"Hurry up! All this steel needs to be transported back to the Land of Earth within seven days!"
A squad leader of the Iwa-nin barked orders, directing his men to work faster. Capturing the Land of Rain's steel industry was enough to keep Iwagakure well-fed for a long time.
"Heh, those Ame-nin were pathetically weak. As expected, without the crucible of war, no matter how many shinobi they raise, they're all useless."
The Iwa-nin squad leader smirked inwardly. They had expected a tough battle to take this place, but to their surprise, they broke the Ame-nin within a day. The enemy lacked any will to resist to the death. Even as they retreated, they didn't destroy the steel infrastructure—they left it behind.
"Captain, no signs of a counterattack. We've also received a reply from the Tsuchikage—they'll be here in half a day," a scout reported.
"Good," the captain replied with a grin. "Get those Rain civilians to work faster. If any of them slacks off, give them a lesson they won't forget!"
After all, these weren't their own citizens, and Ame had "started it" by injuring Iwa's border shinobi and refusing to surrender the culprit. Since the Rain shinobi had been so arrogant, Iwa had no choice but to "defend their interests."
Meanwhile, Nagato and Konan had also arrived. To control the Six Paths of Pain, Nagato chose a mountaintop one kilometer away. Konan used her Paper Jutsu to disguise his body as a giant rock.
Seeing Nagato intending to deploy Deva and Asura Paths, Konan intervened. "Let me handle this. If we use Deva and Asura now, the cost might be too great."
Konan's mind was now not just centered around Nagato's goals—she also cared about rebuilding the Land of Rain and saving its people. The steel reserve here was a critical part of that plan.
"Alright. I'll lend you Human Path, Preta Path, and Naraka Path."
Even with just those three, few shinobi could match their power and abilities.
Konan nodded and then transformed into countless paper sheets, taking flight into the sky.
Beast Path was then launched into the air by Deva Path's repulsion. Once it landed, it would summon the remaining three Pains.
Soon, papers drifted into the Iwa encampment. A few shinobi noticed something was off.
"Hey, who threw these? What the—mmph!"
Before one Iwa Jonin could finish, he was suddenly wrapped by floating paper, gagged and immobilized.
"Captain? What's going on?"
Two nearby Iwa-nin were confused, but before they could react, two paper sheets morphed into shuriken and slashed the Jonin's throat.
Thud.
Blood spurted as the Jonin collapsed, the paper dispersing around his corpse.
"Captain! Damn it, we're under attack!"
The two Iwa-nin reached for signal flares to alert others—clearly realizing they were dealing with a powerful foe.
But it was Konan. Before they could act, her upper body formed midair from swirling paper.
"Die, invaders."
Konan raised her hand, her eyes cold. These Iwa-nin reminded her of the war-torn days of her youth—how the great nations invaded the small ones without remorse, leaving their people in suffering.
Unforgivable.
Hundreds of paper shuriken coalesced and shot toward the two Iwa-nin in a whistling barrage.
"Ahhh!"
They never even saw Konan clearly before dying under the paper storm.
Elsewhere, the Beast Path landed and summoned the Human, Preta, and Naraka Paths. But the noise drew attention from other Iwa-nin.
Nagato's real body had healed well thanks to the medical machine, making his control over Pain more precise. Through chakra receivers, he could transmit immense chakra to the Six Paths.
Even without Deva Path, the Iwa-nin couldn't stand against Human, Preta, and Naraka Paths.
Human Path quickly grabbed a stunned Iwa-nin—his ninjutsu just absorbed by Preta—and ripped out his soul.
"Aaaargh!"
As his soul was consumed, the Iwa-nin screamed and died.
Nagato received crucial intel from the soul, muttering, "The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki... If you taste real pain, maybe you'll stop making foolish invasions."
Boom! Boom!
The skirmish ended swiftly. Nearly thirty Iwa-nin died at the hands of Konan and Pain.
"Konan, return to my location. Ōnoki is on his way. I want all of Iwa, him included, to feel pain."
Konan frowned slightly. "How many are coming?"
"According to the intel, nearly a thousand. Don't worry. With the current Six Paths, we won't lose."
"Alright. I'll head back."
Konan nodded. The strongest asset now was Nagato's true body. Even if all six Pains were destroyed, it wouldn't matter. And she doubted even Ōnoki—with his unique Kekkei Tōta—could defeat the Six Paths.
Roran
After a period of treatment, both Kushina Uzumaki and Naruto Uzumaki had fully recovered. With their clan's resilience and the precise care from Kushina and Nohara Rin, they were now lively and active.
Naruto was a little upset upon learning he had left Konoha. He had always dreamed of becoming Hokage like his father.
But once he heard that Kushina was nearly killed by Root, and that the village's leaders had targeted him with rumors, his anger overpowered his dream. He vowed to grow strong and avenge his mother.
"You two seem to be doing well. Time to get ready to move," Hyuga Mirai said, stepping inside just in time to see Kushina knocking Naruto on the head.
"Ah! Byakugan-ojisan, help me!" Naruto cried, rushing to Mirai and dragging him over.
During Naruto's recovery, Mirai had visited frequently—partly to study the chakra inside him, but also bringing ramen a few times. This earned Naruto's trust.
To Naruto, the man who saved him and his mom—and brought ramen—was a good guy.
"Did you misbehave again?" Mirai asked casually. But as he got closer, he noticed the situation was different.
Kushina blushed, angrily scattering a shogi board on the table, then glared at Naruto. Judging from the captured pieces, Naruto had likely been winning.
Mirai quickly pieced together the scene: Kushina had tried teaching Naruto shogi, but his chaotic moves had her cornered. When he mocked her, she responded with a punch.
"Sigh, you're already an adult..." Mirai muttered, shooting her a helpless glance. Her blush deepened—caught in her rare moment of pettiness.
"I came to tell you something," Mirai said, sitting down in Naruto's spot. "Since you've recovered, pack up. You're coming with me to the Sand Federation."
Kushina frowned slightly. "Do we have to go there? Isn't staying in Roran fine? This is your territory too, isn't it?"
She had hoped for a peaceful time with Naruto. After the Uchiha massacre, she had grown fearful of the shinobi world.
"Roran will also be integrated into the Sand Federation. I'll be going too."
Seeing her concern, Mirai continued. This war was only the beginning. He planned to use the Federation to reveal some of his power—and eventually absorb the five great nations.
"Roran doesn't have a Ninja Academy. It's better if you ask Naruto what he wants. If neither of you wants to go, then stay here. Oh, Naruto—by the way, Uchiha Sasuke is starting at the Federation's Ninja Academy next month."
"What!? Sasuke left Konoha too? Mom, I want to go! I want to become a ninja! I'll get strong and protect you!"
That last part struck Kushina hard, breaking through her hesitation.
"Alright, alright. If you can grow up safe and sound, I'll be at peace," she said, smiling and ruffling his hair.
Seeing their decision, Mirai said, "Get ready. We leave the day after tomorrow."
(End of Chapter)