Rain pattered softly against the steel spires of Amegakure as Naruto stood atop the tower, his new Akatsuki cloak—now a symbol of "Heaven"—billowing in the damp breeze. The village lay quiet below, its gray expanse a testament to resilience and despair. He'd left a shadow clone behind, marked with Flying Thunder God seals, a safeguard against intruders tracked by Nagato's Rain Tiger Freedom Technique. But his focus now stretched beyond this sodden refuge—his first act as Heaven's leader demanded a prize: Orochimaru, the undying serpent whose knowledge and power could bolster his war against the Ōtsutsuki.
Nagato, frail and tethered to his mechanical cradle, rasped a question from beside him. "Where to, Junior Brother?" Black rods jutted from his spine, anchoring him to the launcher, his mobility a distant memory.
Naruto's gaze hardened. "The Fire Country—thirty kilometers from Konoha. I've got a mark there." He'd placed it before his defection, a hidden anchor beyond Konoha's sensory net. With a flicker of chakra, he etched a Flying Thunder God seal onto Nagato's launcher, securing his brother-in-arms for the journey. "Hold tight," he said, and with a buzz, they vanished, reappearing in a shadowed clearing, the air thick with pine and earth.
Sage Mode flared to life, orange shadows framing Naruto's eyes as he summoned a massive green-feathered bird from Nagato's Beast Path arsenal. A shadow clone hefted the launcher onto the creature's back, securing it with ropes of chakra-infused paper from Konan. Naruto leapt atop the bird's head, wind whipping his cloak as they soared skyward, his senses stretching across the landscape. Anko was out there—his key to Orochimaru—and memory guided him to her likely mission site.
In a dense forest of the Fire Country, Mitarashi Anko crouched beside a weathered map, her dark hair damp with sweat. Yamato and Sai flanked her, their faces etched with fatigue as they hunted Orochimaru's trail. Sai traced a finger over marked zones. "My Super Beast Scrolls scouted these—no sign of him."
Yamato sighed, rubbing his temple. "Three burrows for a cunning rabbit? Orochimaru's got a dozen."
Anko's eyes narrowed, her voice cutting through. "No—it's not evasion. He scatters bases for research, not escape. Lose one, another keeps his work alive." Her hand brushed the curse mark on her neck, a bitter reminder of her former mentor's grip.
Sai blinked, incredulous. "He's that obsessed?"
"Truth over everything," Anko muttered, her tone dark. "He's a freak who won't die easy."
Yamato's gaze softened, but before he could reply, Anko stiffened, her senses prickling. "Something's coming—fast. Not ground-level—it's above!" She squinted skyward as a shadow loomed, then dropped, a massive bird landing a kilometer away with a thud that shook the earth.
Naruto slid from the bird's head, boots sinking into the forest floor. Konan materialized beside him, her paper wings folding away. "Konoha nin," she observed, nodding toward the distant signatures. "A greeting, perhaps?"
Naruto shook his head, voice low. "No time for reunions. If we save the ninja world, I'll reminisce later. Nagato—full force. We take them alive."
Nagato's raspy voice carried from the launcher. "Leave it to me, Naruto-kun. Stay back—don't show yourself yet." His Rinnegan flared, and the Six Paths surged forward, a coordinated storm of death.
A rustle in the brush heralded Sai's ink lions, roaring as they charged. Nagato's lip curled—disrespect to his authority—and the Pains responded. Shurado's missiles shredded the beasts into splatters of ink, Ningendo darted through the chaos, and Chikushodo's chameleon vanished into stealth. In moments, the threat dissolved, a test easily crushed.
Anko, Yamato, and Sai burst into view, their faces paling at the sight of Akatsuki cloaks. "Why here?" Yamato barked, hands flashing into Wood Style seals.
Tendo Pain advanced, palm outstretched. "Vanshō Ten'in!" Anko lurched forward, sucked toward him, but she snarled, sleeves snapping open. "Latent Shadow Snake Hands!" Multi-headed serpents erupted, lunging for Pain, coiling toward a tree to anchor her. Tendo sneered—"Naive"—as Gakido stepped in, hands spread, absorbing the chakra snakes into nothingness.
"Anko!" Yamato yelled, wood tendrils shooting from his arms to yank her back. Sai's brush danced, lions leaping from his scroll to cover their retreat. Nagato glanced at Naruto, perched atop the bird. "Alive's enough—damage doesn't matter?"
Naruto crossed his arms, voice steady. "As long as they breathe."
Shurado's arm whirred, unleashing a barrage of missiles. Boom-boom-boom! Sai's lions burst into ink clouds, the trio scattering to evade. Anko darted to a tree, heart pounding, suspicion gnawing at her. Orochimaru's work? Using Akatsuki to silence us? The thought chilled her, but before she could act, an invisible force coiled around her—wet, tight, suffocating.
She gasped, chakra flaring to break free, but the grip tightened, pinning her arms. The chameleon shimmered into view, its tongue her captor. Gakido loomed, arms enveloping her, draining her chakra in a relentless pull. "No—!" she choked, strength fading.
Yamato and Sai charged, desperation in their eyes, but Tendo Pain soared upward. "Shinra Tensei!" A repulsion wave slammed them back, trees splintering in their wake. The chameleon's tongue retracted, swallowing Anko and Gakido into its maw before vanishing into invisibility.
Nagato's voice rasped from the launcher. "Capture complete, Junior Brother."
Naruto leapt down, cloak billowing as he approached. "Good. She's our link—Orochimaru's next." The bird lifted off, Anko's unconscious form secured within, as Yamato and Sai struggled to their feet, too late to pursue. The forest fell silent, save for the rustle of retreating wings.
Miles away, in a hidden clearing, Naruto knelt beside the bird, Anko bound and sedated at his feet. Nagato's launcher hummed softly, Konan standing sentinel. The capture was a triumph—Anko's knowledge of Orochimaru's haunts would lead him to the serpent, a man whose immortality and genius he'd once harnessed as Hokage. In that past life, Orochimaru had served Konoha under strict oversight, a chief scientist tamed. Now, Naruto needed him free, unbound, a weapon against the divine threat looming over them all.
He rose, the weight of his choices settling like the rain on his cloak. Heaven's first act had drawn blood—not death, but sacrifice. Anko's team would report this, Konoha would hunt harder, but he pressed on, the path to Orochimaru a step closer. "Let's move," he said, voice firm. "The undying awaits."
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