章 29: Chapter 29: The Rebirth of the Akatsuki
Yahiko looked at Nagato, trembling as he clutched a kunai, a bitter smile on his face. It was only now, in this critical moment, that he realized just how naive his ideals had been.
"Jiraiya-sensei… can peace really be achieved through mutual understanding?" Yahiko's heart was filled with uncertainty and doubt.
He let out a sigh, resignation in his eyes. "It doesn't matter anymore. Right now, nothing is more important than ensuring Nagato and Konan survive…"
With that thought, Yahiko turned to Nagato and spoke firmly, "Nagato, kill me!"
"Yahiko…" Nagato's single exposed Rinnegan glimmered, his grip on the kunai shaking as he struggled within himself.
The next moment, in a swift motion, Yahiko appeared beside Nagato, forcing the kunai into his own chest.
As Nagato's eyes widened in shock, Yahiko managed a faint, pained smile. In a weak voice, he whispered,
"Nagato, you and Konan must live on. You… you are the world's savior… maybe you really…"
"Yahiko…" Nagato murmured, staring blankly at Yahiko's lifeless body on the ground.
Seeing Nagato frozen in place, Hanzō roared, "Attack now!"
At his command, the Ame shinobi threw kunai, shuriken, and other weapons, hurtling them toward Nagato.
Hearing the weapons slice through the air, Nagato instinctively raised his right hand. An invisible barrier formed around him, and the thrown weapons shattered as if colliding with a solid wall of iron.
"That's… the Rinnegan…" Hanzō muttered, narrowing his eyes as he noticed the distinct patterns in Nagato's eyes. "So he's no ordinary kid…"
In an instant, Nagato vanished, appearing next to Hanzō. But Hanzō, as if anticipating the move, went away.
Just as Hanzō escaped, the ground where he had stood began to writhe, and dozens of yellow explosive tags surged toward Nagato, attaching themselves to his lower leg.
Boom!
With a thunderous explosion, Nagato's leg was left scorched and bloody, raw flesh exposed.
Seeing this, both Hanzō and Danzō motioned for their shinobi to swarm Nagato like a storm.
"Summoning Jutsu: Demonic Statue of the Outer Path!"
With a single command, Nagato summoned a massive humanoid statue that tore through the earth. Its gigantic hands swung down, smashing into the surrounding shinobi like swatting flies.
Black rods emerged from the statue, piercing into Nagato's body, and a faintly glowing purple chakra dragon materialized.
Wherever the chakra dragon passed, it sucked out the chakra and souls of those it touched, leaving them dead on the spot.
Sensing danger, Danzō immediately retreated with his Root shinobi as soon as the statue appeared.
With the chakra dragon unleashed, the Ame shinobi were nearly wiped out, leaving only Hanzō, who managed to evade with his incredible speed.
In a shadowed corner, Obito and Zetsu observed the scene below, hidden from view.
"Wow, Nagato really did summon the husk of the Ten Tails," White Zetsu remarked in an oddly comical tone.
"Obito, the Gedo Statue is consuming Nagato's life force. Won't this complicate capturing the Tailed Beasts?" Black Zetsu's raspy voice asked.
"No matter." Obito, under the guise of Madara, smirked beneath his swirling mask. "This only makes it easier to control him in the long run."
"But won't this injury slow down the Tailed Beast captures? Hanzō's explosive tags crippled his leg," Black Zetsu commented.
"It's fine," Obito replied calmly. "I'll teach him the Six Paths Jutsu. He can use the jutsu to create puppets to move on his behalf."
Black Zetsu reminded him, "But puppets created by the Six Paths Jutsu won't be as strong. Splitting up his Rinnegan abilities may hinder him against the Eight and Nine-Tails."
"Not an issue," Obito scoffed. "If it comes down to it, I'll step in. The Tailed Beasts are mere beasts before the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan and Wood Style."
Obito turned to leave, casting a final look at Nagato and Konan's departing figures. Confidently, he said,
"After this, Nagato will no longer reject me. I can feel it—Yahiko's death has changed something fundamental within him."
Meanwhile, Danzō and his Root shinobi fled more than twenty kilometers away. Once they confirmed they weren't being pursued, Danzō ordered his men to stand guard.
Danzō, in his jōnin vest with a sharp gaze in his visible left eye, spoke with a glint of ambition.
"To think the Rinnegan's power would be so overwhelming, even surpassing the Sharingan and Byakugan. It truly is the eye of the Sage of Six Paths."
Danzō's high-ranking member of the Root, Shikuro Aburame, wearing dark glasses, approached and quietly asked,
"Danzō-sama, what should we do next?"
"We're done here. The Land of Rain is no place for us now. Our goal has been achieved, and things are only going to get more chaotic here," Danzō replied. "Let Hanzō and the Akatsuki tear each other apart."
"Danzō-sama, do you think Hanzō might fall to the Akatsuki leader with the Rinnegan?" Shikuro inquired thoughtfully.
Danzō contemplated this. "Hanzō may be aging, but he's still a formidable shinobi, once known as a demigod. He even granted the title of the Three Legendary Sannin to Hiruzen's three disciples. I doubt he'll go down so easily."
"But we could take advantage of the chaos in the Land of Rain," Danzō continued, a sinister gleam flashing in his left eye. "The Uchiha clan has too many talented individuals rising lately, and it's unsettling."
Shikuro understood. "You're thinking of pitting enemies against each other?"
"Exactly." Danzō nodded. "Tobirama-sensei always said the Uchiha clan is a naturally malevolent clan. They've never been content, and as their geniuses grow, they may be nurturing ideas they shouldn't."
"But how would we lure the Uchiha into conflict with Hanzō and the Akatsuki?" Shikuro asked, pondering.
"That's simple," Danzō replied, a smirk crossing his lips. "As long as Hiruzen remains Hokage, this can be easily arranged."
Shikuro didn't press for details, knowing his place. As Danzō's right-hand man, he was well aware that some things were above his clearance, and if Danzō didn't elaborate, it likely involved hidden matters tied to the Third Hokage.
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