonton, causing the pig to shiver.
Knock knock!
A knock sounded at the door. Tsunade responded with a "Come in," and the door opened.
The ones who entered were Kakashi and Nara Shikaku.
"Lady Hokage, what happened?" Kakashi asked. Earlier, the ANBU had urgently summoned him, leaving him uneasy.
Nara Shikaku remained silent beside him, waiting for Tsunade to speak.
Tsunade slowly separated her hands, then looked at the two and said:
"Just now, I received an invitation from the Raikage of the Hidden Cloud Village. He wants to convene a Five Kage Summit to discuss strategies for dealing with the Akatsuki."
Kakashi and Nara Shikaku were both taken aback—they hadn't expected this.
"I called you here today because I intend to appoint the two of you as my guards to accompany me to the Five Kage Summit," Tsunade explained her purpose.
Kakashi and Nara Shikaku exchanged a glance, then nodded together. After hearing it was the Five Kage Summit, they had already guessed the reason.
"Forgive my boldness, Lady Hokage, but where will the summit be held?" Nara Shikaku asked softly.
Tsunade's gaze sharpened as she replied:
"The Land of Iron!"
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