Just as Benimaru's attack was about to land on Nagato, he was suddenly stopped by Yahiko, who appeared between them in a flash. Benimaru's sword collided with Yahiko's, steel ringing sharply through the air. They remained locked in a brief stalemate for only a few seconds before Benimaru, using his superior physical strength, forced Yahiko back and sent him flying.
At that moment, Konan moved. Paper shuriken and kunai bent and twisted through the air under her control, launching toward Benimaru from multiple angles. Benimaru immediately stepped backward, his movements sharp and precise. Wherever he had just been standing, the paper weapons embedded themselves into the ground—and within moments, they detonated in rapid boom boom explosions. These were clearly no ordinary paper constructs; explosive tags were woven into them, and the blasts echoed across the battlefield.
Then Nagato struck again.
A powerful Universal Pull seized Benimaru, dragging him toward Nagato. Yahiko, having already regained his footing, prepared to strike as Benimaru was pulled closer, the invisible force tightening its grip. But just before they could capitalize on it, Benimaru vanished, using his spatial movement technique. He reappeared directly in front of Nagato as the pull ended—just after it expired—leaving Nagato unable to draw him in further.
Free to act, Benimaru did not hesitate.
He rotated his katana in his grip and struck Nagato with the blunt side of the blade, the impact sending Nagato flying backward. Yahiko caught him mid-fall, boots scraping against the ground as he absorbed the momentum. Blood seeped from the corner of Nagato's mouth as he steadied himself.
Benimaru lowered his sword slightly and looked at him, eyes sharp and calculating.
"Your ability to push and pull has a cooldown period, right?" he said calmly. "Otherwise, you would have used the push the moment I appeared in front of you. I observed it during our battle. You use pull and push—but not simultaneously. There's a time gap."
Nagato straightened his posture, his expression calm. He wasn't surprised that Benimaru had deduced the weakness of his Almighty Push and Universal Pull. After all, Benimaru was an experienced ninja—and a powerful one at that.
Just as the Akatsuki were about to move, preparing to attack Benimaru simultaneously, the ground beneath their feet froze in an instant. A sharp chill swept through the air as ice raced outward, locking the earth solid. Their legs were caught mid-motion, encased in frost, as Todoroki appeared again, having returned.
The moment the Akatsuki saw Todoroki, they understood what that meant. The remaining Kumogakure ninjas were dead. There was no chance any of them had survived. The appearance of Todoroki had already given its answer.
Benimaru calmly sheathed his katana and turned his gaze toward the Akatsuki members. His voice was steady as he spoke.
"Honestly, I don't want to kill you all. What you're doing is an attempt to reduce suffering in this world. So, we'll let you live."
Then his eyes shifted to Nagato.
"You're from the Uzumaki clan," Benimaru said. "Why don't you return with us to Uzushiogakure? It's our new home. You'll find a good family there."
Nagato listened in silence. After a brief pause, he shook his head.
"No," he said. "This is my new family. I don't want to leave them."
Benimaru shrugged lightly, accepting the answer without resistance.
"As you wish. We're no one to force you."
With that, Benimaru turned away. Todoroki followed at his side, their footsteps crunching softly against the frozen ground as the two of them walked off, leaving the Akatsuki behind in the spreading cold.
…
Since it was only a thin layer of ice that had halted them, the Akatsuki members were able to break free from the frozen mass encasing the lower halves of their bodies. If Todoroki had frozen them completely, they would have been forced to wait for the ice to melt on its own—otherwise, their legs would have shattered along with the ice the moment they tried to escape.
Once freed, Yahiko led the other Akatsuki members toward the direction where the Kumogakure ninjas had fled, the same path Todoroki had taken after them. When they reached the site, the aftermath awaited them in grim silence. Two corpses lay burned down to charcoal, their forms barely recognizable, while another body stood shattered and fragmented, frozen solid within jagged ice.
Seeing the scene, Yahiko let out a slow sigh.
"It was yet another failure on our part," he said quietly. "We couldn't stop the killing here."
Nagato placed a hand on Yahiko's shoulder, the gesture steady and reassuring.
"You don't need to blame yourself," he said. "Our opponents were simply too strong—and their hatred toward these Kumogakure ninjas was even stronger."
Yahiko nodded after hearing Nagato's words. Together, they began dealing with the aftermath of the killings, attending to what little could still be done in the rain-soaked clearing.
…
Meanwhile, Todoroki and Benimaru continued on their way. As they walked, Benimaru finally spoke.
"You go ahead to the black-market base and redeem the bodies of these Kumogakure ninjas for their bounty," he said. "This rainy weather is quite annoying, and I don't feel like traveling any farther in it."
He stopped and gestured toward a cave off to one side of the path.
"I'll wait for you here."
Todoroki knew Benimaru's nature well, so he immediately understood. Benimaru wanted some rest—and he was genuinely irritated by the rain, something he had never liked much to begin with.
"Okay," Todoroki said. "I'll return as soon as possible."
With that, Todoroki left the area. Benimaru turned and entered the cave, shaking off the lingering dampness from his clothes. He took out a few wooden logs from a sealing scroll and stacked them with practiced ease. It was a habit Benimaru shared with the other Uzumaki siblings—carrying basic supplies so they could camp anywhere without trouble.
Soon, a small fire crackled to life. Benimaru sat in front of it, the warmth seeping back into his body as the sound of rain faded into the background. Now this feels good, he thought. Staying in the rain for so long is too much of a hassle.
He hadn't been inside the cave for even ten minutes when he felt it—multiple chakra signatures moving quickly along the road outside. They were still some distance away, but close enough to catch his attention. Benimaru rose and moved to the edge of the cave, peering out from the shadows to see who these ninjas were and where they were headed.
Moments later, the figures came into view. On the road, a lone kunoichi was fleeing, clearly being chased by Kumogakure ninjas. From the attire, it was obvious—the kunoichi was from Konohagakure.
Benimaru watched silently. He didn't consider himself a hero or a saviour, and he had no intention of involving himself in a fight like this—especially when it was between shinobi of Konoha and Kumogakure. To him, it was simplest to let them fight it out on their own. If they killed each other, that was none of his concern.
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