Damn!
Shihouin Naraku could barely hold back his curse!
It turns out that the more you worry about something, the more likely it is to happen.
As expected, the last two appointments only gave him two reward qualifications, and he almost couldn't complete ten consecutive draws!
"Although there's a chance I'll randomly become eligible for a reward, this is too much of a coincidence. System, are you deliberately trying to cheat me out of my reward qualification?"
Scratching his head, Shihouin Naraku took the opportunity to blame the system, hoping to find a few more chances. However, the system had no intention of paying any attention to him, so it seemed hopeless.
"What are you muttering about, Naraku?"
Mitarashi Anko approached while Shiranui Genma, Morino Ibiki, Kamizuki Izumo and others beside him said their goodbyes and left.
Shihouin Naraku had just finished selecting the examiners and other personnel for the Chūnin exam. After reporting to Sarutobi Hiruzen and getting his approval, he called everyone to a meeting to assign tasks.
The locations for the examination had been determined. Except for the initial written test in the classroom, the venues for the other two rounds needed to be inspected by the examiners and their subordinates.
For example, they needed to check if any venues required renovation and whether there were any ferocious beasts that had suddenly appeared in the Forest of Death—Training Ground No. 44.
In the examination for Genin's promotion to Chūnin, there naturally couldn't be any beasts that were too dangerous, and the examiners needed to eliminate them!
Shihouin Naraku glanced at the somewhat overly energetic Mitarashi Anko and said, "You're also an examiner this time. You're acting a bit too much like a Jōnin."
Mitarashi Anko blinked, "Hehehe... Do you want me to eliminate all the candidates in the second round?"
"You can try and see if the Third Hokage will slap you to death."
"Tch..."
Mitarashi Anko curled her lips and said carelessly, "Why is there such a big fuss about this Chūnin exam? Even a senior executive like you is responsible for the preliminary preparations?"
Barring unexpected circumstances, Konoha Village generally held two Chūnin exams each year, and with so much experience gained over time, it seemed unnecessary for someone of Shihouin Naraku's level to be involved.
"Don't worry about it. Just be your examiner honestly."
"The second round of the exam will be held at Training Ground No. 44. Lead your team to carefully explore the interior of the Forest of Death and make sure there are no problems."
"Leave it to me, and don't worry."
With a proud wave of her hand, Mitarashi Anko took her subordinates to patrol the Forest of Death.
...
In the Land of Rain, at the Akatsuki base.
Konan joined Sasori and Deidara to bring Uchiha Itachi back to the base.
Pain's Deva Path, Konan, Zetsu, and "Uchiha Obito" gathered together and started a meeting in the Land of Rain.
Under the dim light, the Deva Path, Konan, and "Uchiha Obito" sat opposite each other, while Zetsu stood in the shadows, concealing his presence.
The Deva Path asked first, "Zetsu, what are the results of your investigation?"
"White Zetsu has already gone to investigate. According to the location provided by Uchiha Itachi, they did find traces of a battle. Fire Style, Water Style, and scattered weapons..."
"It is confirmed that Hoshigaki Kisame is dead and the ring is also destroyed."
Zetsu shared the information he had gathered without hiding anything.
Konan added, "Although I don't trust Uchiha Itachi, he looks like he has just been through a dangerous battle. Not only did he use a lot of chakra, but his Sharingan was also severely depleted. He didn't even open his eyes during the entire journey."
"He's not lying!" White Zetsu, pretending to be Uchiha Obito, said, "I've seen it. That state is obviously the result of excessive use of the Sharingan. If he hadn't encountered a powerful enemy, Uchiha Itachi wouldn't be in this condition, given his strength."
The Deva Path was silent for a long time, then continued to ask, "How is the intelligence on Shihouin Naraku coming along?"
Zetsu replied, "It's not much different from what I collected before, except that there seemed to be a disturbance in Konoha Village some time ago. It was said to be caused by a fight between Shihouin Naraku, Hatake Kakashi, and Might Guy."
"We also found out that the former head of the Shihouin clan, Shihouin Harumoto, was stationed at the border of the Land of Fire. But before we could make any move, Shihouin Naraku seemed to have noticed something and transferred Shihouin Harumoto back to Konoha Village."
After listening to this information, the Deva Path glanced at "Uchiha Obito," who was unusually quiet today, and said, "The investigation of Shihouin Naraku cannot end.
We must discover his true strength as soon as possible.
And why did he attack our members? Did he discover something, or was it really just a coincidence? If he really discovered some information, will it affect our plan?"
"If he really poses a threat, then we must eliminate him!"
"Uchiha Obito" then said, "These matters can be left to Zetsu to investigate, but our plan cannot be delayed. Hoshigaki Kisame is dead, and we need to choose a new partner for Uchiha Itachi. Do you have any candidates?"
The Deva Path and Konan hadn't had time to think about this issue. Uchiha Itachi needed to recuperate now, but he would still have to perform various tasks after recovery, so a new partner had to be prepared in advance.
The Akatsuki organization operated in two-person teams, partly to increase mission success rates, and partly to allow team members to watch each other to prevent betrayal.
Especially with Uchiha Itachi, whom Nagato and Konan didn't trust much to begin with.
After looking at each other, the Deva Path and Konan couldn't immediately think of a suitable candidate.
First, the candidate's strength couldn't be too low to prevent them from dying during missions.
Second, they couldn't have too close a relationship with Uchiha Itachi, or their supervision wouldn't be effective.
"Let me recommend one person, no, two people."
"Uchiha Obito" stated his proposal, "The missing-nin from Kirigakure, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, and the current wielder of the Kubikiribōchō—Momochi Zabuza!"
"And his subordinate, the user of the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai, Haku!"
Huh?
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen again?!
Konan and Nagato, who was controlling the Deva Path from hiding, were stunned by this suggestion.
Uchiha Itachi's first partner after joining Akatsuki was Biwa Jūzō, the previous wielder of the Kubikiribōchō!
After Biwa Jūzō's death, Hoshigaki Kisame became Uchiha Itachi's second partner, wielding Samehada.
Now that Hoshigaki Kisame was dead, "Uchiha Obito" recommended another member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Momochi Zabuza!
All three of Uchiha Itachi's partners would be from the Seven Ninja Swordsmen!
Konan blinked and asked a key question, "How strong is Momochi Zabuza?"
The missions that Akatsuki needed to complete were very dangerous. If Uchiha Itachi's new partner was too weak and died during a mission, they would have to find another replacement.
"Not bad, although not as good as the strongest in our organization. But his assassination skills are very impressive. With further training, he should become a useful tool. The key is his subordinate Haku, who possesses the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai."
"The Ice Release Kekkei Genkai will be very useful to us. Once our later plans begin, it will be of great help. However, the problem remains that their strength is somewhat weak, and it will take time and effort to develop it."
"In that case..."
The Deva Path nodded in agreement and decided on these two.
"If Momochi Zabuza refuses, kill him! Bring back the boy with the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai. He's very useful."
Konan also said, "It just so happens that Uchiha Itachi needs to recuperate during this period. After bringing these two back, they can be trained for a while to increase their strength."
"That's settled."
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