Chapter 210 : "My name is Payne."
At dawn, the first thingember did upon waking from his slumber was to find White Zetsu and ask him about Hanzo of the Salamander's current movements.
A root white zetsu emerged from underground and recounted Hanzo of the Salamander's conversation with Sunagakure verbatim. Before he could finish, a flash of black light appeared, and his right arm fell to the ground with a "thud."
"They've clearly been conspiring for a long time. Why have you never mentioned this to me?"
ember tugged at the root white zetsu's roots, a perfect yet subtly murderous smile on his face. Black Flames burned fiercely in his hand, and the sound of air bursting constantly invaded the root white zetsu's eardrums.
"That Sunagakure guy hadn't met Hanzo of the Salamander before! Old man Hanzo of the Salamander has so many letters that are coded, and he often burns and hides things. There are many documents we can't understand or see!"
The root white zetsu gesticulated wildly in his defense, watching the branch on his chest slowly roast. He suddenly felt a little curious about what it would taste like.
However, even if he really wanted to know, the root white zetsu still didn't dare to do it in front of an angry ember. Otherwise, ember would definitely be displeased and might roast him entirely.
"Useless! Why didn't Lord Madara give you brains when he created you?"
ember rolled his eyes in annoyance, raised his hand to slice off the root white zetsu's other arm, and turned to leave.
The root white zetsu silently lamented how good ember was to him now; such a mistake only resulted in an arm being cut off as compensation.
After repeatedly confirming that the little ancestor had finally left, he called other White Zetsu to help him reattach his two arms. He then broke off a thoroughly cooked branch and took a bite.
"Hiss... It has no taste."
Another White Zetsu helping him also broke off a piece, chewed it, and nodded, smacking his lips: "Indeed."
The root white zetsu pinched his chin and said, with an air of seriousness: "It seems if ember were to make soup with me, he'd need to add seasoning."
"Could it be your own problem?" The other White Zetsu looked at his pale exterior. "What if I taste better?"
...ember returned to the base and met with Nagato, asking him if he had become familiar with the abilities of the Rinnegan.
Nagato had just finished redressing and bandaging his legs. At ember's words, his hands paused: "Almost... What is it, ember? Did something happen again in Amegakure?"
"According to intelligence from 'Eternal Day,' Hanzo of the Salamander will receive support from Sunagakure in as little as two days. At that time, Akatsuki's situation will become even more critical ~"
"What? He can still get support from Sunagakure?"
Nagato quickly called Konan to discuss, and the two unanimously decided to act once night fell.
There were still about nine hours until dark, enough time for Nagato to prepare Yahiko's body as the Deva Path, allowing the latter to participate in this battle and personally avenge himself.
However, during the battle, Nagato had to be extremely careful not to let Yahiko suffer any damage.
To be safe, he also collected several corpses to temporarily serve as the Naraka Path, Human Path, Asura Path, Preta Path, and Animal Path. He would make do with them for now and find more suitable ones after tonight.
Konan, meanwhile, gathered personnel at the base, announced the battle plan, and sent Akatsuki Organization members to prepare for battle.
Although the Six Paths of Pain would be enough to eliminate Hanzo of the Salamander and all the Amegakure Anbu, if he forbade his comrades from fighting in the name of protection, they would likely feel even more Pain... After explaining the situation, ember chose to observe coldly, with no intention of participating in the battle.
He was here to guide Nagato onto the path of collecting Tailed Beasts, not to be a babysitter. Moreover, Akatsuki did not serve under him, and taking on too much responsibility would be inconsistent with his usual personality.
Time flew by.
Outside, it was already late and quiet, but inside the Akatsuki Organization base, lights were ablaze. All members were fully armed and ready to depart. When the Deva Path, controlled by Nagato, walked into their sight, everyone's morale soared even higher.
"Leader, you're awake!"
"It's so good that you're alright, Boss Yahiko!"
"Brother! Let's go avenge you now!"
Amidst the shouts rising and falling, even though a few core members like Kyusuke and Daibutsu had been informed of the truth beforehand, looking at that face, they couldn't help but tear up, momentarily thinking Yahiko had truly woken up.
The Deva Path nodded and said, "Alright, let's go."
Seeing that "Yahiko" was not as gentle and enthusiastic as before, most people simply assumed that the leader's personality had changed after such a great calamity and didn't think too deeply. They roared as they followed him, breaking through the encirclement and storming into Hidden Rain Village.
With the Six Paths of Pain leading the way, the Akatsuki Organization easily fought their way to Hanzo of the Salamander's residence.
The Amegakure Anbu stationed there were scattered before they could organize an effective counterattack. They were either directly crushed by the Deva Path on the spot or later finished off by Akatsuki Organization members.
As for Hanzo of the Salamander, the esteemed "Half-God of the Ninja World," he was no match for the Deva Path.
His proud Fire Release, Water Release, and poison gas were exceptionally powerless against the Preta Path, which possessed the ability to absorb Ninjutsu, rendering them completely ineffective.
Finally, he could only be violently repelled by the Shinra Tensei unleashed by the Deva Path, crashing through several walls before barely stopping his momentum, slumping to the ground and spitting blood.
"Who are you? To be able to push this old man to such an extent..."
Nagato, seeing his enemy through the Deva Path's eyes, did not rush to kill him. Instead, he looked down at his confused vanquished foe, his tone icy: "Do you not recognize this face?"
Only then did Hanzo of the Salamander scrutinize the Deva Path. If the black receivers and Rinnegan were removed, this was clearly the leader of Akatsuki who had been forced to commit suicide.
"You, you're Yahiko of Akatsuki?! Aren't you dead? What's going on?!"
Nagato bothered not to answer the question, coldly informing him why he was destined to die today.
"Hanzo of the Salamander, Akatsuki trusted you completely and was defenseless, yet you conspired with Konoha and betrayed us."
The Deva Path took two steps forward, and Hanzo of the Salamander immediately struggled back in terror, perhaps intending to stand and resist, or perhaps to escape quickly.
Witnessing this display, Nagato only felt the world was utterly absurd.
Such a foolish, short-sighted, and faded weakling could actually scheme to kill Yahiko. If ember hadn't arrived in time, everything would have become irreversible.
"How pathetic. Once you were the hero of the Land of Rain, yet now, only seeking self-preservation, you are merely a waste."
Hanzo of the Salamander had no mind to discern what he was saying. His gravely injured body twisted continuously, still shouting in disbelief.
"Impossible! You're not Yahiko of Akatsuki! Who exactly are you?! How can you possess such strength?!"
The Deva Path's pale purple Rinnegan glowed faintly, and behind him, five pairs of identical eyes emerged from the darkness, their gaze equally cold and cruel.
"My name is Pain."
"I am the..."
"God... who will bring Pain to the entire world."
With the last word, Hanzo of the Salamander's corpse also fell to the ground, the sound of his body colliding with the earth echoing through the ruins, marking the somewhat hasty end of the Amegakure leader's life.