Chapter 229: Besiege the Point to Strike the Relief Force, Kill With a Borrowed Blade, Remove the Ladder After the Climb
The sky hung heavy with dark clouds, rain washing over everything below.
Along a wide road, over a hundred shinobi stood silently, cloaked in raincoats black as ink.
At the center of that gathering stood a large tree.
An old man named Maruboshi Kosuke sat beneath it, head slightly bowed, letting the rain wash over him — as though he'd simply fallen asleep.
If not for the horrific wounds covering his body, he might genuinely have looked like he was only sleeping.
Even in death, his weathered, withered hand still gripped his sword.
The iron cooking pot he'd always carried with him lay shattered into pieces a short distance away.
The rain continued pouring down on the old man. A full day had passed since he'd chosen to stand alone as rearguard, giving his life so the younger shinobi could escape — and now he'd finally fallen, here, in this forgotten corner of the world.
"Everyone. Three minutes of silence."
Asuma's expression was heavy as he looked at the man who'd sacrificed himself to let him live.
At his words, the only sound remaining in the world was the falling rain. As thunder cracked overhead, Hayate removed his own raincoat and draped it over the old man's body.
Then he pulled out a sealing scroll and gently placed the old man's remains inside for temporary safekeeping.
"With the rain like this, any tracks have already been washed away."
Sasuke scanned the surroundings.
"If we were relying on tracking alone, Sakura wouldn't have sent this many people."
"Tracks can be misleading. But sensory reconnaissance isn't."
Kakashi surveyed the group — dozens of Konoha shinobi standing in the rain like grim statues, an aura of merciless intent radiating from each one.
Every single one of them a battle-hardened veteran of the Great War three years ago.
Sakura, as Fifth Hokage, had assembled this force with genuine wartime seriousness for the manhunt against Kakuzu.
And even by wartime standards, this was a force capable of shifting the entire outcome of a campaign.
"No time to waste. We move."
Mei surveyed their surroundings.
The rain would offer a significant boost to her own techniques.
"Per the Hokage's orders — immediate comprehensive sweep, using Hyūga sensory range as the search perimeter."
"Turn over every stone. I want those two men dead!"
Asuma raised his head in the rain, his dark eyes burning with the fire of vengeance.
The Land of Rain
Amegakure, the central tower
The orange-haired man in the black cloak with red clouds sat on the tongue of a strange stone statue, silently gazing out over the sprawling steel jungle.
Rain fell endlessly.
It fell on this man.
And on the entire world.
"Pain. Kakuzu and Hidan have been trapped inside the Land of Fire."
The blue-haired woman stood behind him, holding a paper umbrella in silence.
Pain said nothing at first, simply continuing to observe the village he'd already watched countless times.
"Right now, Obito and the others are en route to Sunagakure. There's no spare force available to reinforce Kakuzu and Hidan."
Pain spoke evenly.
At the moment, the Akatsuki's active roster amounted to just himself and Konan, aside from the still-idle Hiruko.
Zetsu, meanwhile, continued playing the role of a Raikage courtier in Kumogakure while simultaneously searching for Rōshi, the Four-Tails jinchūriki. And Zetsu himself possessed limited combat capability regardless.
"Should I go, then?"
Konan spoke hesitantly.
They'd only just captured the Three-Tails, and already lost Deidara in the process — and with his capture came the loss of his ring, now sitting in the Hokage's possession, further compromising the organization.
Now the Fire Temple's destruction had triggered a full lockdown of the Land of Fire, trapping Kakuzu and Hidan inside its borders. If they were lost here too, that meant three members lost before this campaign had even properly begun.
"Neither Kakuzu nor Hidan are particularly skilled at concealment."
Pain gazed out at the towering steel spires through the rain, his tone measured.
Konan looked at him, mildly surprised, not entirely sure where he was going with this.
"Konoha has the Hyūga clan. A fully developed Hyūga can effortlessly monitor a range of several kilometers."
"A full day has already passed. Even if Kakuzu and Hidan's speed far exceeds a typical Konoha shinobi's, they should already have been detected by the Hyūga's sensory range by now."
"It won't be long before they're surrounded."
Pain's words deepened the worry in Konan's expression.
"Right now, the Land of Fire's borders are heavily reinforced. Even you couldn't break through several thousand shinobi, extract Kakuzu and Hidan, and break back out again."
Pain raised his gaze toward the overcast sky, letting the rain fall directly onto his face.
"This border reinforcement serves two purposes."
"First — to prevent Kakuzu and Hidan from escaping."
"Second — to send me a message. She knows I'm coming for my people. Let her have the courage to come."
At Pain's words, Konan's eyes widened slightly, her voice tinged with disbelief.
"Could it be..."
Pain nodded, rising to his feet, an expression of genuine amusement crossing his face.
"Besiege the point to strike the relief force. The same strategy as Sun Bin's 'Besiege Wei to Save Zhao.'"
"This Hokage is simply waiting for us to charge straight into the Land of Fire."
"Then she'll mobilize tens of thousands of Konoha shinobi and annihilate Kakuzu, Hidan, and whatever reinforcements come to save them, all in a single stroke."
"A remarkably well-executed plan."
Pain rose and turned back toward the tower, walking inside step by step.
Konan spoke urgently: "Are we simply abandoning Kakuzu and Hidan, then?"
Hidan, that repulsive religious fanatic, could be forgiven for leaving behind. But Kakuzu was a crucial financial asset, and had rendered the organization significant service in the past.
Pain said nothing, simply continuing back into the tower.
In the shadows within the tower stood a gaunt man in white robes.
Konan's eyes narrowed slightly at the sight of him.
"Lord Pain. Lady Konan."
The man bowed respectfully to both of them.
"This is Yomi."
Pain announced the man's name.
The man's face lit up with a smile as he spoke in an unhurried voice.
"I am Yomi. Heir to the Dark Medical Arts, and the appointed spokesperson of Lord Mōryō."
Mōryō?
Konan's already-furrowed brow tightened further at the man's introduction.
"Mōryō was one of the great demons that walked this world a thousand years ago."
"He wreaked havoc across the shinobi world in ancient times, until the Sage of Six Paths finally emerged and sealed him away."
"His body and soul were then separated. His body was sealed within the miko of the Land of Demons. His soul, sealed within the Land of Bears."
Pain spoke evenly.
The Land of Demons lay to the northwest of the Land of Earth. The Land of Bears lay to the southeast of the Land of Fire.
The two nations sat on virtually opposite ends of the map — clearly, the Sage of Six Paths had considered this separation very carefully to prevent Mōryō's resurrection.
"...What does this have to do with us?"
Konan asked, confused.
Pain continued, answering her question.
"Mōryō commands an army of stone soldiers — the Terracotta Army."
"The moment Mōryō's soul is released from its seal, that army — sealed for a thousand years — will reawaken in the shinobi world once more."
"And the instant that soul is freed, it will immediately seek out its physical body, driven to achieve a perfect resurrection."
"That means this Terracotta Army will march from the Land of Bears toward the Land of Demons."
"That route will pass directly through the Land of Fire, the Land of Rain, and the Land of Earth."
Konan's eyes widened slightly, staring at Pain with genuine disbelief.
She understood his plan now.
Use Mōryō's Terracotta Army to smash straight through the Land of Fire's defenses — creating the opening Kakuzu and Hidan needed to break free!
But—
This was a great demon sealed away by the Sage of Six Paths himself!
To release something like this just to save two members...
"Kakuzu and Hidan, currently inside the Land of Fire, will assist your master."
"Go."
Pain regarded the man before him with perfect calm.
"Understood. On behalf of my master, I thank Lord Pain."
The man named Yomi bowed respectfully to Pain and Konan, then vanished in a puff of white smoke.
What had appeared here was merely a Shadow Clone.
"Pain. Do you understand what you're doing?"
With the outsider gone, Konan spoke urgently.
If they were unleashing a demon personally sealed away by the Sage of Six Paths purely to save Kakuzu and Hidan, then how were they any different from the demon itself?
"Don't worry, Konan."
Pain's tone remained calm, a hint of derision flickering in his eyes.
"A demon?"
"Nothing at all, before these eyes."
"Mōryō's soul and his Terracotta Army will fall in the Land of Rain."
"And besides — do you honestly believe this so-called Terracotta Army could outmatch Konoha?"
Pain's contempt wasn't directed at Konan — it was aimed squarely at Mōryō and Yomi.
"So — how many are there in this Terracotta Army?"
Konan pressed, forcing down her unease, brow still furrowed.
"Unknown. But it doesn't matter how many."
"As far as I'm concerned, no matter the number, they could be wiped out with a wave of my hand."
Pain spoke calmly, brimming with confidence.
But Konan couldn't shake a persistent, nagging unease.
This was, after all, a demon connected to the Sage of Six Paths himself. No amount of caution could possibly be excessive.
Konoha
Hokage Building
"One... hundred thousand?"
Sakura stared at the border-liaison shinobi before her, genuinely startled.
"Yes, Lady Hokage!"
"A massive stone army has appeared in the Land of Bears. Border scouts estimate at least one hundred thousand strong!"
"Current border coverage for the Land of Bears is only a thousand shinobi."
"There's no way to hold them back."
The shinobi spoke gravely.
Sakura's brow creased. She leaned back in her chair, mind racing.
"What direction are they heading?"
Stone soldiers?
A massive force?
This had to be the movie arc — Naruto: The Death of Naruto — the Land of Sky, Land of Demons storyline.
But this early? And such a suspiciously convenient timing.
Thinking of Kakuzu and Hidan, currently being hunted relentlessly within the Land of Fire, Sakura had every reason to suspect this was Akatsuki's doing — killing with a borrowed blade.
Using Mōryō's power to help the Immortal Duo escape and ascend to safety.
"Northwest."
"Their objective is clear. Mountains in the way get flattened, rivers get bridged. Completely straight-line march."
The shinobi confirmed immediately.
Sakura pulled a shinobi world map from her desk drawer, quickly locating the Land of Bears — and following the northwest trajectory, she found her answer.
The Land of Demons!
Exactly as suspected.
Sakura understood immediately.
Traveling in a straight line, the Land of Fire would be first in their path, followed by the Land of Rain, then the Land of Earth.
Finally arriving at the Land of Demons.
"Pass the order — border shinobi are to let them pass unopposed."
"And evacuate any civilians along their marching route."
"Also — inform Kakashi and the others. Circumstances have changed. Complete the objective as quickly as possible."
Despite lingering questions, the shinobi accepted Sakura's orders without hesitation and departed.
Sakura studied the map before her, a cold smile crossing her lips.
Killing with a borrowed blade. Nicely played.
But Sakura knew: the Terracotta Army's first priority was resurrecting Mōryō — carrying his soul to the Land of Demons, seizing the miko there, and reuniting soul with body.
Terracotta soldiers weren't human. No emotions, no desires driving them off-course.
Which meant until they reached the Land of Demons, they'd cause no unnecessary harm along the way.
So when this army passed through the Land of Rain, what would Pain do?
Even if Pain made the same choice Sakura had — simply let them pass — the moment Mōryō was revived in the Land of Demons and his influence began radiating outward, the Land of Rain would be the first to suffer.
The Land of Fire would only come second.
And if things really escalated that far, Sakura was confident — combining her own strength with Hikaru's, forcibly restraining the Nine-Tails if necessary, or even bringing in double-Kamui Kakashi — she could take Mōryō down.
If it genuinely proved too much, worst case, she could just throw Kakashi at him and let the two of them fight to a rough draw.
Kidding, of course.
Realistically, Sakura felt confident that she and Hikaru together were more than enough. The Nine-Tails was purely an insurance policy.
Though Hikaru still hadn't formally acknowledged herself as a Konoha shinobi, she'd been living in the village long enough now.
Time she started earning her keep under this particular Hokage.
Pain's "kill with a borrowed blade" was a genuinely clever move, Sakura had to admit.
But if she countered with "remove the ladder after the climb" — how would Pain handle that?
Hmm?
As for the Land of Earth?
Was she genuinely supposed to go out of her way for a lukewarm "ally" like that?
And a hundred-thousand-strong Terracotta Army — whoever wanted to block that could go right ahead. Sakura wasn't obligated to play hero.
In the movie, while the Five Great Villages had allegedly united to resist the Terracotta Army, the army had still successfully reached the Land of Demons in the end.
Clearly, even a combined force from all five great villages hadn't been enough to stop them.
A hundred thousand Terracotta soldiers were arguably more formidable than a hundred thousand White Zetsu clones.
Still, doing absolutely nothing wasn't an option either.
Sakura's eyes flickered thoughtfully, and she spoke.
"Someone."
At her word, Uzuki Yūgao appeared beside her.
"Pass the order — mobilize four thousand shinobi to monitor the Terracotta Army's movement. Do not engage them directly."
"If anything unusual occurs, evacuate nearby civilians immediately."
"Also — send another two thousand shinobi to reinforce the Land of Rain border, as a precaution against Ame shinobi."
As for the Land of Rain...
Sakura's brow furrowed slightly.
At the moment, the overwhelming majority of Konoha's top fighters were occupied hunting Kakuzu and Hidan. Even Jiraiya had been dispatched to clean up the black market.
Which left just two more options...
"Have Lady Tsunade go."
Tobirama had been holed up in the Research Bureau for days now, entirely absorbed in his so-called scientific ninja tools and chakra armor. And beyond that, he was already busy enough — once he finished with the ninja tool research, he still had to tutor Naruto.
Genuinely no spare time available.
Tsunade, by contrast, had spent her recent days doing nothing but drinking. And drinking some more.
Time she earned her keep as this Hokage's subordinate too.
"Understood."
Yūgao accepted the order and departed.
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