"Hmph, so that Deidara kid has already started?"
"Quite a commotion, but I won't fall behind!"
Zabuza stood atop a streetlamp. Looking at the Hidden Leaf ninjas gathering below, he held one hand to his chest and raised the other overhead, pointing to the sky.
"I haven't used this technique in a long time, but it's still a pretty good choice for clearing out the small fry..."
As he spoke, golden-red chakra energy emanated from his body.
Then, an area spanning three blocks centered on Zabuza was shrouded in a dense fog with visibility less than half a meter!
"Hidden Mist Technique!"
"Silent Killing!"
With the chanting of the technique's name, Zabuza completely merged into the fog.
The next moment, vibrant blossoms of blood bloomed from the fog. Whether it was the surrounding Hidden Leaf ninjas or the hidden villagers, a mournful dirge of death played out for all.
Although Menma hadn't given the order to kill everyone, as an excellent and considerate subordinate, Zabuza knew his boss's tragic childhood and intended to wipe out everyone he saw from Konoha!
"It seems my mission to stop you is you..."
Sasori stared blankly ahead.
Morino Ibiki, with a hideous scar on his face, was leading a large group of torture ninjas.
Sasori quickly drew a scroll from his waist, unfurled it, and slammed it to the ground.
"Impure World Reincarnation."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Nearly a hundred coffins rose from the ground around Sasori. The coffin lids creaked open one by one. Many powerful ninjas, whose names Ibiki recognized but who were already dead, emerged from the coffins.
Sasori opened the lid on his left chest, and numerous chakra threads connected to these impure puppets. Finally, he stiffened, and creaked like a puppet, tilting his head to the side. A strange, clear, boyish voice emanated from his mouth.
"Take one more step, and I'll turn you all into collectibles."
Whoosh!
A fist connected by black threads pierced through the chest of a Konoha ninja, then retracted. The dead ninja was also pulled along, landing at Kakuzu's feet.
"Eight in total, uh, let me see..." Kakuzu, having retracted his fist, reached into his robes and pulled out a large stack of black market bounty posters. He examined them one by one against the eight blood-red corpses at his feet.
"No, no, this isn't one either!"
"Tsk, not even a B-rank bounty target. I'm really unlucky..."
As he spoke, four more Konoha ninjas appeared around Kakuzu. After he looked up and clearly saw the attire of the four ninjas, a satisfied smile appeared on his lips.
"Jōnin of the Aburame clan, huh? The prices on the black market are pretty good. Finally, some valuable stuff."
In the training ground—
"An explosion, and cries for help?"
Naruto, who was sparring with Kakashi, stopped in surprise, hearing the sounds coming from afar. He turned and jumped to the top of a large tree in the training ground, looking around in all directions.
The scene before him was one of billowing smoke, explosions sending flames soaring into the sky, and buildings collapsing one after another like dominoes!
"What on earth is happening?!"
Seeing this unprecedented situation, Naruto clenched his fists.
"Battles are happening everywhere. It seems the village has been invaded by an unknown enemy."
Kakashi also came to Naruto's side, observing the situation from a treetop.
"An unknown enemy?"
Naruto seemed to realize something, his face contorting with extreme anger.
"Could it be those bastards from the Akatsuki? They're the ones who ambushed and kidnapped Sakura before. This time it's definitely them invading the village again, believe it!"
Seeing Kakashi and Naruto talking on the treetop, Yamato quickly ran over from nearby.
"Senpai, Naruto, stop chatting! Let's go help right now!"
Hearing Yamato's words, Naruto grabbed a kunai and rushed forward.
"That's right, they've come knocking again. This time, I'm determined to rescue Sakura from them, believe it!"
"Naruto, don't panic!" Kakashi grabbed Naruto's arm. "Their target this time is definitely you, the Nine-Tails jinchuriki. So don't be alone. Stay behind me and Yamato... get out of the way!"
Kakashi abruptly shoved Naruto aside. He and Yamato jumped back, leaving the treetop behind. The next second, BOOM!!! The tree that had just stood there collapsed instantly, smoke and dust enveloping the surroundings.
Looking at the dark figures vaguely emerging from the smoke, Naruto was about to question them when a gust of wind blew outwards from the center of the smoke. Instantly, Pain, Konan, and Menma, their faces shrouded in cloaks, were revealed.
"Red cloud robes... The intruders are indeed Akatsuki!" The distinctive black background with red cloud patterns immediately identified the newcomers.
"Eight Akatsuki members have come to deal with Naruto..." Sensing the intense danger, Kakashi quickly pulled up his headband. Then he shouted towards Naruto, who was now separated from his group. "Naruto, go find Tsunade! Leave this to me and Yamato!"
Naruto looked confused. "But they..."
"That's an order!" Kakashi roared. "Do I have to teach you the ninja code again?!"
With that, Kakashi didn't give Naruto a chance to refuse, drawing his kunai and charging forward. "Yamato, we're in! We have to hold them off and ensure Naruto's safety!"
"Understood, Kakashi-senpai!" Yamato also drew his kunai, joining Kakashi on either side to attack the eight Menma members advancing towards them.
"Konan, it's our turn to clear the area."
Looking at Kakashi and Yamato charging towards them, two chakra fox tails instantly appeared behind Menma, blocking the incoming kunai from the left and right. At the same time, Menma's slightly amused voice rang out from beneath his white mask. "And you, Nagato, don't mess up your performance later."
Konan gave Menma a cold look, showing no intention of taking action. Pain, meanwhile, moved his eyes, controlling the other five Paths, and slowly removed the cloak he had been wearing.
"This is..."
As the cloak concealing him fell away, Kakashi's pupils trembled violently.
"!!!"
Yamato, standing beside him, was also filled with disbelief and shock, his mouth agape, unable to utter a sound. Naruto, on the other side, stared wide-eyed, frozen in place. His body trembled like a leaf, his voice hoarse and trembling.
"No... it can't be... it's fake, it's all fake..."
"Perverted Sage... Sasuke Uchiha... Iruka Umino... Teuchi... Sakura Haruno..."
"Why... why did you all join Akatsuki!!!"
Amidst Naruto's lament, Pain's voice rang out again.
"Konan, you may begin now."
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