Chapter 250: Konoha Crush
"This is... the power of a god..."
Even Orochimaru could only stare at the terrifying scene and lament. Among all the shinobi he had ever seen, no one could achieve this.
Whether it was the Sannin—himself, Tsunade, and Jiraiya—or the man once called the "God of Shinobi," Hanzo of the Salamander, or even his own teacher, Sarutobi Hiruzen, none of them could do this.
He used to think that shinobi battles were contests of jutsu and technique, a duel of wits, a competition of intelligence. But after witnessing Pain's ability, all of that became meaningless.
This was, in the purest sense, a realm that did not belong to shinobi.
Perhaps only the legends, Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, could do this. But Hashirama was called the "God of Shinobi," and for another ninja to do the same... calling himself a god wasn't arrogance.
He turned his head, spotting the Magic Carpet flying thousands of meters away.
"If that Mercenary Tao is dead... could you leave those little ones to me?"
He spoke, a sinister smile on his face. Orochimaru had coveted the Uchiha clan's Sharingan for a long time. This was a golden opportunity.
In that brief void, even Zetsu had lost his information feed from the completely annihilated area. The Super Shinra Tensei had destroyed his spores deep underground.
Konan frowned but ultimately said nothing.
The next moment, rain began to fall from the sky again. The rain and mist, which had been blasted away by Kaito Shirogane's terrifying taijutsu, once again enveloped the Land of Rain.
Sasori irritably pulled up his hood.
"The weather in this country is the worst."
He hated the mist. Where he grew up, even rain was a rarity. This wasteland, however, was in a constant, excessive downpour. How ironic.
Hearing Sasori, Konan looked up. She suddenly realized—this was the [Rain Tiger at Will Technique]. Pain had reactivated the jutsu. He was monitoring the area!
Konan's mind raced. Since Pain had reactivated the jutsu, either the battle was over and he had already left this former village... but Pain wouldn't leave without informing them.
Or... the battle had ended differently than they thought. Even that terrifying Shinra Tensei that destroyed dozens of kilometers hadn't killed Mercenary Tao. And...
Pain was in a secret communication with him. A communication he didn't want certain people on their side to know about.
Konan's expression remained neutral, but her first instinct was to suspect Orochimaru. As a Konoha rogue-nin, he had always been secretive. But she said nothing, merely shaking her head to stop Orochimaru from approaching Catherine.
"Pain likely needs to extract intel from them. Before he returns, we just need to ensure they don't leave."
Orochimaru, seeing the "Angel" stop him, felt his eyes change, but he didn't press the issue.
Before long, to the strange looks of the other Akatsuki members, Tendo Pain and Mercenary Tao emerged from the rain and mist, side-by-side.
And the tall man was now, just like them, wearing a red-cloud-on-black-cloak.
Kaito Shirogane's figure flashed, appearing before them. He showed none of the ferocious aura he'd had when attacking Orochimaru. Instead, he turned and showed off his new outfit.
"What do you think? I told you this Akatsuki robe suited my style."
Orochimaru watched his completely unguarded back, his snake-like vertical pupils filled with coldness. But he quickly switched to a sinister smile.
"Mercenary Tao, since you've joined the Akatsuki... would you be willing to make a trade?"
He was still coveting Uchiha Itachi's eyes. Today's battle had shown him his own limits. Against foes of Mercenary Tao and Pain's caliber, no matter how many tricks he had, without those eyes, he couldn't even track their movements.
His taijutsu was decent among Jounin, but in a battle of this caliber, it was useless.
The Sharingan... if only he had those eyes, he could...
His mind raced with various plans, including how he might partner with Mercenary Tao, and how he could later use drugs or other methods to... "process" him.
"You want Sharingan? Sure."
Orochimaru froze. This was the first time the snake-man had ever looked stunned. Mercenary Tao had just, from who-knows-where, pulled out a pair of blood-stained eyes.
In those pupils... the crimson three-tomoe... it was the Sharingan!
And he didn't even ask whyOrochimaru wanted them. He just took the eyes out as if they were nothing special. That was the Sharingan!
A single pair, the loss of which would bring the Uchiha clan's full, furious pursuit!
Orochimaru instantly realized... this must be whyUchiha Shisui was sent after him. But this Mercenary Tao's methods were so terrifying that even Uchiha Shisui had fallen.
The others also glanced over, some openly, some not. Catherine landed her Magic Carpet. Her heart was cold. Thank God she didn't choose to betray Mercenary Tao. Otherwise, she'd probably be facing this monster's pursuit right now.
She saw Mercenary Tao take out the Sharingan. This item likely couldn't be taken out of the world, so trading it to a story character was the optimal solution. But this was a method only an irregular powerhouse like Mercenary Tao could use.
If a normal Reincarnator dug out an Uchiha's eyes in this world, they'd probably be dead by nightfall, hunted by several Uchiha shinobi.
The Sharingan and its Genjutsu were lethal to most Reincarnators. Non-Spirit specialists could rarely resist the genjutsu, and Spirit-specialists were often unable to handle the Uchiha's fierce offensive.
"What do you want?"
Though Orochimaru feigned calm, Kaito Shirogane's[Transparent World] easily sensed the change in his heart rate.
At the same time, on the Magic Carpet behind him, Uchiha Itachi's heart rate also spiked. The 13-year-old boy, in the end, couldn't just watch his clansmen's eyes be dug out and traded away without reacting.
The Uchiha Itachi of this moment was not the man who would one day massacre his entire clan.
Kaito Shirogane's face held a mocking smile. He tossed the eyes to Orochimaru.
"What do I want... Let me think. It's not like they're rare. Konoha'sDanzo has probably already transplanted some for himself."
Uchiha Itachi went rigid. The three-tomoe in his pupils spun slightly.
Kaito continued.
"He also has Senju Hashirama's cells. Now that's the rare stuff. A pity it's being wasted on a guy like Danzo."
"Right, Orochimaru?"
Kaito asked, already knowing the answer. Orochimaru looked at the eyes in his hand and sneered.
"Danzo did indeed have me perform... modifications."
He didn't elaborate, but Uchiha Itachi understood. He closed his eyes, his [Will of Fire] wavering for the first time.
His clan was narrow-minded, only able to see their own grievances... but Danzo, a Konoha leader, was coveting his clansmen's blood and bodies?!
A leader of a village, coveting the bodies of his own villagers...
This wasn't about "capacity." This person... was an enemy!
Tendo Pain waited for the other Pains to be revived in the mist, then spoke to the group.
"We have a new member. Mercenary Tao. Codename... [Vermilion]."
Kaito Shirogane heard the codename and glanced at Konan [Codename: White]. They looked at each other, then looked away. Konan frowned. She didn't know whyNagato had been convinced by Mercenary Tao, but this man... even as an ally... was still radiating a malice that made her uncomfortable.
Pain continued:
"I just received word. Kirigakure was attacked. Casualties are unknown, but... the Three-Tails, Isobu, is missing. Kirigakure is now in chaos."
Hearing this, everyone's expression changed. Zetsu, especially, immediately looked at Kaito Shirogane.
But Kaito just smiled, saying nothing. Pain didn't press the issue of who the attacker was. Instead, he said:
"Since Kirigakure is in chaos, it is the perfect time for our next move."
"Zetsu, Sasori. You will head to the Land of Water for a special mission."
Tendo Pain spoke calmly, leaving no room for argument. Zetsu, sensing something was afoot, glanced at the smiling Mercenary Tao and nodded, accepting the mission. Sasori was indifferent.
"What special mission? Probably hunting down another rogue-nin."
Sasori had killed the Third Kazekage and fled his village. He had no sense of belonging to anything.
Kaito Shirogane then spoke up, as if just remembering something.
"I heard that Rasa, the new Fourth Kazekage, gave Sunagakure'sPakura to Kirigakure to be killed as a political chip. Tsk. Disgusting politics."
Sasori's body froze. He looked at Kaito, his eyes turning cold.
But Kaito was unfazed. He leaned forward, using his height advantage to look down at the genius ninja who had turned himself into a puppet.
"Ha. I wonder if the guy who killed the Third Kazekage knows that his actions... just left Sunagakure and the Land of Wind... in the hands of the same disgusting politicians."
"Enough!"
Nagato didn't want any more trouble right now and stopped Kaito from provoking Sasori further. Kaito, satisfied, turned and walked back toward Uchiha Itachi. His words were only partially for Sasori. They were mostly for Itachi to hear.
To let this Uchiha genius know the truth of this world.
So-called "martyrs"... in this world... were just political bargaining chips.
Whether it was Pakura who saved Sunagakure, or the future Uchiha Itachi who would save Konoha and his brother... in the end, they were just pawns in the hands of the high-and-mighty.
Their tragic stories, once smeared with the filth of political deals, just became absurd and laughable.
Tendo Pain also sensed Kaito's goal, but didn't stop him. Instead, he looked at the others.
"The rest of us... will proceed with... the Konoha Crush operation."
(End of Chapter)
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