"I'll go with Tobi."
Konan volunteered herself. Though neither she nor Tobi's true body was inside the cavern, they had methods to project powerful avatars—each carrying nearly a third of their real strength.
The sealing of Shukaku was almost complete. They only needed to stall the Leaf shinobi for a little while longer. By then, Deidara and Sasori would be released from the Illusionary Dragon Nine Seals, free to unleash their full strength against the intruders.
Besides, Zetsu had already confirmed something important—Senju Haruto wasn't with the rescue squad.
"…Very well. I leave it to you," Pain replied, resuming the sealing ritual with the others.
Outside the cavern.
Naruto Uzumaki entered his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, ready to smash through by sheer force. Yamato and Zabuza exchanged a brief glance, silently preparing themselves for battle.
But just as Naruto formed the hand seals for Shadow Clone Jutsu, two figures emerged from within the massive stone blocking the cave entrance.
One wore a yellow, spiral-patterned mask. The other was a blue-haired woman with wings of countless paper sheets spreading from her back, hovering high above as she looked down upon Yamato's team.
Their sudden appearance confirmed Naruto's suspicions.
"So you're members of Akatsuki…" Yamato muttered darkly, every muscle tensed.
"Give Gaara back to us!"
Temari's composure broke the instant she saw them. Gripping the iron fan strapped to her back, she unleashed a powerful Wind Release attack without hesitation.
But her gust tore straight through the masked man's body, leaving him completely unharmed.
"It…passed through?" Temari's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Our attacks don't land…" Zabuza narrowed his gaze, glancing at Haku.
As an infamous Demon of the Mist, Zabuza's instincts were sharp. The enemy's presence here was no accident—it confirmed Gaara was inside, and that the sealing wasn't finished. Their real goal was simply to stall for time.
"If we let them bog us down here, we'll fall straight into their hands… Naruto, Yamato," Zabuza growled.
Without waiting for a response, he exhaled a deep mist, blanketing the battlefield in his signature Hidden Mist Jutsu.
But Yamato and Naruto—both seasoned sensory types—remained unaffected.
"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"
Slamming his palms together, Yamato transformed the terrain in an instant, thick roots and trees bursting forth.
Naruto, meanwhile, vanished with the Body Flicker Technique, reappearing atop the giant stone that sealed the cavern. Chakra swirled in his palm as he formed a Rasengan and slammed it against the paper-tagged boulder.
BOOM!
The impact rippled outward like waves.
Konan broke free of the mist, soaring upward. From above, she could barely make out the shifting battlefield through the fog. Unlike Nagato, her sensory abilities were limited.
"Damn it…" Frustrated, she scattered countless paper bombs in every direction.
"Tobi won't be killed by something like this anyway," she muttered coldly, before triggering an indiscriminate bombardment.
"Haku—get down!"
Seeing the sky rain fire, Haku quickly erected an ice barrier, shielding both himself and Zabuza.
Yamato rushed to Temari's side, raising wooden walls for protection.
As for Naruto, the golden cloak of his Nine-Tails Mode alone shielded him from the blast. Yet despite his effort, his Rasengan hadn't even cracked the stone. The strange seal absorbed all its force.
"The Nine-Tails…"
Tobi suddenly appeared behind Naruto.
The Gedo Statue already contained chakra from every tailed beast except the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails. Capturing the Nine-Tails now wouldn't disrupt the balance.
More importantly…
When Uchiha Itachi joined Akatsuki, he made an agreement: he would help them capture tailed beasts, but under one condition—Akatsuki could never move directly against the Hidden Leaf.
Of course, even without that promise, Tobi wouldn't dare attack Konoha openly.
Because he wasn't truly Uchiha Madara.
He was Uchiha Obito, the boy who should have died at Kannabi Bridge during the Third Great Ninja War. Against someone like Senju Haruto, Obito knew he didn't stand a chance.
One reckless move against Konoha could mean his own end.
Capturing Naruto had always been a dilemma.
But now—Naruto had delivered himself right to the door.
"This doesn't break my agreement with Itachi," Obito muttered. His voice hardened as he ripped away the playful façade of "Tobi" and reached for Naruto's throat.
But just as his fingers brushed close—Naruto's body vanished.
"…What?!" Obito's single visible eye widened. The boy's speed was unreal. His control over the Nine-Tails' chakra—frighteningly precise.
"You're… Uchiha Madara, aren't you?"
Naruto's voice came from above. Obito looked up—only to see the boy descending, Rasengan in hand, just like that night long ago.
The exact same move the Fourth Hokage—Minato Namikaze—had used to defeat him.
"No… not again—!"
Too late. In his golden cloak, Naruto struck with terrifying speed.
The Rasengan slammed into Obito's chest.
BOOM!
Supercharged by the Nine-Tails' chakra, the attack far surpassed Minato's. Obito's avatar—bearing a third of his true strength—shattered instantly.
Defeated in a single strike.
"I knew the moment I saw you… you're not Madara. You're Obito."
Naruto landed lightly, taking several steps back. From the start, he had never intended to break the stone immediately. Instead, he'd lured Obito into exposing himself.
Thanks to Haruto's genjutsu teachings, Naruto knew the truth about that night—the Nine-Tails' attack on the village, his father's battle, Obito's powers.
Now, raising his hand once more, he unleashed the technique he had developed with Kakashi's help.
"Wind Release: Rasenshuriken!"
The whirling shuriken-shaped Rasengan roared from his hand, flying straight into the sealing stone.
CRASH!
The boulder split apart, collapsing into rubble.