The Land of Rain.
From afar, Amegakure — a village crisscrossed by drainage pipes — looked like a steel jungle.
The sky was perpetually shrouded in heavy, oppressive clouds stretching endlessly to the horizon, as if it had been this way since the dawn of time. For centuries, this land wedged between the great nations of Wind, Earth, and Fire seemed born to weep, evoking an instinctive sense of… distaste and aversion.
Outside the range of Amegakure's influence, inside a temporary earth house built with Earth Release, the three Kage, each leading nearly a hundred shinobi, gathered.
"Our movements must have already been detected by the Akatsuki organization, but the enemy has not come out to fight us."
"Are they trying to lure us deeper in, to fight within Amegakure itself?"
"It could be a trap, but that's hardly enough to halt our advance… Has the Mizukage still not arrived?"
Bzzt!!
A strange, abrupt sound cut off the Kage's discussion. Their expressions tightened, and they quickly stepped outside.
But when the three of them appeared outside and saw everything that was happening, the expressions on their faces suddenly froze. They stared at the gray sky with incredulous looks.
Not just the three Kage, but all the shinobi present raised their heads, looking at a brilliant light that had suddenly appeared, like a light barrier, enclosing everyone, including themselves and the Amegakure in the rain curtain in front of them.
"W–What is this…?"
"My apologies, I'm a little late."
Yuki Yoru, wearing a Mizukage coat, descended from the sky. Behind him, several pure white figures flashed and disappeared, leaving only one person to follow Yoru.
A shinobi who could fly was already eye-catching — but Yoru stepping across the air was downright stunning. Even so, the three Kage's attention soon shifted past Yoru, focusing on the man standing behind him.
Wearing the pure-white captain's haori, face expressionless — Karatachi Yagura, Captain of the 13th Division of the Gotei 13, met their gaze with calm composure, remaining behind Yoru.
"The Gotei 13…"
"A captain of the Shinigami from Soul Society…"
"So this power is finally being brought into the open?"
Their expressions were hard to read.
Over the years, rumors about the Soul Society had never stopped. Before they joined Yuki Yoru's command, they had also continuously explored and gathered information about it.
But even though Yuki Yoru never deliberately hid it, they still knew very little about this legendary organization.
And after they later joined Yuki Yoru's command and began to all come into contact with spiritual power, they no longer had much energy or time to care about these things. Only Fugaku Uchiha, the Hokage who had been in contact with Yuki Yoru from the very beginning, knew the details of the Soul Society.
"Mizukage, what is this…?"
"A space barrier," Yoru turned his head and looked at the magnificent special barrier that covered the entire Amegakure: "This barrier will directly isolate the space inside and out. Even space-time ninjutsu cannot pass through it."
"In other words, as long as they are inside this barrier, everyone in Amegakure will be unable to leave until this barrier is broken."
"Perfect!" The Fourth Raikage slammed a fist into the air. "This time we'll trap them like fish in a barrel!"
"But the enemy hasn't reacted, Mizukage-sama," Rasa said gravely. "We made no small commotion, yet Akatsuki hasn't sent anyone out — not even ordinary Ame-nin are in sight."
"Could it be… that after hearing of our alliance, they simply abandoned Amegakure?"
"Ah, no." Yoru's smile was faint. "The enemy calls himself a god. Retreat? Hardly. He's probably sitting in there right now, waiting for us to arrive."
"Then let's just charge in and crush them!"
The Fourth Raikage was decisive. He didn't want anything now except to crush all the Akatsuki members on the spot.
As if sensing the Fourth Raikage's thoughts, moments after Yoru's massive barrier descended, a thunderous roar erupted.
The ground beneath them cracked and split apart; towering trees erupted from the ground like a tidal wave, surging toward the Allied Shinobi Forces.
Yoru flickered forward, intercepting the oncoming sea of wood. Standing atop it was a red-haired figure. The moment their gazes met, both vanished from sight.
As the dust cleared, the three Kage peered into the distance.
High atop the towering giant trees, a row of shinobi in black cloaks patterned with red clouds stood or crouched, their gazes locked on the distant Allied Shinobi Forces.
At the very front stood Hiruko, his bandages removed. His arms hung loosely at his sides, gaze arrogant and expression cold as he looked down upon them.
Beside Hiruko was Sasori, who was hiding in his 'Puppet Hiruko,' and the Six Paths of Pain stood together.
In the rear were support members: the Akatsuki provisional member Deidara, and the "Angel" of Akatsuki, Konan.
Watching Yoru and Nagato vanish, Hiruko gave a quiet snort.
"Although I can't have a fight with the strongest shinobi in the world, using the lives of the Hokage, Raikage, and Kazekage as a sacrifice for my debut is enough."
"Don't be so arrogant," Sasori said coldly. "Besides them, Kirigakure's Shinigami from Soul Society are here too."
"Arrogant?"
Hiruko sneered, his face radiating confidence.
"You should see for yourself how strong I am now that I've become the Ultimate Ninja!"
With that, Hiruko leapt from the giant tree.
"You dare to take the initiative to attack us?" The Fourth Raikage sneered, then roared. A brilliant electric glow erupted from his body, and his hair stood on end, just like a Super Saiyan.
Lightning Release Chakra Mode — Activate!
In a flash of lightning, the Raikage vanished, charging straight for Hiruko—yet in that same instant, Hiruko also disappeared from everyone's sight.
"So fast!"
"What—how can he be that fast?!"
The terrifying speed made every onlooker's pupils contract. Even the Raikage in his Lightning Release Chakra Mode frowned slightly.
In a clash between high-speed shinobi, victory or defeat is decided in a single instant.
Hiruko's Swift Release pushed his speed to the extreme—no less than the Fourth Raikage's Lightning Release Chakra Mode, and perhaps even greater.
In an instant, Hiruko was already in front of the Raikage, his seemingly slender hand clenched into a fist as it drove straight toward the Raikage's face.
"Overestimating yourself!"
"Liger Bomb!"
The Fourth Raikage let out a low roar, the Lightning Release chakra around him flaring even brighter. His strength was unmatched, and in the reflection of that electric light in his eyes, he seemed to already see Hiruko's body being torn apart by his Liger Bomb.
Boom!
In the clash of heavy blows, the scene the Raikage had imagined did not occur—instead, their power was evenly matched in midair.
No.
"Is that all you've got, Raikage?"
Looking at the astonished Fourth Raikage, a look of mockery appeared on the corner of Hiruko's mouth. With his Steel Release and his evolution into the Ultimate Ninja, he had gained an incredible physique, and his power erupted in that instant.
Before everyone's eyes, the charging Raikage was knocked back by a single blow from Hiruko, crashing to the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.
"How can this be?"
"What?!"
The fact that the Fourth Raikage had been put at a disadvantage in a head-on clash with Hiruko—and was even knocked back—was something all the Konoha shinobi present found hard to believe.
Hiruko's lips curled into a faint smile, and in the blink of an eye, his figure vanished.
A moment later, he appeared in the middle of the Allied shinobi ranks. His slender arm, like an unyielding blade, drove straight through the chest of a Konoha jōnin.
Before the body hit the ground, the surrounding Suna and Kumo shinobi were already coughing blood, staring at the wounds in their chests in shock.
"Magnet Release — Gold Dust Restraint!"
Seeing the few remaining elites of his village being killed by Hiruko, Rasa's eyes were filled with rage. With a wave of his hands, gold dust erupted from the ground and immediately surged towards Hiruko from all directions.
The gold dust swept over everything, leaving no room to escape—yet Hiruko stood his ground, not even dodging, as he continued his slaughter.
As the gold dust fell, Hiruko simply lifted his palm—and in that instant, the raging tide of gold dust seemed to lose all its power.
"Dark Release — Inhaling Maw!"
Hiruko's palms were like two air holes, absorbing all the chakra contained in the gold dust.
With his chakra control broken, the gold dust Rasa had been manipulating as easily as his own arm crashed to the ground, changing from a weapon into a pile of treasure.
Hiruko's face was full of mocking amusement. He crushed the heart of a Sunagakure jōnin in his hand, and at the same time, with a wave of his palm, the ground shook. Countless iron sand erupted from the ground and attacked Rasa!
"What?!"
Rasa's face changed drastically, and he quickly gathered his gold dust to counter.
Gold dust and iron sand clashed violently in midair. Fugaku Uchiha, who had been waiting for the right moment, suddenly rushed into the battlefield, a blazing, chaotic flame roaring from his hands.
But in an instant, the Fire Release vanished without a trace—just like the gold dust and iron sand.
Fugaku's pupils constricted in shock, but Yagura calmly spoke, revealing the truth.
"It's Dark Release. Your attacks are meaningless to him. Use spiritual power!"
Dark Release could absorb chakra and use it against the user. It was a low-level version of the Sealing Jutsu: Absorbing Seal. For ordinary ninjutsu, it was almost invincible, but against high-level jutsu, it seemed a little lacking.
"Hm?"
Having his secret exposed, Hiruko's eyes narrowed slightly. The blood-red three-tomoe Sharingan spun within his sockets as he glanced at Yagura's attire, letting out a mocking sneer.
With a wave of his hand, the blazing Fire Release he had previously devoured erupted outward, surging toward Yagura like an overwhelming tide.
"So you're Yuki Yoru's Shinigami, huh? Then let me show you my power!"
Behind him, the Raikage, who had just regained his footing, crackled with lightning. Meanwhile, Fugaku, whose Fire Release had failed, shifted his gaze and noticed the other Akatsuki members stirring in the distance.
The two of them exchanged a glance, and without any hesitation, they rushed towards the remaining Akatsuki members. At the same time, the allied forces, who had long been prepared, finally made their move.
"Shinra Tensei!"
A violent repulsive force roared out from the Deva Path of Pain, bringing everyone's attacks to a sudden halt.
Cannons roared, and the Asura Path's arms shot out countless blasts of fire.
Roaring and wailing, the Animal Path's summoned beasts tore through everything in their path.
Thick smoke filled the air, and the battlefield was in chaos. The Preta Path, Naraka Path, and Human Path moved through it, like the descent of the God of Death, harvesting lives.
Hundreds of figures surged forth, blotting out the sky, their movements connected by intricate chakra threads—Performance of a Hundred Puppets!
The battlefield was pure chaos. Akatsuki's overwhelming power caught even the confident Three Kage completely off guard.
The Fourth Raikage had activated his Lightning Release Chakra Mode at full power, transforming into the strongest Lightning Armor.
The Fifth Hokage's three-tomoe Sharingan spun as Susanoo manifested.
Yet still, the tide of battle leaned entirely in Akatsuki's favor — Hiruko's overpowered abilities tilted the scales too far.
"Hiruko!"
The two swords of the Susanoo roared down towards Hiruko. Fugaku Uchiha shouted in a rage: "Why did you join the Akatsuki organization?! Have you forgotten that you were once a Konoha shinobi?!"
"Correction, Fugaku, I was a Konoha missing-nin!"
Hiruko laughed eerily. The strange speed of his Swift Release easily dodged the Susanoo's attack, and he casually killed two more Konoha shinobi.
"I am the Hokage! If you repent, I can revoke your missing-nin status!" Fugaku growled. "Don't keep walking down this path—Akatsuki must be destroyed! I'm giving you a chance!"
"You're giving me a chance? Hahahaha... You're giving me a chance?"
Hiruko laughed like he'd heard the world's funniest joke, covering his face. His Sharingan turned blood-red.
"Hokage? Don't make me laugh, Fugaku! That filthy, corrupt village that prizes bloodlines, hoards power, oppresses the common folk, and feeds off their toil — I left it behind long ago!"
"Then you can die here!"
The Fourth Raikage's form flashed like lightning as he appeared behind Hiruko. In the full power of his strongest Lightning Release Armor, he brought his raised leg crashing down toward Hiruko's head.
Liger Bomb Thunder Axe!
Boom!!
But after hitting Hiruko, the Fourth Raikage and everyone present showed an expression of disbelief.
The Fourth Raikage had indeed hit Hiruko, but a layer of black chakra had blocked the attack.
The black chakra, having withstood a kick powerful enough to shatter mountains, rapidly expanded, condensed, and took shape.
Flesh, veins, armor.
A massive skeletal arm, clenched into a fist along the side of the ribs, sent the Fourth Raikage flying with a single punch. At that very moment, the three-tomoe Sharingan in Hiruko's eyes also transformed into a unique pattern.
Looking at those eyes, Fugaku Uchiha's expression had never been so solemn and serious: "You, you actually..."
"I'm no longer that dead last I used to be, Fugaku!"
Under his Susanoo, Hiruko roared angrily: "The me now is the only Ultimate Ninja in this world! A being who stands at the pinnacle of all shinobi!"