The appearance of the Asura Path and the Preta Path successfully disrupted Konoha's original offensive rhythm. For the Akatsuki members, it was like timely rain in a drought—literally saving their lives.
With their intervention, the Akatsuki members were finally able to catch a temporary breath.
While the Akatsuki side secretly rejoiced, the Konoha shinobi didn't think much of it—after all, it was just two people and two summoned beasts, four reinforcements at most.
Just as everyone was thinking this, the previously silent Shikaku suddenly spoke up:
"Why are there only two of them here…? That's bad! There must be others heading toward Konoha! We need to fall back and defend the village!"
The moment Shikaku said this, the expressions of the Konoha shinobi all changed. Even Hoshiyomi hadn't expected that Nagato would come up with a surprise attack on Konoha itself.
Although Tsunade, Hiruzen, and the Twelve Guardian were still in the village as the final line of defense, that place was ultimately their home base. If Konoha suffered major losses, everything they were doing here would become meaningless!
Shikaku's mind raced, and in a very short time he finished reallocating personnel. He sharply turned to the Konoha all-stars and issued orders:
"The previous battle plan remains largely unchanged. Kimimaro, you handle that rhino. Kakashi, you take care of the crustacean. Guy, deal with the chakra-absorbing one. Shin and Pakura, you two handle the one firing missiles.
"Neji and Itachi stay here in case of emergencies. Everyone else, return immediately to support Konoha. Even though we still have defenders in the village, we must minimize the damage as much as possible!"
Those assigned to return—such as Kuugetsu and the others—understood the gravity of the situation. They didn't dare waste time, and upon hearing Shikaku's command, they immediately turned and sped toward Konoha.
Hoshiyomi, who was still engaged with the Deva Path, saw what was happening behind him and instantly thought of his wife and daughter in the village. Anger surged within him. With a single slash, he cut down the black rod the Deva Path had launched in secret and sneered:
"You talk about preserving peace, yet you still come up with a plan like this in the end. What right do you have to speak so shamelessly about peace?"
Nagato had no way to refute that. He could only forcibly cover up his actions with nonsense like "necessary sacrifices."
Seeing the Deva Path like this, Hoshiyomi gave a disdainful smile and forced himself to calm down. With Tsunade, Hiruzen, and the parents of the young elites still in the village, Konoha's high-end combat power was assured. And over the years, he hadn't exactly been lax in training Ryūshin and Rinne either…
Damn it, even so, I'm still pissed off!
With that thought, Hoshiyomi suddenly sheathed his blade and took a deep breath. At the same time, natural energy from heaven and earth surged toward him like rivers flowing into the sea. In the blink of an eye, Hoshiyomi had entered Perfect Sage Mode.
When Mikazuki Munechika was drawn once more, the blade shimmered with scattered points of blue-silver light. Everyone present gazed at that dreamlike glow, yet none dared approach.
Because they could clearly sense the razor-sharp killing intent hidden behind that beautiful color.
"Everyone! End this quickly!"
The moment Hoshiyomi said this, his figure vanished from the spot. The sheer terror of that speed caused even the Deva Path—who had been preparing to use Shinra Tensei—to lose focus for an instant.
Was there truly a speed in this world that even the Rinnegan couldn't track?
...
High above Konoha, the grotesque Giant Drill-Beaked Bird circled in the sky. After observing for a long time, it finally confirmed its target. It opened its gaping beak wide and suddenly spat out, ejecting the Human Path hidden within.
As the Human Pathpassed through Konoha's aerial sealing barrier, the members of the Sealing Unit immediately detected his presence. The Uzumaki clan member in charge of the Anti-Air Barrier was the first to use the radio to warn the ANBU patrols in the village:
"Warning—an unidentified individual is launching a surprise attack from above Konoha. Headcount confirmed as one. Estimated landing point is… is this guy insane? He jumped straight in front of the Sealing Unit's headquarters? Isn't that basically—"
The report was abruptly cut off.
With a black rod in his hand, the Animal Path effortlessly killed the reporting Uzumaki clan member. He then swiftly raised his hands to form seals, and as the summoning technique was completed, the Naraka Path and the Human Path appeared behind him.
Once summoned, the two immediately sprang into action. The Human Path grabbed the Uzumaki clan member who had been killed and rapidly read his memories. When he tossed the corpse aside, all methods of interacting with Konoha's various internal sealing barriers had already been etched into his mind.
He quickly moved deeper into the Sealing Unit, eliminating the remaining core members scattered inside. Advancing all the way to the inner section, the Human Path formed seals—and in an instant, the various barriers within Konoha failed one after another. Konoha lost its most direct and specialized layer of protection.
At the same time, the ANBU completely lost track of the three intruders' exact locations.
After finishing all this, the Human Path nodded to the Naraka Path and the Animal Path. Seeing his signal, both of them smiled in unison and began the second phase of their plan.
They were going to cause destruction on a massive scale within Konoha.
As the Animal Path formed seals, a variety of Rinnegan summoning beasts were released. The moment these enormous creatures appeared inside Konoha, they shattered the village's former harmony.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The summoned beasts appeared on Konoha's main thoroughfares, and even their casual movements caused large-scale destruction. In just a few minutes, Konoha transformed from the paradise admired throughout the shinobi world into a disaster zone.
However, Minato's preparations ultimately proved effective. Anti-invasion protocols were swiftly activated. The ANBU began operating in an organized manner—on one hand restraining the rampaging summoning beasts, and on the other quickly evacuating civilians while preventing the invading forces from facing an immediate, coordinated counterattack by ninja units.
Konoha's shinobi weren't idle either. People voluntarily poured out of their homes. Those with weaker strength, under the guidance of adults, took the lead in evacuating civilians, while the stronger ones actively went on the offensive, assisting the ANBU in dealing with the invading enemies.
Seeing the black smoke rising outside his window, Hiruzen Sarutobi jumped up from his rocking chair at once. He didn't even have time to put on his armor before turning to his grandson, Konohamaru, and saying:
"Konohamaru, take your Aunt Kurenai to the shelter. I'll entrust your aunt and your future cousin's safety to you."
With that, Hiruzen left the house, his expression resolute.
Meanwhile, Tsunade, who had been at home taking care of the children, also reacted immediately when she heard the commotion. She took off the outerwear that hindered combat and lightly stretched her body.
"So it's finally my turn to take the field, huh? Because of my husband, it feels like I haven't fought in ages."
As she spoke, Tsunade turned to Ryūshin and Rinne and flashed them a big smile.
"Well then—want to go out and see how awesome your mom really is?"
...
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