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Very few methods exist for controlling a tailed beast. The most common—and by far the most widespread—is to seal it directly inside a human host, turning that person into a jinchūriki. Beyond that, the next most reliable techniques involve either Wood Release or the Sharingan to dominate the beast's will. Finally, there are certain rare tools specifically designed for the purpose of containment.
As it happened, the Hidden Cloud Village possessed one such tool: the Amber Purifying Pot. This ancient sealing artifact was precisely what they intended to use to capture the Two-Tails.
Because the Hidden Cloud had been locked in continuous warfare with the Hidden Stone for some time, no permanent jinchūriki had yet been chosen for the Two-Tails. As a result, the beast remained sealed inside the Amber Purifying Pot, kept under constant guard in a secure location within the village.
Before launching the operation, however, Itachi and Deidara had already done their homework thoroughly. They had mapped out almost everything: the exact room where the pot was stored, the rotation of the guards, the patrol patterns, the layout of the surrounding defenses—nearly every detail that mattered.
The five-member team had gone over the plan multiple times before setting out.
Even though the Raikage had left for the Land of Iron to attend the Five Kage Summit, the Hidden Cloud Village still teemed with elite jōnin. Stealing the Two-Tails itself was not especially difficult. The real challenge lay in doing it quietly—without raising a general alarm—because they still had the Six-Tails and Eight-Tails to deal with afterward. Any commotion now could make those later operations exponentially harder.
In the division of roles, Konan was assigned to extract the Amber Purifying Pot from the village entirely. The reasoning was simple: a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Securing the Two-Tails and getting it safely back to base took absolute priority.
The remaining four members would then shift focus to the Six-Tails and Eight-Tails—an operation expected to be far lengthier and far more likely to attract attention from the village's shinobi forces. At that point, someone would need to draw the defenders away or at least scatter their focus long enough for the main team to work undisturbed.
That role could only belong to one person: Deidara.
When it came to pure one-on-one combat strength, Deidara ranked near the bottom among Akatsuki members. But when it came to causing maximum chaos and disruption, no one else came close.
His explosive clay bombs delivered devastating area-of-effect damage, especially lethal against average-level shinobi. More importantly, he could take to the skies aboard his C2 Dragon or C1 Owl constructs, raining precise, long-range detonations down on enemy positions from above. In any large-scale ninja conflict, control of the air remained a decisive advantage.
The other three—Itachi, Kisame, and Sasori—would serve as the primary force confronting the Six-Tails and Eight-Tails. Whatever the outcome, they would simply have to adapt as events unfolded.
Itachi placed one of the guarding shinobi under genjutsu and compelled him to lead the way. Konan, meanwhile, dissolved her body into countless sheets of floating white paper that drifted silently on the breeze until they reached the sealed chamber housing the Amber Purifying Pot.
The moment the door opened, the four Cloud shinobi stationed inside snapped their attention toward the entrance. Seeing one of their own comrades step inside, they relaxed fractionally.
"Why are you here?" one of them asked, puzzled.
The genjutsu-controlled shinobi said nothing. An instant later, a storm of white paper erupted from behind him, swirling forward before any of the guards could react. Sheets plastered themselves across their faces, blinding them.
"What the—?!" one guard tore the paper away—only to find a female shinobi standing directly in front of him. Before he could raise an alarm or form a hand seal, Konan's hand flashed forward in a lethal strike, ending his life instantly.
The remaining three realized they were under attack. One tried to bolt toward the door to call for reinforcements. A massive blue hand shot out from the shadows, clamping around his throat like a vice. Kisame tightened his grip; the man's struggles weakened rapidly as the air was crushed from his lungs. A final, choked gasp, and he went limp.
"No survivors," Konan said quietly. "No loose ends."
Kisame gave a short nod and finished the job with a single, brutal squeeze.
Outside, Sasori and Itachi had already dealt with the twelve perimeter guards stationed around the building. Now they stood watch at the main entrance, ready to intercept anyone who approached.
"Later on, we're going after that kid… tch, what was his damn name again?" Sasori muttered through gritted teeth.
"You already know it."
"I'm choosing not to think about that name. It makes me sick." Sasori shook his head violently. "To think he actually dared deceive me… When we finally meet him, stay out of it. I want to handle him personally."
"I don't care either way," Itachi replied evenly, "but are you sure you can kill him?"
From Itachi's perspective, Midorima would have no trouble ending Sasori if it came to a direct confrontation.
"Hmph—" Sasori bared his teeth in displeasure but didn't bother arguing.
"Hey! We've got company incoming!" Deidara's voice suddenly floated down from above.
"How many?" Sasori called back.
"Four. Want me to handle them?"
"No need. I'm in a particularly foul mood right now… Let them come. They'll make excellent stress-relief toys."
As he spoke, four Cloud shinobi appeared at the edge of the clearing, sprinting toward the building.
"Hey! You two! Identify yourselves!" the leader barked, pointing accusingly.
"So arrogant already? Tired of living?" Sasori started to rise, but before he could fully stand, Itachi moved.
In the blink of an eye, Itachi stood directly in front of the four shinobi. A brief moment of eye contact—nothing more—and all four froze in place. Their expressions twisted into grotesque masks of agony as they turned on each other, kunai flashing in a frenzy of self-inflicted wounds. Within seconds, four bodies lay crumpled on the ground.
Sasori stared. "You don't trust me to handle them?"
"Of course not," Itachi replied calmly. "I simply didn't want you to waste any more puppets than necessary. If we run short of tools during the fight with the tailed beasts, what then?"
Sasori rubbed his chin, grudgingly conceding the point. "You do have a point."
While the two stood talking, the door to the inner chamber swung open again. Konan stepped out first. Kisame followed immediately behind, hoisting the Amber Purifying Pot over one shoulder like an oversized jug. The genjutsu-controlled Cloud shinobi brought up the rear, closing and locking the door behind them.
Though called a "pot," the Amber Purifying Pot more closely resembled a large ceramic vat. A thick white rope was tied securely around its narrow neck.
"This is the thing?" Sasori asked, eyeing the object with open curiosity as Kisame set it down.
"Correct," Konan confirmed. "You all still remember the plan we agreed on, yes?"
"Of course."
"Good. I'll be waiting for your success report back in the Hidden Rain Village."
With that, she lifted the heavy pot effortlessly. Massive wings of folded paper unfurled from her back. A single powerful beat sent her soaring upward into the night sky, the Amber Purifying Pot cradled securely in her arms.
"Time for us to move as well," Itachi said. He turned to the enthralled Cloud shinobi. "You know where the Eight-Tails is located, correct?"
The man nodded mutely.
"Lead the way. Deidara—stay airborne and keep watch. Don't let anyone slip through."
"Got it," Deidara called down from above. Then, muttering to himself: "Since when did Itachi become the boss around here? Weird…"
Under the controlled shinobi's guidance, the four remaining Akatsuki members left the storage site behind.
...
"Haaah… haaah…" Killer B panted heavily, eyes locked on the Six-Tails standing across from him.
After a prolonged bout of sparring, neither side had gained a decisive edge, but the Eight-Tails was clearly beginning to tire.
"That guy Midorima really is… inhuman," Killer B muttered between breaths. "Just a few days, and he's already on friendly terms with the Six-Tails."
"Didn't you say his progress would be fast?" the Eight-Tails rumbled.
"Yeah, but I didn't think it'd be this fast!" Killer B released his tailed-beast transformation. His enormous blue form rapidly shrank until he stood in his normal human shape once again, sunglasses slightly askew from the exertion.
"You're done already?" Midorima asked, also dropping out of his partial Six-Tails cloak. He looked genuinely puzzled.
"You look wiped out, man. Let's take a breather for now, yeah?" Killer B wiped sweat from his brow with the back of one hand.
"Huh? I'm not tired at all…"
"You have to be tired."
"..."