"Then notify everyone—it's time to begin the final decisive battle."
"I know about this kind of thing. No need for you to remind me."
"Hmph hmph, of course."
...
"It's finally starting. This period of constantly hiding and not being able to act has been boring to death."
"You should first think about how to survive in the upcoming battle. This time is different from before—this is a direct assault on Konoha Village to seize the tailed beasts. The level of danger is far higher."
"Ha, Kakuzu, do you think this great me will die? How could that possibly happen?"
"Heh."
...
"Eh, the leader has finally given the order. This time we absolutely have to let the entire ninja world witness our art, right, Big Brother Sasori, hmm?"
"Don't be too careless. Although they say the Five Kage have been lured out, there are still many experts in Konoha right now. I don't want to end up collecting your corpse later."
"Hehe, Big Brother Sasori, are you actually worried about me? That's really making me so happy."
"I think you're just asking to die, Deidara."
.....
"Itachi-san, you don't seem very enthusiastic. Is it because you're about to attack the village you once lived in? That makes sense—after all, that's a place with many memories for you."
"No, Kisame. I'm just thinking about capturing the tailed beasts next. After all, I'm not very good at fighting right now."
"The more that's the case, the more Itachi-san needs to take care of your health. When it comes time to capture the tailed beasts, you can leave it to me. I'm still quite good at dealing with those big fellows."
"..."
...
Not far outside Konoha Village, excluding Obito, Black Zetsu and White Zetsu, and Konan who was guarding Nagato, the remaining ten Akatsuki members lined up in a row and slowly advanced toward Konoha Village.
Moreover, around the Akatsuki members were numerous clay statues of soldiers and horses. Apart from the White Zetsu army that had not yet appeared, the Akatsuki could now be said to have gone all out, clearly adopting the posture of a decisive battle.
"That possessor of the Rinnegan has appeared too. It seems what happened before was indeed a trap to lure the Kage out. From now on, it can only depend on ourselves."
In the conference room, elite ninjas and Jinchuriki from various ninja villages had already gathered together. The moment Pain appeared, they realized something was wrong.
But now was not the time to regret such things. The Akatsuki had mobilized nearly their entire force and clearly would not give the Four Kage a chance to return for reinforcements. From here on, it was up to them.
"If we follow the usual approach, to prevent the tailed beasts from being captured, the Jinchuriki should avoid participating in combat as much as possible. But knowing that all Akatsuki members have extraordinary strength,
our combat power may very well be insufficient, and the strength of several Jinchuriki is also a force that cannot be underestimated. Therefore, if necessary, I'm afraid you will also need to fight alongside us."
After the Four Kage, Chiyo, and other high-level figures from the ninja villages had left the village, in this critical moment, Jiraiya—who was one of the Legendary Sannin alongside Tsunade—could only temporarily take over the command position.
In terms of seniority, he was one of the world-renowned Legendary Sannin. In terms of ability, he had once served as a commander leading battles against other ninja villages during the Ninja World War. Moreover, this was Konoha's home ground. Therefore, at this moment, he was the most suitable.
"Don't worry, Pervy Sage. Right now my relationship with Kurama is already very good. No matter who the enemy is later, I will definitely defeat them."