Chapter 172: Yatagarasu — The Shadow Over the Fire Capital
Anyone daring to provoke trouble in the Land of Fire now needed to first ask themselves one question — were their fists strong enough to survive it?
Konoha's annihilation of the Hidden Cloud Village had already spread like wildfire across the ninja world. Every village now understood that the once-humbled Leaf had returned to the pinnacle of power — and this time, its deterrent force was absolute.
Uchiha Fugaku was well aware of the message his actions had sent. If the other great villages chose to challenge Konoha's supremacy again, then so be it.
He would simply take a stroll through their lands — atop his Complete Body Susanoo.
The thought made him sigh. This entire campaign had been exhausting.
They had traveled for days, marching across countries with no transportation. At first, leaping through forests and bounding across plains using chakra felt exhilarating — but after thousands of miles, the thrill had faded into weariness.
His legs were sore, his patience thin.
"When I get back," Fugaku muttered, "I'm not leaving the village for a long while."
Then, after a brief pause, his crimson Sharingan glowed with faint amusement.
"Actually… why wait?"
With a single hand seal, a towering blue colossus erupted from the earth — Susanoo, in its Complete Body form. The air crackled with power as Fugaku guided his comrades onto its massive hand.
"Hold on," he said simply.
And then, the Susanoo rose — taking flight, its enormous wings slicing through the sky as it sped toward the Capital of the Land of Fire.
Far behind them, hidden in the forest, a White Zetsu clone emerged from a tree trunk — its eyes wide in disbelief.
"What the hell is that…? He's using Susanoo for transportation!?"
The clone had not witnessed Fugaku's earlier devastation of the Hidden Cloud Village. To it, this was the first time seeing a Complete Body Susanoo — and the sight left it speechless.
Without hesitation, it sank back into the earth, relaying everything it saw to the main body.
Meanwhile, on the main route leading from the Land of Lightning, Nagato, Konan, and the Six Paths of Pain waited in silence. According to their original intelligence, the Konoha army was supposed to pass through by noon.
But the sudden change in route — Fugaku's decision to head toward the Fire Capital — meant their ambush had been for nothing.
When word came from Zetsu that Fugaku's forces had split into two groups at the Fire Country border, Nagato's first question was immediate:
"Which side has the Tailed Beast?"
He didn't care about the Konoha soldiers. The Jinchūriki was his priority — the centerpiece of the Eye of the Moon Plan.
Upon learning that the Eight-Tails was still with Fugaku's main force, Nagato's Rinnegan gleamed coldly. "Then we move now. We'll intercept them in the Capital."
The Fire Capital was only a day's travel from their position.
But when Black Zetsu received the latest report — that Fugaku was traveling by Complete Body Susanoo — even Nagato and Konan were momentarily stunned.
"That lunatic," Black Zetsu muttered. "He's using Madara's technique as a flying fortress."
Konan frowned. "At that speed, they'll reach the Capital in half a day…"
Nagato wasn't intimidated — his Rinnegan had faced greater power before — but he was frustrated.
"If they arrive early and leave before we get there…"
Konan placed a hand on his shoulder.
"They won't leave so soon. They're going to the Capital for a reason — either to meet the Fire Daimyō or to claim the spoils from the Hidden Cloud. That will take time. Enough for us to catch up."
Then, with a knowing smile, she added,
"Didn't you just capture a flying summon, Nagato?"
Nagato blinked — and then smacked his forehead.
"I nearly forgot."
He weaved a quick sequence of hand signs.
"Summoning Technique!"
A giant bird burst from a cloud of smoke — green-feathered, sharp-beaked, its wings wide as a glider. Two black receivers jutted from its neck, and its eyes bore the ripple-pattern of the Rinnegan.
The Yatagarasu — one of Pain's aerial summons.
The Human and Naraka Paths carefully lifted Nagato's wheelchair and placed him upon the creature's back.
"Come on, Konan."
Her body scattered into countless paper sheets, fluttering upward before reforming beside him. The remaining Paths of Pain leapt aboard.
The Animal Path patted Yatagarasu's side, and with a piercing screech, the massive bird spread its wings and launched into the sky.
Wind roared past them as they cut across the clouds — the Fire Capital lay ahead, and with Yatagarasu's speed, they would arrive within half a day.
Land of Fire Capital
Inside the Daimyō's residence, the air was calm — deceptively so.
Four elite bodyguards stood watch: the Lightning Release Four, the remaining members of the Guardian Twelve who had once served alongside Sarutobi Asuma.
"Four more hours until the next shift…" Xidu yawned, rubbing his eyes. "Time crawls when nothing happens."
Dongmao crossed his arms. "So many days and still no word from Asuma. Something must've gone wrong."
Xidu's expression darkened. "Don't start with that again."
Dongmao shot him a cold look. "What? He was your friend, wasn't he?"
"Not anymore," Xidu muttered. "The moment he ran off chasing revenge, he made his choice."
Dongmao scoffed. "And yet, he still called you his closest comrade. You're colder than I thought."
"Enough!" Bei Zi snapped, exasperated. "Can't you two stop arguing about Asuma every day?"
He and Nan Wu exchanged knowing glances. The truth was plain to them both — Dongmao had harbored quiet feelings for Asuma for years, and Xidu's irritation came from his own unspoken love for Dongmao.
Their team, the Lightning Release Four, had grown up together since childhood, closer than brothers. But Asuma's presence — and his departure — had left invisible fractures among them.
Still, they endured, guarding the Fire Daimyō in silence.
Unaware that far above, two unstoppable forces — Uchiha Fugaku and Nagato of the Rinnegan — were already on a collision course with the Capital below.
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