"What do we do now?" Jiraiya asked anxiously, turning to Orochimaru.
"There's nothing we can do. We can only hope this 'Uchiha Flame Formation' holds," Orochimaru replied flatly.
"Ugh, seriously—what was Kushina thinking, giving her opinion on this barrier in the first place?" Jiraiya groaned, covering his face with both hands in frustration.
Nara Shikaku sighed. "We can't really blame her. Who could've foreseen something like this happening? No one would've expected the Nine-Tails to defect at such a critical moment. Sigh…"
Senju Tobirama remained silent, because even he felt completely helpless.
Aramaki, and the Nine-Tails—
The sight of them standing together filled him with utter despair.
Outside—
Aramaki and the Nine-Tails had taken their positions, facing Konoha's main gate.
From there, they could see through the translucent crimson barrier the stone-carved faces atop Hokage Rock.
The next moment—
The Nine-Tails and Aramaki began preparing their attacks.
The former crouched low to the ground, raising its head and opening its massive, fang-filled jaws. It began to conjure purple and black orbs of energy out of thin air.
These glowing points gathered in front of its mouth, gradually forming a huge sphere of black energy wrapped in a violet halo.
The surging aura transformed into sweeping gales that blasted outward in every direction.
On the other side—
The wooden giant beneath Aramaki—nearly 100 meters tall and identical in form to him aside from its coloration—raised its enormous right arm, slowly clenching its hand into a fist.
In the blink of an eye, its dark surface rapidly coated the fist and forearm.
Then a seductive pink-red glow began rippling across it like water.
Next, a soft green light—the glow of photosynthetic energy—enveloped everything.
Around the fist, an energy field shaped like the horned head of a bull emerged in brilliant green.
In the next instant—
The Nine-Tails and Aramaki simultaneously launched their attacks at the 'Uchiha Flame Formation' barrier.
In that moment—
The sense of danger in the hearts of Senju Tobirama, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya peaked.
Even before the attacks landed, they were certain—the barrier in front of them couldn't withstand this blow.
"Use Earth Release—together!!"
Senju Tobirama roared with all his might just a second before the Tailed Beast Ball and Aramaki's wooden giant's right fist collided with the crimson barrier.
[BOOOOMMMMM!!!]
A deafening, earth-shattering explosion erupted on the spot.
The black clouds that had formed above Konoha from the Ice-Ice Fruit's power—
Were instantly torn apart by an unimaginable shockwave.
At the same time, the blinding flash of light resembled a nuclear explosion, visible to citizens across hundreds of kilometers in the Land of Fire.
The vast ground itself trembled violently, splitting open with jagged, gaping wounds.
Far to the south, along the Land of Fire's coastline—
Even the clashing pair of Kuzan and Senju Hashirama instinctively turned their heads to look in Konoha's direction.
No one knew how much time passed.
But when the light finally faded, and the roaring died down—
Heaven and earth fell into a deathly stillness.
Thick black smoke rolled across the land, completely engulfing Konoha in a choking shroud.
Not long after—
As the wind gradually dispersed some of the smoke—
One could see scattered pieces of stone—large and small—raining down into the alleys and streets below.
Some of the debris even crashed into houses, causing severe collapses.
Not long after—
As if finally snapping out of their terror—
Shrill, bloodcurdling screams began to echo throughout the village of Konoha.
People stared in horror as their beloved friends and family were wiped out before their very eyes.
Those who had been closer to the village gate—
Didn't even have time to scream.
Entire families were obliterated in the blink of an eye by the sweeping shockwave, their homes and bodies reduced to dust, blown away to who knows where.
Corpses of Konoha shinobi were scattered everywhere.
[Boom!]
At that moment, the sound of heavy footsteps reached the ears of the battered and disheveled Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Nara Shikaku, and other high-ranking Konoha leaders—as well as Senju Tobirama, whose body was rapidly reforming from ash and dust.
In an instant—
A massive, orange-furred beast's claw swept across the sky, generating a raging gust that blew away the lingering smoke.
The Nine-Tails once again appeared before everyone's eyes.
And the spot where it stood—
Was exactly where the Konoha village gate had once been.
The Nine-Tails had officially entered the village of Konoha.
Standing atop its head was none other than Aramaki.
Behind him, his black Justice overcoat fluttered wildly in the wind.
"Rawawawawawa~~!!"
Aramaki thrust out his bare, muscular chest, arms crossed, and threw his head back in raucous laughter.
"At last! At long last! I, Lord Aramaki, have finally taken Konoha!!!"
The next moment—
The ground beneath the village shook violently once more.
All around, shinobi and civilians alike wore expressions of despair—some even looked numb.
"What are you planning to do, Aramaki!!?"
Senju Tobirama roared in fury.
Clearly, he cared deeply for this village he had built together with his elder brother.
[Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!]
Just then, one massive tree after another erupted from the earth—
And in the blink of an eye, they swallowed the entire village in a forest of towering trunks.
At this moment, the fate of every soul in Konoha lay in Aramaki's hands.
"Cough, cough—!"
Standing atop the Nine-Tails' head, Aramaki took a deep breath and shouted forward: "Listen well!"
"I, Lord Aramaki—Lieutenant General of the Army Headquarters under the World Government—hereby declare that Konoha is now under occupation!"
"And now, in a moment of great mercy, I shall offer you all a choice!"
"Surrender… or be destroyed. Make your decision!"
Senju Tobirama, Jiraiya, Uchiha Fugaku, and every shinobi in Konoha stood frozen in shock.
They had been wanting to surrender ages ago, honestly!
You guys were the ones who never gave them a chance!
...
At the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Birds—
"Yahiko, Nagato—look, it's raining ahead! We're almost home!"
Konan, now twelve years old and wearing a gray-black chunin vest, beamed as she looked at the gloomy sky in the distance. She was supporting a visibly exhausted Nagato alongside Yahiko.
To her, the Land of Rain might be damp and cold—
But it was still the home the three of them shared.
"Yeah. But Yahiko... have you thought about how you'll face Hanzō?"
Nagato asked softly, his expression weary.
At twelve years old as well, the strain of using the Rinnegan was already becoming difficult to bear.
It was only thanks to his Uzumaki constitution that he'd survived this long—any normal child would have died from the burden long ago.
"There's nothing to think about. He's the one who abandoned us back then. He's the one who owes us an explanation."
Yahiko replied steadily, helping Nagato forward step by step toward the Land of Rain.
"Then how do we explain how we survived?"
Konan's eyes were filled with concern.
"Just say that when the Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure attacked, I used the power of the Two-Tails to cover our retreat."
Yahiko clearly had this figured out already, and he answered with composure.
No way they could reveal Nagato's Rinnegan.
"True. We didn't actually see him, but if it was the Kazekage, he must've been powerful. Him defeating Iwagakure's elite jōnin Kitsuchi would make sense."
Nagato nodded in agreement with Yahiko's story.
After all, every Amegakure shinobi who had been present at the time was now dead.
And considering the current state of Amegakure and Hanzō, they likely didn't have the resources to investigate anything beyond their borders anyway.
"Yahiko… have you thought about this? While Hanzō is still seriously injured, maybe we…"
Nagato hesitated to finish his sentence, watching Yahiko carefully.
With his Rinnegan and Yahiko's Two-Tails power—
They might just be able to defeat Hanzō and take control of Amegakure together.
Even if they were only twelve or thirteen years old…
"No."
Yahiko shook his head without the slightest hesitation.
"Sure, Hanzō treated us like disposable pawns—but we all know how things were back then. He lost an arm himself, and it's completely understandable."
"And besides that, he's done nothing to wrong us—well, mostly me. In fact, I owe him a great deal. Over the past ten-plus years, he's been the one protecting Amegakure from the invasions of the other great shinobi villages."
"With all that in mind, how could I possibly betray him?"
Nagato lowered his gaze in shame and murmured, "Sorry, Yahiko. I was wrong."
"No need."
Yahiko gently bumped his forehead against Nagato's fiery red hair and grinned. "It's okay. I know you were only looking out for me~"
[Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!]
But suddenly, the sharp sound of air being sliced echoed in their ears—and the expressions of the 'three little ones' changed instantly.
In that moment, Jiraiya's past training kicked in.
Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan instantly moved back-to-back, forming a tight triangular formation.
All three drew kunai and scanned their surroundings alertly.
Roughly twenty figures had appeared around them.
Each wore a pitch-black shinobi vest.
On their foreheads or upper arms were forehead protectors marked with a 'five-ringed cross' symbol.
On their backs hung long swords sheathed in black.
And from the disciplined aura they exuded, along with the defined musculature of their exposed limbs, it was clear—none of them were weak.
"Who are you people? Which village are you from? What do you want from us?"
Yahiko fixed his gaze on the white-haired shinobi clearly standing at the head of the group.
The man's appearance was... flamboyant?
Around his left eye were red markings shaped like plum blossoms.
He wore a headpiece made of dangling irregular diamonds that shimmered brilliantly in the sunlight.
On his left earlobe and right wrist, he sported golden accessories.
And wrapped around the deltoid muscles of both bare, muscular arms were massive golden bracelets.
The most striking thing was the man's appearance—paired with those wine-red eyes and profound gaze.
Not only did he not give off any 'earthy' vibe,
On the contrary, he exuded a kind of elegance and nobility.
As for the other surrounding shinobi, most looked… frankly quite ugly.
"We're from Umigakure, a shinobi village under the direct command of CIPHER POL, which operates beneath the World Government."
"That's where we're from. As for me—I'm a jōnin of Umigakure, 'Sound Pillar' Uzui Tengen."
Uzui Tengen studied the three youths in front of him with interest—
Especially Nagato, followed by Yahiko.
As for Konan, she merely struck him as a rather cute little girl.
That was because he had already received intel regarding the Rinnegan and the Two-Tails' jinchūriki.
And given their age—
Twelve years old was just far too young.
But based on the intelligence he'd received,
Nagato and Yahiko were already strong enough to pose a threat to the Pillars of old—or even the Twelve Kizuki!
"I've come to invite the three of you to Rōran. That's where you'll learn the full truth."
When dealing with children,
Uzui Tengen felt he was already being as polite as possible.
But Yahiko and the others clearly didn't appreciate the gesture.
"Heh… Mister, even little kids know not to follow strangers—and we are kids. So obviously, we're not going anywhere with you!"
"Uh…"
Uzui Tengen blinked, then rubbed his chin and muttered to himself, "You've got a point. Such sensible children… If I ever have kids, I hope they're like you."
Nearby, shinobi like Kazekage and his assistant were speechless.
Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan also didn't know how to react.
Konan whispered, "He doesn't really seem like a bad person…"
"…"
Yahiko and Nagato both exchanged a look of utter disbelief.
"Come on, Konan—he's here to capture us, you know!"
Nagato couldn't help but complain.
Konan blushed slightly and stuck out her tongue. "Hehe, right~"
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