"Hurry! Hurry up!"
Ameyuri Ringo sensed the battle fluctuations ahead. When she saw the giant mushroom cloud rising from a terrifying [Explosion], her heart tightened with anxiety.
She led the way, followed by an overwhelming number of Mist ninja. Their figures blurred as they darted silently through the forest. Apart from the faint sound of their footsteps on branches, they made no other noise.
This was an elite unit of highly-trained ninja!
Whoosh!
After a long time, they finally passed through the dense forest and reached a clearing created by the battle.
However, what lay before them stunned everyone momentarily, freezing them all in place.
Signs of countless [Explosions] scarred the ground, along with lifeless Mist ninja scattered everywhere!
It was clear that the Mizukage had already been attacked. No one knew how things stood now?
A trace of worry crossed everyone's minds. If these ninja, assigned to protect the Mizukage, had been completely wiped out, then the Mizukage himself must also be in grave danger.
Especially Ameyuri Ringo, who had fought against Saitama before, turned even paler. Her teeth pressed tightly onto her lower lip, and blood started to seep from her dry lips.
Yet, she didn't allow that heavy inner turmoil to show externally. As this unit's temporary leader, she understood she couldn't appear weak; otherwise, it would crush the entire squad's morale.
Her gaze scanned the Mist ninja lying on the ground. She noticed the weapon used to kill them—strips of white paper.
These papers had pierced bodies, soaked in blood, now turning dark red.
Looking at the expressions on the faces of the dead Mist ninja, Ameyuri realized there were no signs of fierce resistance. It looked more like a one-sided massacre.
And each of these ninja was at least at Tokubetsu Jonin level. How powerful must the enemy be to kill them so easily?
The style didn't resemble Uchiha Saitama's previous techniques either. Was this a new enemy? Who exactly belonged to this Akatsuki Organization, and why were they all so strong without ever being heard of before?
"There! Ameyuri Ringo!"
An Anbu pointed toward the corpses, directing Ameyuri Ringo's sight. Following his finger, hundreds of meters ahead, two figures stood beside a "corpse."
Of those two, one wore the Black Cloak Bearing Red Clouds while the other appeared to have had his clothes destroyed in earlier combat, revealing close-combat gear underneath.
"It's the Mizukage!"
"Damn it... did we arrive too late after all?"
Ameyuri Ringo glanced over and immediately recognized the person lying on the ground—their mission objective for this operation, Yagura Karatachi.
At this sight, she instinctively gripped her weapon until her knuckles turned pale white.
Among those two individuals, one was none other than Saitama Uchiha, someone familiar to Ameyuri Ringo. The other figure, however, was an unfamiliar blue-haired female ninja.
If that was the case, then the Mist ninja scattered around must have been killed by this newly appearing female kunoichi—who used paper in battle?
What an odd ability.
Ameyuri Ringo extended her tongue and licked her lips slightly. Instantly, a metallic, rust-like taste filled her mouth, sending a surge of alertness throughout her mind.
"The Mizukage isn't dead yet! Although his chakra is very weak, he still has a pulse. Jinchuriki really do have incredible stamina!"
Ameyuri Ringo fixed her gaze and sensed Yagura's fluctuating chakra as she spoke to the group of shinobi behind her.
At a moment like this, they desperately needed some encouragement. She couldn't let them lose confidence before the fighting had even begun!
The shinobi behind her remained silent, staring at Yagura's still figure, their breath shallow with tension.
Their Mizukage lay beside his enemy like a lifeless corpse — a sight that felt like an unbearable disgrace to every one of them.
As a result, the air grew heavier, thick with rising bloodlust. They were ready to fight at any moment.
"Hey now, here we go!"
Saitama spotted the Mist ninja in the distance and immediately recognized Ameyuri Ringo standing at the front. A mocking smile curled his lips.
"Prepare for battle! The enemy's target is the Three-Tails sealed within the Mizukage. We must rescue our leader from these enemies at all costs!"
Before setting out, Ameyuri Ringo had steeled herself for the worst possible outcome. Now, the situation was nearly as bad as she had feared.
Looking back at the considerable number of Anbu ninja behind her, she found the courage to face off against the enemy.
"The man is Saitama Uchiha, a rogue ninja from Konoha who specializes in Lightning Release. From our previous encounter, we know he also uses the Flying Thunder God Technique and Wood Release. During the fight, be extremely cautious and maintain squad formations — no one should be isolated!"
"As for the other enemy, we lack sufficient intelligence. However, since she's with Saitama Uchiha, don't underestimate her either. The Mist ninja lying there on the ground were killed by her. Watch carefully for anything unusual about those papers!"
After conveying everything she knew, Ameyuri Ringo slowly raised her weapon and pointed it toward the two enemies ahead.
"Fly Thunder God Technique? Wood Release?!"
Many Anbu ninja gasped audibly.
Minato Namikaze, the current Hokage of Konoha Village, had built his terrifying reputation across the ninja world entirely through mastery of the Flying Thunder God Technique.
It was standard practice among the Great Ninja Villages that if you encountered Minato Namikaze on a mission, you could retreat and abandon your objective without consequence!
That was how feared Minato's command of the Flying Thunder God Technique was.
Now, facing an enemy wielding the same technique, uncertainty gripped them, paralyzing their resolve. Their earlier eagerness to kill the enemy instantly faded.
They knew exactly what they were capable of — but this wasn't even the most terrifying part. The enemy also wielded a Ninjutsu that once belonged exclusively to the legendary 'God of Shinobi' himself: Wood Release!
The revelation dropped like a second explosion, freezing them in place. They dared only to glare at their opponents, afraid to make a move.
With their Mizukage still in enemy hands, they couldn't simply choose to retreat, but neither did they rush forward recklessly.
"Damn it! What exactly are you trying to accomplish? Is collecting Tailed Beasts just meant to bring more chaos to the shinobi world?"
Ameyuri Ringo pointed directly at Saitama, her voice trembling with fury, her words dripping with hatred toward him and his allies.
Both Terumi Mei—the former Mizukage's aide—and the current Mizukage herself were seniors she had always admired. Yet now both had fallen at the hands of this rogue ninja called Saitama Uchiha.
Therefore, she truly hated Saitama Uchiha with all her heart, wishing nothing more than to kill him immediately.
[Wood Release - Bind!]
Saitama did not answer Ameyuri Ringo's question. Instead, he activated his Wood Release, binding the unconscious Yagura on the ground and lifting him into the air.
"You'll find out the answers in due time. But for now, let me keep things a little mysterious."
Saitama placed Yagura onto his shoulder and then calmly stared toward the Mist ninjas ahead.
This wasn't the first time he had faced such questions. Yet each time, his answer was exactly the same!
"Aren't you going to deal with them?"
Konan signaled to Saitama, several white papers beginning to spin around her arm, generating gusts of wind.
Noticing that Saitama was readying to leave, Konan felt puzzled.
They were kidnapping the Mizukage—there was no way Mist would just let them go. Only by eliminating these pursuers could they leave the Land of Water smoothly.
"I don't mind killing them. But if they know their place, I wouldn't mind sparing them temporarily either."
As he spoke, tree roots tightly wrapped around Yagura's hands, the man lying motionless on Saitama's shoulder, eyes closed without any reaction.
"But it seems like they're anything but wise today."
With a cold expression, Konan suddenly manifested paper pieces around her body, instantly transforming them into wings that carried her high into the air. The recoil from those wings swept the ground below, leaving a clear circle beneath her.
"Unit Four and Five, hold off that female ninja! The rest of you, form trios and follow me in surrounding Saitama Uchiha! We must rescue Elder Yagura!"
Ameyuri's tone was extremely serious. She knew they had to act—they couldn't let the enemy take Yagura without a fight.
After quickly issuing orders, she shot forward, leaving behind a blurred afterimage in the air.
The other Mist ninja hesitated only briefly before tightening their grips on their weapons and joining the charge.
They were fresh and numerous, while the enemy had just fought a major battle and were probably running on fumes. Perhaps they actually had a chance if they attacked together!
Years ago, Iwagakure proved it best by overwhelming even the Raikage with a tide of manpower!
Besides, if they chose retreat, they'd become rogues themselves—a fate none wished upon themselves.
Moreover, over recent years Elder Yagura had gained tremendous prestige within the village. These Anbu ninja answered directly to the Mizukage and thus held great loyalty toward Yagura himself.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
These Anbu ninja charged forward, each one fully prepared.
At the forefront of the crowd, Ameyuri gripped her long-bladed weapon known as Shibari Needle, determination etched across her face. Her feet pounded against the earth repeatedly, increasing her speed with each step.
No glory without sacrifice—it was the only way to gain any edge at all!
Ameyuri had fought Saitama before, understanding their difference all too clearly. But under current circumstances, there was simply no other solution available.
"What a pain. Let me take care of this—I just learned a new technique lately!"
Saitama looked up at Konan floating midair and raised his voice slightly as he spoke.
There were so many enemies, and the terrain here was perfect for it. He had the idea to use Wood Release techniques.
Although he possessed Hashirama's cells and could use Wood Release, they hadn't been his usual choice.
He couldn't do what Hashirama could—simply bring forth whatever he wanted with a single hand seal.
Whenever he used large-scale Wood Release jutsu, it required a very long casting cooldown that was extremely impractical in battle. But looking at the distance between himself and his enemies, Saitama revealed a dangerous smile.
[Wood Release - First Eruption!]
Before Konan could even speak, Saitama clapped both hands together in front of his chest, and the massive chakra within his body began to circulate.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Tremors began beneath Ameyuri Ringo and the other ninja's feet. The vibration intensified quickly, eventually erupting into a violent earthquake.
Then, the earth cracked and rolled, countless trees sprouted from the ground, and within just a few seconds became towering giants. Meanwhile, intertwining roots grew wildly and rampantly.
These roots, thicker than a human body, seemed to have eyes of their own as they wrapped around the surrounding ninja, crushing them mercilessly with each passing second.
All of this happened extremely fast. Within less than five seconds, numerous Mist ninja were caught off guard and killed by this technique.
"Damn it!"
Ameyuri Ringo quickly dodged aside. She was the strongest among these people, so although she charged ahead on the frontline, she hadn't yet been attacked by those roots.
However, the majority of the other Mist ninja who were weaker than her couldn't dodge in time, being immediately trapped and wrapped up by the roots exploding from underground before getting crushed to death!
In the blink of an eye, the pursuing force that originally had shocking numbers was already reduced by half from just one Wood Release technique from Saitama!
Her face turned extremely grim, her eyes wide open in shock, like she wanted to devour someone alive.
"This... can't be real," Ameyuri Ringo muttered, unable to believe what she was seeing.
While frantically jumping about, dodging thick roots coming from all directions, she crazily ran toward her teammates behind her.
She had to save her comrades. Letting them die like this—this wasn't what a ninja was worth!
"Let's go. They probably won't have the mind to chase us now."
With both hands spread apart, Saitama's face looked somewhat pale, but in an instant, it returned to normal. His eyes also returned to their normal color.
First Mangekyou, then Sage Art, followed by an ultra-large-scale Wood Release technique—even someone like him found it somewhat overwhelming.
"Yeah, let's go!"
Konan glanced at the dense forest that had erupted there in an instant, even more luxuriant than the original forest. She didn't comment further.
With just one jutsu, the once-numerous and aggressive group of Mist ninja was completely wiped out.
Turning around, Saitama shouldered Yagura and headed toward the coastline, with Konan flapping her wings and closely following behind him. His speed remained swift.
This time, the Three-Tails capture mission could be considered a complete success. Next was returning for the sealing process. She wondered how Kakuzu was faring.
If everything went smoothly, the number of Tailed Beasts they had collected had already reached an astonishing amount — only the Nine-Tails from Konoha and the Eight-Tails from Kumogakure remained.
Since Pain insisted that the final sealing must involve the Nine-Tails and the Eight-Tails, and since these two Jinchuriki were best protected, there wasn't any plan to take action for now.
However, this operation by the Organization to simultaneously capture so many Tailed Beasts would definitely raise alarm throughout the Shinobi World, even causing anxiety. The formation of a joint alliance was becoming a real possibility.
So, the final battle was near!
Konan thought like this, yet her eyes revealed unmistakable excitement!
This was their dream and pursuit, and now, the goal was close enough to touch — it was absolutely worth being excited about!
"What are you thinking about?"
Saitama noticed the emotional change in the woman beside him and slightly turned his head to speak.
The Mist ninja no longer had the courage to pursue, so they appeared relatively relaxed. A casual chat wouldn't hurt.
"Nothing much. Let's hurry back! Now isn't the time to relax. Although Kirigakure probably won't chase us for now, we still need to be careful about encountering other enemies on the road!"
Konan's expression changed, then she narrowed her eyes at Yagura on Saitama's shoulder before returning to her former cold demeanor, ceasing her wandering thoughts.
"Fine then!"
Saitama patted Yagura. Since Yagura was small, he felt like he was carrying no more than a sack of rice — practically weightless.
Their speed increased once more, quickly vanishing into the horizon.
"Lord...!"
A ninja pierced through the chest by wooden roots stared wide-eyed at Ameyuri Ringo before him. Just those two words drained what little strength he had left.
Blood flowed down from the wound and his mouth, while his breath gradually faded away, his eyes growing lifeless.
Ameyuri said nothing, cutting the tree root impaling the ninja's body and gently placing him on the ground. Gently, she reached out and closed his still-wide eyes.
She scanned the area. Nearly half the ninjas who had followed her here had died, and those remaining carried various wounds — some serious, others minor.
Obviously, continuing the pursuit was no longer realistic unless deliberately seeking death.
After this encounter, Ameyuri Ringo gained an even deeper understanding of Saitama Uchiha's strength!
Such *ninjutsu* — even the Ninja God probably couldn't surpass this level?
She hadn't seen the Ninja God fight, but it didn't prevent her from imagining.
Among today's Shinobi World, besides the Dust Release technique of Tsuchikage Onoki, who else could cause such destruction?
At this moment, Ameyuri Ringo felt extremely powerless. That man was just too impossibly strong!
Even the thought of fighting him stirred a quiet fear deep in her chest.
Her eyes swept over the battlefield, lingering on her fallen comrades devoid of life. Suddenly, she knelt on the ground, lowering her head.
Soon, droplets fell onto the ground, wetting it, while Ameyuri's shoulders continuously trembled.
She'd rushed nonstop, but still didn't make it in time to back up Lord Yagura—letting down Lady Terumi Mei's trust and expectations. And because of her own mistake, many Mist ninja had perished.
At this moment, her mood was at rock bottom, and her hatred for Saitama boiled over.
...
When Ameyuri Ringo returned to Kiri with the wounded, the village's atmosphere grew increasingly heavy. Located far from the mainland of the Shinobi World, Kiri sounded its alarms and entered full lockdown mode.
After a night of continuous light shining through the meeting room inside the Mizukage Tower, a messenger hawk took flight from the heart of Kiri—its destination: Konohagakure Village in the Land of Fire!
It was time to band together. Against the terrifying Akatsuki, the Hidden Villages couldn't sit idle any longer.
Almost simultaneously, from Iwagakure Village in the northwest of the Shinobi World—the Land of Earth—a messenger pigeon also took off from the balcony of the Tsuchikage Building. Its destination remained Konohagakure Village.
The storm was brewing. A whole new chapter was about to start!
...
"Yo, Saitama, Konan, we've been waiting for you two forever! So that's the Three-Tails Jinchuriki, the Water Shadow Yagura? How come he's just a kid?"
After traveling all day, Saitama and Konan finally returned to Amegakure Village. The first one to greet them was unexpectedly Hidan, slacking off as usual.
But his annoying tone made Konan's brow twitch instantly.
"Looks like things went smoothly on your end too!"
Saitama glanced over and spotted Kakuzu.
"Who knows if the Five-Tails Jinchuriki was just stupid or overly confident. He clearly had a chance to surround us, yet still chose confidently to face us alone! Though the process was rough, the result wasn't bad."
Kakuzu stood with arms crossed, speaking calmly.
Saitama could sense Kakuzu's fluctuating chakra, and combined with the strong scent of blood around Hidan, he naturally knew the situation hadn't been as simple as described.
"Where's Sasori?"
Looking around, Saitama didn't see Sasori. He should have returned earlier than them.
"He's repairing those puppets of his. Should be out soon."
Hidan grinned, seemingly unimpressed by Sasori's puppet collection, though he only dared speak like that when Sasori wasn't around.
"If you insist on keeping that cocky attitude, I wouldn't mind giving you a demonstration of my puppets. In fact, I just recently acquired some fascinating additions."
Sasori's voice rang out, filled with obvious malice.
A soft sound of footsteps echoed, and Sasori appeared directly behind Hidan, staring at him intensely, immediately putting immense pressure on the latter.
Hidan's expression changed instantly. He shut up right away and stepped beside Kakuzu, almost seeking support.
Kakuzu cast a sidelong glance without saying anything, secretly even finding the situation somewhat amusing.
"Looks like we have some fresh puppet material now."
After confronting Hidan, Sasori shifted his gaze onto Yagura resting on Saitama's shoulder, eyes filled with curiosity.
He was really starting to appreciate the Jinchuriki body now. These ninja bodies, serving as vessels for the Tailed Beasts, weren't just disposable tools—they were exceptional materials with massive potential for development!
"Let's go, Zero is summoning us!"
Konan cast her gaze into the depths of the base and took the first step forward.
Pain had already been waiting inside for quite some time. This would be a grand occasion—the beginning of a new chapter!
"There's going to be a lot on our hands from now on! Three Tailed Beasts—if it weren't for my superior physical constitution, I definitely wouldn't last!"
Hidan followed behind, grumbling complaints, seemingly unwilling to stay close to Sasori after their earlier verbal clash.
Kakuzu's eyes flickered with an emerald glow as he strode forward, showing no hesitation.
"Things are getting more and more interesting. Don't you think so, Saitama?"
Sasori approached Saitama, tilting his head up slightly.
He was currently using his real body—not Hiruko.
But that handsome appearance brought no warmth to Saitama at all—it felt utterly wrong.
"One step at a time. Isn't it better when things become interesting? A boring world is always tedious, isn't it?"
Saitama carried Yagura toward the depths of the base. He sensed Zetsu's presence had been there all along—clearly waiting.
"Hehehe."
Sasori stood in place, watching Saitama's back gradually vanish into darkness before finally resuming his steps forward.
His purpose for joining this organization seemed to be changing, and he felt an even stronger sense of belonging!
...
"So then, we're beginning the Sealing Technique of the Tailed Beast now! This will last ten days. Everyone should prepare yourselves. During this time, the village will be sealed off—no interruptions will be allowed!"
Standing atop the giant thumb, Pain looked over the surrounding members with a calm tone.
"Understood!"
Saitama and others nodded in response.
Boom...
On the palm of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, seven fingers lit up with faint blue fluorescence.
As chakra was injected and controlled by Pain, the statue opened its mouth, from which emerged a dragon-shaped soul-like entity.
Meanwhile, Motoi, the Six-Tails Jinchuriki lying on the ground, began rising under the pull of invisible forces, then being penetrated by that dragon entity.
Red chakra started getting extracted. Motoi, who had long since lost consciousness, let out weak sounds of pain.
However, such sounds reached the ears of those present and were directly ignored.
The Sealing Technique of the Tailed Beast proceeded methodically while the statue's eyes gradually opened, gazing upon the Akatsuki members standing upon its fingers!
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