A special thank you to my patrons:
—Cain, Shahzaam, Jacob Mooe, Varun Madhu, Gonzalo Sumalavia, kevin Williams, KD2001, merp., Jose Carrillo, Derek M, Joseph, Jose Sierra, SPabloS, Nocturnal, Impreux, Florin Durbaca, Salim, Vernan Stapleton, Pasang Sherpa, Edvards Kazlouski, Wilver, Matthew Moretz.
You can read 30 chapters ahead of everyone on p@treon.
P@TREON - [email protected]/lessaservantofcosmos
(just replace the "@" with "a")
ps: Please support me on P@treon. I can really use your help!
-------------------------------------------------------------
"You're lying to me?" Danzo eyed Orochimaru warily. "I've never heard anything about this."
"I haven't either." Orochimaru sneered, but he knew his alliance with Danzo was built on mutual exploitation—and "shared interests" were the most crucial part.
In this operation, the "Rinnegan" was what both he and Danzo cared about most.
So, there couldn't be any grudges between them; otherwise, success would be nearly impossible.
"I've been with you the whole time—did you see me act suspicious? Come on, Konoha's wanted list isn't just for you; it's got me on it too." Orochimaru explained patiently, then fixed his gaze on Konan. "You say we're in cahoots with the intruders. Mind if I at least ask his name?"
"Still trying to pry info out of me? No chance!" Konan spread her arms, and countless sheets of paper materialized in the air.
With a gesture toward the two, the papers turned into daggers, plummeting from above—leaving almost no room to dodge.
Orochimaru formed seals with both hands, spewing a massive fireball from his mouth that incinerated the surrounding paper. Danzo seized the moment, unleashing a Vacuum Wave; the razor-sharp gust sliced through Konan's wings.
As Konan plummeted, Orochimaru suddenly activated "Hidden Shadow Snake Hands." Dozens of massive snakes burst from his sleeves, poised to strike her—only for a powerful repulsive force to surge forth, blasting both him and Danzo away.
Orochimaru slammed into the wall, his mind blanking for an instant before recalling the technique's name—Shinra Tensei.
Inside the tower, its power wasn't overwhelming and dealt no real harm to Orochimaru. But in open wilderness, or if the user went all out, this jutsu's might could leave anyone speechless.
If they'd unleashed "Shinra Tensei," that meant Pain had to be here!
"I told you, once they make a move, they won't back down easily." Pain descended from above, landing in the center of the arena. At the same time, four shadowy figures positioned themselves at the "corners," encircling Orochimaru and Danzo.
"I should've killed you last time." The Deva Path said.
Danzo scanned his surroundings, falling silent upon noticing every one of them bore Rinnegan eyes.
Orochimaru had warned him earlier that Amegakure held more than one pair of Rinnegan, but seeing it firsthand still shocked him.
"Who the hell are you people? Why do you all have the 'Rinnegan'?" Danzo demanded loudly, his mind racing.
A single ninja village with five, even six pairs of Rinnegan? Impossible.
The Rinnegan's emergence was rare; after the Sage of the Six Paths, records of it were scarce.
So, what Orochimaru said might be true—the real Rinnegan was hidden somewhere in Amegakure.
Clearly, the two of them had been lured out.
"You don't need to know—or rather, it has nothing to do with you. Right now, you can't do a damn thing." Konan said.
"That remains to be seen!" Danzo's lips curled up. He unwrapped his arm, revealing six implanted Sharingan eyes—all fully open.
Even more grotesque was the human face embedded above his shoulder.
"No one can stop me." Danzo formed seals, and a colossal "Dream Tapir" materialized from thin air. The beast opened its maw, drawing in a powerful gust of wind.
If she hadn't been on guard, even Konan might've been sucked in.
"Bansho Ten'in!" The Deva Path shouted. The Dream Tapir's massive body lurched toward him.
Just as it neared contact, another immense repulsive force erupted.
This one dwarfed the previous— the tower's supports buckled instantly. Orochimaru, Danzo, and the Dream Tapir were all hurled out of the tower, and the structure itself began toppling toward them.
"This technique's power is too much." Konan said.
"Even so, it might not kill him." The Deva Path replied.
Konan fell silent.
The upper spire tilted and crashed down. Countless papers swirled up, deflecting the falling steel plates and pipes.
"Is Nagato safe?" Konan asked.
"Madara's back."
"Him? Why's he back?"
"Yeah. He says he wants to meet Itachi. Some things... the Uchiha clan should know. You go check on the Animal Path and the others? Teacher Jiraiya isn't that easy to kill." The Deva Path said.
"Then here..."
The papers dispersed. Konan stared ahead unblinkingly as an indescribably enormous snake slithered into view, exuding terrifying power endlessly from its form.
The fallen tower debris had been entirely blocked by this serpent, and she and the Deva Path looked so tiny before this summoned beast—like mere ants.
Its body was so vast that buildings within dozens of meters lay in ruins.
The dread this summon inspired outstripped anything Orochimaru had called forth before.
"The five of us should handle it." The Deva Path stood with hands clasped behind his back. "But Orochimaru's no slouch. To pin him down, we'll need to bring some real force."
Konan nodded. If the Deva Path said so, her staying would just be a hindrance. She leaped into the air, vanishing into the night.
By now, the horizon was paling—dawn wasn't far off.
Midorima heard a rumble nearby and whipped his head around. A serpent towering over the other buildings loomed in Amegakure.
"Manda!?" Midorima's heart jolted.
This was Orochimaru's most powerful summon. Rumor had it that each summoning required sacrificing a hundred lives, so unless absolutely necessary, Orochimaru rarely called Manda.
Did that mean... Orochimaru was clashing with some formidable enemy!?
"Watch out!"
Sasori shouted, shoving Midorima aside with a puppet that was instantly engulfed in flames.
Midorima took a deep breath. If those flames had hit him, he might've been in real trouble.
Jiraiya was in top form right now, holding his own against the siege from Midorima, Itachi, Sasori, and Kisame without faltering.
Every attack Midorima threw was near full strength, each jutsu capable of leveling a house—but his accuracy was abysmal.
Sasori took it in stride; after all, even on missions, he risked friendly fire from Midorima, let alone some buildings.
But Midorima knew full well he was just going through the motions—putting in effort without real results. The true threats to Jiraiya were Kisame and Sasori.
As for Itachi, once Orochimaru launched his assault, he'd been marked by the Animal Path.
Of the four Konoha ninjas in Amegakure, Jiraiya the infiltrator was under "Akatsuki's" assault, Orochimaru and Danzo were ambushing Nagato, and though Itachi hadn't moved, the Animal Path wasn't about to let his guard down.
When Itachi spotted Manda, surprise flashed across his face. He turned to head toward the summon's location, only to be blocked by a gigantic hellhound.
"The Deva Path's handling Orochimaru over there—you can't go." The Animal Path said.
"I told you, I joined 'Akatsuki' to find my brother. I've always suspected Orochimaru took him. If you force me to stay, I'll make sure you learn just how dangerous I can be." Itachi locked eyes with the Animal Path, activating his Mangekyo Sharingan.