Naruto: The Ōtsutsuki Bloodline Development Manual

"So slow... Why aren't they here yet..."

In Konohagakure, inside a barbecue restaurant, Kitagawa Minamoto sat in a private room with Naruto and Sasuke, waiting. Naruto, unable to hold back his hunger, kept grumbling.

Clearly, Kakashi and Jiraiya hadn't arrived yet.

"You'll get used to it. Besides, they have plenty of other things to deal with."

Minamoto didn't seem bothered at all. He turned his head and smiled at Sasuke, who was sitting nearby.

"Relax. You need to balance work and rest. Even a 'hardworking genius' has to take breaks."

"..."

Sasuke pursed his lips. He hadn't wanted to come in the first place. He needed to train and grow stronger—after all, he still had a grudge to settle!

But he couldn't resist when Minamoto dragged him along. And for some reason, he felt that there was something peculiar about Minamoto, something he couldn't quite put into words.

Shaking his head, Sasuke pushed the thought aside and asked curiously,

"Minamoto-senpai, I heard you went on another mission recently?"

"Yep."

Minamoto nodded, and Naruto immediately chimed in.

"This guy was gone for almost two months! I even had to water his flowers for him. So annoying. But man, I'm jealous—I haven't even left the village yet."

"Two months..."

Sasuke was momentarily dazed. Unlike Naruto, he understood what it meant to be on a mission for nearly two months.

It was either a series of consecutive missions or a large-scale operation.

While Sasuke doubted the latter—since Minamoto was still a Genin—the former was enough to show how much his supervising Jonin valued him.

"Can you teach me how to train?"

After a moment of hesitation, Sasuke suddenly asked in a low voice, catching Minamoto off guard.

"Huh? Me?"

"Hey, that's a great idea!"

Naruto immediately perked up, jumping to his feet with excitement.

"You've tricked me so many times before—it's about time you made it up to me! And besides, you'd be teaching the future Hokage!"

"Idiot..."

Sasuke couldn't hold back his irritation. He had asked first—why was this idiot butting in?

"Both of you, settle down."

Minamoto chuckled helplessly. After thinking for a moment, he replied,

"I'm swamped right now. I don't have the time. And Naruto, you idiot, didn't I already tell you? Once you get Jiraiya-sama on board, the two of you will be fine."

"Jiraiya-sama?"

Sasuke frowned slightly, while Naruto muttered under his breath with a look of disdain.

"Tch, that pervy old man..."

"Didn't you say you were almost ready last time?"

Minamoto seemed to sense something and smiled mischievously.

"Come on, show me what you've got."

"Right now?"

"Yeah, let's see it."

"You're such a weirdo!"

Reluctantly, Naruto began forming hand seals. Sasuke turned his head away, already knowing what was coming.

"Sexy Jutsu!"

With a puff of smoke, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty appeared amidst the misty haze.

"Minamoto, we're here."

Just then, the door to the private room swung open. Jiraiya entered, followed by Kakashi and Guy.

But the moment they stepped inside, they all froze, their eyes widening in shock.

The room fell into an awkward silence...

...

Land of Rain.

The rain continued to pour endlessly, as if it would never stop in this country.

Amidst the downpour, a figure resembling a pitcher plant walked alongside Kisame, who carried the massive Samehada sword on his back.

"Joining this organization doesn't come with many requirements, but for now, you'll need to complete missions to earn enough money."

As they walked, Zetsu's black half explained the situation to Kisame.

Within the Akatsuki, Obito Uchiha had taken on the role of "Tobi," a cheerful and bumbling intern. This allowed him to operate from the shadows.

Naturally, the front-facing responsibilities fell to Zetsu, who didn't mind taking on the role. After all, he didn't entirely trust Obito's decision-making.

Take, for example, the fiasco with the Land of Water...

Zetsu didn't even want to comment on Obito's earlier blunders in Konohagakure. But during the last battle, he had witnessed everything firsthand.

He still couldn't understand why Obito had a Flying Thunder God seal on him.

Why hadn't he removed it?

If the cursed seal couldn't be erased, he could've at least cut out the marked flesh!

Cutting off a piece of flesh wasn't a big deal.

At worst, he could've used White Zetsu to patch it up...

But now, look what happened—he got tracked down, defeated, and even lost control over the Fourth Mizukage's Genjutsu.

Every time Zetsu thought about it, he couldn't help but sigh. He had warned Obito to be cautious, especially since they suspected someone from Konohagakure was monitoring them.

Yet his efforts had been in vain.

"I understand."

Kisame nodded, showing no interest in Zetsu's inner turmoil.

"By the way, what's the status of the guy who recruited me? What's his role in the organization?"

"He's recovering. That level of injury won't affect him much—he just needs a few days of rest."

Zetsu snapped out of his thoughts and replied calmly.

"As for his role in the organization... you could consider him the hidden controller behind the scenes."

"I see."

Kisame chuckled, his shark-like face looking particularly menacing.

"No wonder he could control the Fourth Mizukage. That takes some serious skill. But why doesn't he use his real name? Is he worried it's not intimidating enough, or is he afraid of Konohagakure?"

"..."

Zetsu felt a wave of relief that Obito wasn't here to hear this. Otherwise, he might've lost his temper.

Shaking his head, Zetsu was about to respond when Kisame suddenly spoke again.

"Then again, it makes sense to be wary of Konohagakure. I never thought they'd have someone who's mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique again—and it's just a kid."

Thinking of Kitagawa Minamoto, Kisame couldn't help but smirk. That elusive ability had left even him deeply unsettled.

It wasn't just Kisame—Zetsu also felt a mix of awe and confusion.

"That kid... What's his deal? His presence..."

Recalling the moment he saw Minamoto during the battle in Kirigakure, Zetsu felt an inexplicable sense of unease.

That strange yet familiar feeling had only grown stronger, and he couldn't figure out why.

But one thing was certain:

"That kid is definitely hiding some kind of secret."

The uncertainty gnawed at Zetsu, making him feel uneasy. He decided he needed to investigate further—otherwise, he wouldn't be able to rest easy.

As the two walked through the rain toward an underground base, Zetsu pushed aside his thoughts and spoke again.

"I'll take you to meet the Akatsuki's leader. At least, the one who acts as the leader publicly.

He's incredibly strong.

And remember, don't mention his real name or anything about Kirigakure. Got it?"

"Got it."

Kisame nodded, a knowing smile on his face.

"Sounds like the leader's pretty formidable. Is he worried his reputation isn't enough to keep everyone in line?"

"... Don't overthink it. Someone's coming."

Zetsu sighed inwardly. Kisame was undoubtedly powerful and professional, but his sharp mind could sometimes be a headache.

As they approached the base, a figure emerged from the shadows.

The man wore the Akatsuki uniform, a black cloth covering his face, and a forehead protector from Takigakure—with a prominent slash marking him as a rogue ninja.

His green eyes scanned Kisame briefly before turning to Zetsu.

"A newcomer, huh? From Kirigakure, no less. And with the Samehada sword. Looks like we've got a strong one."

"Indeed, he's quite capable."

Zetsu nodded.

"Kakuzu, where are you off to? Another mission?"

"I'm recruiting a new member."

Kakuzu's tone was calm as he explained,

"I heard about an interesting guy in the Land of Hot Water. The leader wants me to check him out—apparently, he's immortal."

"Immortal?"

Kisame raised an eyebrow at the term, while Zetsu seemed to realize something.

Immortal... Could it be those fanatics from that cult?

"By the way, since you're in charge of intelligence, I've got a question for you."

"Hm?"

Zetsu blinked before nodding.

"Go ahead."

"Konohagakure recently issued a new bounty. I saw it on the black market."

"Who is it?"

"Someone named Obito Uchiha. Can you believe it? Another Uchiha still alive."

"???"

"The bounty's pretty generous. Ever heard of this guy?"

"..."

"If not, I suggest you look into him. If we find him and take him out, we could make a fortune!"

"..."

~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~

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