In the towering skyscrapers of Amegakure, a world built from pipes and endless rainfall, Tong felt a little helpless. Just now, the clone of Guy had already been destroyed.
And his own shadow clone… might also be blown apart at any moment.
The enemy ninjas were almost upon him, yet Nagato and the others still hadn't made a single move. It was as if the entire village had become an empty city.
Inside a secret chamber within the tower, Deva Path Nagato and Animal Path Nagato appeared outside, turning to Konan's paper clone and asking:
"So this brat actually lured forty Konoha ANBU here?"
Konan gently patted the anxious little Pikachu by her side and said coolly, "Yes. It seems this kid really is skilled in scheming. But it looks like the two that arrived… are both shadow clones."
Nagato nodded slightly, a spark of curiosity in his eyes. Within his Rain Tiger at Will Technique, he could clearly sense that the two unfamiliar shinobi were, in fact, shadow clones.
One of them had already been destroyed moments ago. But since the enemy had already been brought this far, retreat was no longer an option for them.
Right now, however, what Nagato really wanted to see was the power of that Digimon beast that had just entered Amegakure. Last time, he had only exchanged a single blow with it.
But just from that one exchange, Nagato had realized the beast's terrifying strength—its unpredictable movements, its ability to unleash jutsu instantly, and its strange capacity to cast techniques without using any chakra at all.
Even the summoned creature perched on Konan's shoulder seemed to possess such power.
It was precisely this mysterious ability that made Nagato wary. His Six Paths of Pain were not yet perfected, and the notion of jutsu that bypassed chakra completely intrigued him greatly.
Unfortunately, this time only a shadow clone had appeared. If it had been the real body, perhaps that boy's true power would have been completely exposed.
After all, these weren't random cannon fodder genin—they were fifty of Danzō's elite Root operatives.
By now, forty of them had surrounded Tong, who had transformed into Kakashi. A few of the Root shinobi looked confused.
That earlier Guy had clearly just been a shadow clone.
Maybe this one was also just a disguise to protect a comrade.
Tong, however, was getting increasingly impatient—ready to dispel the clone at any moment. He had already lured the enemies this far, yet Nagato still hadn't shown himself. Was he really just waiting to see how much strength a mere shadow clone could display?
With a sigh, Tong glanced up at the sky, then his hands blurred through seals.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A blazing fireball over seven meters wide roared toward the group of shinobi. Tong rolled backwards twice, forming seals again.
This time, it was the seal for Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Three clones appeared at once, each moving in sequence: one for Wind Style, one for Fire Style, and one for Lightning Style.
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
The roaring flames, magnified by the wind, transformed into a massive dragon that hurtled toward the Root shinobi. Another clone's right hand crackled with Chidori, lunging into the fray.
The first Great Fireball had been blocked by an Earth Style wall. But the combined Fire Dragon and Wind Style assault was met with a Water Formation Wall, bolstered by a Great Waterfall Technique, barely holding back the attack.
The clash erupted into an explosion, filling the battlefield with thick steam. Mist blanketed the area so densely that no one could see.
"Ahhh!"
A sudden scream rang out. In the chaos, Tong's Chidori clone had taken down a Root ninja—but was instantly sensed by the sensory types.
A blade pierced the clone's chest. With a puff, it dispersed into smoke. The Root shinobi were briefly startled when another comrade suddenly went down in the confusion.
At that moment, the real shadow clone was yanked into the sky by the Digimon beast.
Seeing its bloodthirsty expression, Tong smirked. "So, you want to go down there and slaughter them?"
The beast's grin was wicked. "Of course. Now's the perfect time to show just how evil I can be!"
With a powerful flap of its wings, it dove toward the mist below.
The Root ninja couldn't sense its movements at all—there was no chakra signature.
This foggy battlefield was perfect for an assassination spree.
Screams erupted one after another.
"Don't stay in the mist! Get out, now! Or he'll slaughter us all!" shouted one ninja.
In a flurry of movement, shinobi began leaping toward the high towers and pipes.
But they didn't realize that some of them now bore black gear-like marks on their backs, their expressions darkening unnaturally.
Those marked suddenly turned on their comrades, attacking like puppets under some evil influence.
The battlefield dissolved into chaos—confused cries, betrayal, and desperate resistance. Some shinobi froze in fear, wary that their own allies might turn on them next.
From atop a distant tower, Nagato's eyes widened slightly. For the first time, he felt a strange sensation—that this beast, this so-called Digimon, was even more demonic than himself.
Not that Nagato considered himself evil. No—he saw himself as great. A man destined to bring peace to the world anew.
Konan, however, frowned deeply. "What's happening to these shinobi? Why are they fighting each other?"
Nagato answered in a low voice, "Did you see the black gears on their backs? If you're careless and one gets embedded in you… It seems that creature takes control."
Even Nagato was astonished. What kind of jutsu was this? To enslave minds so completely?
The Root operatives quickly caught on. In the mist earlier, they hadn't noticed, but now they realized the screams hadn't always meant casualties—many had simply been marked with black gears.
Those gears were the key.
Small squads began working together—baiting the controlled shinobi, while others struck to destroy the gears.
Within minutes, they managed to free all the affected ninja. The black gears shattered like fragments of mental energy, leaving no blood or wounds.
But that only deepened the Root's unease. What kind of jutsu left no physical trace at all?
They searched for "Kakashi," but Tong's clone was nowhere to be found.
High in the sky, the Digimon beast laughed, eyes glinting. "Not bad. These guys are clever, and my black gears aren't indestructible. But this experiment has told me enough about my tactics."
Its self-confidence made it seem even more sinister—like a true demon.
Tong nodded in agreement. "We've taken out thirty-three already. That's enough. If that guy doesn't show himself soon, we won't be able to keep this up."
The Digimon beast retreated as Nagato finally made his move.
"Then it's our turn," Nagato said softly, gliding toward the battlefield. His presence was calm, almost casual.
Konan followed close behind.
Meanwhile, back in the small town, Kakashi and Guy looked far worse for wear. Both were injured.
Tong, on the other hand, was unscathed—his only cost being a heavy drain on chakra.
If he hadn't drawn the enemy away, Kakashi and Guy might have managed to kill two enemies—but at the price of being hospitalized themselves.
Even they had to admit—they were impressed by the boy.
At that moment, Tong's eyes widened as a system notification appeared:
"Successfully lured and eliminated seventy assassins. Success rate: 100%. Reward: one lottery draw!"
Tong froze in surprise. He hadn't expected that using a strategy to wipe out assassins would actually earn him such a reward…