The evening sun cast an orange glow across the sky, illuminating a small courtyard within the Uchiha clan compound.
"I'm home!"
"Sasuke's back! Hurry and wash your hands—dinner's ready." Uchiha Mikoto, wearing an apron, stepped out to take his bag, her face full of warmth and affection.
The dining table was already filled with a variety of delicious dishes.
"I won't be eating. There's something I need to take care of."
Uchiha Fugaku, who had been seated, stood up and began heading toward his study.
"What? But you said we'd eat together as a family!" Mikoto frowned slightly in disappointment but soon turned to take young Sasuke to wash his hands.
Fugaku reached the entrance of the study, slid open the door, and stepped inside.
In the dimly lit room, Uchiha Itachi sat formally on the tatami mat, his posture upright.
Fugaku's gaze wavered for a moment before he closed the door and took a seat across from his son.
"You brought a friend?"
"Yes. Pain is becoming increasingly enigmatic. Even members of Akatsuki rarely see him now. His next target might be Konoha. There's no point in staying in Akatsuki any longer."
Fugaku's heart tightened. Though he had distanced himself from clan affairs, he had heard whispers of Iwagakure's destruction.
"Then stay. Danzo and the Hokage will handle the situation."
Itachi remained silent.
"You should spend some time with Sasuke. He's been complaining about you for a long time... and your mother misses you too."
"...I understand."
...
Not far from Konoha, atop a small hill, three figures stood overlooking the village—Pain, Konan, and Black Zetsu.
"Our goal is to capture the Tailed Beasts. There's no need for an all-out assault—"
"Silence."
Before Zetsu could finish, Pain's cold voice interrupted him, laced with unmistakable killing intent.
"Pain!" Konan called out in concern.
Ignoring Zetsu, Pain gazed down at Konoha.
"They've prepared for this... Those traitors must be here as well. Perfect. I'll deal with them all. Konan, stay here."
With that, Pain launched himself toward the village.
Once he had completely disappeared from sight, Black Zetsu finally spoke again.
"Don't you think something is off about him?"
"Shut up, you scheming rat." Konan's voice was as cold as ice.
"I'm merely offering a friendly warning..."
A tense silence settled between them, but Konan's heart was far from calm. She knew Zetsu had a point. Ever since Nagato had regained his ability to stand, his power had grown exponentially—but so had his detachment and ruthlessness.
Akatsuki was falling apart.
Yahiko...
...
As Pain approached Konoha, a massive shadow loomed over him—a giant toad plummeting from the sky.
Boom!
A tremendous repulsive force sent the toad flying.
On Konoha's defensive walls, Jiraiya stared in shock at the floating figure before him.
"Nagato... Is it really you? Why are you doing this?"
Pain stopped midair.
"Jiraiya-sensei... Just as you see. This is for the sake of peace in the ninja world."
"This won't bring peace! What about Konan and Yahiko? How did it come to this?"
"Only through suffering will people learn to cherish peace. The Five Great Villages should never have existed. If you intend to stop me, then you—"
Boom!
A violent explosion tore through the watchtower where Jiraiya stood, sending him hurtling backward like a cannonball.
Before he could crash, Tsunade intercepted him, pressing a steadying hand against his back.
"Focus, or you'll get yourself killed. You wouldn't want to leave all your little wives widowed, would you?"
Her expression was grim. That attack had come with no warning. One moment, Jiraiya had been standing there—the next, everything around him had exploded.
According to intel from Root, this ability was nearly unstoppable.
Even a Tailed Beast Bomb could be deflected.
Jiraiya's expression darkened. He could never accept that his student had come to destroy Konoha.
"Cough... Hold them off for a bit—I need time."
Pain raised his hand again, but before he could attack—
Two enormous chakra warriors, one purple and one green, materialized on either side of him, each brandishing a massive weapon.
Zzz...
A deafening sonic boom filled the air as the weapons slashed toward Pain.
The sheer force of the impact sent shockwaves rippling outward, reducing the surrounding buildings to rubble.
Pain held his hands up, but the enormous chakra blades pressed against his defense, unable to break through—yet unable to be repelled either.
Shisui and Fugaku stood within their respective Susanoo, their chakra surging.
The pressure from their weapons strained Pain's repulsive barrier, making the previously invisible force field flicker into visibility.
As the deadlock continued—
From below, an orange Susanoo rose from the ground like an emerging colossus, its sword-length gourd in hand, stabbing upward.
"Traitors..."
Shinra Tensei
A tremendous shockwave burst outward from Pain, sending all three Susanoo flying.
A massive crater, a hundred meters in diameter, was carved into the earth below.
Itachi's orange Susanoo was nearly buried in the rubble.
Seizing the moment, Pain stretched out his hand—
Fugaku's purple Susanoo, still reeling from the blast, was suddenly yanked forward.
Whoosh!
A black chakra rod shot toward Fugaku's chest at blinding speed, bypassing even the absolute defense of Susanoo.
Just as the rod was about to strike—
Despite still being mid-air, Fugaku twisted his body unnaturally, narrowly dodging the attack.
Pain didn't pursue but instead glanced around calmly at the approaching streaks of firelight.
"No matter how many rats gather, they're still just rats..."
Dozens of scorching, distorted orbs materialized in the sky before hurtling toward him, converging on a single point.
Scorch Release: Excessive Steam Murder
Everything within a dozen meters of Pain's position became a raging inferno, flames twisting unnaturally as they engulfed the area.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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