The moonlight was cold and clear, casting a pale glow over the borderlands of the Land of Earth.
A large number of Iwa-nin were combing through the collapsed mountain ridge, searching for sothing. Ōnoki sat nearby on a heap of rubble, his expression utterly foul.
As he recalled everything that had happened today, his mood was far beyond sour.
A group of powerful shinobi launching a coordinated assault right on his own turf?
That was sothing he simply couldn’t tolerate—especially since he had seen it with his own eyes...
“Flying Thunder God Technique?”
Ōnoki admitted to himself that he had been overly agitated in that mont. Namikaze Minato was already long dead.
And yet that flickering silhouette... and the puppets that crumbled upon contact... had awakened painful mories buried deep in his mind.
“Tsuchikage-sama, we’ve gathered most of the information.”
As he was lost in thought, a mber of the Anbu appeared in front of him, kneeling on one knee and speaking in a low voice.
Even this Anbu was visibly nervous. Among the entire village of Iwagakure, perhaps only Deidara and a handful of others dared to remain unfazed before an enraged Ōnoki.
“Speak.”
Ōnoki’s voice was terrifyingly calm, each word weighed like gold. The Anbu imdiately began his report.
“According to the sensory-nin, the chakra signatures in the area are chaotic, but there appear to be about eight distinct sources."
"One of them engaged directly with you, Tsuchikage-sama. The other six were fighting each other.”
“Six people...”
Ōnoki nodded slowly. When he had arrived earlier and looked down from the sky, he had indeed seen three pairs locked in battle.
Three of them had white hair, and the other three wore long black cloaks.
“Do we know who they are? Can they be tracked?”
“Tsuchikage-sama, for now, their identities are unknown. After all—”
The Anbu hesitated, shaking his head, and Ōnoki understood what he ant.
This was the border zone. There weren’t many stationed shinobi here to begin with.
Even the Anbu assigned to the area were ergency personnel—unlikely to have detailed chakra records of high-level combatants.
“Also... about those six chakra signatures...”
The Anbu continued, though he paused halfway, clearly struggling to find the right words.
“Their chakra levels were all extrely high. Four of them, in particular, were... frightening. And as for the one who fought you, Tsuchikage-sama—”
At that point, the Anbu shook his head, unable to find the right way to describe it.
Ōnoki’s face darkened even more.
He knew there were many powerful figures scattered across the shinobi world. But for so many to suddenly show up and run wild in his village?
Was this supposed to be a ssage? An insult?
“Is there anything else?”
Ōnoki suppressed his rising anger and asked in a low, steady voice.
“Puppets, Lightning Release, and of course the Flying Thunder God—I saw all of that. I want details, beyond what I already know!”
“Aside from the techniques you’ve ntioned, Tsuchikage-sama, we also detected Water Release and Fire Release being used during the fight.”
The Anbu was starting to crack under pressure. Ōnoki might’ve been small in stature, but his presence was overwhelming.
“As for anything else... we haven’t been able to determine it yet.”
“Fine. That’s enough.”
Ōnoki rose to his feet, clearly irritated. Even if the intel was incomplete, he could already piece so things together on his own.
“Is Konoha trying to go back to how it was ten years ago?”
Recalling that flickering silhouette, he couldn’t imagine any other technique replicating it. He was already considering how to discuss this matter with Konoha.
At the sa ti, he planned to question that brat Deidara. The kid had been lingering around the area, after all.
“Where’s Deidara? Has anyone found him yet?”
“Tsuchikage-sama, Deidara, he—”
“What about him?”
“He seems to have... left.”
“Which way did he go?”
The Anbu didn’t dare speak further and could only point in a direction.
Ōnoki’s blood pressure spiked on the spot.
That direction—was not within the borders of the Land of Earth.
...
anwhile, in the Land of Rain...
“Seems like they made it out safely... more or less.”
Pain stood watching the three figures in front of him: Kisa, Itachi, and the thoroughly wrecked Sasori.
He didn’t say anything else—just shook his head.
The three looked genuinely miserable. Kisa, perhaps, had fared the best. His massive fra was shirtless now, covered in wounds and blood—but at least he could still stand.
Itachi, on the other hand, seed dazed. His eyes were unfocused, and his body was riddled with cuts. Most concerning of all was the streak of blood trailing from the corner of his eye.
A clear sign of overusing his dōjutsu.
And Sasori...
Only his upper body remained. Half an arm was completely gone. That he was even still alive was a testant to how extraordinary he was.
“Tch... I didn’t expect you of all people to get wrecked by so brat.”
Kakuzu didn’t hold back. He still rembered how smug Sasori had been with him before.
“And if I recall, I did give you intel. Guess you’re getting soft with age.”
“The intel you gave wasn’t entirely accurate.”
Sasori raised his head calmly. His voice was flat, but his eyes were glacial.
"That kid had a unique state—one that enhanced his strength and speed across the board. It wasn’t the Lightning Release Chakra Mode you ntioned."
"The technique you called ‘Purple Lightning’ was mostly used to neutralize my poison—not to boost his own body. That single discrepancy in your intel almost got killed. In our line of work, even one mistake is fatal.”
“What a convenient excuse.”
Kakuzu let out a cold snort, but Sasori didn’t back down.
“Oh really? From the looks of it, you didn’t even give that brat a proper workout.”
“Hmph. I’ll win next ti.”
With Pain standing right in front of them, Kakuzu knew he couldn’t make a move, but he still had to save face with a threat or two.
Still, deep down, he was unsettled.
He had no idea what kind of nonsense Kitagawa Gen had pulled off this ti—but one thing was clear: the kid had gotten stronger again.
Kakuzu was well aware of how dangerous Sasori was. Even for him, dealing with the guy wouldn’t be easy. And yet that brat had left Sasori in shambles.
Sure, most of Sasori’s injuries had co from Ōnoki’s Dust Release and from Pain’s own attack—but still...
'That Flying Thunder God technique... was genuinely terrifying.'
He rembered the swarm of kunai coming at them. Even knowing that many of them were dummies, who in their right mind would dare ignore any of them?
If even one turned out to be real and landed nearby—it would be over.
'I have to get my hands on a high-grade Wind Release-compatible heart. I can’t let him reach so easily again!'
'I need to find the right materials for Wind Release defenses. Next ti, I have to block him!'
At that mont, both Kakuzu and Sasori had the exact sa thought.
...
“Tch, these two are boring as hell. But wait... is this guy immortal too?”
Hidan had no clue what those two were bickering about, nor did he care to find out. He was busy eyeing Sasori up and down.
Sothing about this organization... there sure were a lot of weirdos like him. But Sasori? He didn’t even look human.
“That’s enough. Shut up, all of you. The mission failed. Deidara’s gone missing. Let’s just hope none of you spilled anything important.”
Pain finally cut in, clearly fed up. He really didn’t want to deal with any of them right now, and to make matters worse, his own mood was growing sour.
...
“Nagato, I think Jiraiya-sensei might have seen us.”
Inside a sealed transport vehicle on the other side of the Rain Country, Konan’s voice drifted in.
That was exactly what had been bothering Nagato the most.
“I know. But you don’t have to worry too much. It only lasted a second.”
“Even if he did see sothing, it doesn’t matter. Because we’re walking the right path.”
...
“Kakashi-sensei.”
“Hm?”
“You should probably get a hospital mbership card. The annual kind.”
“...”
“I an, you end up there after almost every mission anyway.”
In the stone forest along the border of the Land of Earth, Kitagawa Gen whispered the remark while helping support a clearly drained Kakashi.
The line earned him a full-on eye roll from Kakashi. If he’d had even a little more strength left, he would’ve smacked Gen on the head right then and there.
Now that he thought about it more carefully... was it true that every ti they went on a mission, he ended up in the hospital afterward?
Well—not every ti. There was that one ti in Kirigakure... maybe not then.
“Still, the odds are way too high, aren’t they?”
Kakashi rubbed his forehead and muttered quietly.
“This was the first ti I truly used this eye in actual combat. The results were good... but the aftereffects are intense. Still, I think I’ve gained a much deeper understanding of how to wield it.”
As he spoke, Kakashi looked up. The more he understood this eye, the better equipped he would be to face Uchiha Obito.
This eye was one of bonds—but also of conviction. It was through this conviction that he would seek to redeem Obito’s na.
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I will post so extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> /TitoVillar
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