[New Akatsuki Hideout]
Just as the Sky Screen finished that segment, and before even the formal battle footage appeared—
A loud "BOOM" rang out as the wall of the Akatsuki's new hideout suddenly burst open!
Debris flew everywhere, dust filled the air, and bricks clattered to the ground.
Deidara shot up from his chair, nearly flinging the clay in his hand.
Hidan's scythe was held across his body, his frame slightly crouched like a tiger ready to pounce.
Kakuzu's tendrils extended from his back, writhing in the air.
Sasori's puppet eyes turned slightly, his fingers curling as poison needles extended from his fingertips.
Zetsu shrank back into the wall, only half his face showing, staring warily at the breach.
Itachi's eyes opened, the black pupils reflecting the figures amidst the dust.
Just as all the Akatsuki members sprang to their feet, taking defensive stances and staring warily at the broken wall.
They saw that the newcomers were actually the Six Paths of Pain plus Konan, and, protected in the middle, someone they had only seen on the screen—the real Nagato, sitting in a wheelchair.
Tendo Pain walked at the front, orange hair especially striking in the dim light. Animal Path, Human Path, Asura Path, Preta Path, and Naraka Path Pain flanked both sides, seven pairs of Rinnegan coldly sweeping over everyone in the hideout.
Konan walked behind Nagato, her hands gently pushing the wheelchair. Nagato himself sat in the wheelchair, red hair disheveled, body withered and thin, but those purple eyes were full of solemnity.
The Akatsuki members were utterly dumbfounded; why had the leader's true body come in person, and in such an unusual manner?
Nagato normally only controlled the Paths and never dealt with them in person.
Today his real body had come with all Six Paths of Pain—something big had happened!
Nagato didn't explain much.
His gaze swept over everyone present, finally landing on Itachi in the corner.
"Itachi, come with me to Konoha. The situation is urgent. Obito has been missing for several days... he may have already reached an agreement with Orochimaru!"
Hearing that, the Akatsuki members' expressions all changed!
They had thought of this possibility too, but for it to happen so soon!
Deidara's voice changed pitch: "That guy went to find Orochimaru? He's not really going to try to reanimate Madara, is he?"
Hidan also grew somewhat nervous: "If Madara really gets revived, could all of us together even beat him?"
Sasori's voice was full of disgust: "As expected, that bastard Orochimaru was a disaster waiting to happen. If we had killed him earlier, none of this would be happening."
Kakuzu, however, was quite calm: "Leader, are you sure Obito has already joined forces with Orochimaru and Kabuto?"
Zetsu alone stood expressionlessly to the side without any movement.
Nagato shook his head: "Not certain. But if he really did go to Orochimaru, then we are in trouble."
To be honest, Nagato was a bit annoyed with himself.
If not for the Sky Screen's revelation, he wouldn't have thought of this possibility.
So if Obito had suddenly showed up at Amegakure with the reanimated Madara, he wouldn't even need to think about future plans—the Rinnegan definitely wouldn't be his anymore.
After all, one Uchiha was already troublesome enough, and fortunately he wasn't yet the future's second Sage of Six Paths, and wasn't his match in a head-on fight.
But add another Uchiha to the mix and it would be a different story!
At that time all they could do would be to see whether the Akatsuki members together could defeat the reanimated Madara.
However, after being reminded by the Sky Screen, Nagato quickly thought of a way to counter the reanimated Madara.
But for that method to work, he had to reach a cooperation with Konoha first.
So he no longer cared about the temporary truce agreement with Obito, and was ready to grab Itachi and head straight to Konoha.
The others wouldn't do; first, Itachi was both a spy for Konoha and possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan, and in particular, Tsukuyomi and Shisui's Mangekyō were extremely effective at restraining Obito.
Itachi had thought of this too. For the sake of the Shinobi World and Konoha's safety, and because he also wanted to secretly go back and see Sasuke, he nodded in agreement.
Deidara looked at the two and muttered, "What about us? Just wait around doing nothing?"
Nagato glanced at him: "You'll put on a show in the village and stall for time."
Deidara pouted: "What if Madara really shows up? We can't beat him."
"If he really comes, just run." Nagato's voice turned cold, "No need to fight him."
Hearing that, everyone understood what Nagato meant.
Seeing that the Akatsuki members had no more objections, Konan walked behind Nagato and gently pushed the wheelchair. "Let's go."
Soon, the figures of the Six Paths of Pain, Konan, Nagato, and Itachi disappeared from the hideout.
The remaining Akatsuki members looked at each other.
Deidara sighed: "So we're now fighting for world peace? Once again, weren't we the bad guys?"
Hidan shrugged: "Even bad guys have to protect the world. I don't want to be trapped in an illusion, dreaming every day."
Kakuzu said expressionlessly: "If the world is destroyed, my money will be gone. So guys like Obito must be dealt with quickly."
Everyone present knew that if Obito really reanimated Madara, everything would be finished. So now was not the time for internal strife.
Deidara looked at his companions and suddenly laughed: "Fine. Then we guard the house."
---
[Meanwhile, in an underground base somewhere in the Shinobi World]
Obito looked unhappily at Orochimaru, who had been almost completely transformed: "How is it? White Zetsu is the most suitable vessel for your Living Corpse Reincarnation Jutsu."
"Not bad… really not bad. The screen was right after all." Orochimaru glanced at the clearly much more impatient Obito and softly placated him.
"It won't hurt to wait for a while. By now Nagato has surely thought of the possibility of our cooperation. Once the screen finishes broadcasting, I'll help you reanimate Madara."
Orochimaru was, after all, an experienced shinobi. The Sky Screen was about to show Madara's battle, so it was a good chance to learn more first. Otherwise, what if Madara stabs him in the back after being resurrected?
This was a powerhouse approaching Six Paths level—no amount of caution was excessive!
Seeing this, Obito grew even more anxious, but there was nothing he could do.
He didn't know Edo Tensei, so he could only be passive in this transaction.
No matter how much the various Shinobi World timelines were shaken, the scene on the screen continued as usual.
The screen shifted to a desert.
The Second Tsuchikage, Mu, covered head to toe in bandages, was half-kneeling on the ground, one hand pressed to the ground, the other forming a seal.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
A huge coffin burst out of the ground!
Crack—!
A fissure first split open on the coffin.
Hearing the sound, the Second Tsuchikage quickly dodged.
BOOM!!
The coffin's lid seemed to be kicked opened by someone, sliding dozens of meters across the ground and rising up a sky full of dust.
"Finally. Looks like he's managed to successfully groom that brat Nagato." A tall figure appeared, half-hidden in the dust.
But everyone watching the Sky Screen knew that this was the reanimated Madara!
However, even Madara hadn't expected that he would be resurrected by Edo Tensei in the future.
And Nagato, on whom he had pinned his hopes, had already taken the Rinnegan to resurrect the Konoha villagers after being hit by Naruto's Talk-no-Jutsu.
Of course, many people across the various Shinobi World timelines believed that Nagato reviving the Konoha villagers was actually a bad thing.
With the way those Konoha villagers were, why revive them?
To let them continue to bully others?
They were better off dead.
---
[T/N: I saw some comments and want to clarify that the battles aren't ranked. Read the title people I have been using classic battle no. x, not ranking by top x and all.]
*****
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