Konoha: Resurrected by Orochimaru at the start

At this point, Kakashi and the others had completely stopped their pursuit. After listening to what 'Uchiha Gen' had said, Kakashi pondered for a moment before asking, "Are you really not going back to Konoha?"

Uchiha Gen nodded, as if commenting on the weather, and said, "Hmm, we might be enemies next time we meet."

Naruto, standing to the side, desperately wanted to rush over and beat up "Uchiha Gen," but reason held him back. It was just a clone, utterly meaningless; if it were destroyed, there would be no more trace of him. Thinking this, Naruto clenched his fists: "...Why?"

You wretched fellow, do you really have no attachment to Konoha at all?

Upon hearing this question, 'Uchiha Gen' seemed to think about it seriously before replying, 'Why? Hmm... does the fact that everyone in this organization is talented, and they all have 'pleasant' ways of speaking count?'

The atmosphere was immediately broken.

"..." Sasuke's lips twitched slightly. This was supposed to be a very serious matter, so why did he feel like he couldn't be serious at all?

Kakashi and Naruto felt the same way; being interrupted by "Uchiha Gen" made it seem as if joining the Akatsuki wasn't such a big deal.

In fact, if it weren't for Uzumaki Reikawa, Sasuke felt he might have faced the same situation, but now, it's somewhat ironic.

Kakashi, seeing that Uchiha Gen's attitude was completely clear, immediately turned cold: "Naruto, Sasuke, let's retreat."

Rescue people? That would require the people to be rescued to be willing to be rescued. Besides, Akatsuki's reinforcements have already arrived. If we continue fighting, we'll only suffer losses. And Naruto's identity cannot be exposed!

However, this operation was not entirely fruitless. From the previous conversation with Uchiha Gen, we learned that the Akatsuki's headquarters were indeed located here, and we also gained a fairly good understanding of Deidara and Sasori's abilities, which we can use to target them next time.

The capture operation of the tailed beasts has begun. In a sense, the fact that Uzumaki Reikawa did not directly reveal that Naruto was a Jinchuriki can be seen as a consideration for their previous relationship.

However, as he was leaving, Sasuke's fingers suddenly twitched, as if he had sensed something, but his facial expression remained unchanged, as if nothing had happened.

He clenched the note in his hand. Although he didn't know the reason, it confirmed to Sasuke that Reikawa hadn't joined Akatsuki without a reason. This result inexplicably relieved him.

In order to deliver this note, Gen Uchiha used the Sharingan's ability. When Deidara's attention was diverted to Gen Uchiha's clone, his eyes suddenly turned red for a moment, concealing the clone's subtle movements.

Of course, whether or not this note is sent out will not affect what Uchiha Gen is going to do; it just adds a little more risk of being exposed...

Seeing that the matter was over, after Uchiha Gen and Deidara left, the Human Path also left. As for the battlefield on Sasori's side, it was Pain who notified Itachi, who was closest, to come and provide support. As long as the Tailed Beasts could be obtained, he would not interfere much with the actions of the organization's members, so he turned a blind eye to Itachi's occasional slacking off.

After this experience, Nagato realized that the Uchiha Genji's stance was unstable. Thinking of this, a cold light flashed in Nagato's eyes. If he couldn't sever the previous ties, then there was no need for him to join.

……

Meanwhile, in Konoha, after everyone finished eating barbecue, Karin and Sakura took their leave to train. Hyuga Kito let the two little ones rest for a while before taking them to train as well.

Upon arriving at the Hyuga clan's dedicated training ground, the wooden puppet casually picked up a twig, removed the leaves and branches, and used it as a pointer. He first called out Hyuga Neji: "Show me your ability to unleash the Heaven's Return first."

Neji was a little confused when he heard this, but he obediently got into position and started spinning.

The wooden figure threw a kunai at Neji, but it was immediately deflected by the resurrection technique.

"Hmm, not bad. As expected of a genius from the Hyuga clan." Kijin clapped his hands and said. After all, he hadn't held back in terms of speed and power when he fired the kunai just now for the test.

Neji: "..."

Although it was meant as a compliment, it just didn't sound right coming from this guy.

"How about this then?!"

As Hyuga Kito spoke, he suddenly lunged forward, grabbing the branch in his hand and about to stab Hinata. However, whether intentionally or unintentionally, the speed of his attack was precisely within Neji's reaction time.

Unexpectedly, Hinata was so frightened that her face turned pale before she could react. However, the next moment, a dark figure suddenly blocked her way.

It was Neji! Veins bulged around Neji's eyes as he stood in front of Hinata, his Byakugan fixed on the branch that had stopped in front of his forehead, beads of sweat glistening on his brow.

Seeing this, Hyuga Kijin fell silent for a moment, then turned the sharp end of the branch around, tapped Neji's head twice, and said with a hint of exasperation, "Where's the Rotation technique I just let you use?!"

"Huh?" Neji covered his head upon hearing this, momentarily stunned, mainly because he had just been thinking about how to spread the news that the wooden doll was problematic.

"This child," Hyuga Kito shook his head, his voice suddenly becoming serious, "What 'huh'?! Stand up straight and listen carefully! Using your body to block an enemy's attack is the stupidest thing you can do. If you had died protecting the main family just now, what would have happened? Couldn't I have attacked again? Given the time allotted, as long as you didn't make a mistake, you had more than enough ability to use the Resurrection Technique. Why didn't you use it?!"

"I..." Neji was speechless for a moment, then suddenly realized that this was indeed the case, but the incident had happened so suddenly that he had subconsciously blocked it.

At this point, Hyuga Kito looked at Hinata again, his voice devoid of emotion as he said calmly, "While it is the branch family's duty to protect the main family, it is not a wise thing to do for the person being protected to stand still in fear."

Hinata blushed deeply upon hearing this and lowered her head in self-reproach: "I'm sorry."

"I don't want to hear apologies. As the eldest daughter of the main branch, you have greater responsibilities. Improving your strength and analyzing situations rationally are both necessary. If your determination is to protect something, then you must at least have the strength to protect that thing. Otherwise, you're just throwing your life away." Hyuga Kito said, his eyes flickering as if he were looking at Hinata, or perhaps looking through Hinata at something else.

Before Hinata could reply, Mokujin suddenly added, "Or are you planning to pass these responsibilities on to your sister?"

"Sister!" Hinata suddenly thought of Hyuga Hanabi, who was far more talented than her. Cold sweat dripped down her forehead, and she instinctively cried out, "No! I want to protect my sister! Protect everyone!"

I am the eldest daughter of the Hyuga family! These burdens should not be borne by my younger sister!

Thinking of this, Hinata's expression finally turned serious, and she bowed to Hyuga Kito: "Sensei! Please teach me the power to protect everyone!"