Rain Country.
Compared to the era under Hanzō the Salamander's rule, Rain Country now clearly carried far more signs of life.
The people no longer lived in constant fear as they once did, nor did they have to worry about shinobi suddenly bursting into their homes to extort them with endless varieties of taxes.
Although some still nostalgically remembered that younger Akatsuki, life ultimately had to go on. At most, they could only sigh and reminisce during idle conversations.
Drizzle pattered softly against the ground. Most people stayed under awnings, curiously watching as a tall man strolled leisurely through the rain.
The man wore a white haori and kept a long braid tied behind his head. On closer inspection, one could even see the mark of "Ⅳ" on his face.
Such a strange figure appearing in Rain Country—a place no less secretive than Kirigakure—quickly drew the attention of the Ame-nin.
"So that's where it is?"
Before the Rain shinobi could even step forward to question him, the man suddenly turned his head toward the direction of the tallest tower. With a light chuckle, he waved his hand casually.
"This is—"
The Ame-nin froze in shock at the sight before them.
A strange black-and-red circular object manifested with his gesture. Before their eyes, the man stepped into it and vanished completely.
The next second, he appeared right before Uchiha Yōwan.
"Who?!"
At that moment, Yōwan was raging over the loss of the Rinnegan. He had believed every step of his plan to be flawless, yet someone had moved faster than him.
The disappearance of Black Zetsu and White Zetsu had already proven who the true thief of the Rinnegan was. And since the enemy possessed Mayfly Technique, Yōwan, who knew full well how troublesome that jutsu was for concealment and infiltration, had no way of quickly tracking the culprit down.
"You may call me Jigen."
The man's deep, magnetic voice echoed as he lifted his chin, gazing down on Yōwan.
"Never heard of you. But your purpose here—"
Yōwan's eyes were cautious, suspicion creeping into his mind. Was this yet another hidden contingency left behind by Uchiha Madara?
"Put away your guard. If I wished it, I could take your life at any moment."
Before Yōwan's eyes, the man named Jigen summoned a massive stone chair from another dimension, sitting upon it with legs crossed. A glass of red wine appeared in his hand at some point.
"Arrogant fool, to think you can mock the Uchiha?!"
A skeletal frame erupted around Yōwan, and Susanoo's enormous arm slammed down toward Jigen with terrifying force.
Crack.
Taking a sip of wine, Jigen waved his free left hand. With the sound of shattering, three black rods pierced straight through Susanoo and nailed themselves deep into Yōwan's body.
The overwhelming impact pinned Yōwan against the wall. He struggled against the agony, trying to rip the black rods from his flesh.
Before he could complete the motion, his vision blurred. In the next instant, Jigen—who had just been calmly drinking—drove a knee into Yōwan's abdomen. Spit and bile burst uncontrollably from his mouth.
"Hmph."
Jigen let out a cold snort, released Yōwan from the black rods, and reappeared on his stone chair as if nothing had changed—his posture completely unaltered.
So fast.
Collapsing on the ground, Yōwan forced his head up, dread filling his eyes as he looked at the man before him.
Terrifying. Even his Mangekyō Sharingan couldn't follow this man's movements.
Even Susanoo—his so-called ultimate defense—had been easily pierced. This power...
"Who in the world are you...?"
Yōwan dared not act recklessly again. Just as the man had said—if he wanted Yōwan dead, it would have already been done.
"I never intended to meddle in the affairs of your so-called shinobi world. But the recent events have far surpassed even my own expectations..."
Seeing Yōwan had lost the will to fight, Jigen finally set the wine glass gently on the armrest, preparing to recount a history far beyond anything Yōwan could imagine.
Not far away, the lifeless husk of the Gedo Statue stood silently, as though listening to that history alongside Yōwan.
...
"I've had enough of this life."
At the Wind Country's border, an Iwa-nin released his jutsu, staring at the crimson mess crushed between slabs of stone. A wave of nausea welled in his gut unlike ever before.
Age truly had caught up with him. The reek of blood was harder and harder to stomach.
"That's not true at all, Tsuchihiko-san. Without you, we couldn't have captured this puppeteer so easily."
A young kunoichi of Iwa walked up beside him, her voice teasing and playful.
"No, I really can't take it anymore. When I was younger, maybe. But now? These kinds of thankless, dirty jobs are more than I can bear."
Tsuchihiko glanced at his subordinate, about the same age as his daughter, and the lines on his face deepened.
"War never ends. Better to retire early. My own sensei quit in his fifties and opened a restaurant back home. After this mission, I think I'll do the same."
With a frown, he finished clearing away the mess before him and signaled another teammate to follow along.
"Eh, then I'll go too!"
The kunoichi raised her hand, eyes sparkling with excitement.
"And you, Guri? Want to join Tsuchihiko-san as well?"
"Doesn't matter to me."
The chunin called Guri drove his blade once more into a Suna-nin corpse, then ambled lazily toward them.
"Hehe, then the three of us could—"
Before she could finish, Tsuchihiko's expression abruptly changed. He slammed his palm into the ground.
"Get back! Sakuraen! Earth Release: Earth Rock Rampart!"
In an instant, a massive stone wall shot up before them. Several kunai embedded into it, each laden with explosive tags. The resulting blast shook the ground violently.
So there are still stragglers? But I didn't sense anyone else before...
His mind raced as he studied the direction of the attack.
Kunai with explosive tags... A puppeteer?
"Foolish."
Before Tsuchihiko could piece it together, a cold voice sounded behind him.
"Who?!"
Too late—his head was smashed by a brutal punch, slamming him against his own stone wall before rebounding into the enemy's grasp.
Sakuraen reacted instantly, but before she could act, a single kick from the man sent her flying straight into a ruined stone structure.
What strength...
The sound of crumbling debris confirmed the intruder's sheer power.
"Earth Release: Earth—"
Rushing to his captain's aid, Guri began weaving signs, but the enemy seized Tsuchihiko's head and hurled him straight into Guri's direction.
Forced to abandon his jutsu, Guri caught his bleeding captain in his arms.
And then—horror.
At some point, two massive hands had materialized before his eyes, clamping down on both his and Tsuchihiko's throats.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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