Summoned beasts with continuous splitting abilities, a brat controlling repulsive and gravitational forces, plus a fellow who can absorb ninjutsu—such powerful and comprehensive abilities caused the former Demigod to lose his resolve to fight. He decided to use his best Body Flicker Jutsu to abandon his loyal Hidden Rain Village.
Watching Hanzo flee in panic before he had even used his full strength, Pain's gaze was incredibly complex. Facing such a beaten dog in full flight, he felt no pleasure of revenge, but rather a sense of disgust. It was a man like this who, years ago, had murdered his best friend!
Thinking of this, the rage in Pain's heart surged. He could accept his partner dying at the hands of a true shinobi, but he could not accept him perishing in the underhanded schemes of a coward like Hanzo!
Pain ascended into the mid-air, his arms spread wide as the curtain of rain outlined his blurry figure. In the next second, all the rainwater was repelled by a powerful force. Following that was the air, the buildings, the ground, and finally, the fleeing Hanzo!
The terrifying power crushed nearly everything. After a flash of intense white light, only a massive hemispherical crater remained in the center of the Hidden Rain Village. Pain stood in the middle of the crater, holding Hanzo's mangled body in his hand.
"It really is quite a pity. A great Demigod, dying in the end like a rotten dog."
Simu's figure appeared atop a Hidden Rain building at some unknown moment. As a bystander, he had watched the entirety of the Akatsuki's war of revenge. As for his thoughts... he could only say it was utterly dull.
The peak battle he had imagined between the Sage of Six Paths' eyes and the legendary Demigod never took place. Instead, he saw only Hanzo's inner fear of the Rinnegan and failure. In Simu's view, Hanzo feared failure above all else. The title of Demigod had placed him on too high a pedestal. Combined with the decay of his will over time, he had lost the courage to engage strong enemies, fearing that a single defeat would turn the legend of the Demigod into a joke.
It was this fear of failure that prevented Hanzo from exerting even half of his true strength. According to the intelligence Simu had gathered, the Demigod's power was far greater than this. Although Simu had pre-emptively controlled his summon, Ibuse the Salamander, Hanzo's fame wasn't based on that beast alone. His own mastery of ninjutsu, swordsmanship, and taijutsu was exceptionally high.
His Water Style in particular was recognized as the best in the Shinobi World, and his swordsmanship was sufficient to defeat Mifune, the General of the Land of Iron. This proved his formidable strength. Yet such a man was ultimately burdened by his reputation and corrupted by time, leading to this miserable end.
Even Hidan sneered at this performance. "A soul like that would only defile the purity of Lord Jashin!"
Simu smiled slightly and pushed up his glasses. "In any case, after taking over the Hidden Rain Village, the Akatsuki's development is finally on the right track."
The Hidden Rain Village and Hanzo had always been a thorn in the hearts of Nagato and Konan. After resolving this issue, Nagato would likely shift the organization's focus toward recruiting members and capturing Tailed Beasts.
"I'm truly looking forward to it."
Simu wore a faint smile. While Nagato was conquering and seeking revenge, Simu hadn't been idle either. The Hidden Rain Village was now crawling with believers of Lord Jashin. After all, fear and greed are the best soil for faith to flourish. On the other hand, Simu had used this battle to gain a deeper understanding of the Rinnegan's abilities. Those two other men with the Rinnegan were likely Nagato's other clones.
One could summon beasts that split continuously, while the other could absorb ninjutsu. This made Simu even more interested in the powers of the Rinnegan.
While Simu was lost in thought, Pain had thoroughly finished off Hanzo. He flew into the air with Konan, announcing the arrival of a new god to the entire village. The fighting in the Hidden Rain Village quickly died down. Since their god, Hanzo of the Salamander, had been killed, there was no point in continuing to resist.
The aftermath was simple. Nagato, as Pain, pardoned the opposition and neutral factions that had resisted Hanzo, then commanded them to conduct a massive purge of Hanzo's remaining supporters. Meanwhile, Ueno, Mari, and Shigure—all Jonin of the Hidden Rain who were familiar with the village's situation—were promoted to high-level officials for their significant contributions during the campaign. They officially became the puppets through which Pain indirectly ruled the Hidden Rain.
Why puppets? Because Pain, to maintain his mystery as a god, did not participate in the daily management of the village. Instead, Konan, known as the Angel, directed Ueno and the other Jonin in their administrative duties.
Subsequently, Nagato issued numerous decrees, such as putting the Land of Rain into a semi-closed state, banning foreign ninjas from moving freely within its borders, and implementing strict screening for anyone wishing to enter the village. Externally, they continued to claim that Hanzo of the Salamander was still in power to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Thus, the battle for the leadership of the Hidden Rain Village came to an end. It was somewhat poignant that a village guarded by a legendary Demigod could be completely overtaken in a mere half-day, and the man himself erased by an unknown figure.
After dealing with Hanzo and as the situation stabilized, Pain and Konan brought Hanzo's body to a valley. This was the collective burial ground for the original members of the Akatsuki. Nagato appeared in his true form—a rare occurrence—looking at the empty graveyard as memories of training with Yahiko flooded his mind.
Konan pushed his wheelchair, her eyes misting over despite all she had endured. After a moment of silence, Nagato spoke softly. "Konan, send Hanzo's body to Yahiko's side."
"Mm."
With a light wave of Konan's arm, Hanzo, wrapped in countless sheets of paper, landed before the grave. Nagato formed a single-handed sign without hesitation. The paper covering Hanzo instantly ignited, and soon, the body was completely consumed by fire. Bright flames danced in the eyes of Nagato and Konan.
"Rest easy, Yahiko. The world you wanted... I will surely make it a reality."
As they returned to the village, Konan couldn't help but ask, "Nagato, those Hidden Rain Jonin were personally turned by Kamizuki Simu. Could they..."
Nagato simply waved her concern away. He knew about Simu's little games, and Simu knew that he knew. Yet neither seemed to care, as if there was a tacit understanding between them. To Simu, Ueno and the others were just expendable pawns. To Nagato, as long as Simu helped him capture the Tailed Beasts, a few Jashin believers were of no consequence.