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"Boring little tricks."
Uchiha Itachi calmly turned around, addressing an empty corner.
Exposed? When?
It was understandable that the Byakugan had been present earlier, but since when did the Sharingan possess such insight?
"No response? It doesn't matter.
Amaterasu!"
As tears of blood streamed down his face, black flames erupted violently in the seemingly empty space. Though their power wasn't overwhelming, they carried an ominous aura.
Nagato Uzumaki's expression darkened. From being discovered to being instantly defeated, everything had happened too quickly—too fast for him to react.
"Target captured," Itachi muttered quietly.
Far outside the barrier, in the command center of Konoha's forces, Yamanaka Inoichi, wearing a peculiar device, spoke up.
"Itachi, good work. Reinforcements will arrive shortly. Ensure the target isn't taken away."
"Mm."
Itachi responded silently and resumed his post.
While it was true that the Sharingan couldn't match the Byakugan in terms of raw perception, Itachi had never fought alone. Behind him stood the elite shinobi forces of Konoha.
From the very beginning of the battle, Konoha's sensory division had been meticulously scanning the situation in Amegakure.
Finding a single gold nugget amidst countless grains of sand was difficult, but when that nugget was placed right in front of you on a table, it became glaringly obvious.
Nagato's decision to evacuate the villagers of Amegakure had been a grave miscalculation.
The focus of this battle wasn't annihilation—it was capture. Every target was under Kakashi's close watch to ensure none escaped, lest they betray Ye Wen's trust. Thus, the frontal assault led by Kakashi and his team was merely a diversion, while the real force lay in Konoha's rear search-and-capture operations.
Inoichi's communication device soon connected to another Konoha jonin, Aburame Shibi.
"Target captured, but enemy reinforcements are approaching. Requesting backup!"
"Hold on, Aburame Shibi. Reinforcements will arrive in approximately one minute."
"Understood."
The failure at Hidan's location left Nagato feeling increasingly uneasy.
At this moment, only one thought occupied Nagato's mind: Akatsuki could lose everything, but Konan must not fall. She was his final connection to the past.
The Aburame clan, though not particularly renowned, was undeniably one of the top-tier secret technique families in the ninja world.
"Ninja Art: Insect Sphere!"
Individually, each of Shibi's kikaichū insects was no larger than an ant. But as the saying goes, "Many small things can create something great." When thousands of these insects gathered into a dense sphere, their combined power was terrifying.
Watching Konan, her chakra depleted and bound helplessly in the muddy ground, Nagato, controlling the Human Path from behind, nearly lost his composure. This scene painfully reminded him of that fateful day long ago.
"Don't get in my way!"
The sutures on the Human Path's body suddenly burst open, unleashing a torrent of black tentacles that collided fiercely with the sphere of kikaichū.
Though many believed insects were soulless creatures, before the Human Path's ability to directly attack souls, these insects perished instantly.
Despite their low profile and seemingly unremarkable presence, members of the Aburame clan were often hidden chatterboxes. Ignored by others, they frequently talked to their kikaichū, treating them as companions.
Konan's primary offensive capability came from explosive tags, and thanks to their small size, the kikaichū hadn't suffered significant losses during the earlier explosions.
However, the Human Path's attack wiped out a large portion of Shibi's kikaichū—more than what had been lost during the fight with Konan.
"Damn bastard!"
Enraged, Shibi prepared to unleash his full power.
"Calm down, Shibi. This enemy's physical attacks can directly harm the soul. Avoid close combat. Retreat with the target. Reinforcements will arrive shortly."
True to his reputation as one of the top elite jonin, Shibi quickly suppressed his anger and followed the instructions.
But he couldn't allow his precious kikaichū to be further depleted.
Immediately, Shibi performed the Shadow Clone Technique, using long-range ninjutsu to stall the enemy.
Watching Shibi attempt to take away his close companion (not really), Nagato, controlling the Human Path from behind, was filled with rage. This scene was far too reminiscent of the day he awakened.
"Don't you dare run, you damn bastard! Leave Konan here!"
The Human Path's eyes widened, its grotesque, sutured body trembling violently.
Though the Six Paths of Pain couldn't increase their numbers through Shadow Clones, the specially modified Human Path created from Kakuzu's corpse was unique.
Instead of killing Kakuzu by removing his hearts, Nagato had used the Human Path's soul-extraction ability to strip Kakuzu's soul, achieving a spiritual death while perfectly preserving his body.
Four mask-wearing monstrosities with eerie black tentacles abruptly formed. With four of the Six Paths destroyed, these four temporarily replaced them. Though they didn't inherit other abilities, they could be considered a "Youth Edition Plus" version of the Six Paths.
If there had been more time, the already-dead Human Path could have added another mask, forming a "Professional Enhanced Version" using a fifth heart.
But for now, this would suffice—
The four mask-wearing monsters inherited the Human Path's soul-damaging ability, and for a time, even Shibi struggled to hold back their assault.
The Human Path's ability was already monstrous; now, with five against one, even an elite jonin like Shibi found himself hard-pressed.
"Damn monsters. Even just carrying a fraction of their abilities is this troublesome. How much more formidable must their main body be?"
As a shinobi, Shibi couldn't complain about the fairness of the mission. He had known the difficulty of this task beforehand. Now, all he could do was give his all to ensure its success.
"Sorry, little ones."
Thirty seconds remained. Shibi spotted the approaching Konoha reinforcements. Having come this far, how could someone with the title of "Perfect Shinobi" possibly give up?
"Damn it, why is this guy so persistent?!"
Nagato had also noticed the reinforcements. His attacks grew increasingly frantic, disregarding the damage to the Human Path's body.
A puppet could always be replaced, but he had only one childhood friend left.
With relentless aggression and monstrous abilities, Nagato finally reached Konan.
"Thank goodness, I've finally made it in time." A relieved smile appeared on Nagato's lips.
*Boom~*
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