Tsunade was furious with the reactions of the other three villages.
The Akatsuki had already collected seven tailed beasts, and those so-called village leaders still sat around like spectators watching a tiger fight. Were they seriously this naïve?
"Lady Tsunade… honestly, this was within expectations," Nara Shikaku said with a heavy sigh.
Based on intel gathered by Konoha's Anbu, Tsuchikage Onoki had been covertly working with the Akatsuki for years, making shady deals behind the scenes.
So expecting Iwagakure to back Konoha in a battle against Akatsuki? Not happening. Onoki would never commit to that.
As for Kirigakure, rumor had it that the Akatsuki's roots were tangled deep within their own shadows. With the village now mostly closed off from the outside world, no one even knew what was going on there anymore.
And then there was Kumogakure.
With Raikage's impulsive personality, even if he wanted to make a move on Amegakure, he definitely wouldn't do it with Konoha. Honestly, if it came down to picking between attacking Amegakure or Konoha… he might just choose to stomp on Konoha first.
"By the way, what's Yoruha been up to these days? Still setting up more Flying Thunder God marks?" Tsunade asked, tapping her chin.
"Mm. That kid's been thorough this time. He's practically buried those FTG kunai all over the village. But the two elders… well, they're quietly displeased about it," Shikaku said with another sigh.
Sometimes he just couldn't understand the elders. These were people who had once spilled blood for Konoha. Why were they getting so petty and narrow-minded now that they were old?
This was no time for politics.
"Tch. So what if they're displeased? Do they dare interfere with Yoruha's actions? That brat might actually kill them if they did," Tsunade muttered dismissively.
If Yoruha weren't from a clean background—and so infatuated with girls—Tsunade might actually be worried about how arrogant he was becoming. But Jiraiya had a point: a young man who was that obsessed with girls definitely wasn't spending his time plotting world domination.
As long as he had hobbies, he wasn't in danger of losing himself.
That's why no one made a fuss about what he did with Samui.
So what if he liked girls?
What's wrong with that?
The real problem would be if he didn't.
Yoruha's House
Right now, Yoruha was doing something that—frankly—no one in the village would even raise an eyebrow at anymore.
Samui squinted, panting, her face flushed with exhaustion and satisfaction.
"Master… You've been a little different lately… Ah…"
Before the last wave even ended, a new one had already begun.
Samui felt like she couldn't take much more.
Eventually, silence fell.
Yoruha let out a long breath and leaned back.
Yeah.
He had been different lately.
That constant, looming pressure—the sense that Nagato might attack any second—was getting to him.
The waiting game was unbearable.
He needed to let off some steam.
The Next Morning
A bright sun rose over the eastern horizon, casting a soft, holy light across Konoha Village.
After breakfast, Yoruha prepared to make his usual rounds. He wanted to check on all the Flying Thunder God kunai he had scattered across the village—just to make sure no mischievous kids had tampered with any of them.
But then—
Ding!
"System Notification: Please proceed to the Paper Tree and sign in. Time limit: ten minutes."
Yoruha froze.
The Paper Tree?
Wasn't that the same spot where Nagato had hidden his real body during his invasion in the original timeline?
"Crap. If I only have ten minutes... that must mean they're about to attack!"
Yoruha's expression darkened. He immediately turned to fly toward the Hokage Office, preparing to tell Tsunade to sound the alarm.
But he was already too late.
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!!!
A series of thunderous explosions rang out just beyond the village walls.
The Konoha barrier—which everyone had believed to be nearly impenetrable—was blasted wide open by Konan's suicide clones packed with explosive tags.
They weren't pulling any punches this time.
Nagato had given the order: Invade Konoha with full force.
Inside the Paper Tree
Nagato's true body and Konan were nestled deep within the massive tree, formed entirely from paper jutsu.
"Are you sure this is the right move, Nagato?" Konan asked solemnly.
Nagato's gaze was cold, merciless. "I will make them pay for the shame they caused you."
Their assault on Konoha had been planned for months.
Originally, they were going to send the Animal Path in first to quietly summon the others using spiritual techniques, catching the village off guard.
The Human Path would extract the Nine-Tails' host's location during the chaos, and Pain would seize Naruto quickly—efficient and clean.
Maybe Nagato would even show some mercy and not level the entire village.
But after what Yoruha did during the infiltration of Amegakure…
Nagato's pride had been crushed.
He was a god.
Konan was the woman of God.
And yet Yoruha dared to lay hands on her?
Unforgivable.
This wasn't just about the Nine Tails anymore.
Nagato wanted Konoha to suffer.
He wanted Yoruha to suffer.
He wanted the entire ninja world to witness what true pain looked like.
He would show them that even a great village like Konoha was nothing but a fragile toy before his wrath.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The repeated explosions rocked Konoha Village.
Villagers scrambled out of their homes, wide-eyed and panicked.
Someone was attacking.
Right here. Right now.
That alone told them just how powerful the enemy must be.
Their hearts filled with dread.
Meanwhile, the Animal Path unleashed its full strength.
Dozens of hideous, otherworldly beasts with glowing Rinnegan eyes burst into the streets.
They weren't like Gamabunta or Manda, majestic and terrifying.
These were grotesque, savage, and utterly fearless. The moment they saw a human, they attacked.
Some of the summoned beasts were even wrapped in explosive tags, programmed to self-destruct.
A nightmare.
Konan stood in the shadows and smiled coldly.
She was sure that if Deidara and Kakuzu were watching from the afterlife… they'd be cheering.
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