บท 250: 243. Partnership

"What are your thoughts on Kara?"

Amado's questions resound in Izuna's ears. He calmly stares at Izuna, awaiting his response.

"Kara is the next Akatsuki… No, it's even a greater threat than Akatsuki. If Akatsuki is an S-Rank threat then Kara can be considered above S-Rank threat, a threat to the entire shinobi world."

Izuna calmly replies to Amado.

"Hmm… Quite an apt response."

Amado nods his head. He takes a puff from his cigarette and exhales a ring of smoke.

"So… what would be your response Izuna Uchiha if I give you an opportunity to work with Kara?" Amado stares him in the eyes.

Izuna's gaze turns chilly as he replies with a heavy tone.

"Will you believe me if I say I will loop off your head in the very next instant?"

Swoosh…

Izuna swiftly draws his blade as a flash of purple lightning flickers in his surroundings. His surroundings turn dark as the world comes to a standstill.

Shoom…

Amado's eyes flicker slightly for an instant, but he maintains his position.

Hmm…

Although the flash in Amado's eyes was brief; Izuna still noticed it with his Mangekyo Sharingan.

Whoosh…

Izuna's blade stops at a hair's breadth from Amado's neck. The icy blade almost touching Amado's neck, ready to behead him any instant.

"I see."

Izuna withdraws his blade and calmly walks inside the hut.

Hahaha…

Amado chuckles. He adjusts his spectacles and follows Izuna.

Inside the hut,

Izuna is calmly sitting on a chair opposite Amado.

"I have no interest in Kara. On the opposite end, I am eager to destroy Kara from its Root. I want a peaceful and stable life." Izuna remarks.

"A peaceful and stable life in this world?"

Amado chuckles and shakes his head.

"That's just a pipeline dream. This world is more chaotic than you can imagine. Various forces lurk in this world and Kara is just one of them."

"Oh?!"

Izuna raises his eyebrow.

"Then how high will you rank Kara compared to other forces?" Izuna calmly asks Amado.

Tiing…

Amado lights up another cigarette. He takes a deep puff of smoke and exhales a ring of smoke.

"The current Kara is in its infant phase. Still, I will rank it in the top three just based on our leader's strength." Amado replies.

"That's low!" Izuna's brows scrunch up as numerous thoughts flashed through his mind.

'Does this mean there are other forces which are on par with Kara?'

Izuna raises his head and stares at Amado.

'The intelligence-gathering abilities of Kara can be said to be a notch higher than any other organization. So, his words are most probably true. If so, then I can't delay the formation of my organization. This is such a pressing matter.'

"What did you expect?" Amado rubs the cigarette on the table and extinguishes it.

"No! I expected that much. However, the position of other forces surprised me a little. Though I have a rough idea about their identities." Izuna replies without any emotion.

'Maybe the other forces have something to do with that, Lord Kishin. I will have to more attention to them too.'

Izuna makes a mental tone.

"Enough with the chit-chat. Now tell me the reason you sent a letter to me. Don't tell me it is just to recruit me in Kara."

Izuna has a solemn expression as his Sharingan pierces through Amado, trying to peer in his secrets.

"NO!"

Amado shakes his head.

"Everything I told you until now was a test. The recruitment to Kara, info on other forces. Truth be told, I never expected you to already know about most of these things. I am a little surprised."

Amado adjusts his spectacles as the atmosphere turns tense.

"To be honest, I have a proposal for you. If you agree then I will disclose the details otherwise forget about this conversation."

"Oh! I am a little interested. But your proposal is something which crosses my moral and bottom lines, then sorry to disappoint you, I am not interested." Izuna's expression turns serious.

'Morals and Bottom lines, Huh!'

Amado stares into Izuna's eyes as his eyes flicker with a faint light for an instant.

"Very well! But first, let me ensure our conversation is truly private."

Amado draws a small bottle from his pocket. There are two red and two blue round pills in the bottle.

He unscrews the bottle and takes a red pill out.

Gulp…

Amado swallows the pill.

Argh…

Amado's expression turns grim as a seal appears beneath his eyes. The seal is similar to roman numerical VIII.

"This seal is out."

Amado takes out a blue pill and gulps it down.

Whoosh…

The seal flickers brightly for an instant before fading away.

Sigh…

Amado takes a deep breath and turns to Izuna.

"Let's talk now."

Hmm…

Izuna notices the earlier series of events as he stares at Amado for an explanation.

"Despite his strength, Jigen is a calculative man. He doesn't trust anyone besides himself. This seal can monitor all of my activities and can even share my memories with him if required. However, I have already decoded the sealing formation, and it is quite easy to suppress this seal and fool Jigen's eyes."

Amado pockets the bottle.

"Alright! Let's talk business." Izuna nods his head.

"Quite straightforward, aren't you?! Then let's cut to the chase. I want to get rid of Otsutsukis for once and all and for that, I need your help."

Amado relays his intentions to Izuna.

"You want to get rid of Otsutsukis." Izuna raises his eyebrows and stares into Amado's eyes.

"Looks like you are either underestimating Otsutsukis or are overestimating my abilities. I am strong, but only according to Shinobi's standards. Otsutsukis are God-like beings capable of easily destroying worlds. Do you think I can hold my own against them?"

Izuna scrutinizes Amado.

"Of course, you can't by yourself. But with my intellect and your strength, there is a slight possibility. The choice is all yours to make." Amado remarks.

Hmm…

Izuna ponders for a while as he weighs the pros and cons of such possibility.

'There is also the possibility of Amado backstabbing me. All of it is a façade and his real intentions are to get rid of a hindrance from Kara's path.'

Numerous possibility flashes through his mind. In the end,

"Alright! I will cooperate with you. But you mustn't hide anything from me. Also, you have to beware of Jigen." Izuna has a serious expression on his face.

"Naturally!"

Amado nods his head.

"Jigen has locked himself in an isolated dimension. The previous fight with you took a toll on his body and according to my calculations, it will take him at least five years to recover."

"Very well! I agree with our cooperation." Izuna shakes hands with Amado.

"So, what's the first step in our plan?" He asks Amado.

"The time is not ripe yet. I still need to make a few preparations. For now…"

Amado takes out a syringe from his pocket.

"I need some of your blood. Your Uchiha clan is a descendant of Otsutsuki. So, your blood possesses some of their secrets. I need to research it to get some fruitful results."

Hmm…

Izuna ponders for a while before he nods his head.

"Alright!"

He stretches his arm. Amado takes a sample of Izuna's blood.

'With his blood as a template, I can lay out most of my plans.'

Amado nods his head in satisfaction.

"A healthy partnership is built on equivalent exchange. So, I will share some of my intel with you."

Amado takes out a scroll from his pocket and tosses it to Izuna.

"Here is the information which is currently most relevant to you. I am sure you will make good use of it."

Izuna catches the scroll and nods his hand. Amado takes out another scroll from his pocket and makes some hand signs.

Slam…

He slams his palm on the scroll.

Poof…

With a poof of white smoke, Amado disappears from his position.

"Reverse Summoning"

Izuna senses the changes in surrounding space.

"These space coordinates… they aren't of the Shinobi World. They are coordinates of another small dimension similar to Kamui.

No wonder the Sins weren't able to trace the location of Kara's headquarters. It's located in a separate dimension protected by a barrier. That Jigen has been accumulating resources for thousands of years. Kara is on an entirely different level compared to Akatsuki."

Izuna nods his head as a smile appears on his face.

"Still, this intel came right on time. I can finally rest easy."