Inside the Land of Earth temple, Zaraki Kita found nothing. At least in the Land of Water temple, some traces of history remained. Here, except for the faint chakra reactors that were slowly fading with time, there was nothing.
The Twin Rising Thunder Dragons erupted from underground. The lightning armor covering Kita's entire body shattered the collapsing temple stones before they could land. Kita moved against the current of destruction, and when the tremors subsided, she stood atop the ruins. Unlike the Land of Water, where the Mist Ninja had been withdrawn, many of the Rock Ninja guarding this temple had survived.
A dozen or so of them stood in formation, eyes wide with panic and confusion. Fear was etched into their faces, enough to make one sigh.
But a ninja is a ninja. Even when outmatched, they fight when they must.
Kita's thoughts were elsewhere. Gripping her sword, she struck swiftly. In the aftermath of the Twin Rising Thunder Dragons, the survivors fell. Honestly, if they hadn't attacked or tested her strength, Kita wouldn't have minded sparing them. Her mission was to destroy the Kaguya temple, not to kill. The choice to act at midnight was to avoid tourists. When forced to choose between the lives of many monks and a few civilians, she opted for the former. Therefore, the injured Rock Ninja who had retreated, recognizing their inferiority, were left alive—Kita had no intention of pursuing them.
Ah, if I don't chase them, someone might hunt me later.
Well… next time, maybe a mask would be wise. The next target: the Land of Fire temple. Truly troublesome. She had promised not to harm Konoha ninjas—did she have to single them out one by one first?
A surge of blood hit her stomach and chest. Before she could swallow, the crimson erupted violently. Dizziness swept her mind. She quickly swallowed three dark-green pills. Seconds later, her bent-over body straightened, the dizziness easing. A small stream of water appeared in her palm, washing away the blood spilled on the ground. Mud remained, but the worst was cleared.
First time spitting blood…
Kita thought, and the next moment she leapt onto her large bird. In the ruins, she disappeared without a trace.
…
The destruction of the Land of Earth temple spread worldwide with astonishing speed. Rumors claimed the perpetrator was an extreme religious fanatic. Panic spread quickly. When Akatsuki received the report, Hidan raised his hands in mock surrender, proving his innocence.
"Boss, it wasn't me! We aren't at odds! You have to believe me!"
No one doubted him. Hidan's intelligence and abilities were nowhere near enough to silently destroy a temple.
But…
Others might suspect him!
Too many knew Akatsuki was a religious fanatic, largely because of Hidan's zealous preaching on missions.
Rumors escalated, making Akatsuki a notorious symbol overnight.
Hidan didn't mind taking the blame, but behind-the-scenes scheming angered him. He wanted to crush the perpetrator, then tear them to pieces.
Deidara shared that desire. He threw himself into gathering information, returning to the Land of Earth and the Rock Village to question survivors. His methods were somewhat rough, but effective.
"I went to check, Boss. That person only destroyed buildings. There were more survivors this time. From those who confronted them, they're apparently very skilled with blades."
"Blade technique… lightning-style ninja…" Kakuzu murmured, squinting.
Nagato said nothing. One or two Jonin were enough to guard a temple. The opponent was far above their level; instinctive reactions alone made their true power hard to gauge. Blade skill was unconfirmed, but the lightning mastery was verified. The Land of Earth's rock was coarse and hard, harder to destroy than Land of Water soil. Using lightning to level nearly 600 square meters of temple? That strength was undeniable.
Whether or not to uncover the mastermind wasn't the question. If Nagato hesitated, they wouldn't have assembled Akatsuki so quickly and paused all other missions. Except for the missing Uchiha Obito, everyone was present.
"Still… that person is strong. Why they did this is unclear. Should we recruit them? Our group seems to be missing one member."
Zero, Ao, Gen, Shu, Bai, North, South, Three… Ten rings, but only nine people so far. A little compulsive, Itachi proposed the idea.
Nagato glanced at him and said calmly, "We're full."
Kisame looked confused. Itachi immediately blocked him before he could ask a foolish question and quickly added, "Then… should we kill them?"
Nagato nodded, approving Itachi's suggestion.
"We move to the Land of Fire temple immediately. I have a bad feeling," Nagato admitted. Konan looked slightly surprised. "It's only been three days since the Land of Earth temple was destroyed. They shouldn't strike again so soon, and their goal is still unknown."
True enough, Nagato's instincts were right. Acting too boldly might alert the enemy prematurely.
Agreed by all.
"Me and Deidara will scout first. Itachi and Kisame can disguise themselves as tourists inside the temple."
A feasible plan, but not completely safe.
Nagato shook his head. "No. We leave immediately. Konan, you come too."
Rarely did Nagato show such resolve. Konan didn't argue and left to prepare.
…
It took at least a full day and night to travel from the Rain Country to the Land of Fire temple. Without Obito's help, even with Deidara's clay birds, it would take hours. Those departing in daylight would only arrive late at night. The temple was close, just a few steps away—but Nagato's unease grew.
"Move quickly!"
His tone urgent, Nagato stepped forward—just one step away.
BOOM!!!
Lightning struck from the sky. The midnight landscape illuminated by the Twin Rising Thunder Dragons was like broad daylight.
The glorious Land of Fire temple became rubble.
Akatsuki members watched in shock as the magnificent temple collapsed just a few steps from them.
From the ruins, a figure in a black cloak and a small demon mask emerged slowly. Red clouds and black robes flickered around them, close enough to see clearly.
Kita shouldn't have honored her promise… It had wasted precious time subduing Konoha ninjas first. Had she acted immediately, she could have destroyed everything without interference.
Forced to face all of Akatsuki, Kita felt exhausted.
"Who are you? What's your purpose?"
Nagato asked, but Kita remained silent. After a long pause, his voice returned—delivering judgment.
"Never mind who you are. Attack."
At that command, Hidan hurled his blood-soaked scythe. Kakuzu followed, plunging his hands into the ground. Deidara readied a C3 Explosive Clay, but iron sand wrapped around it and was hurled toward Kita. Itachi ignited the Amaterasu flames, Kisame slashed with his great sword. Konan's paper shurikens, accelerated by Nagato's wind, streaked forward.
Truly… an inescapable assault. Had Hidan's scythe caught her attention first, Kakuzu's underground attack would trap her legs, and combined with the others, she'd have turned to ash instantly.
Akatsuki was formidable—any one member alone was powerful; nine—or eight in this case—working together, their combined assault approached near-cosmic levels. Kita knew this well and was grateful she had complete intel on all of them.
If Hidan was the only opponent, it would be a physical fight. Without access to her blood, his combat power was negligible. Hidan and Kakuzu together meant more ground attacks. Deidara's bombs were potent but vulnerable to lightning. Iron sand could protect them slightly but offered little against strong lightning. Itachi's Amaterasu was lethal if it hit, but avoidable. Kisame's blade attacks were devastating but slow. Konan's shurikens were dense and hard to dodge, turning into exploding tags if missed. And the most dangerous of all—Nagato's gravitational attacks.
Thus…
At first, Kakuzu only caught a fragment of lightning.
Not because Akatsuki's combination was weak, but because Kita knew their abilities intimately. Missing intel on even one member could have been fatal.
Evading a combined attack once didn't mean she lost her power. The temple she had destroyed was now in ruins again—ruins within ruins, a horrific sight.
The situation was dire. Kita realized she was already surrounded.
They actually dodged it… first time I've seen that.
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