บท 235: Direction of the Land of Rain
Unlike the fierce battlefield where the villages of Iwagakure and Kumogakure were clashing, the battlefield in the Land of Rain seemed relatively calm, almost unremarkable.
But it was precisely this seemingly unremarkable battlefield that prompted Konoha to make an exception and send their Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Shintaro, to fight directly.
This decision was made by Shintaro himself. With his sharp insight into the situation, he wouldn't miss even the slightest change.
He knew that a significant variable was hidden behind this war, and the Land of Rain was the key.
Long ago, the leader of Amegakure was Hanzo, who had once faced Shintaro.
However, according to recent information, the leadership of Amegakure had changed hands.
What was even more puzzling was that the person currently wielding power in Amegakure actually referred to himself as a "god."
Moreover, the ninja who attended the conference meetings on behalf of this mysterious "god" also referred to themselves as "angels."
The outside world knew nothing about the true appearance of this "god." His identity was shrouded in mystery, giving people an unpredictable feeling.
However, the appearance of the angel did indeed manifest before everyone in the ninja world.
This appearance quickly reminded Shintaro of Akatsuki, the mysterious organization he had encountered during the Third Ninja World War. He still had vivid memories of this organization, especially of the three young people from Amegakure.
He clearly remembered the blue-haired woman named Konan.
It now seemed that the Akatsuki organization was no longer just a small group in the Land of Rain but had become the true rulers of Amegakure.
Shintaro was very impressed by the red-haired youth named Nagato.
During that fierce war, the two had a brief confrontation.
Nagato's Rinnegan, a pair of eyes of legendary power, had not yet matured at that time. Time had passed, and Nagato was surely different from before.
And the "god" behind the scenes of Amegakure was likely Nagato. After all, his unmatched Rinnegan symbolized the supreme power of the Sage of Six Paths.
Facing Amegakure directly, Shintaro looked forward to confronting Nagato once again.
And Konoha was not defenseless. His duties were entrusted to the previous Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had not yet reached the end of his prime.
Shintaro was also very confident, believing that Hiruzen would not take this opportunity to do anything detrimental to Konoha. Though Hiruzen was not aggressive enough, he was more than capable.
The most important thing was that the one protecting the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki was one of Konoha's Sannin.
Jiraiya needed no convincing. Protecting his student's son was second nature, and he would not refuse.
Tsunade also understood the importance of the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki to the village, not to mention that Shintaro had promised her a large sum of money to fuel her gambling habit.
As for Orochimaru, he only agreed to this matter because Shintaro provided him with a large number of experimental samples from the battlefield. After all, no one was more enthusiastic about this than the scientific madman.
In reality, however, the primary role of the "Sannin" in this mission was merely to hold off the enemy. Naturally, Shintaro could not put all his hopes on them.
So, in addition to this, he prepared another backup plan for himself, namely himself.
Shintaro had used a special Jutsu on a kunai. At any moment, if Jiraiya, who was responsible for closely guarding Naruto, sensed something amiss, he only needed to destroy the kunai, and Shintaro, who was on the front lines, would instantly sense the fluctuation in the Jutsu's power and return to Konoha in a flash using teleportation techniques.
Having made these arrangements, Shintaro could finally stay in the Land of Rain with confidence and focus on the battle.
At this moment, the forces of both sides at the border of the Land of Rain were fully deployed, engaged in combat with each other, and the atmosphere was tense and grim.
Thousands of soldiers were ready to march, weapons in hand, staring sharply at the opposing forces' camp, as if ready to wage war at any moment.
In the hidden forest on the side of the Land of Rain, Konan stood before a large tree.
She waved her hand gently, and a startling scene unfolded. The seemingly ordinary tree suddenly split open. Upon closer inspection, the entire tree was meticulously camouflaged with paper.
Konan walked up to the large tree with light steps, and the scene before her was astonishing.
A thin red-haired youth, with limbs bound to a strange apparatus and several metal rods pierced into his back, stood before her. This seemingly disabled youth was Nagato, the person Shintaro wished to confront again.
Time had passed, and now Konan had become more mature and steady, exuding a unique charm of a mature woman with every move.
After Konan reported the deployment of the front line to Nagato, she lowered her head silently. The perceptive Nagato quickly noticed Konan's worry and doubts and gently asked, "What's wrong?"
Konan decided to express her true thoughts: "Wasn't the organization 'Akatsuki' initially established to maintain world peace? But now we're entangled in the disputes of major nations. Isn't this deviating from our original mission? Moreover, Uchiha Madara doesn't seem trustworthy, and his ambitions are quite unsettling."
Nagato's eyes remained unwavering as he calmly explained, "I understand your inner concerns, but the goal we're pursuing is clear. By collecting the Bijuu and merging them into the Ten-Tails, it will exert a deterrent effect on the entire ninja world and ultimately achieve peace."
Nagato continued, "Uchiha Madara has successfully captured eight Bijuu, and the last Bijuu remaining is the Kyuubi in Konoha."
"He incited the four major nations to launch a ninja war against Konoha. His real intent was only to take the opportunity to weaken Konoha's power. In the final analysis, the outbreak of this war still serves to advance our shared plan."
Nagato took a deep breath. When he mentioned Uchiha Madara's name, his expression seemed slightly complicated. He softly said, "As for Madara's credibility, honestly, I've never fully trusted him."
However, he then changed the topic: "But it's undeniable that our goals align, so we can only choose to temporarily join forces with him."
He clenched his fist tightly, showing his inner resolve.
Finally, Nagato slightly curled his lips and revealed a confident smile: "No matter what, I possess the Rinnegan of the Sage of Six Paths, and he only has a pair of Mangekyo Sharingan. Even if my legs were ruined by Hanzo, he's clearly no match for me!"
After saying that, he emitted a strong aura.
Konan silently nodded after hearing this and said nothing more.
In the past, when Yahiko was still alive, she always followed Yahiko's opinions and decisions wholeheartedly.
But now that Yahiko was dead, she entrusted everything to Nagato.
Relying on others and lacking self-assertion was perhaps related to Konan's upbringing.
As she grew up, there were always a few strong and reliable people around her—like Yahiko in the past and Nagato now. These people gave her a sense of security and direction, and she became accustomed to following their wishes.
Nagato's face suddenly darkened, and he spoke in a low voice: "Konoha has launched an attack."
Upon hearing this, Konan immediately understood and swiftly exited the tree without hesitation. At the same time, six distinctly different figures appeared alongside her. These figures varied in appearance, but they all shared one common feature—the striking orange hair and the captivating Rinnegan in their eyes!
The Six Paths of Pain were created by Nagato using a special method. He selected the remains of six deceased individuals and carefully modified them.
The black rods were not only capable of conducting chakra, and the chakra receivers embedded in their faces and bodies allowed Nagato to project his Rinnegan into the six corpses.
In this way, the originally lifeless bodies were transformed into formidable fighting tools that obeyed Nagato's commands.
After careful craftsmanship, six differently styled corpses emerged, each representing different powers and attributes—Tendō, Gakidō, Jigokudō, Ningendō, Shuradō, and Chikushōdō.
Relying on his superb chakra control skills and the power of the Rinnegan, Nagato controlled the Six Paths of Pain to fight in the shadows.
Each Pain could perform various special Rinnegan techniques. What was even more astonishing was that they could use the mystical feature of "Rinnegan Shared Vision" to gain comprehensive insight into the enemy's dynamics without any blind spots.
Even if a cunning enemy attempted to attack from behind a certain Pain, there was always another Pain on full alert, always vigilant of every enemy movement.
Not only that, Jigokudō even possessed the ability to resurrect the dead, enabling the revival of fallen Pain.
Additionally, the Six Paths of Pain could wield the Black Chakra Rods as weapons to defeat enemies. Merely stabbing the mysterious black rods into the opponent's body was enough to easily disrupt the chakra flow within the opponent's body.
Among the Pain, the most powerful was Tendō Pain, who turned out to be Yahiko, the former leader of the Akatsuki organization.
The unfortunate Yahiko died due to the evil schemes of Danzo and Hanzo.
Now, Shintaro has killed Danzo, and Nagato has manipulated the Six Paths of Pain to eliminate Hanzo, which can be seen as vengeance for Yahiko's blood feud.
A pair of snow-white paper wings suddenly spread from Konan's back, and together with Pain, she rushed towards the smoke-filled battlefield.
❀❀❀
The sound of slaughter echoed loudly on the battlefield, with Shintaro leading the charge at the forefront of his team.
He watched as enemy troops fell to the ground wherever he passed, and nothing could stop his assault.
Although the ninja from Amegakure fought bravely, they were vulnerable to Shintaro's fierce attacks.
"[Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue]"
A powerful blue light burst from his palm, with a stunning suction force.
Soon after, another soft shout was heard.
"[Cursed Technique Reversal: Red]"
A red light suddenly erupted, forming a massive energy blast that swept forward with incredible force.
The intertwining red and blue lights created a terrifying force between the suction and repulsion, striking fear into those who witnessed it.
At this point, Shintaro had perfected the use of these two techniques, executing them effortlessly.
The terrifying pull of [Blue] and the unrivaled repulsion of [Red] complemented each other, triggering a thrilling death spree on the battlefield.
As Shintaro indulged in his reckless desire to fight and the thrill of killing, Konan and Pain arrived just in time.
Konan stood still, gracefully moving her long arms. Sharp white paper shards fell like snowflakes, but with the attack, they swiftly swept towards Shintaro.
At the same time, Tendo extended one hand, holding a black rod, creating a massive repulsive force and launching the rod at a worrisome speed.
Shuradō's arm split into numerous rockets, launching them continuously.
Chikushōdō directly summoned a large green bird, eight meters tall, that charged towards Shintaro with its teeth and claws.
The wave of fierce attacks from all directions was dazzling.
However, in the face of such fierce assaults, Shintaro remained extraordinarily calm. He simply smiled gently, with a hint of disdain in his eyes, and then [Infinity] automatically blocked all the attacks.
An invisible force field suddenly appeared, effortlessly blocking all the assaults.
The paper shards, black rod, rockets, and the seemingly unstoppable eight-meter-tall bird, upon contact with this force field, seemed to hit an indestructible wall and halted powerlessly.
Shintaro's body remained completely unharmed; he stood firmly in place, staring straight at the people in front of him.
After his gaze passed Konan, it finally stopped at Tendo.
"Are you... Yahiko or Nagato?"
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