Naruto :Madam, You Don’t Want Anything To Happen To Sasuke, Right?

In a secret cave outside the Hidden Leaf Village, Nagato, the masked man, and Konan sat in silence, the cold shadows swallowing the damp stone walls around them. They were waiting. Waiting for the right moment to strike.

Suddenly, White Zetsu emerged from underground, his twisted grin already in place.

"Madara, Nagato, Orochimaru appeared in the Forest of Death and killed a Hidden Grass ninja!" White Zetsu cackled. "The incident caused quite a stir in Konoha. You should've seen Sarutobi Hiruzen's face—he was absolutely livid! Hehehe!"

"Orochimaru in the Forest of Death?" Konan asked, her brows furrowing. "What's he up to now?"

The Forest of Death—traditionally used as the Chūnin Exam testing ground for young ninja. What could Orochimaru possibly want there?

"Assassinate a few promising genin?" Konan scoffed, clearly unimpressed. "He came all the way back to Konoha for that?"

The masked man chuckled darkly behind his mask. "Orochimaru's after a new body—he's got his eyes on a particular young shinobi. That sick bastard never changes."

Nagato narrowed his eyes. He remembered all too well his first encounter with Orochimaru—the Sannin had dared to attack him directly, aiming for his Rinnegan without hesitation.

Then, years ago, on the night of the Uchiha Clan's extermination, Orochimaru had crossed paths with Uchiha Haru. And even after all of that, when he later confronted Uchiha Itachi, he still couldn't hold back his lust for the Sharingan.

Of course, the result was always the same.

Orochimaru got humiliated.

Yes, he was dangerous, unpredictable, and full of strange, grotesque jutsu—but compared to the three in this cave, Orochimaru was nothing.

"Who is it this time?" Nagato asked without much interest, though the answer intrigued him more than he expected.

"Who's the one Orochimaru has his sights on?"

White Zetsu snickered. "I saw him sneak into the village. Itachi's younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke."

Nagato's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Oh, and the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, Uzumaki Naruto, was there too," White Zetsu added. "After that, Orochimaru went to hunt down three genin from the Hidden Mist Village… but Uchiha Haru had already made preparations."

White Zetsu's laughter turned manic. "Orochimaru was about to succeed… and then he suddenly gave up and ran like a dog with its tail between its legs!"

"Orochimaru really thought he could lay a hand on Uchiha Haru's people? He's got a death wish," Konan sneered. "What an idiot."

Nagato, meanwhile, remained calm, thoughtful. The information stirred something in him, though he kept it buried beneath his impassive expression.

"Sasuke, huh… Itachi's little brother. Still obsessed with the Sharingan, is he?"

Uchiha Sasuke—the entire Akatsuki knew who he was. Talented, yes, but more importantly, the possessor of another pair of the fabled Sharingan.

That cursed, powerful dōjutsu.

Nagato pondered quietly. If Itachi found out about this, would he kill Orochimaru outright?

Of course, most people didn't know Itachi like he did. In that Uchiha's heart, only two things mattered: the safety of Konoha—and his younger brother.

If a freak like Orochimaru tried to turn Sasuke into his next vessel, Itachi would snap.

Not that Nagato would intervene. He didn't have the luxury of worrying about such things. His mission was far more important—capturing all the tailed beast Jinchūriki who had appeared during this Chūnin Exam.

And more importantly… dealing with Uchiha Haru.

He shifted his gaze toward White Zetsu.

"You said you saw the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki. What's he like?"

White Zetsu paused, looking uncharacteristically unsure.

"Honestly… he's hard to describe. But in every group situation, the second something goes wrong, he's the first one to jump in. Loud. Reckless. Emotional. Like a spark waiting to ignite."

Nagato's expression twisted into a frown.

So that's the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki? Strange… not quite what he expected.

The masked man remained quiet, thoughts drifting back to a distant memory—one of crimson eyes and a screaming infant. That newborn… now participating in the Chūnin Exam. How time flew.

Nagato turned his gaze back to Zetsu.

"Any updates on Itachi?"

After a moment of silence, Nagato spoke again.

To ensure their plan could be executed flawlessly and avoid any unnecessary complications, they had sent Uchiha Itachi and Kisame Hoshigaki to the Hidden Cloud Village to capture the Two-Tails Jinchūriki and the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki.

The purpose was to buy time.

Just because Uchiha Itachi had joined the Akatsuki didn't mean he wasn't still loyal to Konoha.

They could use Itachi for missions that dealt with other hidden villages—but anything involving the Hidden Leaf Village required caution. He had to be kept out of the loop.

If Itachi ever discovered they were targeting Konoha, this powerful asset could very well turn into a deadly obstacle.

There were already too many unpredictable variables in the current Chūnin Exams.

They couldn't afford to add Uchiha Itachi into that equation.

What they hoped for now was that by the time Itachi noticed anything was amiss—whether the mission succeeded or failed—the operation in Konoha would already be complete.

At that point, even if he wanted to interfere, it would be too late.

Besides, the mission to capture the Jinchūriki would have already ended.

Akatsuki would be ready to move into its next phase.

Whether Uchiha Itachi chose to stay with Akatsuki or turn against them didn't matter anymore.

"They should be arriving at the Hidden Cloud Village soon," White Zetsu reported, his voice as casual as ever.

Though he was physically present in the cave, his numerous clones were scattered across various lands, embedded like roots in every hidden village.

He could gather and share intelligence at any time, from anywhere.

In today's world, there was no one more adept at espionage than White Zetsu.

"Let's hope it all goes smoothly," Nagato said slowly.

"Don't worry. With Kisame around, he'll keep a close eye on Uchiha Itachi. Nothing will go wrong."

Konan tried to reassure him, noticing the subtle furrow in Nagato's brow.

She and Nagato had been the first to found the Akatsuki. Their bond ran deeper than anyone else's in the organization.

"Yes."

Nagato gave a small nod, his gaze softening as he looked at Konan.

She was the one person he truly cherished in this world.

"With Kisame there, I feel more at ease," he admitted.

"But can they really defeat the Two-Tails Jinchūriki and the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki?"

"These two aren't weak—and don't forget, the Fourth Raikage is also in the Hidden Cloud Village. He's not someone to take lightly."

Nagato narrowed his eyes, considering the odds in silence.

Even though the primary objective was to pull Itachi away from Konoha, the tailed beast extraction was still a core goal.

If they could succeed in capturing them now, it would save Akatsuki significant trouble later.

"Capturing the Jinchūriki from the Hidden Cloud Village won't be easy," the masked man finally spoke, his voice low and deliberate. "But that's exactly what we want."

"Only if Itachi is engaged in a high-stakes mission will he be delayed long enough for us to act freely—and bring our plan to fruition."

Neither Nagato nor Konan replied.

Because those words reflected exactly what they had been thinking.

"Still, have you noticed something?" the masked man continued, his tone suddenly sharp and commanding. "Uchiha Haru frightened Orochimaru into retreating—without even lifting a finger. Just by the traps and warnings he left behind on others."

"Such strength… he's far more dangerous than when we first encountered him in the Hidden Mist Village."

The masked man valued Uchiha Haru immensely.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have compromised repeatedly in dealings involving him. Deep down, he hoped that one day, Haru could be used to serve their cause.

He had never underestimated Haru—not once.

He understood what kind of terrifying monster Uchiha Haru truly was.

"So what?" Nagato responded coldly. "No matter how powerful Uchiha Haru becomes, he'll never be a match for me."

"In the past, our failures were because I didn't act personally. But this time, with me stepping in, our plan will not fail!"

Since fully awakening his strength, Nagato's confidence had become absolute.

With the Rinnegan in both eyes, he believed there was no one in the shinobi world who could oppose him.

Konan nodded beside him. "Nagato has never failed."

"Yes," the masked man echoed.

He too had faith in Nagato's strength.

No matter how formidable Uchiha Haru was, the gap between the Mangekyō Sharingan and the Rinnegan was insurmountable.

That power gap was real—immense—and not something that could be bridged through talent or grit.

But… to say no one could rival Nagato?

That would be a lie.

Nagato was powerful, no doubt.

But the masked man had once met a ninja—someone who existed only in legend.

A true specter of the past. A man who had shaped the very world they now sought to destroy.

A ninja who had once sat upon a massive stone throne, ancient in body but overwhelming in presence.

A being whose power was so vast it carved history itself.

That man had looked the masked boy in the eyes and said, "Go. Complete our mission."

"From this moment on… you are Uchiha Madara."

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This Week Bonus Chapter - 200 Power stones

2nd Bonus Chapter - 400 Power Stones

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