"What is this, Lord Orochimaru?"
"A remnant of history. It's also the origin of the truth I've long pursued."
"It looks like it has life?"
"Hmm. After all, this thing currently has seven Tailed Beasts sealed within its body. Moreover, it itself is something possessing tremendous vitality. Although much of that power was extracted over a long span of time, with the return of the Tailed Beasts, it has begun awakening!"
"Is this our objective this time?"
"More or less. However, after finishing things here, we'll need to hurry quickly to another location where someone requires our assistance."
"Oh, do you need my help now, Lord Orochimaru?"
"Not for now. Just ensure your own safety."
Orochimaru studied the massive statue before him. He noticed its seven blood-red eyes were already open. Feeling the mixture of rage and pain radiating from them, he instinctively stuck out his tongue and licked his lips.
Saitama had told him there would be unexpected surprises here, and recently was the perfect opportunity to come.
Seeing the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path confirmed Saitama hadn't deceived him.
This ancient figure appearing in many Murals and records made him even more interested in what lay ahead.
A hiss filled the air as countless snakes slithered from his sleeves and pant legs toward the distant statue.
Without the Rinnegan, naturally he couldn't control the statue. Nor did he currently have any intention to steal it. But having come all this way, he intended to take away anything else that caught his interest.
After finishing here, he still had other tasks to attend to, so he needed to act quickly.
This place was an underground cavern located at the border between the Land of Earth and the Land of Grass, exactly as Saitama previously described.
It was strange. He had originally assumed the Demobic Statue of the Outer Path would remain under the control of the Rinnegan wielder in the Akatsuki Organization, yet now it unexpectedly appeared here.
Earlier when passing through certain areas, he had seen objects related to Uchiha—like one of their clan emblems, the Uchiha crest shaped like a fan.
"You here—what are you doing here?"
The statue sat unhappily upon a stone platform above a pool of water, while this question came from a pale figure emerging from beneath the water.
As he surfaced and spoke, the water became turbulent. More pale figures emerged from the depths below, watching them with countless pairs of eyes.
"You didn't mention there were so many enemies present here too, Saitama."
Orochimaru cast a cold glance at the emerging White Zetsu clones, muttering inwardly.
"Lord Orochimaru!"
Kimimaro stepped into a battle stance in front of Orochimaru, watching these peculiar white figures cautiously. They seemed similar to certain clones from the laboratory?
"No problem. But we must act quickly."
Unconcerned by the sudden appearance of White Zetsu clones, Orochimaru urged his snakes forward at an increased pace toward the distant statue.
"Although the clones were told not to leave this place, you came here on your own..."
The clones looked at the incoming swarm of snakes with strange expressions before excitedly rushing forward.
Many of them remained asleep beneath the Pool of Water, limited by limitations. Only a few had awakened like these.
This was also the final safeguard Black Zetsu left behind here.
...
Watching the three of them attack him simultaneously, Saitama didn't panic. Instead, he increased his grip strength, twisting Ameyuri Hayashi's arm backward while leaning his body toward her.
Meanwhile, Ameyuri Hayashi hadn't expected Saitama to dare act this way—or ignore attacks from the others completely. Her expression shifted slightly in surprise.
At the same time though, she gritted her teeth and continued chopping downward with a palm strike aimed at Saitama, who held her left arm.
She could feel intense pain shooting through the locked arm as its strength slowly faded away. With electrical energy enhancing his fingers, Saitama had already pierced into her body, damaging Ameyuri Hayashi's muscle layers.
Saitama yanked his opponent sideways, using the force to throw himself out of the path of her counterattack. Then, with blinding speed, he slipped behind her and kicked her hard in the back. She flew straight toward Minato, who had appeared behind him moments before, just in time to intercept the incoming attack from behind.
Meanwhile, Saitama also used that momentum to elbow his opponent coming from the side—A.
Boom!
He collided with A. However, since he was the one initiating the follow-up strike, despite appearing stronger on the surface, A ultimately found himself at a disadvantage in this clash, getting knocked away immediately.
His arm also made a snapping sound as it twisted into an unnatural direction.
Raikage's Lightning Oppression Horizontal was no small technique, and since he hadn't held back, it naturally inflicted considerable damage upon Saitama.
"Hmph!"
After landing a successful hit, A continued pressing the attack, his chakra swelling further throughout his entire body. Seeing Saitama's arm deforming under his assault, he knew this would be the perfect moment for consecutive blows.
Previously, he had noticed how Saitama recovered at an extraordinary speed—an effect beyond what lightning attribute chakra stimulation could achieve. Therefore, he understood he must seize this rare opportunity.
Minato, who had attacked Saitama from behind, seeing how cleverly Saitama avoided his attack, had no choice but to change tactics, promptly dispersing the Rasengan in his palm. Then, slightly pivoting his foot on the ground, he sidestepped outward, trying to continue pursuing Saitama.
Unfortunately, Saitama had already been sent flying toward the distance during his clash with A, creating some separation between all of them.
[Amaterasu!]
Facing the persistent pursuit from Raikage A, Saitama narrowed his left eye and suddenly widened it, activating his Dojutsu ability.
At the same time, his other hand forcefully adjusted the twisted arm back into its normal position, rapidly restoring it.
Since A continued relentlessly chasing after gaining the upper hand in their previous exchange and wanted to keep attacking Saitama, Saitama certainly wouldn't pass up such a direct opportunity for retaliation.
Moreover, the two were now perfectly aligned on the same line, with Raikage A charging straight toward him. This was the perfect opportunity for Saitama to use Amaterasu!
Of course, if the opponent kept rushing in blindly, Saitama's use of Amaterasu would naturally deliver the much-needed damage in their current situation; but even if it forced the enemy to halt, it could temporarily relieve the pressing predicament.
"Hm?"
Almost the moment Saitama activated his Dojutsu, Raikage A sensed something wrong. His expression changed instantly—he had no intention of letting the attack land directly on him.
He stomped his foot, launching himself upward and twisting mid-air to dodge sideways.
Boom!
The spot where Raikage A had just been standing erupted in a mass of black flame, burning a deep pit into the ground within seconds.
"Not bad."
Although Raikage A had dodged the Dojutsu, the situation still remained exactly as Saitama had predicted. The main reason he used Amaterasu was to disrupt the Raikage's offensive rhythm, then attempt to impose his own fighting style.
Quickly, he planted his feet firmly, halting his previous backward retreat. His broken arm snapped back into place as his body rapidly healed from within, thanks to his intense cellular regeneration.
Everything seemed to be progressing exactly as Saitama had anticipated.
[Earth Release: Stone Fist Jutsu!]
Just as Saitama stopped moving and prepared to counterattack, a whistling sound cut through the air once again from behind him. This attack came surprisingly suddenly, like a shadow materializing out of nowhere to ruin the moment just when you thought you could finally relax and enjoy your triumph.
Boom! A stone-covered fist fell from the sky, smashing heavily into Saitama's back.
Taken off guard, Saitama was immediately struck and propelled forward uncontrollably.
Yet his reaction was extremely quick; with one heavy stomp of his foot into the ground, he bent his upper body forward and spat out a mouthful of blood, simultaneously evading the follow-up impact of the punch.
Swish!
Saitama twisted his body around, right hand forming a palm strike slicing sharply behind him—but Onoki had already quickly withdrawn after attacking. That palm strike landed entirely on empty air, producing no effect whatsoever, leaving only a pitch-black line tearing briefly through the air.
Without even checking if it hit, Saitama's figure vanished from the spot once again.
This time, he disappeared directly from everyone's sight without reappearing.
Realizing the encirclement was getting too annoying, he chose to temporarily retreat. Naturally, everything was still going exactly as he'd planned.
Up in the sky, Deidara watched the ever-changing, intense battle below with a gleam of excitement in his eyes. But seeing that the Akatsuki member had disappeared again after being hit by the old man and hadn't emerged since, he felt slightly disappointed.
"Has he run away because he couldn't keep up?"
Seated atop his clay bird, he maneuvered it to continuously circle overhead, adjusting angles as he searched. Eventually, he confirmed the enemy had truly left the area—so far, he'd detected no sign of his reappearance.
"I can't sense his chakra anymore!"
One of Raikage A's attendants, Kishi—the Omnipotent ninja—formed a Ninja Seal over his chest and scanned the surrounding area. Meanwhile, Darui stayed alert by his side, doing his job as a wingman.
"Yeah, he's gone."
Itachi Uchiha gave a slight nod to Shisui. Then he activated his Ninjutsu and scanned the area too.
Actually, both Itachi and Shisui had wanted to join the previous battle, but seeing that only the Kages were taking action, they restrained themselves and stayed at the edge, ready to provide backup.
"I didn't see him either."
Onoki hovered midair, rotating his body along with his gaze scanning around until finally reaching this conclusion.
"Hmph! Lucky for him he ran fast enough!"
Raikage grunted coldly, then swept his gaze around again for confirmation.
After a long moment, the fluctuation around him started to calm, and his upright hair fell back normally onto his scalp.
"Water Shadow, are you alright?"
Minato first warily observed the surroundings. Once he confirmed Saitama was truly no longer nearby, he gradually relaxed and asked Ameyuri Ringo on the other side.
"I'm fine, just some minor injuries."
Ameyuri Ringo remained expressionless, maintaining her composure. However, her left arm hung limply like a noodle beside her, blood continuously trickled from the corner of her mouth, and the back of her clothes had torn open revealing burnt skin underneath—an expanse of charred flesh without a single unscathed spot.
These were the wounds Saitama had just inflicted upon her. Yet she did not display any helplessness, instead gritting her teeth in perseverance.
The two ninja who had accompanied her to this meeting had already lost their lives during Saitama's grand entrance attack, and the ninjas left behind at the lodging compound hadn't arrived yet.
Even though they had reached an initial agreement about forming an alliance, she still remained cautious and didn't fully trust the others. Therefore, despite being wounded now, she insisted on staying strong, hoping desperately for her comrades to arrive soon.
"What about Kazekage?"
Confirming that Water Shadow appeared genuinely out of serious danger, Minato turned to Rasa.
"I'm also fine."
Rasa stood atop a floating cluster of gold dust, hovering roughly half a meter above the ground. He appeared unharmed.
Saitama hadn't even attacked him directly. His current weakened state resulted merely from chakra and physical exhaustion.
"Raikage, shall we return to assist our villages for now? Since the Akatsuki Organization has made its move, they must have confidence in succeeding. Saitama already delayed things here for some time—we don't know how the situation is developing there."
Minato knew Kushina was safe. If Obito hadn't come seeking aid here, it meant Konoha's situation must still be under control. So he felt concerned about Eight-Tails' condition and naturally reminded Raikage accordingly as part of the alliance strategy.
"Mm, I understand. Then we'll temporarily end this meeting. Let's deal with our individual issues before continuing."
Raikage nodded in agreement, glancing toward the two approaching subordinates.
"Do you need our assistance?"
Onoki looked toward them while slowly descending to the ground, his large nose slightly reddened.
As someone who had led Iwagakure for decades as the Tsuchikage—bringing the village to its peak—it felt rather unusual for the veteran leader to extend aid to other villages now.
"We don't need that for now. Let's all return to our villages first, handle some affairs, and then prepare for our next meeting?"
Minato Namikaze looked at Onoki and Raikage, his eyes gleaming brightly as he spoke loudly.
"That works. Then I won't stay any longer. I must return to the village for a checkup first. Kishi will remain here to stay in contact with you."
Raikage first gave a slight start, looking at Minato and Onoki, then exchanged a few words with his two companions. Soon afterward, it seemed as if he suddenly realized something urgent and decided to leave immediately.
He had seriously misjudged Akatsuki's strength earlier, and now he was deeply concerned for his brother, B.
"All right."
Others watched silently as Raikage dropped those words and vanished on the spot, taking one Kumo ninja with him heading toward Kumogakure.
"What about you, Hokage?"
Rasa looked at Minato Namikaze. He noticed that Minato remained unusually calm. If Raikage was worried about his sworn brother, wouldn't Minato be concerned about his wife too?
"I'll also depart shortly, but I will leave Kakashi here since clearly there are issues needing handling on this front."
Minato noticed many samurais watching cautiously from a distance nearby, though Tsumiki wasn't among them, making them hesitant to approach further.
"Well then, we'll all leave some people behind, and call it a day."
Onoki said.
"Hokage-sama, I think Saitama's attack won't end so quickly."
Shisui watched Raikage leave in a hurry. Then he slowly approached Minato and spoke softly.
"I believe the same thing, but since we couldn't stop him and let him escape for now, we should address something more critical. After all, we can't afford to stall here indefinitely. You've heard it yourself—Akatsuki seems to have launched attacks against both Konoha and Kumogakure, and we still lack specific details. Therefore, regardless of everything else, the time has come for us to return and provide support."
Minato gazed at Shisui, his blue eyes showing a serious expression.
"Kakashi will remain here. You two—Shisui and Itachi—follow me back to the village, although I won't be able to take you directly with me. There might be battles ahead, and taking you would significantly drain my resources, so..."
"Understood. Please proceed first, Hokage-sama. It won't take long before me and Itachi catch up."
"Very well."
Minato nodded, then signaled the other Kages before vanishing instantly.
[The Flying Thunder God Technique] made traveling incredibly easy. Thanks to this technique, distance was no longer an issue for him.
"In that case, everyone, we'll be taking our leave first!"
Water glanced at Itachi, then headed toward Konoha, leaving Kakashi standing there somewhat helplessly.
"Deidara, come down now. We're preparing to return as well. Our business here is settled."
Onoki shouted toward the tiny silhouette in the sky, and soon Deidara swooped downward.
"You lot better hurry back and make preparations. Don't drag your feet."
Mounting the giant bird, Onoki turned around to speak meaningfully toward Rasa and Ameyuri, who were still lingering behind.
"Understood."
The two exchanged glances and slight nods, understanding passing between them silently.
...
Whoosh!
"Not a job for ordinary men! The combined strength of the Five Kages is definitely more than I can handle in my current state."
Saitama landed on a high slope and looked from afar toward the battlefield. From here, people appeared as tiny as ants.
He pressed a hand to his chest while blood trickled from the corner of his mouth—he was clearly not in good shape.
"That old geezer Onoki—didn't expect him to still be this strong despite his age. What's worse, he's sneaky as hell, always striking at the most crucial moments!"
Saitama felt pain on his back where Onoki had hit him earlier. His insides were shaken up, resulting in internal damage, but thanks to his sturdy build and the regenerative power of Hashirama's Cells, his wounds were slowly mending.
While regulating his breathing, he kept observing the situation with the Five Kages.
Raikage left first, followed shortly by Minato disappearing from the scene.
Next was that old man Onoki, boarding Deidara's Giant Bird before soaring high into the sky and disappearing into the clouds.
"The three toughest opponents are gone now."
His gaze settled on Rasa and Ameyuri Ringo, who remained at the battlefield. Saitama considered briefly, then clenched his jaw and turned his eyes toward Kumogakure.
Minato couldn't stop Raikage, so let him return to Konoha safely. Nagato was already there, and even if things went south, they could still retreat.
As for B's situation, if Kakuzu and others couldn't subdue him quickly, Raikage charging back at full speed would surely turn things disastrous.
Though Saitama briefly considered taking out the lone Rasa and Ameyuri Ringo here and now, he quickly shifted focus to greater objectives tied to his long-term plan.
The isolated strength of these two individuals currently posed no real threat to him; there would be plenty more chances to eliminate them later, so there was no rush.
Moreover, when he promised Nagato to take on this mission, deep inside he had divided intercepting the Five Kages into two stages.
Disrupting the Five Kages and holding them off for a while was just the first phase. The second stage involved ambushing Raikage midway on his way to Raikō Ravine!
From the beginning, his goal had never been to singlehandedly block all the Five Kages.
After the initial confrontation, Raikage would never expect Saitama to launch another attack so soon, especially after having apparently been repelled.
That's exactly where his strategy hit the mark—exploiting that moment of surprise.
As for how it would turn out, he remained highly confident!
Whoosh!
Feeling his body had mostly recovered, Saitama looked toward Kumogakure and disappeared from the high slope.
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