At this very moment—
On Konoha's east, west, and north sides—where the Three-Tails, Five-Tails, and Eight-Tails were kept—several men had appeared at some point. They all wore straw hats and black cloaks patterned with red clouds.
Hidan and Kakuzu were assigned to the Three-Tails.
Jūzō Biwa and Uchiha Itachi were assigned to the Five-Tails.
Kisame Hoshigaki, Deidara, and Sasori were assigned to the Eight-Tails.
Perhaps out of fear of alerting Konoha too soon, Hidan, Kakuzu, Jūzō, and the rest didn't reveal even the slightest trace of their presence. They were as quiet and unremarkable as ordinary people.
"This is the Three-Tails?"
"It's just lying there… it's not even trying to run?"
On Konoha's eastern side, Hidan and Kakuzu hid behind a large tree, staring at the Three-Tails sleeping in an artificial lake. They exchanged a look—both of them seeing the same astonishment in the other's eyes.
Since when were tailed beasts this obedient?
It was absurd.
Meanwhile, on Konoha's western side…
"Itachi," Jūzō said with a crooked grin as he sensed the Five-Tails resting with its eyes shut, unmoving. "We'll be relying on your Mangekyō Sharingan in a moment…"
"Fine."
Itachi gave a cold, indifferent nod.
Two years.
After two years, he had returned to Konoha again, and his emotions were tangled beyond words.
Especially when he saw how the Uchiha clan was flourishing more and more—and how Uchiha Sasuke seemed as if he had already forgotten him—
Itachi felt so bitter he almost wanted to cry.
Did he regret it?
Of course he did.
He regretted it deeply.
But the road had been his choice. So what else was there?
Even if it cost him dearly, he could only swallow it and keep it buried in his heart.
As for the Will of Fire—
After the Third Hokage—Hiruzen Sarutobi—was killed, it was nothing but a cruel joke.
And on Konoha's northern side—
The Eight-Tails had shrunk down to a much smaller form. Compared to the others, it looked far more carefree. It lay sprawled on the ground reading Icha Icha Paradise in one hand, snacking happily with the other.
After Killer B died, the Eight-Tails had been sad for a long time.
But… after enduring Konoha's "sugar-coated treatment"—and, more importantly, after enduring Uchiha Ren's fists—it finally "surrendered."
There was no helping it.
What tailed beast could withstand that kind of test?
So in recent days, the Eight-Tails had begun enjoying a comfortable retirement.
"This Eight-Tails really knows how to live," Sasori remarked in surprise from a hiding place not far away as he watched it munching contentedly.
"Who cares," Kisame grinned, sharp teeth showing. "That chakra… it's making Samehada so hungry it can't stand it."
"Art is an explosion!" Deidara curled his lips, excitement creeping into his voice. "In a moment, I'll give the Eight-Tails a nice explosive gift!"
"Deidara," Sasori snapped, voice hoarse and cold, "art is eternal beauty. It isn't 'explosion.'"
"What did you say?!"
"Enough," Kisame said, rubbing his forehead as the two started up again. He hurriedly cut them off, lowering his voice. "We're on a mission. If you want to argue, do it after we get back."
At that, Sasori and Deidara both snorted, each turning away with a frosty expression, and neither spoke again.
They could debate "art" later.
Right now, finishing the leader's task came first.
At the same time—high above Konoha, a red-haired man with Rinnegan eyes hovered in midair, having appeared without warning.
Without question, it was Deva Path—Pain.
"Konoha…"
Looking down at the prosperous, thriving village below, Deva Path's face showed a rare flicker of pain.
It was impossible not to be moved by the sight.
The moment he saw Konoha, Nagato thought of his parents who had died in war… of his friend Yahiko who had died… and of the countless civilians in the Hidden Rain who had perished.
"Yahiko…"
A few seconds later, Deva Path murmured in torment, "You tried to change the world—tried to build a bridge to peace through communication between people…"
"It doesn't work."
"I will make the shinobi world give birth to peace… through pain."
Humm—
As those words fell, a terrifying surge of ocular power spread without concealment, covering all of Konoha.
Under that pressure, it felt as if time itself stalled.
Many civilians only felt it become slightly harder to breathe.
But Konoha's shinobi instantly sensed something was wrong.
"There's someone in the sky?!"
"Wh-What is he trying to do?!"
"That chakra… that power… it's terrifying!"
In an instant, countless Konoha shinobi looked up at Deva Path with horror on their faces.
And people like Kakashi, Uchiha Fugaku, Hyūga Hiashi, Might Guy, and even Jiraiya—who had not yet left Konoha—moved at once, their expressions tightening.
But Deva Path didn't give them time to react.
He slowly raised his right hand.
He intended to destroy Konoha in one stroke—and create chaos on an unprecedented scale. Only then would Akatsuki's members be able to act and seize the Three-Tails, Five-Tails, and Eight-Tails.
"Konoha… feel the pain."
"Shinra Tensei!"
The Rinnegan's power erupted.
The air itself detonated. A violent, invisible shockwave of repulsive force surged outward—an enormous wave of destruction sweeping down toward the village, as if to erase Konoha completely.
"It's over…"
Sensing that repulsive force crashing down like death itself, countless Konoha shinobi turned pale with despair.
Perhaps they simply couldn't believe it—that someone would dare attack Konoha while the "God of the Shinobi World" sat within it.
And yet—
At the critical instant, all of them witnessed a scene they would never forget for the rest of their lives.
A shout rang out.
A man wearing the Hokage cloak appeared in the sky above Konoha at blinding speed—and swung his fist.
◇ 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