"I'll say it once more: I came to invite you. But if you refuse, we'll have no choice but to take you by force."
Uzui Tengen spread his hands with a helpless expression. "This is our mission. You're shinobi too—you should understand that. So could you maybe just… cooperate?"
"We understand. But we can't cooperate," Yahiko said firmly.
At the same time, he spoke inwardly to the Two-Tails within him: "Matatabi-neesan… could you help me out just one more time?"
"Mhm. Be careful,"
The Two-Tails' gentle voice echoed in Yahiko's mind.
The next moment—
A flash of blue light flickered across Yahiko's eyes.
Then, from his body, strands of deep-blue flame with black spiral patterns appeared out of thin air.
Eventually, a tail of wavering blue fire formed behind him.
"That's the Two-Tails' power, huh…"
Uzui Tengen slowly raised both hands and drew the black-gold twin blades from his back.
Around him, Kazekage and the other twenty Umigakure shinobi also tensed, readying for combat.
In an instant—
The atmosphere turned oppressively heavy.
Just behind them lay the rain-soaked borders of the Land of Rain.
"Jōnin, wait for the right moment to strike! Chūnin—monitor the area! Don't let any outside shinobi interfere!"
Uzui Tengen barked the order.
The moment the words left his mouth—
He stomped the ground.
As the earth cracked beneath his feet, his figure blurred—leaving only an afterimage behind.
Yahiko and Konan attacked in unison.
Yahiko spat out a blue, mouse-shaped fireball from his mouth.
Once it ran a certain distance,
It suddenly burst apart into many smaller blue flames.
These flames, launched with precise speed and force,
Merged midair with the paper shuriken Konan had thrown.
In a flash—
Countless sharp white sheets, now engulfed in blue fire, whirled through the air with shrill slicing sounds.
But Uzui Tengen moved as though dancing gracefully between the attacks—
With fluid, elegant motions, he effortlessly dodged every streak of blue fire.
"No way…" Konan muttered in disbelief.
"His perception is incredible—and his control over his body is flawless!"
Nagato, now with fully activated Rinnegan, was carefully observing Tengen's every movement.
"I'll go in first!"
Yahiko raised both hands, now bearing elongated and sharpened claws,
And violently whipped his long tail of blue fire behind him—
With a sharp whoosh, he shot forward like a streak of ghostly blue flame.
"Hey, too slow—boy~"
As Yahiko lunged at him like a pouncing cat,
Uzui Tengen casually sidestepped the attack and reappeared beside Nagato.
At the same time, he arched his upper body backward, narrowly evading a swipe from the fiery tail.
Then, with his right hand, he aimed the hilt of his blade at the back of Yahiko's neck, intending to knock him out cold.
But just then, a surge of blue flames erupted from Yahiko's body, trying to force Tengen back.
"Nice idea. Too bad… you're still too weak~"
Uzui Tengen paid no mind to the paper shuriken Konan desperately hurled at him—
Instead, he coated his right arm and his Nichirin blade with a layer of Armament Haki.
With flames licking at his limbs, he delivered a heavy blow—BANG—right to Yahiko's neck.
With that single strike—
Yahiko felt a jolt of searing pain, then darkness swallowed him.
At the same moment,
An invisible force yanked Uzui Tengen's body backward with tremendous force.
"Yahiko!!"
Banshō Ten'in!
Nagato roared with fury, his violet Rinnegan blazing.
He too had thought Yahiko's Two-Tails flames would at least repel Tengen.
That miscalculation had cost him a beat—
And in that short delay, Yahiko was knocked unconscious before even entering a proper partial beast transformation.
"So that's it… this is gravity?"
Suspended midair by the gravitational force, Uzui Tengen remained unflustered, even as a barrage of paper shuriken flew toward him.
The next moment, he clashed both swords directly in front of him.
The moment they struck—
Kazekage and the other Umigakure jōnin watching nearby instantly panicked,
Each one bursting into afterimages as they dashed nearly 100 meters away to evade.
Then—
[BOOM!]
A deafening thunderclap exploded across the battlefield.
The soundwave was so intense,
It visibly rippled through the air, like shockwaves on water.
The nearest paper shuriken were the first to suffer: the instant they touched the waveforms, they shattered midair into tiny fragments.
Then the shockwave surged forward like a tidal wave, barreling toward Nagato and Konan.
Nagato took a step forward and stood in front of Konan,
Raising both arms and facing Uzui Tengen head-on.
Shinra Tensei!
The power of the Rinnegan exploded within his body, transforming into a torrent of repulsive force that surged forward through his arms.
In an instant—
The invisible repulsion collided with the oncoming rolling shockwave.
[KABOOM!!!]
An ear-splitting explosion shook the entire battlefield.
The devastating force shattered the ground on impact,
While a wild gale swept outward in all directions—
However—
Nagato was now clutching his eyes in agony, collapsing to his knees.
"Nagato!!"
Konan rushed to his side in a panic. "Are you okay?!"
But Nagato couldn't answer.
He felt as though his chakra was being completely drained, his head pounding with unbearable pain.
"You've done enough. Just sleep for a while."
Uzui Tengen walked over at that moment.
He casually sidestepped the kunai Konan hurled at him with all her strength, then placed his palm on Nagato and knocked him out cold.
"So, what's it going to be? Want to join them in unconsciousness—or stay awake and watch over them?"
Uzui Tengen looked calmly at Konan, whose cheeks were flushed with fury.
"Ah… I—"
Konan froze on the spot.
Hesitation filled her beautiful light-orange eyes.
"It's fine. You seem like a smart girl. Go help that boy Yahiko up."
Uzui Tengen's handsome face softened into a kind smile.
He had always been gentle with women.
"Don't worry, I truly don't mean you any harm. Once we get to Rōran, everything will make sense~"
Konan stood there conflicted for a moment.
In the end, she bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes, then turned and ran toward the unconscious Yahiko.
She was terrified, powerless—but she knew she had to be strong.
"It's okay… It's okay… Yahiko, Nagato… no matter what, we'll always be together. Whether in life or in death."
Tears rolled down the cheeks of twelve-year-old Konan as she cradled Yahiko and whispered softly.
"Eh… why do I feel like I've suddenly become the villain who bullies children?"
Off to the side, Uzui Tengen lifted Nagato's limp body and joked to himself.
Meanwhile—
Things had grown increasingly chaotic within the Land of Fire.
Wave after wave of turmoil.
First came Aramaki's battle against Konoha's ten-thousand-strong shinobi army.
Then, Aramaki fought Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama.
Next, Kuzan clashed with Hashirama again down in the south.
And most recently, Aramaki had joined forces with the Nine-Tails to blast open the Uchiha Fire Barrier.
Each of these events was world-shaking—resounding across the entire Land of Fire.
The citizens of every city, town, and village were gripped by fear, living in constant anxiety.
Those in the capital city were the most terrified.
Compared to smaller settlements,
They had access to more information.
So, to varying degrees, they had heard whispers of what was happening.
Some even knew parts of the truth about the World Government.
After all, practically every shinobi in Konoha now knew about the existence of other worlds—
With tens of thousands involved, it was impossible to keep it all a secret.
And so, in the midst of this tense, panicked atmosphere within the capital—
Many civilians and samurai were stunned to discover a thick purple mist had silently enveloped the entire outer perimeter of the Daimyō's palace.
Occasionally, chilling screams and the sounds of violent struggle echoed from within.
"An attack!!"
"Protect the Daimyō—quickly!"
The samurai stationed outside the castle reacted immediately—
They drew their long blades and charged into the purple mist.
At first, everything seemed fine.
But as they ran deeper in, they began to feel dizzy and disoriented.
Their breathing grew labored,
And one by one, their bodies collapsed to the ground in a fog of confusion.
Inside the vast palace at the heart of the Daimyō's residence—
Twelve strong, battle-hardened men, all dressed in civilian clothing but bearing belts marked with the kanji for 'Fire',
Stood at the forefront, leading a squad of samurai whose blades were wrapped in blue chakra.
They surrounded the Daimyō of the Land of Fire, who looked so terrified he might wet himself.
Their enemies?
A group of black-clad men and women, sharply dressed in business suits or professional skirts.
"Who are you people?! How dare you attack the Daimyō's palace?!"
One of the defenders—a bald man dressed like a monk—shouted in fury.
Though deep down, he had already guessed the answer.
"So these are the so-called Twelve Guardian Ninja, huh?"
"Finish them quickly. I want everything else cleaned up before we proceed."
"After all, this is an assassination mission."
Suddenly, even though no one visibly opened their mouth—
A cold, indifferent voice rang in the minds of everyone present.
"Yes, Captain Amatori!"
"You got it, Captain~"
The twenty members of CP8, led by names like Levi, Lubbock, Sheele, and Mashiro, responded in unison.
Only Merraid—a woman recently transferred from CP1, whose seductive beauty and allure stood out among the rest—seemed different.
But no one questioned her presence.
After all, she was undoubtedly the strongest one here.
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