Kumogakure, the Village Hidden by Clouds.
"Lord Raikage, Konoha's support team has arrived."
Within the Raikage's office, thick with the scent of medicine, a curvaceously figured woman entered. Several men wrapped in bandages were seated inside; those with severe injuries looked almost like mummies, while those with lighter wounds leaned on crutches.
"Bring them in." From the main seat, the Fourth Raikage, his arm in a sling and half his body swathed in bandages, spoke.
Guided by Mabui, Kakashi, along with the three Jonin team leaders, walked into the office.
"I didn't expect them to send you." Gazing at the newcomer's iconic single visible eye and silver hair, the Fourth Raikage remarked with a hint of surprise. Among Konoha's younger generation renowned throughout the shinobi world, besides the Shinobi Squad's captain Uchiha Sasuke, there was this man—Hatake Kakashi. He hadn't thought Tsunade would be so generous as to send one of her trump cards to support Kumogakure.
"May I ask, what is the current situation?" Kakashi asked, getting straight to the point.
"Allow me to explain." After receiving a nod of approval from the Fourth Raikage, Mabui took two steps forward and began to brief the four Konoha nin.
"I believe the four of you are already aware that Kumogakure has declared war on the Akatsuki..."
As Mabui recounted the events, the four learned the reasons behind Kumogakure's request for aid.
During the battle in the alternate dimension, the Akatsuki had somehow learned of the Kumo forces' operational plans, including those of the Shinobi Squad, and had set up an ambush in advance. After a period of intentional delaying tactics by Akatsuki, the allied forces had paid a certain price to eliminate one core Akatsuki member. Just as the situation began to develop as anticipated, the Akatsuki leader suddenly unleashed a terrifying ninjutsu, instantly reversing the tide of battle. Several Kumo nin perished under that horrifying technique.
By the time the effects of the dreadful ninjutsu subsided, the Akatsuki had vanished without a trace. With the assistance of personnel stationed in the main world, the survivors entered the spatial passage connecting the main world to the alternate dimension.
It was at that precise moment—
The Akatsuki detonated the alternate dimension.
They were all swept into spatial turbulence. The ninja stationed in the main world were also ruthlessly slaughtered by Akatsuki members. Under the protection of Uchiha Sasuke's Susanoo, they paid a considerable price to successfully escape the spatial turbulence. During this time, the ninja left in the main world had also been nearly wiped out by the Akatsuki. If not for the timely arrival of Sasuke and the others, the remaining survivors would likely have also fallen to Akatsuki's blades.
After a wave of anger and unwillingness, the survivors had no choice but to accept the fact of their defeat. Collecting the remains of their comrades, they embarked on their return journey with heavy and dejected hearts.
Everyone thought the matter was over.
But that very night, the Akatsuki launched their retaliation.
No one could describe their feelings at that moment. How dared those bastards? They were Kumogakure, one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages! And their opponents? Merely rats hiding in the shadows. Just as rats are instinctively terrified of cats, in their view, Akatsuki should fear them. They should be the ones making Akatsuki flee desperately under their pursuit.
However, all of this was ultimately just their own wishful thinking—laughable, absurd, comical wishful thinking. They had never been the cats, and Akatsuki had never been the rats.
Akatsuki's retaliation came as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
In a rural town inn, they experienced a night of death. Poison, explosions, a seemingly enthusiastic waitress turning into a cold puppet, the five basic nature transformations bombarding them in turn... From that night until they returned to the Land of Lightning, the attacks never ceased. Every surviving Kumo nin was injured; even powerhouses like the Fourth Raikage and Uchiha Sasuke were not spared.
"Is Uchiha Sasuke's condition alright?" Kakashi couldn't help but ask upon hearing this. Although their superior-subordinate relationship no longer existed, the bond of their former teacher-student days remained.
"Lord Sasuke's injuries are not too severe, please rest assured," Mabui reassured him.
"If people knew that the handsome and dashing number one young master of the shinobi world, Uchiha Sasuke, was currently sitting in a wheelchair, half-paralyzed, I wonder how many young girls' hearts would be broken." Naruto Shadow Clone #2 was perched on an ornamental rock, looking down at the "patient" below, clicking his tongue.
Uchiha Sasuke rolled his eyes. "If you keep spouting this nonsense, believe it or not, I'll have the guards throw you out."
"I believe you, why wouldn't I?" Shadow Clone #2 chuckled. "Speaking of which, how did you get all these injuries?"
"If I told you I don't even know what hit me, would you believe it?" Uchiha Sasuke tilted his head slightly, his well-proportioned profile looking 'bright and captivating' under the sunlight.
Shadow Clone #2 averted his gaze slightly. This guy's fame really isn't because of his strength.
"Tell me in detail."
"It was very strange. When I was fighting evenly with the Akatsuki leader, I could clearly feel his Rinnegan activating some kind of ability..."
"And then?"
"As you can see, I ended up in a wheelchair." Uchiha Sasuke shrugged slightly.
Shadow Clone #2 stroked his chin. "So, you're saying that in that instant, Nagato activated some unknown dojutsu?"
"It should be." The image of his Susanoo suddenly having a hole blown through it by some unknown force flashed in Sasuke's mind, and he rubbed his temples with a headache. "But, using that dojutsu seems to take a heavy toll on him," he added uncertainly.
"Did Nagato really say he would make Kumogakure experience pain?"
"He did indeed say that."
"One sentence, directly forcing the Five Great Shinobi Villages to convene another Five Kage Summit. Terrifyingly powerful."
As they spoke, Shadow Clone #2's expression suddenly changed.
Land of Water, an unnamed island.
ROAR!
The Three-Tails, Isobu, let out an furious roar. On the nearby land, two giant tails thrashed about. Surrounding the lake, several figures in black cloaks with red clouds had him tightly encircled.
"Hey, hey! We're supposed to capture this guy alive! Try to hold back a bit, don't actually kill him!" Hidan yelled.
"I know what I'm doing," Kakuzu snorted. From his back, the Earth Grudge Fear mask representing Lightning Release began to gather chakra, though the scale was noticeably smaller than before.
BOOM!
Isobu roared, and several towering waves crashed outwards from the lake.
"Dark Release: Judgment!" Watching the impending waves, Hiruko remained calm. He raised his palm, and a terrifying Wind Release ninjutsu howled forth, instantly slicing an opening through the impenetrable wall of water, just large enough for him to pass. The others also used their respective techniques to evade Isobu's attack. On the churning lake surface, several Akatsuki members moved with ease, treating Isobu not as the mobile natural disaster that struck fear into people's hearts, but as a domesticated kitten.
"For a guy of this level, any one of us would do. Sending so many is a pure waste of time," Hiruko had complained more than once.
"The Three-Tails isn't terrifying. What's terrifying is the one behind him," Sasori said, leaping lightly as a massive pillar of water swept past beneath him.
"Uzumaki Naruto?" Hiruko said, surprised. He had heard this name more than once. "Just a mere Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Is he really worth being so wary of?"
"Originally, we also thought he was 'just a mere Nine-Tails Jinchuriki'... Once you truly fight him, you'll understand the meaning behind that name."
"I remember you guys saying the Three-Tails is that fellow's summoning beast," Hiruko said, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "If the pet is being beaten, the master should show up, right?" He raised his right hand high, a large amount of chakra surging towards the sky. After a few breaths:
RUMBLE!
Above the lake, a massive thundercloud rapidly formed.
"Storm Release: Storm Demon Dragon!" Under his control, countless bolts of lightning suddenly rained down on the behemoth in the center of the lake.
POOF!
A cloud of white smoke erupted, and Isobu's massive form abruptly vanished from their sight.
"This is... the Summoning Technique?!" Hiruko almost cursed out loud. He had thought those guys were just joking. The Three-Tails really was that fellow's summoning beast! Are you kidding me? To subjugate that chakra incarnate and make it a summoning beast, just how terrifyingly strong was Uzumaki Naruto?
"Aiya, all that work for nothing," Hidan cackled, clearly not one to mind stirring up trouble.
"You really don't listen to any of the Leader's operational plans," Kakuzu sighed in exasperation. Why was he stuck with such a dumbass teammate? "There, that is our target." He pointed towards the two large tails on the land.
On an open plain.
POOF!
Isobu's enormous form suddenly appeared.
"Are you alright?" Naruto asked, relieved after checking the big fellow's condition. The injuries weren't too severe.
"I almost died," Isobu grumbled, lying on the ground, sighing repeatedly. My beastly life is really going downhill.
"Look on the bright side. It was Akatsuki, after all. Once everything is ready, I'll take you to beat them up," Naruto said, patting Isobu's chin reassuringly.
"It's a deal! Call me then. I want to fight two of them!"
"Alright, you can fight three if you want." Naruto returned the chakra Isobu had gifted him a year ago and then channeled some Yang Release chakra into him to help him recover from his injuries faster.
"You master Yang Release really quickly." A tingling, itching sensation began to spread from Isobu's wounds; he knew this was a sign of recovery. "Have you started forming Truth-Seeking Orbs yet?"
"I've started, yes," Naruto said, withdrawing his hand. "But I've never seen them with my own eyes, so I can only go by your descriptions. It's quite difficult to form them."
Senjutsu, Yin-Yang Release, Nine-Tails chakra, the five basic nature transformations... His strength had already reached a certain limit. This limit was different from before; he could no longer break through simply by mastering more ninjutsu. His only frame of reference was the Sage of Six Paths, who existed in the memories of Kurama, Isobu, and Shukaku. According to their descriptions, the Sage of Six Paths' most terrifying ability was the nine Truth-Seeking Orbs that constantly floated behind him. Kurama speculated that those Truth-Seeking Orbs were a manifestation of the Sage's mastery over the power of Yin, Yang, and the five elements—a power that surpassed the currently known Kekkei Genkai and Kekkei Tota of the shinobi world. It was an unknown, even more terrifying power.
Coincidentally, due to replacing his eye with Urashiki's Rinnegan, he had become a genius proficient in all five elements, similar to Nagato. Therefore, he was also trying to use his mastery of Yin, Yang, and the five elements to create his own Truth-Seeking Orbs. But just as Kurama had said, the level of power represented by the Truth-Seeking Orbs transcended the shinobi world. Even for him, forming them was a complete mystery. He had tried many approaches, all ending in failure.
"Take it slow. Besides the Old Man Sage, I haven't seen anyone else with those things floating behind them," Kurama's voice rumbled.
"You guys think Nagato might have already formed them?" Naruto suddenly asked.
"...Probably not," Kurama shook his head. "Although, besides you, he's the most likely one to be able to form Truth-Seeking Orbs. If he had, Akatsuki would probably have already ground the Five Great Villages into the dust."
"Are Truth-Seeking Orbs really that terrifying?"
"Actually, I always suspected back then that the Old Man Sage could have killed me with a single Truth-Seeking Orb, without even using any other techniques."
Naruto: "..."
Land of Earth, Iwagakure, the Village Hidden by Rocks.
"According to the plan, I will draw their fire. You will be responsible for capturing the Five-Tails," Nagato said, turning his head to the masked man beside him. "Any problems?"
"You need not doubt. Although my strength is not even one-tenth of what it was after my battle with Hashirama, dealing with a single Five-Tails Jinchuriki is not a problem," the masked man replied, clearly displeased by Nagato's doubt.
"It had better be so." Nagato nodded slightly and turned to enter a nearby chakra transmission machine. Beside him, the Six Paths of Pain all opened their eyes.
Whoosh!
A swirling spatial distortion appeared, and the masked man's figure vanished.
The powerfully built Naraka Path crossed its arms. The Animal Path lightly leaped onto its crossed palms. With a coordinated repulsive force from the Deva Path—
BOOM!
Like a launched missile, the Animal Path appeared above Iwagakure in the blink of an eye. It quickly formed hand seals, activating the Summoning Technique. The other five Paths dissolved into white smoke and vanished.
Rustle, rustle, rustle~
White paper fluttered, and Konan's form materialized beside the chakra transmission machine.
"From now on, most of my focus will be on the Six Paths. I'll leave my main body in your care," Nagato said, slowly closing his eyes.
"Uchiha Madara is not to be trusted."
"I understand," Konan nodded slightly.
Originally, according to their initial plan, they weren't going to use the Six Paths of Pain. White Zetsu was supposed to pinpoint the location, and then Nagato would directly assault Iwagakure, aiming to capture the Five-Tails as quickly as possible. However, the masked man, Uchiha Madara, had suddenly proposed participating in the Tailed Beast capture. Thus, to avoid being undermined by the masked man, Nagato decided to use the Six Paths of Pain to openly draw Iwagakure's fire. If the masked man failed, Nagato's main body would then make a move.
Konan's eyes flickered. This was Uchiha Madara's first overt move since they had formed their alliance. Previously, he had always hidden in the shadows, guiding Akatsuki's actions. Both she and Nagato were curious about the methods of the legendary shinobi of the past, which was why they had opted for this somewhat redundant plan.
Around Iwagakure, the Six Paths of Pain successfully landed. According to White Zetsu's reconnaissance, the sensory barriers of the Five Great Hidden Villages were structurally similar, all originating from the Uzumaki clan: highly sensitive around the perimeter, but significantly weaker directly above. In its normal state, this type of sensory barrier couldn't repel intruders but could only detect unregistered chakra. Compared to a frontal assault on the periphery, an attack blooming from the center was clearly less difficult.
"Summoning Technique!" The Animal Path formed hand seals again, and several giant summoning beasts descended upon Iwagakure.
"What is that?!" Beneath a giant, multi-headed dog, several Iwagakure villagers stared in terror at the behemoth above them.
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