Chapter 321: Rescuing Konan
Staring at the silent puppet master before him, Kyosuke held his blade against the female assassin, recreating the scene from a few days ago.
The difference this time was that he wasn't alone. Beside him stood the formidable Minato Namikaze, and the building was surrounded inside and out by Uchiha clansmen. Escaping would not be an easy task for Mon.
Mon looked at Kyosuke with lifeless, artificial eyes and spoke slowly. "You surprised me today. If I'm not mistaken, you've been tracking us using some unknown method. Otherwise, this situation is inexplicable... Not to boast, but with the strength and experience of the three of us, there are very few methods that could track us undetected. May I ask how you did it?"
Kyosuke smiled. "Take a guess."
"Heh." Seeing that Kyosuke had no intention of explaining, Mon abandoned the idea of probing further. He raised his palm slightly, and under the wary gazes of everyone present, smashed the core located in his chest.
"You won this round. But don't get too arrogant. Soon, you will experience what true despair really is..."
As the words fell, the human puppet collapsed into a pile of parts. All traces of chakra vanished from it. Clearly, Mon's main body had not come personally.
Kyosuke had anticipated this outcome, which was why he hadn't bothered explaining his abilities. Doing so would only give future enemies information to counter him.
Waving his hand to dismiss the clansmen, Kyosuke thought back to Mon's parting words. A thought suddenly struck him.
During the battle at the Moon Palace, Hamura Otsutsuki had said something similar before his defeat. Originally, Kyosuke thought it was just the rambling of a dying man, but now, it seemed Mon's origins were likely connected to that.
After wiping out the branch of the Otsutsuki clan on the moon, Kyosuke had specifically looked for information regarding Toneri Otsutsuki, the Tenseigan wielder from the original timeline. However, his subordinates' reports had found no trace of him. Kyosuke now suspected that Toneri had found Mon and his group. Why else would these three target him specifically?
Now that he understood this, Kyosuke's next priority was to search for Toneri Otsutsuki while investigating the origins of the three assassins.
But that would have to wait until the current turmoil settled. For now, he had to deal with the restless Cloud Village.
Kyosuke and Minato exchanged a glance. After ordering their subordinates to take the two heavily injured captives to the Anbu's underground prison, the two of them vanished from the Uchiha compound in a flash.
Meanwhile, in the Land of Rain.
"Argh!"
Watching his comrade scream in pain before him, tears of frustration flowed down Yahiko's face.
He blamed himself. If he hadn't so easily believed Hanzo's words, he wouldn't have led the organization into this ambush, and... Konan wouldn't have been captured.
I won't let anything happen to you. I promise... Yahiko vowed silently, steeling his resolve.
Since Hanzo viewed the Akatsuki as a threat, Yahiko believed that as long as he died, there would be no point in continuing this battle.
"Yahiko, look out!"
A roar from the distance snapped Yahiko's attention back to the battlefield. A sky full of kunai was raining down on him. Without intervention, he would die in the next volley.
"Bansho Ten'in!" (Universal Pull)
A powerful attractive force suddenly generated from the side, pulling the unresponsive Yahiko away and saving his life.
Looking at the worried Nagato beside him, Yahiko smiled bitterly in his heart. He patted Nagato's shoulder, said nothing, and slowly walked forward, looking up at Hanzo standing on the cliff.
"Release Konan. You can do whatever you want with me," Yahiko said, his tone resolute. Everyone who heard him knew he was prepared to die.
"Yahiko, run! Don't worry about me!" Konan, held hostage by Hanzo, screamed through her tears.
But neither Yahiko nor Nagato listened. Nagato stepped forward to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Yahiko, facing the army of enemies on the cliff together.
"Heh, what touching friendship. But none of you are leaving here today." Hanzo sneered. He didn't notice several of his "subordinates" quietly moving up behind him, getting closer and closer.
Just as the standoff reached its peak, these subordinates suddenly attacked Hanzo from behind.
A blur flashed through the air. As one of the subordinates laid a hand on Konan, Hanzo finally realized what was happening.
Enraged, he prepared to strike down the intruder, but a cyan-colored orb suddenly shot toward him. The cautious Hanzo was forced to dodge.
However, the Rain ninja on the cliff reacted. Ignoring Konan, they unleashed a barrage of kunai at the two intruders.
"Susanoo!"
In the moment of crisis, the figure who had grabbed Konan shouted. A green skeletal ribcage instantly enveloped them both. The kunai struck the chakra construct, clattering harmlessly to the ground.
With extreme speed and a green Susanoo—this figure was, of course, Shisui Uchiha. And the one who had attacked Hanzo with the orb was Saori Hyuga.
Having successfully retrieved Konan, the two moved instantly to escape the Rain ninja's encirclement. The enemies who tried to pursue could only watch helplessly as they pulled away.
"If you want to live, we have to defeat Hanzo. Otherwise, we all die here today," Saori said coldly to the bewildered Yahiko and Nagato.
"Oh... right. I understand."
Seeing Konan miraculously saved, the two men, who had been on the verge of despair, didn't have time to question the logic. Reinvigorated, they turned their attention directly to Hanzo.
Using the Body Flicker Technique to rush into the center of the enemy formation, Nagato's face was ice-cold. He raised his palm, ignoring the incoming attacks. A massive shockwave erupted, instantly clearing out more than half the enemies.
"Shinra Tensei!" (Almighty Push)
The Rain ninja blasted away by the repulsive force stood no chance. Aside from a few lucky ones, most suffered broken bones or ruptured internal organs, dying instantly.
Seeing Nagato take action as predicted, Saori tapped a pressure point on Konan, knocking her unconscious, and handed her to Shisui. At the same time, a brilliant teal light flared in her eyes.
She turned her head toward an empty spot on the cliff face and spoke coldly.
"Well? Are you still not going to make your move?"
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