Only Itachi was truly critically injured. Hidan didn't count. As long as Kakuzu stitched him back together properly, he'd be jumping around again before long.
With the situation having reached this point, the barrier's purpose was gone. It had been erected to kill Fujimoto Tōma. Now, killing him was nothing more than wishful thinking.
Tōma felt the change immediately.
The suppression vanished. His perception reconnected to the Flying Thunder God marks outside.
And, just as expected, a familiar figure appeared in his vision.
Short orange hair. An expression carved from stone. Those imposing Rinnegan eyes.
Pain. The Deva Path.
Tōma glanced at him and spoke with mild sarcasm. "What, not keeping the barrier up anymore?"
Pain didn't answer right away. He took in the scene instead, his gaze flickering across the battlefield. It looked nothing like what he'd envisioned.
They had already accounted for Tōma being strong. That was why Akatsuki had, for the first time, deployed four members together. It was a level of seriousness that should have been more than enough.
And yet… it still wasn't.
Pain's eyes shifted to Kisame. "Hoshigaki Kisame. I believed you wouldn't betray the organization."
Kisame hadn't even had time to respond before a weak voice cut in.
"He didn't," Itachi said hoarsely, slumped against the cavern wall. "His body was taken over by Fujimoto Tōma."
Pain fell silent.
He looked from Tōma to Kisame, his expression unreadable.
Two bodies acting at once. One of them carrying another person's soul.
This was already far outside normal parameters.
"Fujimoto Tōma," Pain said at last. "I acknowledge your strength. But do not mistake that for the right to defy god."
Tōma snorted softly. "God? Having the Rinnegan doesn't make you one."
As he spoke, he withdrew his soul from Kisame's body. There was no point continuing. With the barrier gone and his marks accessible again, lingering here was unnecessary risk.
Who knew how many traps remained?
Even without traps, staying made little sense. Tōma wasn't arrogant enough to assume he could face Pain head-on without injury, especially with Kakuzu and Kisame still present.
Living Corpse Possession wasn't a miracle technique. He couldn't hold Kisame forever, and switching targets wasn't any better.
Pain was a corpse controlled remotely. Impossible to possess.
Itachi was heavily injured, but Tōma had no interest in testing souls with a man whose mind was sharper than his body suggested.
Kakuzu had lived too long. With five hearts, controlling one would mean little while the other four kept moving.
Hidan, ironically, was the most suitable. Weak soul. Simple mind.
Unfortunately, he was beaten so badly that taking over his body would be pure self-torture. Worse, if Tōma released control and got injured afterward, Hidan's curse would become a real threat.
And there were other unknowns. Konan. Zetsu. Akatsuki never traveled alone.
Under completely uncertain conditions, the smartest choice was simple.
Leave.
In a flash of yellow light, Fujimoto Tōma vanished.
Kisame stood there for a moment after control returned, staring at Pain, then at Itachi lying in a pool of blood.
"…Sorry," he muttered.
Itachi didn't respond. Between the severe injuries and overusing his Mangekyō, his condition was dangerously unstable. If this continued, he might not even last until that day.
"Kakuzu," Pain said calmly. "Stitch Itachi back together."
Kakuzu met the Rinnegan's gaze and chose obedience. He picked up Itachi's severed arm and began working.
He couldn't help thinking that this entire mission had turned him into a full-time medic.
I'm a bounty hunter, he thought bitterly. Not a tailor.
"Kisame," Pain continued. "At the next meeting, you'll report everything about how you were controlled. We cannot allow this to happen again."
"…Understood," Kisame replied after a pause. Embarrassment burned under his shark-like face. Being useless was one thing. Becoming a liability was worse.
"Fujimoto… Tōma," Pain murmured once the orders were given.
Even defeating those four quickly wouldn't be easy for him. Yet Tōma had done it without obvious strain.
Pain had a growing suspicion.
This man might become the greatest obstacle Akatsuki would ever face.
"Once you've recovered, return to your assigned tasks," Pain said aloud. "The Nine-Tails capture is suspended. I will personally go to the Land of Fire when the time comes."
No one objected.
They all understood. Sending pairs into Fire Country now would likely end in death if they ran into him again.
When had Akatsuki ever needed to fear a single village?
Only one answer made sense.
Konoha had produced a bug-level existence.
"What about the One-Tail?" Kisame asked. "We didn't delay them for long. They might've already reached the sealing site."
"The ritual was interrupted by another group, but it doesn't matter," Pain replied. "Most of Shukaku's chakra has already been extracted. It's sufficient. Deidara and Sasori have been ordered to withdraw."
Elsewhere.
"Withdraw? Easy for you to say!" Deidara cursed, clutching his severed arm. "How the hell am I supposed to withdraw like this?!"
Below him stood Naruto, Kakashi, Ino, and Karin.
Especially that red-haired one. No matter where he hid, she found him.
And that blond long-haired guy… every time he used that strange technique, Deidara felt like his brain had been smashed with a hammer. His head was still spinning.
At this rate, escaping was already a miracle.
Fine.
If he couldn't escape cleanly, he'd stir things up.
"What are you still doing here?" Deidara shouted down. "Shouldn't you be collecting your teammate's corpse? The guy named Tōma, the one who rushed ahead!"
The air changed instantly.
"Don't listen to him," Kakashi said sharply. "Tōma isn't dead."
"I know that," Ino said, but fear still crept into her chest.
She hesitated. Should she try Living Corpse Possession? Or coordinate for Mind Transfer? Deidara had already taken multiple mental hits. If her technique landed, she could read his memories directly.
Then she felt it.
A wave of instinctive dread.
Very close.
"Tōma won't die," a voice roared, no longer human.
Everyone froze.
Naruto's teeth had sharpened. His eyes burned a murky red. Thick, liquid-like chakra poured off him, far more violent than before.
"Get away from Naruto!" Kakashi shouted.
He knew this was bad. Deidara's words had pushed Naruto straight past his limit.
They'd already found Gaara barely alive, drained of chakra. Naruto had been furious then.
This was the spark that set everything ablaze.
Karin was drenched in sweat. The chakra inside Naruto felt wrong. Terrifying. Just sensing it made her legs weak. Ino grabbed her and pulled her back.
"…He's a jinchūriki?" Deidara's eyes lit up. Perfect.
If the kid lost control, his teammates would rush to restrain him. That would be Deidara's opening.
Then—
A hand pressed down on Naruto's head.
Just one.
The red chakra vanished instantly, like smoke in a sudden wind.
Deidara's smile froze.
A familiar figure stood there.
Calm. Unhurt. Very much alive.
Fujimoto Tōma.
Deidara had only one thought left.
Run.
Because if Tōma could survive that battlefield…
Then Deidara had no business fighting him at all.