301-305

*Chapter 301: The Rising Storm, Aizen’s Measures*

"Boom!" A loud explosion. "Roar!" The sound of beasts growling. "Ahh!" Screams echoing without end.

Inside the Hokage's office, everyone heard the commotion and quickly looked out the window, where a fiery red barrier had appeared outside the Hokage building.

Outside the barrier, smoke filled the air.

"Aizen, what are you doing?" Tsunade seemed to have a vague understanding of Aizen’s intentions.

With a quick movement, Aizen was suddenly standing on the Hokage’s desk.

He snapped his fingers, and the glass windows shattered instantly.

The ANBU in the building heard the noise and rushed over.

"It's Aizen of the Akatsuki," someone recognized him and drew their weapons, standing protectively in front of Tsunade, swords pointing at Aizen.

Ignoring the ANBU, Aizen smiled, taking on a dramatic tone. "The leader is coming to capture the Nine-Tails."

"My job is to infiltrate the Hokage building, trap Konoha's top fighters and the ANBU here, so they can’t join the fight, indirectly weakening Konoha’s strength."

"Now that my task is done, you can all stay here until the Nine-Tails is captured."

With that, Aizen disappeared from the Hokage building.

"Aizen, you bastard, get back here!" Tsunade shouted angrily, now truly furious.

By this point, she fully understood Aizen’s plan.

This wasn’t just about capturing the Nine-Tails or weakening Konoha’s forces; it was clearly meant to protect his family.

Though his actions moved her deeply, as the Hokage of Konoha, she couldn't help but feel anger.

Chika, Karin, Hinata, and Shizune also understood Aizen’s intent and wore worried expressions.

As for the ANBU, worry was an understatement—panic was setting in.

"Hokage-sama, what do we do now? Aizen has set up a barrier outside, and the Akatsuki leader, Pain, is wreaking havoc," the leading ANBU asked Tsunade respectfully.

"That’s the Uchiha clan’s Flame Array; it can withstand attacks even from tailed beasts. All of you, head to the rooftop and maintain contact with the outside. Follow the original plan to deal with Pain. I’ll summon Katsuyu to provide full-scale medical support. Chika, Karin, Hinata, come with me to confirm Pain’s location. Shizune, assist me."

Realizing they couldn’t pursue Aizen, Tsunade immediately issued orders for battle.

"Yes."

At that moment, everyone’s spirits burned with resolve; it was finally time to protect Konoha together.

Across Konoha, battles raged.

The Asura Path fired missiles in all directions, and the Animal Path summoned three giant centipedes.

Two Pains attacked, destroying Konoha's buildings to draw attention.

The Human Path, Preta Path, Naraka Path, and the most powerful, Deva Path, along with Konan, were capturing Konoha’s ninjas to extract information about the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

Konoha’s casualties were rising rapidly, even though they were somewhat prepared.

Pain’s words echoed with harsh truth.

In the face of overwhelming strength, all plans seemed powerless.

However, Pain soon noticed something strange.

The entire village was empty of civilians, as though they had been evacuated in advance.

Not only that, but the Konoha ninjas he fought seemed to know his abilities well.

Was it an illusion, or was it because of the intel Jiraiya had left before his death?

"Konan." Pain spoke directly to Konan through the black piercings in her lower lip.

Konan paused. "What is it?"

"Our intel on Pain appears to have been compromised. It seems Jiraiya’s final messages were decoded. Go find Aizen; have him locate the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."

"Understood," Konan replied, realizing the gravity of the situation. She mercifully ended the life of the Konoha ninja she was interrogating, then disappeared in a flurry of paper.

Once Konan left, Kakashi emerged from hiding.

He knelt by the body of the fallen Konoha ninja, inspecting it closely, his brow furrowing slightly. "The ability to turn one’s body into paper? There was no mention of her in Hokage-sama’s intel."

"It doesn't appear to be Pain, but who was she talking to just now? Was it one of the Pains? Where is the one with resurrection abilities?"

With these questions lingering, Kakashi vanished, heading quickly to the next battleground.

Kakashi didn’t act rashly; his mission was to kill the Pain with resurrection powers.

Otherwise, even if they defeated the other Pains, it would be meaningless.

Defeating the resurrecting Pain was the key.

"Chika, Karin, monitor Pain’s movements and inform Hinata of their locations."

"Hinata, closely observe Pain’s combat style and identify their abilities. Describe their appearance so we can find the resurrecting Pain as quickly as possible."

"Shizune, record the intel."

"The rest of you, maintain contact with the ANBU outside the barrier. As soon as intel is gathered, relay it across all locations."

On the rooftop of the Hokage building, Tsunade promptly assigned tasks to everyone.

"Hokage-sama, should we leave some to guard you? If everyone goes, what about your safety?" one of the ANBU asked hesitantly.

"Don’t worry; this barrier is both a cage and a shield. It can withstand attacks even from tailed beasts. Pain won’t be able to break through on his own. Now go."

With that, Tsunade summoned Katsuyu outside the barrier and initiated her ultimate healing jutsu, the Slug Great Division Healing technique.

Using Katsuyu’s split form, Tsunade transferred her chakra to every injured ninja, healing them with her Mystical Palm Technique.

"This jutsu..." Chika immediately recognized it, understanding that it required a massive amount of chakra, which, if exhausted, could cause her mother to age prematurely.

To prevent this, she quickly handed Tsunade a Senzu Bean. "Mom, take this. If you’re low on chakra, eat it right away."

"Alright," Tsunade nodded, accepting it without hesitation.

Though she wasn’t in immediate danger, keeping her chakra reserves high would allow her to sustain the healing jutsu.

This would help minimize casualties.

Besides, she wasn’t keen on aging in front of her daughter and Hinata, her future sister-in-law.

(End of Chapter)

*Chapter 302: Might Guy Gets Stabbed Again*

The battle raged on.

The massive Leaf Village was engulfed in smoke and chaos.

On her way to find Aizen, Konan encountered a few tough adversaries.

In the original story, during the Pain invasion of the Leaf, Might Guy, Yamato, Neji Hyuga, Rock Lee, and Tenten were all on missions outside the village.

However, thanks to Aizen's warning, the entire Leaf Village was now in full battle-ready mode, with all missions halted and all available forces concentrated in the village.

Now, Konan found her path blocked by these five.

“Lee, is this the ‘Pain’ that Lady Tsunade warned us about? Seems like we’re facing a formidable opponent,” said Might Guy, pulling a pair of nunchaku from his backpack. “Looks like I’ll need to give it my all.”

“Yes, Guy-sensei!” Rock Lee nodded firmly.

As they spoke, Yamato poured a bit of cold water on their enthusiasm. “No, this woman isn’t Pain. Look at her eyes—Lady Tsunade’s intel states that all six Pains have Rinnegan, but this woman’s eyes are normal.”

Hearing this, Guy finally looked up at Konan’s gentle face, realizing, “Ah, I see, this woman’s eyes are normal.”

“Guy-sensei, you really never look at your opponents' faces, do you?” Neji and Tenten muttered, a hint of exasperation showing on their foreheads.

As the five prepared to attack Konan, a shadow suddenly appeared between her and them. The ground erupted, sending dust everywhere. A gust of wind filled the air, and the five instinctively raised their arms to shield their faces.

A subtle smile crossed Konan’s face.

“What is this? What happened?” Guy and the others lowered their arms, and suddenly froze in shock.

Out of the smoke emerged a familiar figure.

As the dust settled, they saw it was Aizen.

“Konan, looks like you’ve run into trouble. These five aren’t easy to deal with, especially Might Guy. If he goes all out with the Eight Gates, you won’t be able to handle him.”

Aizen stood protectively in front of Konan, leaving just enough space between them to make her feel safe.

“Well, with you here, I should be fine, right?” Perhaps due to her growing feelings for Aizen, Konan seemed more at ease, even a bit playful.

Compared to their casual exchange, however, the Leaf side was on edge.

“Looks like the barrier trapping the Hokage was set by Aizen,” Yamato said, glancing back at the massive crimson barrier below the Hokage Rock, cold sweat dripping down his brow. “Guy, what do we do?”

Rock Lee, Neji, and Tenten gulped, faces full of terror. Clearly, the enemy’s power far exceeded their expectations.

Under normal circumstances, they would’ve retreated without hesitation.

But not now.

Behind them was the entire Leaf Village. They couldn’t retreat, nor would they hand Naruto over to the Akatsuki. Otherwise, the village would be in grave danger.

“No choice. Since that’s the case…” Guy leaped forward, positioning himself in front of his three students and Yamato, crossing his arms in a powerful stance.

“Eight Gates, Sixth Gate, Open!” With one powerful breath, he unleashed the Sixth Gate.

Intense chakra erupted from Guy’s body, generating a violent wind that enveloped him in a green aura.

“Careful, Guy. This one’s different from the other Akatsuki members. This is Fujiwara Aizen,” Yamato shouted, raising his arms to shield his face from the dust kicked up by the fierce wind.

“No problem. Last time, he just caught me off guard before I activated the Eight Gates,” Guy said, his teeth flashing in a confident grin.

“Be careful,” Yamato muttered, exasperated at Guy’s strange logic.

Yamato turned back to Aizen—wait, where was he?

Yamato’s heart sank as he realized that Aizen had already slipped behind Guy. He quickly called out, “Guy, watch your back!”

But it was too late.

In the same spot as before, Aizen’s blade sliced cleanly into Guy’s waist.

The chakra dissipated, the green aura dimmed, and the wind faded away. Guy looked down at the white blade protruding from his abdomen, blood dripping from its edge.

Guy’s body wilted, blood trickling from his mouth, his face pale. “When...when did you…”

“It was when you were giving Yamato that thumbs-up,” Aizen said, standing behind Guy, pulling the blade out casually.

“My...my waist!” Guy cried out, collapsing to the ground.

“Guy-sensei!” Rock Lee, Neji, and Tenten’s pupils shook with shock and anger as they charged at Aizen.

“Wait...Lee, Neji, Tenten!” Yamato knew that none of them could match Aizen, but it was too late to stop them, so he followed.

The four attacked Aizen from all sides.

Aizen casually made a hand seal, and three massive trees sprang up, intercepting Lee, Neji, and Tenten and binding them with genjutsu.

Without even looking at Yamato, he kicked him, sending him flying back like a missile into the rubble.

“Let’s go, the trouble’s been dealt with,” Aizen said, turning to Konan with a smile as he took her hand.

Konan didn’t resist, a blush rising on her cheeks. She nodded slightly, and the two disappeared together into the ruins.

Once they were gone, Yamato, clutching his chest, struggled to crawl out of the rubble.

After checking, he sighed in relief to see that Guy wasn’t mortally wounded and that Neji and the others were just unconscious from the genjutsu. Yet a sense of dread filled him.

Pain was already overpowering.

Now, with Fujiwara Aizen added to the mix, could the Leaf Village survive this crisis?

Meanwhile, just as Aizen had stabbed Guy, Kakashi had finally pinpointed the location of the Hell Path.

To ensure a kill, he decided to use the same “heart-grabbing” strategy he used against Kakuzu, directing other Leaf ninja to feign an attack while he prepared to strike from behind with Lightning Blade.

However, just as he was about to strike, a powerful gravitational force launched him into the air, sending him crashing down into the rubble.

“You have the same lightning technique as Aizen and the Sharingan. You must be the Copy Ninja, Hatake Kakashi. I’ve heard of you.”

Kakashi emerged from the ruins, only to come face-to-face with yet another Pain—Tendo.

(End of Chapter)

*Chapter 303: Kakashi’s Fate Sealed*

"The famous Copy Ninja Kakashi Hatake—I’ve heard much about you. It seems you’ve managed to gather some intel on me. Was it that toad under Master Jiraiya’s command?"

Tendo Pain stood in front of Naraka Path Pain, with a slight gap between them, his Rinnegan eyes glaring at Kakashi, exuding an intense pressure.

"So, this is the Pain who wields both gravitational and repulsive forces, able to unleash enough power to destroy the entire Leaf Village and even summon massive meteorites?"

Despite his usual calm demeanor, Kakashi found himself sweating slightly under Tendo’s pressure. This was a foe even Aizen couldn’t defeat; Kakashi knew he stood no chance alone.

As Kakashi pondered his next move, he heard a scream from behind. Turning swiftly, he saw several Leaf shinobi, once standing beside him, now dead, crushed underfoot by Asura Path Pain, who had just arrived.

Kakashi’s heart sank. Facing three Pains at once, especially the powerful Tendo, he knew his odds of survival were slim without immediate backup.

"How brutal..."

On top of a massive structure, Aizen looked down at the village, a third of which was already in ruins, and sighed in admiration.

Beside him, Konan replied indifferently, "Sacrifices are inevitable on the path to peace."

Just like the original Akatsuki founded by Yahiko, which was ultimately destroyed due to Danzo and Hanzō’s persecution, resulting in Yahiko’s death and leaving only her and Nagato.

"You seem rather indifferent. Did it bring back painful memories?" Aizen asked casually.

Konan nodded slowly and told Aizen about Akatsuki’s downfall at the hands of Danzo and Hanzō.

"No wonder you harbor such hatred for the Leaf. Danzo truly went out of his way to make enemies for Konoha," Aizen replied with feigned realization, silently adding to himself that neither Danzo nor Hanzō was the true cause of Akatsuki’s destruction—it was Obito, who had manipulated the situation.

Not wanting to dwell on the past, Konan changed the topic, "Aizen, I need a favor from you."

"Are you looking for the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki?" Aizen asked.

Konan nodded slowly. "Both Pain and I have searched the entire village, yet there’s no trace of him."

"That’s because he isn’t in the Leaf; he’s training in Mount Myōboku," Aizen replied, glancing toward the ongoing battle between Kakashi and Pain.

As in the original story, the outcome was inevitable: Kakashi sacrificed his life to kill Naraka Path Pain, enraging Tendo Pain.

Konan relayed the information about Naruto’s whereabouts to Pain via a black rod embedded in her lip, then turned to Aizen, "Pain has ordered us to withdraw. Let’s go."

"Is it really over?" Aizen asked, feigning surprise, though he knew Pain planned to unleash the Shinra Tensei and destroy the Leaf Village.

"Yes, it’s over. Pain has decided to go to Mount Myōboku," Konan said, choosing to hide Pain’s true intention from Aizen, fearing his displeasure since this was his hometown.

"Well, go ahead. A shame I didn’t get to see the fight I imagined," Aizen replied, making a hand sign as he disappeared from Konan’s sight.

Konan sighed with relief at Aizen’s departure, as a clash between him and Pain could have been troublesome.

Back at the Hokage’s office.

Through a slug’s connection, Tsunade could feel Leaf lives fading one by one, and finally, even Kakashi was gone. Overcome with anger, she stormed to the edge of the rooftop and punched a corner of the building, shattering it.

"Lady Tsunade!"

"Mom!"

Karin and Chinatsu also sensed Kakashi’s death, their faces filled with worry.

Even Chinatsu, usually calm, felt a pang of dread for the first time—not for Pain, but for Aizen.

As a child raised in the Leaf, she was forced to watch her friends die, unable to do anything while confined by her father’s barrier. She knew that with her father’s power, he could easily defeat Pain, so why wasn’t he acting? Did he truly hate the Leaf that much, only protecting her and his other wives?

As she pondered this, Hinata’s voice broke her thoughts. "Everyone, look!"

Hinata pointed to the sky. All eyes turned to see Tendo Pain slowly ascending.

"So, it’s finally happening. Despite the intel on Pain reducing casualties, it seems to have only enraged him further."

Watching Tendo hovering in the sky, Aizen pulled out his sword, Kyoka Suigetsu, and gazed outside the village toward the approaching toads. "Looks like I won’t need to transport that mother toad into the center of Shinra Tensei."

"And Kakashi... it seems his sacrifice was in vain."

Outside the village, Animal Path Pain summoned the four other Paths of Pain, excluding Tendo. Naraka Path, who had been killed by Kakashi, was revived by Nagato himself, just as in the original story, before being re-summoned by Animal Path, alongside Konan.

"Where’s Aizen?" Animal Path looked around and asked Konan upon noticing his absence.

"He used reverse summoning to return. I didn’t tell him about your plan to destroy the Leaf," Konan said with a concerned expression. "Nagato, do you really have to go this far? It’ll shorten your life."

"I will never forget Yahiko’s pain."

With that, Nagato channeled all his power into Tendo Pain alone.

"I have a bad feeling about this."

Tsunade’s expression grew heavier as she watched Tendo shrink in the sky, her gaze intense. "Karin, is it ready yet?"

Karin was using Adamantine Sealing Chains to attack the Uchiha’s Barrier Flame Formation.

(End of Chapter)

*Chapter 304: Pain Carries Rice*

"Apologies, Lady Tsunade. The barrier Fuijiwara Aizen set up is overwhelmingly strong; it's on a completely different level from the one that masked man used at the Uchiha hideout. Unless Kakashi used Kamui, there’s no way…"

As she finished, Karin's voice trailed off.

The scene fell into silence.

Everyone knew that Kakashi had already sacrificed himself.

At that moment, an abrupt voice broke the stillness. "It seems you still don't understand what's going on."

As the Uchiha Fire Array dissipated, a puff of smoke cleared, and Aizen appeared before everyone.

"Fujiwara Aizen." The members of the Anbu were shocked. Without hesitation, despite the difference in power, they all drew their swords and charged at Aizen.

Aizen smirked, making a symbolic hand sign with his right hand. Countless petals drifted from his body, enveloping the Anbu members, who then fell unconscious mid-air.

"Aizen, what are you doing?" With the Anbu down and no outsiders around, Tsunade rushed forward, grabbing Aizen by the collar, her eyes brimming with tears as she demanded angrily.

At that moment, Aizen felt completely foreign to her.

Ignoring Pain's attack on Konoha was one thing.

After all, he owed Konoha nothing and had secretly helped it many times over the years.

Setting up a barrier to prevent her from fighting could even be understood as an attempt to protect his family, shielding his wife and daughter from harm.

Even if he had remained on the sidelines, Tsunade wouldn’t have blamed him.

But Aizen had dealt a heavy blow to Konoha's strongest fighter, Guy.

If not for that, with Guy’s Eight Gates support, Kakashi might not have…

"I’ll show you soon enough," Aizen replied, releasing her hand. He turned and looked toward the direction where the Deva Path had gone. "Follow me."

He leapt towards Konoha’s main gate.

Tsunade, Chika, Hinata, and Karin exchanged glances, then followed him.

Along the way, several surviving Konoha shinobi, seeing their Hokage pursuing an ‘Akatsuki member’, immediately joined the chase out of loyalty to the Hokage.

"One bag of rice, how many floors to carry it? (Feel the pain);"

"One bag of rice, carry it up two floors (Reflect on the pain);"

"A bag of rice, so heavy and tiring (Accept the pain);"

"A bag of rice, feels so exhausting (Understand the pain)."

The Deva Path muttered these words from high in the sky.

Affected by the Mirror Flower Water Moon, the Deva Path was gradually moving away from Konoha, entirely unaware.

By the time Aizen and the others—led by Tsunade and followed by a group of Konoha shinobi—arrived at the village's entrance, the Deva Path had distanced itself from Konoha.

"It's about time," Aizen murmured, looking up at the sky with a smirk. Purple wings appeared from his back, and with a powerful flap, he soared into the sky, vanishing in a flash.

As he spoke, the Deva Path raised his hands, shouting, "Feel the wrath of Shinra Tensei!"

From Aizen’s vantage point, he watched as the ground split open beneath the Deva Path, expanding outward in all directions.

Everything in its path was forcibly pushed away, a wind carrying smoke and debris swept over the Konoha shinobi, forcing them to raise their arms to shield themselves.

Just as the rubble was about to bury them, Chika quickly used Sage Art Chakra to summon an enormous earth wall in Kakashi’s style—a nearly fifty-meter-tall Mud Wall, parallel to Konoha's walls.

But even this couldn't completely stop the rubble.

In a critical moment, Karin activated the Adamantine Sealing Chains, setting up a barrier that shielded the Konoha shinobi from being buried.

At this moment, everyone was in awe. This was the true power of the Akatsuki leader, Pain.

Even Chika, who rarely considered any shinobi her equal outside of her father Aizen, was stunned.

What the others saw might be only a fragment, but in her perceptive senses, she saw it all clearly.

It was as if, in black-and-white vision, the entire area, not smaller than Konoha itself, had been leveled.

No—that wasn’t quite accurate. The ground for miles around had been uplifted, leaving a vast crater over a hundred meters deep.

In sheer destructive force, it might rival the ultra-S-rank Lightning Release her father had used in his pursuit of Sasuke and the prodigal child.

"Karin," Tsunade, recovering from the shock, quickly urged Karin to release the barrier.

"I understand." Karin controlled her chains to clear away the debris, allowing Tsunade to rush to the top of the mud wall.

Chika, Karin, Hinata, and a few Anbu followed her up.

When they finally saw the massive crater, stretching for miles, they were left speechless.

At that moment, Tsunade realized what Aizen had intended.

If Pain had unleashed that jutsu within Konoha, the entire village would have been annihilated.

"Karin, quickly sense Pain’s location," Tsunade ordered anxiously.

"Master, the chakra in that Pain’s body suddenly dropped by more than half; it appears using that jutsu comes with significant risks."

"Pain is still in the air."

Without waiting for Tsunade's prompt, Karin had already begun sensing. She stopped her hand signs and reported the situation.

Suddenly, Karin’s face showed a hint of surprise. "Wait…"

"What is it?" Tsunade asked, frowning.

Before Karin could answer, Chika spoke up. "Naruto’s back."

There was another presence she didn’t mention.

It was Jiraiya.

Though Jiraiya’s chakra was sealed by Aizen, Chika had sensed him.

"Where is this place?" were Jiraiya’s first words after Aizen released him.

"Konoha—or, more precisely, just outside Konoha’s gate," Aizen answered.

The two were standing on a large boulder, where no one could see them with the naked eye.

Even with the Byakugan, it would be difficult to detect them without specific intent.

"And this massive crater is…?" Jiraiya stared, wide-eyed, at the vast crater blanketed in dust before them.

"Created by your disciple with the Rinnegan," Aizen replied, folding his arms with a slight smirk. "Pain is here to capture the Nine-Tails. He’s killed many people, even Kakashi."

"So Nagato really went this far…" Jiraiya covered his face, his voice heavy with remorse and self-blame. Then, Aizen added, "Naruto, your other disciple, has also returned. He’s mastered the Sage Art from Mount Myoboku. He’s planning to avenge you. Are you interested in witnessing the battle between the two destined ones prophesied by the old toad?"

*Chapter 305: Taking Sakura to See Pain ()*

"Sakura... he’s... really gone."

On a desolate street, Sakura sat helplessly on the ground, her eyes dull, staring at Kakashi’s lifeless body in front of her. A small slug climbed onto Kakashi's body, attempting to revive him but ultimately failing. In a soft, crystal-clear voice, it sighed, "I'm sorry, Sakura. I've done everything I can... Kakashi is gone."

Hearing this, Sakura couldn't hold back her tears any longer. They dripped onto her hands as she sobbed, shoulders shaking, and she cried out, "Naruto, hurry up, please, come here, Naruto!"

When she uttered "Naruto" the last time, it was a desperate howl toward the sky, her voice echoing across the entire village of Konoha.

The surroundings fell silent as the Konoha ninja who had lost friends, family, or loved ones witnessed Sakura’s heart-wrenching cry. They lowered their heads in despair, their own tears falling like rain.

Just then, a sudden voice rang out, "If you’re so eager for Naruto to come, why don’t you go to him? The ever-dependable, always-supportive Sakura."

This voice sent a chill down Sakura’s spine. Her gaze grew even more unfocused as a wave of extreme terror washed over her.

The other Konoha ninja turned their faces grim and glared at the newcomer, their eyes filled with a mix of anger, helplessness, and profound fear.

Even the small slug healing the Konoha wounded looked at the figure behind Sakura with a complex expression.

A shadow appeared silently behind Sakura, standing there as though it belonged to that spot all along.

It was a young man, seemingly around eighteen or nineteen years old, with sharp features, dark brows, and thin lips. He wore a long black cloak with red clouds, and his headband was marked with the scratched-out symbol of Konoha. His handsome face looked as though it had been refined by a mountain spring. Were it not for his cold expression, he would appear gentle and serene.

Seeing this person, Sakura’s last emotional defenses shattered. The sorrowful tears from earlier, over her fallen comrades, turned to fear and hopelessness.

She uttered four trembling words: "Fujiwara... Sen... ya..."

Yes, the man standing behind her was Aizen, the one who had been observing Naruto's battle with Pain. Or rather, it was Aizen’s shadow clone, left in Konoha specifically to await this moment, to teleport Sakura to Pain, to wound her and trigger Naruto's rage.

By now, Naruto’s battle with Pain at Mount Myoboku had reached its conclusion.

Just as in the original story, Naruto, using his information advantage and the fact that Pain’s Deva Path powers had yet to recover, defeated all but the Deva Path. But the cost was high.

Gamabunta, Gamaken, and Gamahiro—three great toads of Mount Myoboku—had been blasted away by Pain’s Almighty Push and lay battered and near death. Gamabunta and Shima, in attempting a powerful genjutsu, had their bodies pierced by Pain's black rods and died.

Naruto, too, was in a dire state.

With his limbs pinned down by black rods, he couldn’t gather chakra or move.

The situation was critical.

"Lady Tsunade, Naruto managed to defeat five of Pain’s paths, but he’s now been captured by the last one—the one who caused the massive destruction here," Hinata reported as she observed the battle from the village gates using her Byakugan.

Unlike the original story, due to Aizen’s involvement, Hinata’s concern for Naruto was solely out of camaraderie and allegiance to Konoha. She didn’t feel compelled to recklessly confront Pain to rescue him.

Moreover, another shadow clone of Aizen stood blocking their path.

“Damn it.”

Hearing Hinata’s report, Tsunade grew anxious, no longer caring about Aizen’s intentions. If Naruto was taken by the Akatsuki, it would be a disaster.

“Aizen, step aside!” Tsunade shouted, glaring at Aizen’s shadow clone in the sky.

The clone shook its head, expressionless.

Standing beside her, Tsunade's daughter Chika whispered, “Mom, that’s just Aizen’s clone.”

Tsunade took a deep breath of relief, then said in a low voice, “Chika, in a moment, you and Hinata distract your father’s clone. I’ll take Karin and the Anbu to rescue Naruto.”

Chika considered for a moment before responding, “That’s doable, but won’t this anger Aizen? Somehow, I feel he’d never really endanger Naruto or Konoha, even if he doesn’t show much affection for the village. He wouldn’t do anything that would hurt you, Mom.”

Hinata nodded in agreement, stating firmly, “Lady Tsunade, Aizen wouldn’t harm any of us.”

"I trust Lord Aizen as well." Karin blushed, gazing with admiration.

Seeing their expressions, Tsunade took a deep breath and glanced around at the gathered Konoha ninjas awaiting her command.

"Five more minutes. If Naruto is truly taken by Pain, we’ll pursue at any cost to bring him back."

At the center of the battlefield.

“Argh!”

Naruto screamed as Pain drove black rods through his palms, pinning them to the ground.

“Maybe now you’ll calm down, Nine-Tails.” Pain knelt before him, admiring Naruto. “Sage techniques like Jiraiya’s, and jutsu like Aizen’s—you’ve truly surpassed Jiraiya.”

“Still, everything ends now.”

Pain rose, pointing at Naruto. “You, or rather, the Nine-Tails within you, will bring peace. Then, justice will follow.”

“Shut up.” Naruto endured the pain from his torn palms, glaring up at Pain. “Who are you to preach about peace and justice?”

Images of Jiraiya, Kakashi, and Choji flashed through Naruto’s mind.

Yes, Choji had also perished.

Unlike in the original story where Kakashi had sacrificed himself to save Choji, this time, faced with three of Pain’s paths, Choji was killed by an explosive missile from the Asura Path.

---*(End of chapter)*