Konan fell silent, unsure what to say.
She knew exactly how confident Nagato was in his Rinnegan—especially after he'd mastered it. His confidence had swelled to an extreme.
Otherwise, he would never have dared to carry out the Konoha Tailed Beast Plunder Plan, even knowing the Fifth Hokage was called the god of the shinobi world.
But now…
Everything had been miscalculated.
The Fifth Hokage—Uchiha Ren—was far stronger than any of them had imagined.
"Wait…"
Konan's brows suddenly knit together.
Akatsuki's members were still inside Konoha.
Now that Deva Path had been destroyed, the plan was essentially a failure. The only hope was that the others would be smart enough to abandon the mission and escape Konoha at once.
"The distance was too great… the chakra supply couldn't keep up… and that damned Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan…"
Nagato forced down the rage boiling in his chest and roared through clenched teeth, "Uchiha Ren… just you wait!"
"…Sigh."
Watching Nagato lash out in helpless fury, Konan let out a quiet breath, unsure what to say.
For some reason, she felt Nagato had become unfamiliar—like the Rinnegan itself had warped his mind.
Meanwhile—
The instant Deva Path was blown apart, without any warning, Konoha fell into a heavy silence.
"Rinnegan… that's it?"
Countless civilians and shinobi stared at the spot where Deva Path had been, then at the Fifth Hokage who had crushed him so cleanly. The same thought rose in their minds.
It couldn't be helped.
Deva Path's performance had been too deceptive.
He spoke as if he were a god—talking about destroying Konoha, about giving birth to peace through pain.
And then?
Konoha wasn't destroyed.
He was.
He'd been beaten to dust without even the ability to resist—turning himself into a joke.
"So weak…"
In the sky, Ren looked down at the remains of Deva Path and shook his head, speechless.
Nagato had truly wasted the Rinnegan.
And the way he did things was just as pathetic—too timid to even show his real body in Konoha.
"But Akatsuki's members are still in the village."
In the next moment, Ren's Observation Haki swept outward. His eyes cooled as he murmured, "This time… you'll lose everything."
At the same time—
"The leader… got blown apart?"
"Th-This Fifth Hokage's strength is terrifying…"
"Retreat! Leave Konoha now! If the leader was destroyed, then the Konoha Tailed Beast Plunder Plan has failed!"
In an instant, Hidan, Kakuzu, Uchiha Itachi, Jūzō Biwa, Sasori, Deidara, and Kisame Hoshigaki all reacted.
Their hearts jumped with shock—and their first thought was to escape Konoha as fast as possible.
Unfortunately…
It was already too late.
"Where do you think you're going…?!"
The Three-Tails—silent until now—seemed to wake from its sleep. It rose up from the artificial lake and fixed its gaze on the tree where Hidan and Kakuzu were hiding.
"Damn…"
"Were we discovered a long time ago?!"
Hidan and Kakuzu exchanged a look and immediately moved to split up and flee.
Two sharp whistles cut the air—Might Guy and Kakashi appeared behind them.
Might Guy and Kakashi appeared behind them.
"You two," Kakashi said coldly, drawing a kunai, "since you've come all this way, don't be in such a hurry to leave."
"Youth is passion!"
Might Guy struck a pose, flashing his blinding white teeth. "Come—let's have a battle between men!!"
"…Battle."
Forced into a trap—tailed beast in front, Konoha shinobi behind—Hidan and Kakuzu's expressions darkened as they entered combat without hesitation.
On Konoha's western side—
Itachi and Jūzō had also sensed that something was wrong.
And the moment the Five-Tails was about to move, Itachi's Sharingan shifted into the Mangekyō.
Before the Five-Tails could even react, it was controlled.
"Move."
After seizing the Five-Tails, Itachi cast one last long look toward Konoha—then turned to leave.
"Itachi."
A familiar voice stopped him cold.
"You still think you can leave?"
In front of him and behind him, several figures emerged not far away—Uchiha Fugaku, Hyūga Hiashi, and Nara Shikaku.
"Father…"
Itachi's body trembled as he turned his head.
For a moment, he stood there like a statue. His lips parted as if to speak—but no words came out.
"Itachi," Fugaku said, voice heavy, "why go this far?"
He sighed and continued, "Surrender. I'll plead with the Fifth Hokage for you. I'll ask him to spare your life."
"It's too late," Itachi said after a deep breath, his face turning blank again. "Everything is already too late."
"I'm no longer a member of the Uchiha clan."
"I'm no longer a shinobi of Konoha."
"I am Akatsuki."
"Fine." Fugaku's expression turned calm and distant. He nodded once. "Then there's nothing more to say."
"Our paths no longer align."
"Fight."
"…Fine."
Itachi drew a kunai, his gaze turning cold as he entered combat.
"Damn it…" Jūzō panicked. "Itachi, you deal with them—cover me!"
"Where do you think you're going?"
Hyūga Hiashi flashed forward, appearing directly in front of Jūzō. His voice was icy. "Since you came, don't even think about leaving."
"You're asking to die!"
With no route left, Jūzō gritted his teeth, then bared a cruel grin and drew the Executioner Blade from his back.
And on Konoha's northern side—
The Eight-Tails, Tsunade, and Jiraiya had already formed a standoff with Kisame, Sasori, and Deidara.
At this point, Kisame, Sasori, and Deidara all looked grim.
They had been played—by the Eight-Tails and Konoha's shinobi.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 60 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/StrawHatStudios