"Shinnosuke, take a look at this mission."
After calling Sarutobi Shinnosuke over, Tsunade handed him the mission document.
Upon reading it, Shinnosuke felt a jolt in his heart. He had intended to use the ANBU system to gradually train members of the Sarutobi clan, but he hadn't expected them to be sent into battle so soon.
Yet aside from the ANBU, there really weren't any other viable options within the village. As the ANBU captain, Shinnosuke understood the situation in Konoha clearly.
Ordinary mission teams couldn't be mobilized right now; they were to be held for organizing a third wave of reinforcements. Clan shinobi required the Hokage to convene a clan council, but Tsunade had just become the Fifth Hokage and certainly didn't want to use up political favors on a matter of this scale.
Root's ninjas were still hospitalized. Looking at it all, only the fully staffed ANBU could take on this mission.
According to the intel, at least seventy to eighty Suna-nin had infiltrated the Land of Fire. That meant he'd need to lead three to four ANBU squads to intercept them.
"Understood, Fifth Hokage. I'll gather the personnel immediately and move to intercept the Suna-nin near Kikyo Castle."
Shinnosuke felt like he had swallowed a fly but had no choice but to accept.
Tsunade's lips curled slightly, though she covered her mouth to hide the smile. She cleared her throat and said, "Go, but leave Kakashi's team. I have another task for him."
"Yes, Fifth."
Shinnosuke responded grimly beneath his mask and left the Hokage's office at Tsunade's signal.
If this went poorly, the Sarutobi clan might suffer heavy losses. While their training in ninjutsu and taijutsu was solid, they had no experience dealing with Suna-nin. There wasn't enough time to teach them now, so Shinnosuke would just have to gather as much intel on Suna as possible for them to study in advance.
After Shinnosuke left, Tsunade called Kakashi over, instructing him to monitor reports from the Land of Rain and gather the three Flying Thunder God users from Namikaze Minato's Shadow Guard. If the frontlines changed, Tsunade could instantly teleport to the battlefield with their help.
Following the genetic optimization injection, Tsunade felt her body strengthening constantly. She no longer needed the Yin Seal to maintain cell activity—her entire body had returned to the vitality of a twenty-year-old and was still improving.
Her chakra reserves had nearly doubled, and after combining Water and Earth chakra natures, a sapling sprouted from her palm.
This development brought a deeply satisfied smile to her face. Only by inheriting Wood Release could she truly revive the Senju name.
Additionally, before leaving, Hyuga Mirai had left a large amount of Sage Chakra in Tsunade's cursed seal. This enhanced her Sage Mode stamina and overall strength. Even without using Creation Rebirth, her natural recovery rate was already a third of its effect.
Other than the confusing matter of taking Uchiha corpses, Tsunade hoped Hyuga Mirai would visit Konoha more often.
At the battlefield in the Land of Rain, the Ame-nin had gathered a formal force and were now openly facing off against Konoha and Iwa-nin.
However, Konoha's second wave of reinforcements had recently arrived at the front. In both numbers and strength, they far surpassed the Ame-nin. If it weren't for the Rinnegan-wielding leader of Amegakure, Konoha could've steamrolled them.
It resembled the Second Shinobi World War, when Konoha's forces devastated Ame-nin, yet no one could match Hanzo the Salamander. His strength and poisonous attacks had posed a massive threat.
Failing to eliminate Amegakure's leader meant they remained a danger to Konoha. Back then, had Hanzo been driven into a corner, he might've abandoned Amegakure, killed the Sannin, and inflicted massive losses on Konoha.
Now, the current leader of Amegakure made Hiruzen Sarutobi feel an even stronger sense of déjà vu—stronger than Hanzo had ever been. Hanzo, for all his poison and skill, couldn't match armies alone.
This new Rinnegan user didn't even fear the Third Tsuchikage's Dust Release—a single jutsu could kill hundreds of shinobi.
To guard against the Rinnegan, Hiruzen assigned many scouting patrols and spread out the camp layout to avoid large-scale repulsion jutsu devastating them all at once.
One day, as a Konoha patrol unit was making rounds, a Hyuga branch family member activated his Byakugan and suddenly spotted an Ame-nin approaching the camp.
"Orange hair, black cloak with red clouds, concentric-ring eyes—it's the target from the mission report! Alert the camp, quickly!"
A teammate immediately pulled out a signal flare and launched it into the sky.
Fwoosh—Boom!
The flare exploded, and the Konoha camp instantly recognized it as the highest-level alert.
Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered, "All squads evacuate per drill protocol. Prioritize escorting the wounded and medical units."
Ordinary shinobi would be useless against the Rinnegan—evacuation was the best use of resources. Besides, the elite chosen by Hiruzen and Onoki didn't fear being surrounded by the main Ame force. As long as they focused on the Rinnegan, they could manage.
Kiyo Hyuga stepped out of her tent and, seeing the lingering smoke and the controlled chaos of evacuation, scoffed. To Kurenai Yuhi, who emerged a moment later, she said, "Genjutsu won't be effective against the Rinnegan. Don't get overconfident."
Even the Byakugan had resistance to genjutsu. Kiyo didn't believe the most mysterious of the Three Great Dōjutsu would fall to illusions. Kurenai's genjutsu was powerful, but she didn't want to see her relying on it and getting hurt.
"Hehe, thanks for worrying about me, Captain Kiyo."
Kiyo scoffed, "Don't be ridiculous. I just don't want to waste my chance to strike because I have to save you."
"Don't worry. Besides genjutsu, I'm no slouch in taijutsu. I'll surprise you yet," Kurenai said, standing tall with pride. Her father, Yuhi Makoto, had reminded her that genjutsu users couldn't afford weak spots. After training with him and Might Guy, she even learned the forbidden Eight Gates.
Now she could open up to the Gate of Life, and when using the technique, her speed was comparable to instant movement.
Kiyo looked at her bandaged hands and well-trained physique and saw clear signs of long-term taijutsu practice, likely under guidance.
That gave him some relief. This enemy was unlike any they'd faced before. Even if she had another pair of Byakugan, she couldn't be confident against the Rinnegan.
From afar, Konan stood within a massive paper tree created by her Paper Jutsu and observed the Konoha camp's activity. She turned to Nagato and said, "Looks like Konoha expected you."
"Yes. They're prepared."
As he spoke, the Animal Path used Summoning Jutsu near Konoha and summoned the other five Pains.
By then, the Konoha evacuation was nearly complete. Forty elite shinobi remained to face Pain; the rest had withdrawn.
"They're here. All six have the Rinnegan. According to the Nara analysis, the leader of Amegakure is among them—or maybe none of them are."
Kiyo Hyuga's veins bulged as he used his Byakugan to clearly identify the six Pains several hundred meters away.
Once the six Pains entered Konoha's prearranged trap zone, they saw Hiruzen Sarutobi and Onoki waiting at the front.
"Konoha and Iwa have joined forces? Seems last time didn't hurt Iwa enough. Only true pain will convince you to withdraw from this war, Onoki."
Crack!
Thinking of his son, Kitsuchi, Onoki crushed a rock in his hand and shouted furiously, "By the will of Iwa, I swear I'll avenge Kitsuchi and the Iwa-nin you murdered!"
"Exactly. A great nation invades a small one. When the small nation strikes back, the large one claims the moral high ground. How laughable."
Pain's tone was as calm as ever. Losing people during an invasion and then acting like righteous avengers—it was absurd.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
The Animal Path suddenly summoned a massive rhino, which appeared behind the Six Paths of Pain. Its huge body cast a shadow that blocked the shadow technique coming from the ground behind.
Tendo Pain glanced aside, having noticed the hidden Nara Shikaku thanks to the Human Path, and said, "The Nara Clan's Shadow Imitation Technique?"
"Earth Style: Inner Decapitation Jutsu!"
Before Pain could finish, a hand shot up from the ground trying to drag him under—but he reacted instantly, extending a black rod from his palm and stabbing downward.
Poof!
Smoke burst out—he had struck a shadow clone.
"A shadow clone... How dull."
He raised his arm slightly and said, "Now then, it's time for you all to truly taste pain."
Mid-sentence, Tendo Pain suddenly froze—his body completely immobilized.
"Shadow Imitation Technique—success!"
Nara Shikaku revealed himself from behind the Akimichi clan's formation, having used a tunnel beneath Tendo Pain's feet to land the jutsu.
Poof!
Smoke burst from another direction as a transformed 'Shikaku' reverted to another Nara shinobi. The shinobi was sweating—maintaining the Transformation Jutsu while controlling a giant summon consumed massive chakra.
(End of Chapter)