"What is this?"
In the ninja world, deep within a dense forest, inside the hollow of a massive tree trunk over ten meters thick, Nagato, his figure withered and skeletal, suddenly snapped his head up to look at the sky. This massive tree trunk was precisely where Nagato's real body lay concealed. It was from this hidden sanctum that he remotely controlled Tendo Pain via his chakra.
"What's wrong, Nagato?" Konan, standing steadfastly beside him, asked with gentle concern in her voice. The Konan who had accompanied Tendo Pain and the others to the underground hot spring earlier was merely one of her paper clones.
"There are people fighting on the Moon!" Peering up through an opening in the ancient tree trunk, Nagato gazed towards the distant sky and murmured softly, his voice filled with a strange intensity.
"On the Moon?" Konan's face immediately registered her astonishment upon hearing his words.
"That's right," Nagato affirmed, his voice grave. "I can feel the chakra and ocular power fluctuations emanating from up there."
"This..." Konan was so shocked she was momentarily speechless. The Moon was an immense distance from the ninja world; for chakra and ocular power fluctuations to be perceptible from such a vast gulf, their source had to be incredibly, overwhelmingly strong.
"It seems," Nagato said after several tense seconds of contemplation, "the legends about members of the Otsutsuki clan migrating to the Moon a thousand years ago are true."
Konan remained silent. Legends of the Sage of Six Paths from over a millennium ago, and of his Otsutsuki clan, had always circulated throughout the ninja world. But people had invariably treated them as mere myths, fantastic tales with no basis in reality. No one truly believed they were real. Even Nagato, wielder of the legendary Rinnegan, had only believed a small fraction of those stories to be factual. But now, faced with this undeniable sensation, Nagato had to accept that most of it—perhaps all of it—was true.
"Konan, let's go," Nagato said with sudden resolve after a brief silence, his tone heavy. "We're heading to the hot spring."
Konan was taken aback. "Why? Isn't Tendo there?"
Nagato replied, his voice grim, "Tendo Pain alone won't be enough for this. If I'm not mistaken, that underground hot spring is a passage to the Moon, and the Divine Court's members are already up there."
Konan's expression shifted through several emotions before she voiced her concerns. "If it truly is the Divine Court fighting the Otsutsuki clan up there, wouldn't it be incredibly dangerous for us to go now? Those powerful chakra and ocular power fluctuations are likely from the Otsutsuki descendants; the Divine Court shouldn't possess that kind of strength yet. Perhaps we should let the Divine Court clash head-on with the Otsutsuki. We can simply wait here for them to return, and deal with the victor."
Nagato shook his head decisively. "No. We don't know what else might be on the Moon. Regardless of whether the Divine Court or the Otsutsuki clan wins the battle up there, it will have a tremendous impact on our plans. I will not allow such an unknown variable to persist!"
Konan still looked hesitant. "But your body, Nagato…?"
Nagato's expression was unyielding. "Don't worry. No matter who unleashed those ocular power and chakra fluctuations just now, they will be no match for these eyes of mine."
Having said this, Nagato wasted no more words. He directly utilized the Rinnegan's repulsive force to levitate his emaciated form out of the camouflaged tree trunk, then flew purposefully towards the distant underground cave. Konan opened her mouth as if to protest further, but in the end, said nothing. Countless pieces of paper swirled around her, transforming into a pair of elegant wings on her back, and she flew off in Nagato's wake.
Throughout the ninja world, at that very same moment, many other powerful individuals sensed the extraordinary commotion on the Moon. However, the vast majority lacked Nagato's supreme sensory abilities. Although they could detect some slight, inexplicable disturbance emanating from the lunar sphere, their perception wasn't nearly as clear or detailed as Nagato's.
People on the Moon? This startling thought surfaced simultaneously in the minds of many across the land.
Deep within the subterranean cavern, beside the mysterious underground hot spring, Tendo Pain had already arrived with the assembled Akatsuki members. Standing at the edge of the enigmatic waters, Tendo Pain didn't hesitate, leaping directly in. The other Akatsuki members followed suit without question.
As soon as they reached the strange, shimmering light membrane at the bottom of the hot spring, a huge, dark wave of churning water surged violently towards them. This was stirred up by the giant river crab, which was now furiously charging in their direction. Previously, Tatsuya's fierce attack had not only sent it flying but had also blasted it straight through the light membrane. This indignity had thoroughly enraged the creature. Now that more intruders were causing a disturbance, it charged again without the slightest hesitation, intent on mayhem.
However, this time, it once again encountered formidable opponents.
"Shinra Tensei!"
Facing the charging giant crab, Tendo Pain didn't hold back, unleashing a Shinra Tensei with a single, outstretched hand. Instantly, with Tendo Pain's right hand as the epicenter, the water at the bottom of the hot spring was violently blasted away, forming a devastating, concussive force like a heavy water cannon that struck the giant crab squarely. The colossal crustacean was once again sent flying backward into the gloom.
After dealing with the giant crab with a seemingly casual wave of his hand, Tendo Pain didn't pause, leading the way directly through the light membrane at the bottom of the hot spring. The Akatsuki members followed him through.
After a dizzying, disorienting spin through the passage, they arrived inside the Moon. A blinding flash of light assaulted their senses, and as their vision cleared, they heard the continuous, echoing sounds of intense fighting from somewhere in the distance. They all turned their heads and saw, far off, at the foot of a mountain range along the edge of what looked like a beach, a dense, seething swarm of puppets attacking a few isolated figures.
Seeing this, Kakuzu, Sasori, and the others instinctively turned to look at Tendo Pain for orders. But what they saw left them utterly dumbfounded.
Tendo Pain had collapsed face down on the ground, motionless.
Because the distance between the ninja world and the Moon was so incredibly vast, after being transported through the spatial passage, Tendo Pain—deprived of Nagato's remote chakra control—had lost all ability to move.
"Hey, hey, hey! What the hell happened to the Leader?!" After a moment of stunned silence, Hidan was the first to exclaim, his voice a mixture of shock and disbelief. Their powerful, enigmatic, and usually unflappable leader had just… conked out! This unexpected sight greatly demoralized the Akatsuki members, who had been primed and ready for a major confrontation.
However, this state of confusion didn't last long. Kakuzu, Sasori, and others who had joined the organization earlier, and were privy to more of its secrets, quickly composed themselves. After the battle at Yakugakure, the truth that Tendo Pain was merely a puppet had been exposed to them. They rapidly deduced that the passage through the spatial channel must have severed the connection between their true leader and the Tendo Pain puppet.
Lifting his head and surveying this strange new world inside the Moon, Kakuzu's masked face showed a thoughtful expression. This place… this definitely wasn't the ninja world anymore.
"Everyone, don't worry," Konan's paper clone, who had been standing beside Tendo Pain, spoke up at this moment, her voice calm and collected. "This should be the Moon. The Leader is on his way. Those fighting over there are likely members of the Divine Court, engaged in battle with the Otsutsuki clan who migrated to the Moon long ago." Konan's real body, accompanying Nagato, had quickly relayed his deductions and intentions to her paper clone on the Moon.
Upon hearing this, the expressions on the Akatsuki members' faces became quite colorful—a mixture of disbelief, awe, and dawning understanding. On the Moon? The idea sounded utterly absurd, yet, given the bizarre circumstances, it also felt strangely, inexplicably plausible.
Musing over this incredible revelation, they couldn't help but turn their gazes back to the distant figures they now knew to be Kagutsuchi, Suijin, and Guren, who were still being besieged by that massive, relentless horde of puppets. Due to the great distance, the Akatsuki members couldn't clearly see or sense the specific details of the situation over there. But judging solely from the sheer density of the puppets, it was evident that the individuals being swarmed were by no means weak.
Seeing this spectacle, Sasori's eyes were the first to show a spark of keen, professional interest. Puppets? This was, after all, his grand area of expertise.
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