"Let's wait and see."
The Ninja Head of Takigakure sighed. They had few options left.
"Hmm?"
Just as he was about to say something else, his expression suddenly hardened. He seemed to sense something.
Sizzle—
The light bulb above his head flickered erratically at that moment, even emitting sounds of poor contact.
The next moment, black iron sand covered the sky, like an iron curtain, enveloping the entire Takigakure.
"That is…"
They were all a bit stunned, but before they could even think further, a roaring power erupted the next moment.
A massive shockwave swept through the entire village. Buildings and streets near the outskirts were instantly engulfed by this shockwave.
Under that violent force, they were all mercilessly crushed.
Dust and smoke billowed into the sky, instantly obscuring everything, making Takigakure, already shrouded in iron sand, even darker.
Amidst the dust, shouts of varying intensity, intermittent groans, and painful wails constantly intertwined.
"Damn it, what's going on?!"
These people had been knocked down by the invisible shockwave, but they quickly got back up.
They all looked out the window, only to see that the outer areas of the village were in ruins, and even areas closer to the interior were affected.
Who knew how many people lay on the ground?
Many houses were damaged, and some had even collapsed.
This scene made them incredibly angry, and they also saw the figure in the sky.
The black iron sand made visibility extremely poor, preventing them from clearly seeing who that person was, but they knew that this person was responsible for everything.
"Hand over the Seven-Tails, otherwise…"
"Suffer the consequences!"
A cold voice echoed throughout Takigakure, and the violent aura sent chills down everyone's spines.
Moreover, that person's words made them realize the crux of the problem.
Seven-Tails!
This person came for the Seven-Tails?!
But how could it be such a coincidence that they arrived just after the Konoha people?
"Wait, that guy…"
Suddenly, this group of people seemed to sense something.
Although the entire Takigakure was shrouded in darkness, they still saw that person's red hair, and…
"Isn't that the guy who fought Takemi and the others outside the village back then?!"
They wouldn't mistake the black robes with red clouds. They now realized that the situation seemed to be quite serious.
They all remembered the battle from back then. The destruction was beyond their imagination.
They also wondered if this was deliberately orchestrated by Konoha, for example, they got intelligence and came over.
Or…
Are they cooperating to put on a show?
"Kill him!"
The Ninja of Takigakure instantly began to counterattack. The uninjured Ninja spontaneously formed teams and coordinated with each other, rushing towards Nagato and the others.
Nagato didn't move, but the others had already started.
For a moment, the entire Takigakure was in chaos.
"They're really putting on a show."
In the room where the Konoha group was, Takemi shook his head and said, looking at the chaos.
"But why are they doing this?"
Jiraiya looked at Nagato, suppressing his inner anxiety and asking in a low voice.
"Aren't they afraid of incurring public wrath?"
"Indeed, it can be fully confirmed that their target is the Tailed Beast, but…"
Kakashi nodded. While searching for Obito's figure, he spoke in a low voice, "Isn't this going too far? Even if they are already wanted, doing this is somewhat unexpected."
"It's not unexpected, after all, they are not weak to begin with."
Takemi shook his head, recalling their first move when they defeated Sunagakure and even captured the Kazekage.
Now, only acting against Takigakure could be considered them having somewhat restrained themselves.
Moreover, for the entire Ninja World, there was an even more prominent target standing before them.
"Um, are we not going to do anything?"
Takemi and the others remained indifferent, which made Naruto anxious.
"It's not good to just watch, is it?"
"There's nothing wrong with it. It's fine to let them move around a bit more."
Takemi smiled. He glanced at Sasuke, who was also searching for Itachi's whereabouts.
The fact that he didn't rush out immediately upon seeing the Akatsuki already indicated that he truly had the demeanor of a 'Ninja'.
"But… but…"
Naruto couldn't stand it, but Takemi remained calm.
"Didn't Second Hokage and Third Hokage both say last time that sometimes the Ninja World must be made aware of the Akatsuki's danger? Why don't you listen to Hokage-sama's orders?"
"I didn't, I just…"
Naruto glanced outside, where Ninjutsu continuously roared, and Takigakure Ninja constantly fell. He clenched his fists. Clearly, he couldn't stand all this.
Especially hearing the screams outside growing louder, and the roaring and destruction constantly stimulating his nerves.
"A Ninja must be calm, and must assess the situation."
Takemi remained the same. He glanced at Kakashi and Jiraiya, then continued, "We must seize the best opportunity to act. Don't you know this, Naruto?"
"…"
Naruto didn't speak. He just looked up and gazed outside, his Chakra already surging within him. Clearly, he was ready to make his move at any moment.
"Let me ask you a question, Naruto."
Takemi had also been observing the situation inside Takigakure.
Suddenly, he asked, "When are people most likely to relax their guard? Or rather, when is their defense at its lowest?"
"This…"
Naruto didn't know what Takemi meant, but just then, something else suddenly happened in Takigakure.
"Found them! The Seven-Tails Jinchuriki is over here!"
With a loud shout, everyone's attention involuntarily went towards the source of the sound.
And at that very moment, a violent Chakra surged forth, and the entire room instantly became shaky.
"Hmm?"
And in mid-air, Nagato suddenly sensed something.
In just a blink, a pair of silver eyes had already appeared before him, and the astonishing Purple Lightning, accompanied by the white fang short sword, had already swung out.
And in the room, Takemi's disappearing words seemed to still echo.
"It's when they think they are about to 'win'…"