Two Kusagakure shinobi had already fallen within moments of the battle's start, sending a wave of fear through the pursuing Grass-nin.
They had assumed it was nothing more than a few thieves breaking into the village, but never expected to encounter killers this ruthless.
That one-sided slaughter awakened the Grass ninja's true nature: bullies who preyed on the weak but shrank before real strength.
Some halted their pursuit entirely, while others continued shouting half-hearted threats from a distance, their feet planted firmly in place.
Konan seized the chance. Her paper wings spread wide as she soared into the air, carrying Uzumaki Kaori and two of the slower Akatsuki members. She cut across the night sky, evacuating quickly.
That left Shinra, Nagato, Kenshiro, and another Akatsuki chunin Masuda Ikki to hold off the pursuit.
Shinra immediately laid out a plan.
"Retreat deeper into the mountains. Avoid the open ground. Use the terrain to split up their formation then we strike down the ones who chase the hardest."
Masuda Ikki hesitated, anxiety plain on his face. He was only a standard chunin from a minor village, unused to this level of chaos.
"C-can we even manage that? There are still more than twenty on our tail."
That number was already reduced thanks to Shinra's ruthless blade work earlier otherwise, the enemy force would have been even larger.
Shinra didn't flinch.
"Don't be afraid. We still have Nagato as our trump card."
Kenshiro's brows furrowed. His loyalty to Yahiko was absolute.
"But Leader Yahiko ordered that Nagato should never use that power. If it's exposed, it could be dangerous!"
Shinra's lip curled with disdain.
"You're too rigid. If exposure is the problem, then kill every witness. If you're still worried, burn the bodies too."
Kenshiro was left speechless. Brutal, yes but the logic was undeniable.
And this time, to his surprise, Nagato himself stepped in.
"I'll use my strength if necessary. The timing will be yours to decide, Shinra."
Nagato's guilt weighed heavy. In his eyes, all of this had been his fault.
It was his decision to follow them in secret.
It was his reckless desire to protect his blood relative that had put the team in danger.
And it was Shinra who had risked his life again and again to cover for him.
Nagato never suspected the entire situation had been orchestrated by Shinra's design. Instead, he only felt indebted, willing even to disobey Yahiko's orders in order to repay Shinra's supposed kindness.
Shinra hid his satisfaction behind a calm nod.
"Good. Leave it to me."
Meanwhile, the Kusagakure pursuers argued heatedly among themselves.
"What are you all standing around for? Stop dragging your feet go catch that Rain brat already!"
"If we don't bring that Uzumaki woman back immediately, we'll all pay for it when word spreads!"
The confinement of Uzumaki Kaori had been a tightly guarded secret. If it leaked, the Grass-nin weren't worried about shame or condemnation. They were worried the great nations would seize the excuse to rob them of their prize.
When Uzushiogakure fell, aside from Konoha and distant Sunagakure, the other three great villages had all participated whether openly or in the shadows.
And yet, the spoils of war had not satisfied their greed.
That was the real reason the surviving Uzumaki orphans faced such a miserable fate: the killers themselves hadn't gotten enough reward. So they kept hunting, seeking out the last embers of that powerful bloodline.
Konoha supposedly the Uzumaki clan's closest ally had long since abandoned them. After taking Kushina, the Leaf had turned its back.
The Grass-nin were cornered. They couldn't take on Shinra's blade, and they couldn't risk asking Konoha for help. Their only option had been to hide Kaori in secret.
But tonight, that secret had been dragged into the open and it exposed a massive risk for Kusagakure. The sharp-minded leaders knew it, and their anxiety showed.
Not that it helped.
One shinobi barked at his superior, "Why are you yelling like that? If you're so capable, then you go! Hold off that little Rain brat with the sword, and we'll capture the others!"
The officer choked on his words, face burning red.
The Grass-nin Shinra had butchered earlier with his relentless sword technique hadn't been weak he'd been a senior shinobi, someone on par with the very men standing here now.
If Shinra could cut him down, he could do the same to any of them.
So despite their shouting, none dared step forward. The air was thick with fear.
Finally, one of the jonin broke the silence, his voice cold.
"I'll take care of the boy with the blade. The rest of you catch the others."
The rest of the Grass-nin exhaled in relief. At last, someone had volunteered.
The squad split. Several moved after Nagato, eyes gleaming with cruel anticipation, secretly grateful that their comrade had drawn the most dangerous lot.
If Shinra had seen their faces in that moment, he would've given them a sarcastic thumbs-up for their "bravery."
Soon, in the deep mountain forest, Shinra crossed paths with the jonin who had sought him out.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
The Grass-nin revealed his confidence immediately.
A massive gust roared through the trees, branches snapping, leaves torn free, dust surging up in whirlwinds.
This one was no fool he specialized in Wind Release, excelling at distance control. Against an enemy skilled in swordplay, that advantage made him deadly.
Shinra darted across treetops, cloak flaring, narrowly avoiding the first sweeping gale. Just as he steadied himself to counterattack
"Wind Release: Cutting Wind!"
A sharpened blade of air screamed straight toward him.
He clicked his tongue. So he's determined not to let me close the distance…
But Shinra wasn't rattled. He let his movements seem rushed, retreating deeper into the forest, body weaving between branches. To his opponent, it looked like desperation. In reality, Shinra was buying time, searching for the perfect ground to end this pursuit.
He wasn't here to kill one or two Grass-nin. He wanted to work with Nagato… and wipe out every single pursuer tonight.
The Kusagakure jonin misread his caution entirely.
"Hmph! Pathetic!" he scoffed, sneering. His contempt dripped not only toward Shinra but toward his own trembling comrades.
The chase surged on, both figures vanishing into the depths of the mountains one fleeing, one hunting.
Just as Shinra predicted, the complex terrain began to scatter the Grass-nin forces. Their once-tight formation unraveled. The younger, weaker ones at the rear quickly fell behind, leaving only the more confident pursuers pressing forward.
And then, Shinra saw it: the perfect place.
A wide waterfall thundered down into a rocky basin, mist shrouding the gorge.
He landed lightly on a mossy ledge, lips curling into a thin smile.
"Right there," he called out calmly, eyes flashing toward the roar of the falls.
"Nagato this is where you use your power."
Shinra barked his orders, and this time there was no hesitation left in him. No second-guessing, no retreat. He spun back toward his pursuer and charged headlong, eyes blazing.
Tonight, no one would walk away alive.
The Kusagakure jonin chasing him had no idea his fate was already sealed. Calmly, he fell back on habit hands flashing through seals.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Another roaring gale ripped through the trees, branches cracking, the forest bending beneath its power. He expected Shinra to leap clumsily away like before, only to be toyed with at range, kept at arm's length by relentless wind.
But this time Shinra didn't dodge.
He plunged straight into the heart of the storm.
"What?!"
The Grass-nin's eyes went wide with shock as he watched his enemy barrel forward, body slashed open by invisible blades, cloak shredding into tatters. And yet Shinra never slowed.
One hand gripped his short sword, gleaming with killing intent. The other hand he raised to his mouth, teeth sinking into his own wrist, tearing it open without hesitation.
That movement so familiar shook the jonin's mind clear in an instant. His blood ran cold.
"No… impossible! You you're also an Uzumaki "
He would never finish the sentence.
Because Shinra, storm-worn but unbroken, burst through the gale, steel flashing. His blade kissed the jonin's throat before the word could leave his lips.