"Teacher, there's nothing to be afraid of anymore..."
This voice was like a ray of warm sunlight breaking through the darkness.
Konan heard this familiar voice in her ears. She slowly lifted her head, her gaze trailing up from the cloud-black robe to Uehara Naraku's face.
"Naraku..."
Konan softly whispered a name.
"Mm."
Uehara Naraku's hand gently stroked Konan's hair, his voice warm and tender as he comforted his teacher: "Teacher Konan, it's me."
The young ninja had suddenly appeared to drive back the enemy, then reached out, gently running his hand through the woman's pale blue hair, soothing her shaken heart.
This scene felt unspeakably warm amidst the carnage of the battlefield.
Konan's initial shock at seeing Uehara Naraku faded, replaced by a look of concern and worry: "Naraku, why are you here?"
"I secretly developed a space-time Jutsu."
What Uehara Naraku used, of course, was Merciful Soul Fall. The,skill was brutally simple in effect: as long as he could locate his comrade, he could instantly grant them a shield against mortal strikes, and also teleport his true body to their side.
But, of course, he needed a different explanation at this moment.
After all, that ability was a bit too overpowered, no matter how you put it.
Looking down at Konan's expression, Uehara slowly withdrew his hand, covering the lie with kindness: "This space-time jutsu is similar to Summoning Jutsu. It requires a long time to sense and lock onto your chakra. Once it finds it, it sends my chakra to protect you—at the same time it gives me a coordinate."
After saying this, Uehara glanced at the listless Nagato and sighed lightly: "Once I got Lord Nagato's message, I started preparing this space-time jutsu back in the Land of Lightning. Luckily, I managed to make it in time."
"Thank goodness..."
Nagato slowly lowered his head.
His face was full of the relief of having narrowly survived a calamity.
Nagato and Konan looked both relieved yet troubled, because they didn't really want Uehara Naraku involved in any of this—ideally he would have stayed hidden.
But now that Uehara Naraku had rushed here with all his might, knowing his character, he would never abandon the two of them.
"What happened here?"
Uehara Naraku furrowed his brow, looking at the battlefield littered with Reanimation ninjas, and spoke softly: "Enough, Lord Nagato. I'll get you two out of here first. The Nine-tailed Jinchuriki will have to wait for another opportunity!"
"No."
Nagato shook his head, answering in a low voice: "We are not hunting Jinchuriki anymore. I'll explain after this battle is over. For now, we and Konoha face the same enemy—let's drive away Uchiha Obito and Yakushi Kabuto's reanimated ninja first!"
"Yakushi Kabuto?"
Uehara Naraku's eyes changed slightly, but in the next instant he hid his surprise, letting out a distant sigh: "Looks like, in the end, Yakushi Kabuto betrayed Akatsuki just like Orochimaru."
Konan shook her head, a trace of worry in her eyes: "Yakushi Kabuto was Orochimaru's spy... He and Uchiha Obito are allies—they're after Nagato's Rinnegan and Konoha's Nine-tailed Jinchuriki."
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Nagato coughed harshly several times, then raised his head to look at Uehara Naraku: "Sorry, Uehara, I never thought you'd get dragged into this after all... We only wanted to—"
"Lord Nagato."
Uehara Naraku shook his head, his eyes full of determination: "I am no longer that naïve boy, and you both have protected me long enough. Now it's my turn to protect you."
In this moment, Uehara Naraku's face was grave with resolve.
The next instant, Uehara Naraku spun around to face all his enemies. He clenched his fist and unleashed a tremendous surge of chakra energy!
Everyone on the battlefield felt this overwhelming aura!
Instinctively, all eyes on the battlefield turned to glance at Uehara Naraku—almost every face clenched their teeth in response!
"Uehara Naraku..."
To the Konoha side, this bastard was the one who deceived them all along, putting them on the back foot against Akatsuki. If it weren't for Jiraiya fighting to the death to obtain intelligence, they might still be kept in the dark by him.
But unfortunately, this guy was now their comrade—at least for now, he was an ally, a powerful force to support them in a desperate battle, one barely holding the collapsing line together.
For Namikaze Minato and the other Reanimation ninjas, this bastard secretly controlled them and used their emotions and bonds to force them into acts that violated their ethics, even now manipulating them still.
This guy, he manipulates people's hearts!
Without a doubt, if there was a most-hated list in the hearts of these Reanimation ninjas, Uehara Naraku would be at the very top!
Uehara Naraku!
Uehara Naraku! Uehara Naraku!
Namikaze Minato's chakra erupted, golden chakra armor rippling like a cloak—that was the sign of overflowing, unstable chakra!
Minato gripped a Flying Thunder God marked kunai in his right hand, a jet-black Tailed Beast Ball forming in his left, and launched his attack at Uehara Naraku!
"Deadly move right from the start, huh!"
Uehara Naraku's hand shot out, seizing Minato's wrist, then twisted and drove a kick hard into Minato's chest!
"Flying Thunder God!"
Minato tossed the kunai behind Uehara Naraku—his figure vanished from in front of Uehara, and using the kunai's mark, he reappeared behind Uehara, aiming to slam the Tailed Beast Ball onto Uehara's back!
But in the next instant—everything shifted!
Uehara Naraku moved even faster!
In a flash, Uehara Naraku's torso suddenly ducked low, one leg slashing through the air at an impossible angle smashing Minato in the head, kicking the Fourth Hokage flying!
Minato's body flew backward, kicking up clouds of dust. The Tailed Beast Ball in his hand slipped from his control and exploded in a massive blast at his side!
This Minato—who had rampaged across the battlefield using Flying Thunder God Jutsu and Kurama Mode, causing havoc among the Konoha Ninja—was crushed by Uehara Naraku in a single second!
"So...so strong..."
Shock flashed across Uzumaki Naruto's face as he stared at Uehara's movements, his eyes filled with awe: "Just one blow, and he dealt with Dad?"
"No."
Tsunade punched back an advancing Might Guy, shaking her head: "More like he just drove Minato off temporarily. After all, Minato is a Reanimation Body—Uehara Naraku just pushed back his attack for now."
But after saying that, Tsunade couldn't help but breathe a small sigh of relief: "Still, that brat really is strong!"
At least...
They had gained a powerful ally!
Far away, Minato's Reanimation Body re-formed from the Tailed Beast Ball's explosion. His face grew increasingly grave and focused, clearly rattled by having just been instantly defeated by Uehara Naraku, his vigilance at a new high.
"Don't underestimate him, Sensei..."
Uchiha Obito materialized from a swirling space-time vortex at Minato's side, speaking in a low voice: "Uehara Naraku is even stronger than we thought!"
"Mm."
Minato nodded, his tone heavier: "He understands my Flying Thunder God Jutsu completely and can keep up with my speed... which means we have to try something different now!"
Suddenly Minato's hands clasped together—his chakra exploded, and his body transformed into a massive golden fox. It was his Tailed Beast Transformation!
Minato's voice rumbled from the golden fox's body, tense and focused: "Let me see just how strong he really is, then!"
In the next moment, the huge golden Nine-tail charged straight for Uehara Naraku;
And Uehara Naraku didn't retreat but instead advanced, charging straight at the golden Nine-tail!
Those massive Nine-tail claws tore through the air, about to come down hard on Uehara Naraku—everyone involuntarily gasped!
But the next second—
Uehara Naraku leapt into the air, dodging the Nine-tail's attack, then slammed his fist into the golden Nine-tail's head, sending the giant beast flying!
"This guy..."
Tsunade couldn't help but react, staring at Uehara as he sent the golden Nine-tail flying with a single punch, her voice low: "So he has monstrous strength too?"
"No, it's pure Taijutsu."
Reanimated Might Guy shook his head, commenting as he fought on: "Back in the Chunin Examination, I faced Uehara Naraku—and his power matched me in my opened Seventh Gate!"
After saying this, Might Guy suddenly forced back Tsunade and Rock Lee with a kick, dashing straight for Uehara: "Facing an enemy like Lord Uehara Naraku really makes my blood boil!"
Might Guy's chakra erupted in a flash!
Sadly, as a Reanimation Body, there was no blood to boil—he could only open Wonder Gate with some helplessness, charging Uehara with a powerful kick!
But Might Guy was sent flying back even faster!
In his current state, he was nowhere near Uehara Naraku's match.
"Thank you, Mr. Guy."
Uehara Naraku extended his hand in Might Guy's direction—a chain flashed between the two of them. In that moment, Uehara had already used The Way of Others to steal Might Guy's Taijutsu Secret Technique.
Many on the battlefield had seen this move before.
Uchiha Obito, seeing this, cried out: "Watch out! Uehara just used that ability to steal another's jutsu—he's copied Might Guy's technique!"
Obito's warning came too late.
Uehara Naraku looked at the distant golden Nine-tail, then suddenly raised his fist and roared: "Hirudora!"
An air blast formed into a white tiger, roaring as it charged toward the Nine-tail—the force of this white tiger was even greater than Might Guy's original Hirudora!
The shockwave from Hirudora swept across everything in front of it!
No one expected that Uehara Naraku's Hirudora would surpass the original Taijutsu Secret Technique of Might Guy by such a distance!
The next instant, the white tiger tore into the golden Nine-tail, blasting even the Tailed Beast Transformation apart!
At last, the golden Nine-tail's chakra was utterly scattered!
Namikaze Minato stared in disbelief, shock flickering across his face, his expression uglier than ever before.
Yakushi Kabuto appeared at Minato's side, slowly pushing up his glasses, his gaze flickering with a strange light as he looked toward Uehara Naraku in the distance.
"Whether it's strength, speed, or chakra, whether it's Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, or Taijutsu, there's not a single weakness to be found in him."
Yakushi Kabuto stared at Uehara Naraku and sighed softly: "Every time we think we've overestimated him, in truth, we've always underestimated him..."