"Any leads yet?"
"None so far. No clear traces."
Inside Iwagakure, within a rundown building, the Akatsuki members regrouped and exchanged reports.
They had already infiltrated the village and conducted searches across multiple districts. This was their scheduled rendezvous to share results—unfortunately, the outcome was disappointing.
"This place is cursed," Jūzō Biwa muttered with a shrug.
"The defenses are way too tight. It's unsettling."
"Compared to Kirigakure it's still inferior," Sasori said coldly, "but even this level is already troublesome."
"Even using puppets, it's not easy to search thoroughly," Sasori added, clearly annoyed.
All eyes turned to Kakuzu.
"You're sure your intel is solid?"
"Yeah, Kakuzu. No results at all is a bit suspicious."
Konan also looked at him, and Kakuzu immediately felt the pressure rise.
Ren's intelligence had only said Orochimaru is inside Iwagakure. Nothing more specific.
What was he supposed to do—pull coordinates out of thin air?
Fortunately, Kakuzu was a seasoned veteran. He stayed calm.
"Didn't we all expect this?" he said evenly.
"Iwagakure is huge. Searching it is difficult by nature. And if intel were precise enough to pinpoint locations, would we even dare trust it?"
"…That's fair," Konan nodded.
"Then we keep searching," she said, sighing. "How troublesome—"
She didn't even finish the word before—
The ground trembled.
A violent surge of chakra erupted somewhere in the distance.
Every Akatsuki member stiffened.
"This chakra—"
Konan's eyes snapped toward the source.
It felt… familiar.
Yet also strange.
As if something she once knew had changed.
"We've found our target," Sasori said quietly.
"Let's go," Kakuzu added. "Hopefully it's not something completely absurd."
Iwagakure — Near the Tsuchikage Tower
"Did you feel that, Kakashi-senpai?"
In a shadowed corner near the Tsuchikage Tower, Tenzo turned sharply toward Kakashi.
Their mission was to create chaos near the center of the village. As for when exactly to strike, Ren hadn't specified.
Some things couldn't be predicted—not even by Ren himself.
So Kakashi's team had been ordered to act on judgment.
"…This is bad," Kakashi muttered.
"That chakra disturbance is huge."
He thought for a moment, then decided.
"We move. That commotion will draw Iwa's attention anyway. And we can't be sure whether that's Ren or Jiraiya-sama."
"So we follow plan and cause chaos here. Quickly."
"Got it!"
Tenzo's eyes lit up.
Ren was his idol.
Both former Root.
Both Wood Release users.
Both now operating in the same task force.
Tenzo wanted to learn from him.
And once Kakashi gave the order, he didn't hesitate.
"Kakashi-senpai, support me. Let's make it big!"
"Hey—wait—!"
Kakashi hadn't even finished speaking when Tenzo moved.
"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"
Chakra thundered.
Vines and massive trees burst from the ground, surging straight toward the Tsuchikage Tower.
"Enemy attack!"
"What is this wood?!"
"Wood Release?!"
"Impossible—how is that here?!"
"Stop it! Don't let it get closer!"
The Iwa guards panicked instantly.
Wood Release carried a legendary fear—especially among shinobi who had survived the Grass Country front.
They fought back desperately, but Tenzo's Wood Release still swallowed the area, trees sprouting wildly around the tower.
"Now, Kakashi-senpai! Fire Release!"
Tenzo turned, already pulling out kunai wrapped in explosive tags.
Before Kakashi could object—
He threw them.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Explosions roared.
Fire ignited the wooden structures, and in seconds, the entire area became a blazing inferno.
"..."
Kakashi stared, one hand frozen mid-air.
He had intended to stop Tenzo.
But it was far too late.
"Senpai, hurry up!" Tenzo urged.
"If you don't add fire, it won't burn fiercely enough!"
Kakashi's eye twitched.
You Root bastards… not a single normal one among you!
But at this point, resistance was meaningless.
With a hollow sigh, Kakashi began forming seals.
Outside the Village — Forest Zone
"Shouldn't we act too?" Yūgao asked quietly, turning to Shisui.
If they wanted to cause chaos, the disturbance couldn't be localized.
Kakashi was wreaking havoc in the center.
They needed to ignite the outskirts.
And nothing drew attention like—
Burning a forest.
"Yeah," Shisui nodded.
"Time to move."
He felt a twinge of regret.
My last mission… and I'm here burning forests.
Still, he knew Ren well enough.
Whenever Ren was involved, things always escalated beyond control.
"So this one won't be boring either," Shisui thought.
He formed seals.
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Flame Technique!"
A massive fire dragon roared across the sky and slammed into the forest.
Flames spread instantly, swallowing the trees.
Within moments, the entire area was engulfed.
"…This feels too easy," Shisui muttered.
But Yūgao was staring at the distance.
"Shisui-senpai… look over there."
He followed her gaze—
And froze.
At the heart of Iwagakure, flames towered into the sky.
Black smoke churned.
Countless shinobi rushed toward the same location.
"…That's the Tsuchikage Tower," Shisui said blankly.
Kakashi.
That idiot.
If someone burned the Hokage Building in Konoha, what would the consequences be?
Shisui felt his scalp tighten.
"What do we do?" Yūgao asked uneasily.
"Jiraiya-sama is leading this mission, but—"
"Wait," Shisui interrupted.
"What did you just say?"
"Jiraiya-sama is the team leader."
Shisui's eyes lit up.
"…That's it."
He turned back toward the burning forest.
"Our actions weren't ordered by Ren. Jiraiya-sama entered Iwagakure first."
"We followed to prevent him from being isolated and surrounded."
Yūgao stared.
You sound exactly like Ren now.
Before she could respond, Shisui was already forming seals again.
"Then we need to make it even bigger. If Kakashi's surrounded, we have to draw more attention."
Yūgao went silent.
Shisui… you're becoming Ren-shaped.
Just then—
"Who dares burn Iwagakure?!"
A masked man burst out of the flames, his presence overwhelming.
Shisui's eyes widened.
"…That's the Five-Tails Jinchūriki. Han."
Ōnoki's Residence
Ōnoki sat upright, unease gnawing at him.
Something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
"Why are you still awake, old man?" Kitsuchi asked, stepping out of his room.
"You should rest."
"Rest?" Ōnoki scoffed.
"You got captured, Grass Country dared experiment on Uzumaki bloodlines under our noses—and you tell me things are 'peaceful'?"
"That was your own speculation that you leaked to Konoha—"
"I didn't know it was true!" Ōnoki snapped.
"And you—getting captured by some Konoha brat!"
"…That was Wood Release," Kitsuchi muttered.
"Enough excuses!"
Ōnoki slammed his cane.
Then—
A chakra fluctuation rippled through the air.
They rushed to the window.
"…That was—"
Ōnoki's words died.
The Tsuchikage Tower was on fire.
Blazing brilliantly against the night sky.
In that moment—
Ōnoki felt something inside him snap.
Elsewhere — Ren's Position
Bound by wooden vines, Yakushi Nono stared at the masked ANBU before her.
"Who are you?"
The boy felt strangely familiar… yet she couldn't remember him.
"Director—!"
Kabuto rushed forward, voice shaking.
"It's me! Kabuto! And that's Ren! Don't you remember us?!"
"Ren… Kabuto…?"
Confusion clouded her eyes.
Ren sighed and pushed Kabuto aside.
"Danzo never let us return to the orphanage.
He never let us exchange information."
"The photos he gave you were fake."
Nono's pupils trembled.
"…That means—"
"He lied to all of us."
Before she could respond—
The bindings released.
"Leave. Now," Ren said calmly.
"Kabuto has my Flying Thunder God mark. You'll escape."
"What about you?" Nono asked instinctively.
Ren put his mask back on.
"I still have unfinished business."
Above them—
The battlefield roared.
Battlefield — Jiraiya vs Orochimaru
"Orochimaru! Don't go any further down this path!"
Standing atop Gamabunta, Jiraiya roared.
Below, Manda and Gamabunta clashed violently.
Orochimaru sneered.
"You always act like you're innocent," he mocked.
"You knew everything—and still chose to look away."
His words cut deep.
Jiraiya clenched his fists.
"Enough talk! I'll drag you back to Konoha myself!"
Then—
A voice cut in.
"Captain Jiraiya… looks like you're having trouble."
Ren appeared.
"Orochimaru."
The Sannin's eyes narrowed.
"Ren… so you're the Flying Thunder God user."
Then—
Ren's chakra exploded.
Golden light wrapped around him, mixed with fierce vitality and natural energy.
"Natural energy…?" Jiraiya whispered.
It resembled—
A future Six Paths-like aura, though incomplete.
"Yang Release Chakra Mode," Ren thought calmly.
In a flash—
He ignored Orochimaru's poison mist and appeared before him.
"Your mistake, Orochimaru-sama—"
A kunai flashed.
"—was thinking Danzo is the one holding my leash."
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