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Running along the road, Kagaya felt a headache coming on.
He truly hadn't anticipated in the slightest that Obito would personally take action to hunt him down!
When it came down to it, why had Kagaya dared to come ashore? Wasn't it precisely because he knew the Akatsuki organization's attitude towards defectors was relatively lenient? They wouldn't cling to someone and hound them relentlessly. So, following the normal script, after just being pursued by Akatsuki once, Kagaya should have had at least half a year before the organization would mount another serious hunt for him like the last one.
But he had barely set foot on land, and Obito came chasing after him?
This made no logical sense!
Calming himself, Kagaya thought it through carefully. The way Obito had acted just now clearly showed he was determined to kill him. But why?
First, this likely wasn't a collective action by Akatsuki, but more probably Obito's personal initiative. After all, Akatsuki still needed to remain hidden, slowly locating the Tailed Beasts and gathering funds. It wasn't yet time for them to reveal themselves openly. Therefore, Akatsuki as a whole absolutely would not engage in a death struggle over him.
So, setting aside a collective move by Akatsuki, that left only Obito's personal actions.
Obito wanted to kill him? For what reason?
Turning it over and over in his mind, Kagaya could still only think of the matter concerning Daisuke and Genji.
"This guy Obito, his sense of crisis is really sharp," Kagaya muttered with an annoyed expression. If he had known in advance that Obito would come to kill him, then even by force, Kagaya would have made Karin transplant his eyes for him while they were still at sea.
But now, it was clearly too late.
Karin, running beside him, asked curiously, "Kagaya, who is Obito?"
Kagaya shook his head. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."
Some things were better left unknown to Karin and the others. After all, knowing wouldn't help them anyway.
After a moment's thought, Kagaya spoke again to Karin and Haku. "Karin, Haku, if we reach the next village and still haven't found the Tsunade I mentioned, we immediately change course and head back to the sea!"
Now that he knew Obito was hunting him, Kagaya naturally wouldn't linger on land any longer than necessary. If he could find Tsunade, he would quickly get her to help transplant his eyes. If not, he would immediately flee back to the sea.
Karin nodded. "Oh, alright."
Although she didn't fully understand what Kagaya was thinking, she knew that following his instructions was never wrong.
*****
"Lady Tsunade, you really can't gamble anymore!"
Shizune was still earnestly pleading with Tsunade.
But suddenly, the drunken haze vanished from Tsunade's face as she looked toward the outskirts of the village.
Shizune was startled. Tsunade's expression made her realize something was amiss. "Lady Tsunade, what is it?"
Tsunade frowned. "There are three chakra signatures rushing toward us. They seem to be coming for me. But the main thing is..." She trailed off, her brow furrowing deeper.
Shizune asked cautiously, "The main thing is what, Lady Tsunade?"
Tsunade thought for a moment before making up her mind. "The main thing is, one of their chakras is very powerful, and it gives me a rather unpleasant feeling. Shizune, let's head out of the village. If they mean harm, we can't let them hurt the villagers here."
Shizune nodded. "Understood, Lady Tsunade."
With that, Tsunade and Shizune instantly vanished from their spot, heading directly toward the source of the three chakra signatures.
They were planning a head-on confrontation!
Shizune had no objections to this proposal, even though both she and Tsunade were medical ninja who theoretically shouldn't engage the enemy directly. But Tsunade was an exception. Shizune was well aware that this legendary Sannin was not just a medical ninja. Her combat strength was a match for the other two Sannin. In a real fight, she might be at a slight disadvantage, but it wouldn't be by much.
Just as Tsunade and Shizune were rushing out of the village, an expression of surprise also appeared on Karin's face. She looked at Kagaya and said, "Kagaya, that Tsunade you're looking for is actually charging straight toward us!"
Kagaya was somewhat surprised as well, but then nodded without saying much else.
Earlier, Kagaya had told Karin that if they didn't find Tsunade in the next village, they would turn back to the sea. Not long after he said that, Karin sensed a powerful chakra signature in the small village ahead, which was very likely Tsunade. So, Kagaya and the others headed toward that chakra. The three signatures Tsunade sensed were precisely Kagaya's group.
Since both sides were moving toward each other, it wasn't long before Kagaya's party and Tsunade met.
Upon seeing Tsunade, Kagaya let out a sigh of relief. The three tomoe in his Sharingan slowly faded, and the world, which had been crystal clear moments before, once again grew blurry and indistinct.
"A pleasure to meet you. I look forward to your guidance, Lady Tsunade."
Kagaya's tone was full of friendliness. Since he was the one making a request, he naturally couldn't adopt a domineering attitude. Moreover, that wasn't his nature to begin with.
Tsunade clearly saw Kagaya's eyes change from a blood-red hue to a dull, faded appearance.
A member of the Uchiha clan! And he's awakened the Mangekyō?
Even though Kagaya had only used the three-tomoe form and never revealed the Mangekyō, Tsunade still deduced he possessed it.
Within the Uchiha clan, the Mangekyō Sharingan was the stuff of legend, known to many, including Tsunade. The legend stated that the Mangekyō was the ultimate evolution of the Sharingan, granting immensely powerful abilities. In this legend, most people focused on the part about 'gaining extremely powerful power.' But Tsunade, as a medical ninja, noticed a less prominent detail in the tale: the legend also said that each use of the Mangekyō would cause the user's eyesight to deteriorate significantly, eventually leading to complete blindness.
Initially, seeing Kagaya's three-tomoe Sharingan, Tsunade identified him as Uchiha. Then, after the tomoe faded, his eyes appeared dull and dim—a condition Tsunade recognized as near-blindness. From this, she concluded Kagaya possessed the Mangekyō.
If Kagaya had come specifically to find Tsunade, she could roughly guess the reason for his visit.
Tsunade inquired, "You're here looking for me?"
Kagaya nodded, not avoiding the question. "Yes, Lady Tsunade."
Tsunade looked at Kagaya's dim eyes with a touch of pity. "I'm sorry. The side effects of Kekkei Genkai are generally very difficult to treat. I'm afraid I cannot cure your eyes."
Since this person had sought her out specifically and had those dull eyes, Tsunade understood he was most likely hoping she could restore his vision. However, if it were an ordinary person's deteriorating eyesight, Tsunade might have been able to find a way. But with a Kekkei Genkai, it was troublesome. Anything related to a bloodline limit was hard to intervene in artificially. Just as Kekkei Genkai techniques could only be used by their bearers and couldn't be copied by others, Kekkei Genkai were generally unique, including their side effects. It was difficult for others to intervene.
A classic example was Kimimaro. His hereditary illness, barring any accidents, was most likely some side effect of his Kekkei Genkai. After the symptoms appeared, Kabuto and Orochimaru researched for who knows how long, yet still couldn't find a cure for Kimimaro.