254Payne InvasionAI Model: gemini-3.0-flashChapter 254: Pain's Invasion
Naruto arranged the figures into two rows.
Seven on top, seven on the bottom—exactly fourteen.
This wasn't in his room at the Hyuga Compound, but in his own little rundown house.
Being discovered by Hinata would be acceptable.
But if his future father-in-law saw this, it might easily lead to unnecessary misunderstandings.
Still, men need to have some hobbies.
Just like Tsunade is addicted to gambling and Jiraiya is obsessed with his 'research'.
"You like beastmen?"
While Naruto was observing his figures, Kuramaspoke up out of the blue.
"Good thing you didn't say that backward, or I really wouldn't dare answer your question."
Naruto couldn't help but retort.
"Is there a difference if you say it backward? Human-beast?"
Kurama completely failed to understand his train of thought.
"..."
Naruto was speechless and changed the subject, saying, "I don't like beastmen; I just like figures."
He wasn't a furry, after all.
Although fluffy ears and tails did make one want to pet them a few times, that was just a natural reaction.
It didn't represent his preference.
"Human interests are truly strange."
Kurama thought of the illusionary world it had recently experienced, 'Investiture of the Gods', and couldn't help but sigh.
Because there was a Nine-Tailed fox named Daji in it, it had observed her life.
Things like the 'Lake of Wine and Forest of Meat' left it dazed.
"I'm very normal,"
Naruto emphasized, "You're a Tailed Beast, so of course you can't understand us humans."
Kurama pondered for a moment; it seemed that was the case.
"But this old man didn't see Uchiha Madara or Senju Hashirama being as weird as you."
"You say that as if you knew the two of them very well."
Naruto curled his lip and said.
The underlying meaning was self-evident.
Kurama immediately stiffened its neck and argued, "What do you mean? This old man spent some time with them, after all."
Yeah,'spent time'.
Do you think anyone would believe that?
Considering its pride, Naruto didn't say it out loud.
"Go back to surfing the net."
He waved his hand and set up another illusion for Kurama.
It was still its favorite, 'Investiture of the Gods'.
According to the cheats Naruto gave it—meaning it could re-enter upon dying and the plot would continue—Kurama was now a disciple of the Sect Master Tongtian of the Jiejiao Sect.
It was given the nickname: The Nine-Death Demon Fox.
Although Kurama didn't much like the nickname, having a title was quite intimidating when traveling the Primordial World.
If it knew the upcoming plot and the tragic fate of the Jiejiao Sect, it probably wouldn't be so happy.
As someone who never gave spoilers, Narutonaturally wouldn't tell it.
[Congratulations to the host for achieving the 'Honno-ji Incident' achievement. Reward: One normal card draw, three destiny stones.]
[Congratulations to the host for achieving the 'I'm Your Fan' achievement. Reward: Three attribute points, three destiny stones.]
"What's the second achievement?"
Naruto scratched his hair.
Fan?
Is it Konan?
The trigger for an achievement was always closely related to himself.
And it just so happened that his Shadow Clone, Karen, had just headed out.
Naruto opened their telepathic link.
"Karen, have you joined the Akatsuki Organizationyet?"
"Just finished."
"That fast?"
Naruto felt a bit surprised. Logically, Konan should have become more cautious after meeting The Fool.
Uzumaki Menma managed to join by relying on his status as part of the Uzumaki Clan.
But Karen wasn't.
"It was with the help of Uzumaki Menma and Kakuzu."
Karen gave a brief overview of the experience.
It was actually quite simple.
Disguise herself as the daughter of a former Akatsuki member.
Normally, no one besides Nagato and Konan would know about that past.
After all, Yahiko's death was their eternal Pain.
But having an insider made things much easier.
Zetsu's list was given to Konan by Uzumaki Menma, and he had changed the order.
As for what Kakuzu did, it goes without saying—he sold her out for some money.
To eventually get the name 'Mari', they used the Mangekyo Sharingan and Edo Tensei.
The remaining ordinary members of the original Akatsuki were all in Amegakure.
Once a target was identified, they used Edo Tenseito summon them and ask questions.
As for Edo Tensei, it was contributed by Sasuke.
He had studied in Otogakure for so many years, and Orochimaru and Yakushi Kabuto had used it so many times that his eyes had long since copied it.
After listening, Naruto could only feel that Konan's loss wasn't undeserved.
It felt like everyone except her was a double agent.
Naruto ended the call with Karen, giving her one final instruction: don't forget your achievement.
Returning to the achievements, there was naturally no doubt about the first one.
It was Oda Masao's.
His grand rebellion ended at Honno-ji.
En Yui took over smoothly.
At this moment, over seventy percent of the great nobles across the country had died in the war.
The rest could only be handled as she pleased.
And not even a week had passed.
Oda Masao thus ended the latter half of his life, completing the mission given to him by the organization.
As for which organization, it was of course the Tianming Organization.
After Naruto added the points, his defense bonus had reached 87%, only one step away from perfection.
The only thing was that he didn't have many destiny stones left; he had used 90 to pull 'One Qi Transforms into Three Purities', leaving only 72.
Including the one he just got, he had a total of 5 card draws.
He was relatively wealthy.
Naruto washed his face and got ready.
[Drawing card... Congratulations to the host for obtaining one item card.]
[item card: Somersault Cloud.]
[Description: A permanent divine ability from 'journey to the west'. A method of riding the clouds to travel the four seas; a single somersault can cover a distance of 108,000 li.]
Naruto's eyes immediately lit up.
Although he already had the Flying Thunder God Technique and Enma, he wouldn't refuse the famous Somersault Cloud.
If nothing else, the sheer coolness of it was enough to get him excited.
Moreover, this thing could hover in the air for a long time.
In future fights, if he summoned a cloud first and fought from the sky, wouldn't he be invincible?
He ran out of the house.
Feeling that it wasn't quite appropriate to do this in Konoha, he went to the Treehouse in the Forest of Death.
The Treehouse—or rather, the Peach Grove and vegetable garden—was already Liu'er's domain.
He and his beloved concubine treated this place as their second home.
Plus, Naruto had spoken to Tsunade, so naturally, no one would come here.
As soon as Liu'er saw him, he remembered the previous incident of testing Ninjutsu and immediately turned and ran.
Naruto was speechless.
I haven't even said anything yet?
He shook his head and used the Somersault Cloud.
Calling it a divine ability, it was more like a special Summoned Beast.
Immediately, a cloud drifted over from the sky.
Naruto jumped onto it.
The Somersault Cloud quickly rose into the air.
With a single thought, he arrived at the Hidden Mist Village.
It was breathtakingly fast.
What did 108,000 li even mean?
The equator wasn't even that long.
Since he was at the Hidden Mist Village, he might as well go down and take a look.
Naruto tapped on the window of the Mizukage's office, giving Mei Terumī a start.
"There's a door over there."
Mei Terumī pointed at the main door and smiled, "Your Excellency Hermit, there's no need to come through the window, is there?"
Yes, Naruto was using his Hermit persona.
"The window is more exciting,"
Naruto said casually.
"Exciting?"
Mei Terumī brushed her hair and said, "How can coming through the window be as exciting as coming through the back door?"
"???"
Naruto's face was full of question marks.
Did a car just run over him?
To think that he, who 'drove' all day long, would one day have someone else 'drive' over him.
But did she really know what 'back door' meant?
Was this really a 'dirty' joke or not?
Naruto showed a strange expression.
Mei Terumī couldn't help but laugh.
It was rare to see this mysterious powerhouse look so flustered.
His usual overconfident posture of having everything under control always put a lot of pressure on her.
"What? Is there something wrong with what I said? Don't people often say that to have an affair, you have to use the back door?"
"So that's what it was."
Naruto breathed a secret sigh of relief.
I knew it.
How could the dignified Mizukage make such a joke?
"???"
It was Mei Terumī's turn to be confused.
Is that not how you understood it before?
"Ahem, let's talk about the state of our cooperation."
Naruto quickly pulled the conversation back to the main topic.
Speaking of cooperation, the corners of Mei Terumī's mouth curled up.
She had never imagined that the ocean could be so profitable.
"Following the instructions of your Tianming Organization, four companies have been established. The Ocean Shipping Company manages the ports and shipping; the Ocean Medical Company manages medicinal materials; the Ocean Mineral Company is responsible for the extraction of oil, coal, iron, and so on; and the Ocean Aquatic Products Company is responsible for fishing and sales."
Mei Terumī gave a brief summary.
She guessed that Naruto was probably just stopping by.
If he really cared, he wouldn't have waited until now to ask.
"Seems quite good."
Naruto observed the change in her expression.
To make a steady Mizukage like her show such uncontrollable joy, the income must be enormous.
In fact, just looking at these companies, one could understand.
In his previous life, these would all be giants.
And it wasn't many scattered companies, but a single dominant one.
The only relatively disappointing thing was the oil.
It currently didn't have much use in the Ninja World.
At most, it could give Fire Release Ninjas a little boost.
After all, industry was not well-developed.
But mining can start first.
Maybe one day Naruto will draw a car or something from the cards.
And even if he doesn't, the Ninja World is developing quite fast.
Although he hasn't watched boruto, he vaguely remembers seeing somewhere that the internet and trains are already widespread in it.
At most, it's only been twenty years.
This kind of speed is definitely an explosive growth.
"It's just so-so, I'm just supplementing the family income."
Mei Terumī blinked and said shyly, "It would be even better if your Excellency could concede a bit more profit."
Tsk, mischievous.
Naruto ran off directly and returned to Konoha.
Mei Terumī gave a light hmph; this guy didn't fall for the soft approach, and she couldn't beat him with the hard approach.
So troublesome.
Although he's usually easy to talk to, once at the negotiating table, he's particularly difficult to handle.
However, in terms of current interests, it's already unprecedented for the Hidden Mist Village, so she was just being playful.
"Naruto-kun, you're back."
Hinata heard the noise and turned her head toward the door.
Eh?
Back from the mission?
Naruto was slightly taken aback, noticing she was holding a fox-girl figurine.
"I didn't see you at home, so I thought you might be here."
Hinata explained and then asked, "What are these little dolls?"
"Oh, characters from Jiraiya-sensei's novel."
Naruto said, thinking quickly, "He insisted on giving them to me as a souvenir."
"A novel?"
Hinata didn't doubt him but became interested, "What novel is it?"
...
Naruto froze for a moment and said, "If you want to know, I'll tell you."
He stepped forward, sat on the sofa, and patted it, signaling her to sit.
Hinata put down the figurine and sat beside him.
"Well, there was this family, this couple, who gave birth to a strange baby..."
Naruto slapped his thigh and began telling the Legend of Nezha.
Believe it or not, it had everything: fox spirits, dragon girls, pipa spirits, pheasant spirits... "Why did you bring a little girl back?"
Deva Path Pain glanced at Karen.
This age is really a bit young.
Probably thirteen or fourteen.
"Look."
Konan handed over a photo of Mari's parents.
"This is...?"
Deva Path Pain paused and asked, "Where did this photo come from?"
"It's her parents,"
Konan said, pointing at Karen.
"I see."
Deva Path Pain immediately understood why Konan brought Karen back.
He looked down at the photo.
Some long-ago events surfaced in his mind.
He sighed and said, "Since she's their daughter, let her stay in Amegakure."
Konan shook her head and said, "Let her join the Akatsuki Organization."
Deva Path Pain was slightly surprised, almost asking if she had just found someone to make up the numbers.
But Konan wouldn't do something so deceptive.
It could only mean one thing: this girl was very strong.
But it was a bit too much of a coincidence.
"Have you confirmed her identity?"
Deva Path Pain asked.
"I've confirmed it; there won't be any problems,"
Konan answered seriously.
Deva Path Pain nodded upon seeing this.
Since she guaranteed it like this, it must be true.
"Let's have the meeting."
Once everyone arrived, his plan would reach the execution stage.
Fifteen minutes later, various colored lights lit up in the dark room.
Besides Deva Path Pain, Konan, and Karen, the only one present in person was Kisame Hoshigaki.
Since Uchiha Itachi's 'death', he had returned to Amegakure.
Firstly, he had nothing to do for the time being, and secondly, he wasn't in the mood.
"This is the new member, Karen,"
Konan introduced.
"Hey, why are the recruited members getting younger and younger?"
Deidara couldn't help but complain.
"Isn't this good?"
Uzumaki Menma raised an eyebrow and said, "Our organization has old fogies, so we should have a kid. Besides, you're one too."
"You bastard, what did you say?"
Deidara glared at him, looking displeased.
This guy, for some reason, always acted like his older brother.
Although he had been using his money, he wouldn't bow for a few coins.
"Oh my, who is the 'old fogey' Senior mentioned referring to?"
Tobi made an exaggerated gesture.
"Quiet."
Deva Path Pain spoke indifferently, "Karen and Kisame Hoshigaki will be in a team."
"Wait."
Kisame Hoshigaki grinned and said, "My previous teammate was Uchiha Itachi; I don't need a burden."
"Hey, old man, who are you calling a burden?"
Karen said dissatisfiedly, "Since you're unwilling, let's spar."
"You've got some courage."
Kisame Hoshigaki took out Samehada and sneered, "Don't start crying."
Deva Path Pain looked at Konan but found she had no change in expression, appearing extremely calm.
He immediately became interested and didn't stop them, saying, "Stop when the point is made."
The others were also happy to watch the excitement.
Uzumaki Menma took out two trays and asked, "Come on, place your bets."
...
Konan glared at him.
"Never mind, it's all money I earned; betting isn't fun."
Uzumaki Menma shrugged and put them away.
"Old man, you've already lost."
Karen stood there with a smile on her face.
"Anyone can talk big."
Kisame Hoshigaki snorted coldly and swung Samehada directly.
He didn't care about being gentle with a girl.
However, Deva Path Pain, watching from the side, let out a sound of surprise.
"Is it genjutsu?"
"Correct."
Konan nodded.
The situation in the field was very comical.
Kisame Hoshigaki was swinging Samehada at thin air.
While Karen hadn't made a single move.
"Interesting."
The Rinnegan in Deva Path Pain's eyes shifted, capturing unusual Chakra fluctuations.
The level of this genjutsu is very high.
It almost rivals the genjutsu Uchiha Itachi casts with his Mangekyo Sharingan.
"Besides genjutsu, she also has auxiliary secret techniques,"
Konan turned her head and said, "Come here."
"Sister, what do you need me for?"
Karen immediately ran to her with a smile, grabbing her right hand with both of hers.
Deva Path Pain was somewhat surprised.
Are they that close?
"Show your secret technique to the leader."
Konan tried to pull away, but it was useless, so she just let her be.
"Okay."
Karen raised a hand, Chakra gathering, and explained, "Mine is called Hero Creation; it can amplify your Ninjutsu and Chakra recovery speed."
Deva Path Pain shook his head and said, "It's of no use to me."
He possessed the Rinnegan; how could it be amplified by some secret technique?
However, he suddenly felt a slight change in his body.
"That remains to be seen,"
Karen said with a smile, "Leader, give it a try."
Deva Path Pain glanced at her, raised his hand, and aimed it at the opposite wall.
Immediately after, an invisible force spread out.
The entire wall collapsed backward.
As if struck by some powerful monster.
The repulsive force of the Rinnegan!
In a certain room.
A look of shock appeared on the face of the emaciated Nagato.
It actually worked.
Controlling the Deva Path, he clearly felt the repulsive force increase by nearly thirty percent.
It was simply unimaginable.
He suddenly realized Karen's importance and value.
With her Hero Creation, his strength would be greatly enhanced.
Given the terror of the Rinnegan, even a ten percent increase would be an unimaginable boost.
Deva Path Pain looked up, meeting the girl's expectant and innocent eyes, and couldn't help but feel somewhat emotional.
Perhaps it really is destiny.
He hadn't expected such a special Ninja to be sent to them.
And her parents were old members of the organization.
He reached out, and the repulsive force sent Kisame Hoshigaki flying straight into a wall.
The genjutsu was broken.
Kisame Hoshigaki shook his head, realizing what had happened.
He couldn't help but be startled.
He didn't even know when he had fallen under the genjutsu.
"How was that, old man?"
Karen hugged Konan and asked somewhat proudly.
Kisame Hoshigaki was silent for a few seconds before saying, "I was careless, but your strength is okay. You're barely acceptable as a teammate."
"Shameless."
Karen stuck out her tongue.
"Let's leave it at that,"
Deva Path Pain stopped them and said, "With Karen's addition, our members are full once again. She will inherit the Vermilion Bird ring and practice the Phantom Dragon Nine Seals. With her strength, it should only take a week. In one week, we will launch an all-out attack on the Hidden Sand Village."
"Yes."
Everyone present answered.
At the same time, Naruto received news.
Pain's invasion was imminent.