The three figures who slipped into the outer ruins were none other than Karin, Kabuto Yakushi, and Sasuke Uchiha.
They did not regroup. Each chose a different direction and a separate hiding spot.
Karin brushed dust off her clothes, clearly dissatisfied. Turning to Kabuto, who was concealed nearby, she complained:
"Hey, Kabuto, why are we running and hiding?"
"That move Pain used was scary, sure—but I can feel it. After pulling off something that big, he's seriously weakened right now!"
"If we teamed up, we wouldn't need to be afraid of him. We might even capture him for research!"
Kabuto chuckled softly beneath his cloak.
"Heh… There's no need, Karin. Konoha hasn't completely lost its ability to resist."
"Tsunade is still alive, though badly injured. A number of capable jonin likely avoided the central blast. And most importantly…"
He paused meaningfully.
"Don't forget what our original objective was."
Karin pouted. "Observing Sasuke."
"Exactly." Kabuto nodded. "Konoha has suffered catastrophic damage, and Pain is temporarily exhausted. This is when the situation is most chaotic—when variables are at their peak."
"Sasuke will never let an opportunity like this pass. He's likely to act."
"If we interfere with Pain now, we risk getting dragged into a three-way battle—with Konoha's remaining forces and a weakened but still dangerous Pain. Worse, we might alert Sasuke and make him even more cautious."
"Better to continue observing… and wait for the optimal moment."
Karin considered it. Though slightly disappointed, she admitted he had a point.
After all, whatever was hidden inside Sasuke was far more interesting.
She closed her eyes and expanded her sensory ability like radar across the devastated village.
A few seconds later, she spoke calmly:
"There aren't many people left alive."
"The central zone? No civilian chakra signatures at all. Not even residual traces. They're gone."
"Only some stronger jonin, ANBU, and that ugly woman Tsunade are scattered near the crater's edge and the outer perimeter."
"Their chakra's unstable. Most are heavily injured. Barely hanging on."
Kabuto's altered eyes gleamed with a mixture of awe and greed.
"As expected of the legendary Rinnegan… One strike nearly erased one of the Five Great Ninja Villages from the map. Destroyed its core and most of its fighting force…"
He turned to Karin, voice low and tempting.
"Karin… are you interested in that kind of power?"
She tilted her head.
"I'm not interested in those eyes. They wouldn't be useful to me."
Then she looked Kabuto up and down and suddenly grinned.
"But you, Kabuto… I suddenly think you're pretty interesting."
Kabuto froze.
After a brief silence, he subtly shifted a few steps farther away.
Present Timeline – Konoha
An icy chill ran down the spines of countless shinobi and civilians watching the Tenkai.
"Hardly any survivors…"
"Civilians wiped out…"
"Barely hanging on…"
"Will that be us one day?"
"Is Konoha even safe anymore? It feels like everyone wants to destroy it…"
Whispers spread. Some even began seriously considering leaving the village.
Repeated glimpses of future catastrophes had piled unbearable psychological pressure onto the people of Konoha.
At the Ninja Academy, children had gone pale, some quietly sobbing.
They couldn't understand why so many wanted to destroy their home.
Naruto Uzumaki was already crying openly.
"Everyone's… dead?" he trembled. "Iruka-sensei… Kakashi-sensei… Pervy Sage… Granny Tsunade… How could this happen…?"
Back to the Ruins
As dust slowly settled, Deva Path descended from the sky.
A handful of survivors crawled from the outer rubble, sustained by the faint healing support of Katsuyu's divided clones summoned by Tsunade.
They were wounded, dazed, unable to fully comprehend the disaster they had just endured.
Tsunade herself had completely exhausted her chakra. Pale as paper, barely standing, she remained upright through sheer willpower alone.
But her eyes burned with fury.
"You bastard… what have you done?!!"
Pain regarded her without pity—almost with satisfaction.
"So… you finally understand pain."
"This is what your great nations have inflicted upon smaller countries for generations. You wield power without restraint, never seeking to truly understand."
"Shut up! I'll kill you!!!"
Grief and rage drowned out reason. Tsunade struggled forward, ready to die if necessary.
Pain raised one hand toward her.
"Jiraiya-sensei was mistaken."
"People will never truly understand one another."
"Just as I once could not understand the cruelty of this world…"
"And just as you cannot understand the meaning of the pain I bring."
He placed himself and Tsunade on opposite ends of an irreconcilable divide.
Judgment was imminent.
Then—
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Several enormous plumes of smoke erupted between Tsunade and Pain, accompanied by heavy, earth-shaking impacts.
Something massive had just been summoned.
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