Three teams advanced along three separate routes, making considerable progress each day.
The main army was already at sea. Once they crossed the ocean, it would mark the beginning of the Cloud Village's full-scale invasion.
The Stone Village was restless. While the fate of the Mist Village was of no direct concern to them, they could not accept the Cloud Village growing so powerful.
However, the journey from the Land of Earth to the Land of Water was long, and the shortest route required passing through the Land of Fire.
The Stone Village contacted Konoha, hoping to be granted passage, but their request was politely declined by the Third Hokage.
The rejection was not direct, merely a statement that the matter required further discussion.
But Onoki was a shrewd old fox and immediately realized the Uchiha were pulling strings behind the scenes.
He quickly sent a message to Uchiha Kawasaki via a messenger hawk. Kawasaki told him to begin preparations.
The tide of the war in the Land of Water was about to turn.
Onoki was a cautious man. With the Cloud Village's main force yet to arrive, he decided to observe the situation for now.
Nevertheless, the Stone Village had indeed begun preparing for war.
Onoki was also extremely curious about what had prompted the Cloud Village to attack the Mist at this particular time.
Even if the Mist Village was weakened, their Tailed Beast was not to be underestimated. The conflict could very well end in mutual destruction.
Unless, of course, there was a problem with the Mist's jinchuriki.
Pushing his doubts aside, Onoki began to closely monitor the developments on the battlefield.
On the battlefields of the Land of Water,
Yugito Nii, a woman with light brown hair tied in a long braid that reached her waist, extended sharp claws from her fingertips.
She moved with incredible agility, darting across the battlefield.
"Water Style: Water Bullet Technique!"
A Mist ninja opposite her fired a volley of water projectiles that shot toward her like bullets.
Yugito dodged most of them, but a few still found their mark.
She flipped through the air.
An even greater surge of chakra erupted from within her body!
A tail sprouted from her lower back.
Her speed increased dramatically!
With a series of flashes, she evaded the kunai thrown at her back.
"Hmph! Is that all you've got?"
Yugito scoffed, her tone relaxed.
After days of fighting, she had yet to encounter a ninja who posed a genuine threat.
The Mist ninja had been engaging in guerilla tactics, forcing the Cloud forces to spend most of their time hunting for the enemy.
Now that she had finally cornered this small Mist squad, Yugito had no intention of letting them escape.
One of the Mist ninja spoke, his voice cold and his eyes filled with hatred. "Cloud scum! Your end is near!"
"Secret Mist Jutsu!" The ninja exhaled a thick fog that blended seamlessly with the natural environment of the Land of Water, greatly amplifying the technique's power.
In an instant, the surroundings were enveloped in a dense fog, making it impossible to see anything clearly.
The three Mist ninja vanished within the mist.
"Yugito's too fast. At this rate, none of us will escape."
"We can't hold Deer Sound Island. We have to retreat."
"I'm not leaving!"
A chunin named Kasasaki roared, his eyes bloodshot.
"My father was killed on the battlefield three days ago."
"The Mizukage was finally starting to reform our village, and our lives were about to get better, but my father didn't live to see it."
Veins bulged in Kasasaki's eyes. "Captain, Daiji, you two go on ahead!"
His captain, Junpei, was furious.
"Nonsense! Have faith in the Mizukage! The Mist Village will win this war!"
Just as Kasasaki and his captain were arguing,
Boom!
A mouse-shaped fireball suddenly appeared in the dense fog.
It exploded in mid-air, shattering into countless fragments of blue flame.
The fragments automatically changed direction, instantly locking onto Junpei's squad.
Junpei formed a series of hand seals.
Water Style: Water Formation Wall!
A massive wall of water erupted from the ground, blocking the incoming blue fireballs.
"Retreat, now!" Junpei bellowed.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Yugito appeared right behind the fireballs.
Bypassing the water wall before him, Yugito swung her claws.
Daiji rushed to provide support, meeting Yugito's attack with his sword, but the weapon was sent flying from the impact.
Yugito swiped her claws across his neck, and Daiji collapsed, clutching his throat.
"Daiji!" Junpei roared.
He swung his sword viciously at Yugito, but she parried the blow with her own claws.
Seeing an opportunity, Kasasaki charged forward, sword in hand.
Yugito smirked with contempt.
She leaped into the air, twisting her body.
Several claws extended from her feet as she kicked out at Kasasaki, the sharp talons tearing several gashes across his body.
Kasasaki cried out in pain as he slid to the ground.
"Kasasaki!"
Junpei's shout was filled with anguish. He aimed a powerful kick at Yugito's legs.
Still in the air, Yugito deftly brought her arms down, blocking his attack.
She then took the opportunity to leave several cuts on his leg.
Junpei cried out in pain and staggered backward.
Just as Yugito was about to press her attack, her leg suddenly felt heavy.
Kasasaki, not yet dead, had grabbed onto her thigh. The crackling sound of lit explosive tags filled the air.
"Die, Cloud scum!"
BOOM!
The explosion was deafening.
Smoke filled the air as Junpei was thrown back two meters by the blast.
"Kasasaki!"
Junpei gritted his teeth. How could he be so reckless? Their opponent was a jinchuriki; a few explosive tags would never be enough to harm her.
As expected, the smoke on the other side quickly dissipated, revealing Yugito enveloped in the blue chakra of the cat demon, her hair standing on end and fanned out.
Her eyes had turned completely white. The wounds on her body were minor and already healing rapidly.
Kasasaki's body, however, had been torn to shreds by the explosion.
In her partial Tailed Beast state, Yugito's speed was terrifying.
She pushed off the ground, and a tremendous roar followed her movement.
Junpei barely had time to raise his sword before his head was sent flying into the air.
Blood sprayed from his neck.
After dealing with Junpei, Yugito reverted to her normal form.
Looking at the bloodstains covering her body, she wrinkled her nose in disgust.
...
Not far from the Land of Water, a hydrofoil cut through the sea at high speed, leaving a massive wake behind it.
In the distance, the landmass of the Land of Water was faintly visible. The vessel began to slow down.
Hibaku straightened his posture, a hint of fatigue visible despite his powerful physique.
"We're getting close. You two take over. I need to rest for a bit."
Ao rose to his feet and replied respectfully, "As you command, Lord Hibaku. Please, get some rest."
Chojuro also moved to the rear of the cabin, preparing to use his Water Style jutsu.
Hibaku's display of power over the past two days had earned him their complete and utter respect.
His chakra was as deep as the ocean, and his stamina seemed boundless.
With only a five-hour break, he had brought them to the Land of Water in less than three days.
If it had been just Ao and Chojuro, the round trip would have taken at least seven days.
The two held Hibaku in awe, especially since he was a rogue ninja from the Mist Village.
No, that wasn't right. He was a senior with immense power who had left the village to travel the world.
Hibaku took off his conical hat and placed it over his face, beginning his rest.
Kawasaki felt a bit tired after piloting the hydrofoil for two days.
It had been fun for a short while, but it quickly became an ordeal.
If he weren't from the Uzumaki clan, blessed with vast chakra reserves, he would have been exhausted long ago.
A short nap of a few hours was enough to restore his energy.
When Kawasaki opened his eyes, he squinted at the massive island of the Land of Water, now close at hand.
They were about to make landfall.
Without getting up, Kawasaki placed the hand wearing his ring on his hat and attempted to contact Nagato.
As their thought waves connected, Kawasaki performed a jutsu, and his consciousness traveled to Nagato in his hidden cave.
There, only Nagato, who controlled the Paths of Pain, was waiting.
"Nagato, I've arrived in the Land of Water."
Kawasaki's appearance as Hibaku was quite convincing.
"Konan and I still need another fifteen days to get there. I'm counting on you for the initial phase."
Kawasaki, as Hibaku, nodded. "No problem. The Cloud must be weakened. I'll have my team start moving first."
"When should we tell Tobi that the Three-Tails is dead?"
If Tobi knew the Three-Tails was gone, he might lose interest in this war.
Kawasaki pondered for a moment. "Let's wait until the Akatsuki has suffered some losses."
Nagato agreed.
"Also, you'll need to use your Magic Lantern Body Technique to stay in contact with the other members."
Nagato's ring and the technique could receive and amplify the members' thought waves, projecting their images.
However, it couldn't be used for direct conversation like a telephone, as all information had to pass through Nagato.
This was why the original Akatsuki rarely gathered in person for many years.
Nagato thought for a moment. "You can still use the Magic Lantern Body Technique. You don't need my amplification to contact other ring bearers, you just won't be able to form an image."
Kawasaki clapped his hands. "That makes things much more convenient."
With this ability, Kawasaki could contact the other members much more quickly.
Of course, a group battle was out of the question. Contacting them was really about assigning them tasks.
"I'm currently disguised as an old man from the Mist. If Zetsu notices anything strange, just tell him I'm a rogue ninja from the Mist. That should make things more confusing for him," Kawasaki added.
Nagato understood this was a security measure and nodded in agreement.
As Nagato's ally, Kawasaki began to offer his own suggestions. "I have a few objections to the way you control the Six Paths."
Nagato controlled the Six Paths based on his own understanding.
Since he rarely deployed all six at once, he wondered if his last battle with Kawasaki had inspired these suggestions.
"For example?"
Kawasaki thought for a moment. "Why don't you have the Paths wear goggles? All six have the Rinnegan. It's an obvious tell that they share the same vision."
"You're basically handing your enemy intelligence on a platter. Anyone with half a brain can figure it out."
"Why isn't the Animal Path always hidden? It shouldn't be on the front lines until it has exhausted all its summons."
"Why doesn't the Asura Path provide continuous long-range support? If it maintains a constant threat from a distance, the enemy can't focus on the threats right in front of them."
"Sending the Asura Path to the front lines only to be instantly destroyed is a waste, isn't it?"
"The Naraka Path should be hidden somewhere the enemy can't find it, or have the chameleon summon hold it in its mouth to keep it concealed."
"Damaged Paths can be secretly retrieved and revived in the rear."
"Only the Preta Path and the Deva Path are suited for front-line combat."
"By only controlling those two, your movements will be much more precise."
Kawasaki rattled off his points in one breath, listing all the things that had puzzled him in his past life.
They had a perfectly balanced team with a tank, damage dealers, and a healer.
So why was their coordination so terrible, to the point where they couldn't even perform their basic roles?
He later concluded that it was likely due to a lack of experience, as all six Paths rarely fought together.
As a result, the other Paths always seemed to be feeding the enemy kills.
For the first time, Nagato felt the benefit of having an ally who could so clearly point out the numerous flaws in his use of the Six Paths.
Nagato operated the Six Paths based entirely on his own understanding. With only Konan by his side, it was inevitable that he would overlook certain things.
The details Kawasaki mentioned could quickly increase his combat effectiveness.
Although the Deva Path was currently active and usually overwhelmed its opponents without needing all six Paths, Nagato had to admit that Kawasaki's words made sense.
Nagato was also quite curious as to how Kawasaki had managed to grasp his habits so thoroughly after just one battle.
Kawasaki thought for a moment. "Your current mission is likely to be very dangerous. You're controlling the Deva Path from too close a range."
"Tobi could find you easily. I have a plan that can keep you much safer."
Nagato was moved. When he operated as the Deva Path for recruitment or other missions, he was usually facing only a few people.
A control range of several dozen kilometers was sufficient. But on a crowded battlefield, with Tobi now an added danger, it was a different story.
If he could extend the remote control range of the Six Paths, it would significantly increase the safety of his real body.
"What is it?"
Kawasaki rubbed his chin and muttered, "Your method of controlling the Six Paths is analogous to Wi-Fi. In theory, this should work."
"There's a device called a repeater…"
Kawasaki briefly explained the function of a repeater and how the concept could be applied.
"You could try applying this method to controlling the Six Paths."
Nagato thought for a moment. "The black rods on the Paths do indeed have the ability to receive and transmit signals. It's theoretically possible, but it would require testing."
"However, that would significantly reduce the number of combat units."
Kawasaki stroked his chin. "Is it possible that you only need the Deva Path…"
Nagato was taken aback. "The Cloud has the Raikage and two jinchuriki. How could the Deva Path alone be enough?"
Kawasaki waved his hand. "Nagato, you're overthinking it. You don't need to fight them head-on. Your main objective is to eliminate the Cloud's new generation of ninja."
"Fighting those three would be time-consuming, exhausting, and ultimately fruitless."
"Besides…"
Kawasaki paused slightly.
"It would be detrimental to your health."
Kawasaki then explained his plan to Nagato in detail. Nagato finally understood that he didn't need to worry about every enemy, only the ones he needed to face directly.
After their discussion, Nagato said with emotion, "Kawasaki, it's truly great to have you."
Kawasaki shook his head. "My ideas aren't necessarily all correct. Just think of them as suggestions. You'll need to adjust based on the actual situation."
...
Kawasaki and Nagato then briefly discussed the finer details.
It was only then that Kawasaki learned that Konan had flown with Nagato's real body all the way from the Land of Rain.
If there was truly such a thing as the purest form of love in the world, it was likely the bond between Konan and Nagato.
On another note, regarding the Rain Village, judging by Zetsu and Tobi's attitudes, it seemed they would turn on each other soon. At this point, no one could predict the outcome if the conflict spread to the Rain Village.
And within the Rain Village lived a group of villagers who deeply believed in Konan and Nagato.
Konan didn't want these innocent people to die for nothing.
Therefore, after receiving funding from Kawasaki, she had given a portion of the money to the villagers, urging them to leave the Land of Rain and settle in other countries.
Aside from a few who remained, most of the villagers had gradually disappeared.
"Konan has changed a lot," Kawasaki remarked, seeming to know her well.
Nagato nodded. "She really has changed since she met you. In the past, she wouldn't have done these unnecessary things."
"But this is her true self, isn't it?" Kawasaki smiled.
Nagato's Rinnegan flickered slightly.
"Yes. Konan was always meant to be gentle and kind."
"Alright."
Kawasaki's words brought Nagato's wandering thoughts back to the present.
"Let's focus on the task at hand. We'll deal with the rest later."
"Very well. I'll summon the others now."
Nagato's expression shifted, and he once again became Pain, the self-proclaimed god.
Pain's telepathic call spread out, and soon, the other members, clad in their signature black cloaks with red clouds, began to appear in the dim cave.
"Oh, what have we here? A new member?"
Kakuzu snorted, his tone unreadable, a mix of good and ill intent.
Fully in character, Kawasaki was now "Hibaku."
He ignored Kakuzu's jibe and waited for the others to arrive.
Before long, everyone except Konan was present.
Pain made the announcement. "This is our new official member, Hibaku. He will also be in charge of the initial phase of this mission."
"I will arrive on the battlefield in approximately fifteen days."
With that, he looked to Hibaku, who understood his cue.
"For this operation, I will only be handling the planning. Everyone will have a high degree of freedom. There are no mandatory requirements."
"As long as your plan doesn't interfere with my art, I'll follow your lead. Hmm!"
Deidara was the first to respond.
"I look forward to seeing what brilliant plan you come up with," Kakuzu said, sounding somewhat distracted.
Seeing that no one else was speaking, Hibaku took the floor.
"Currently, the Fourth Raikage, A, has yet to make an appearance. It's unclear if he remains in the Land of Lightning or has already set sail."
"Our primary opponents are the Cloud's three advance forces."
"How long until each of you can reach the battlefield?"
Deidara raised his hand. "Sasori and I will be there in three days! Hmm!"
Kakuzu said in a gravelly voice, "It'll take me about eight more days."
Juzo Biwa flashed his sharp teeth. "I'll be there in about nine days."
Zetsu chuckled. "I'm already here."
Deidara could create giant clay birds to fly, so he was the fastest. Sasori, traveling with him, would likely arrive at the same time.
"Once Deidara and Sasori arrive, you will continuously harass and assassinate the Cloud's advance forces. As long as you avoid the two jinchuriki, the Cloud shouldn't be able to do anything to you."
"Your mission is to slow the Cloud's offensive and force the battlefield into a stalemate."
"Fine by me. Hmm."