"This isn't negotiation—you're just turning Amegakure into Konoha's puppet!"
Inside the negotiation tent, Yahiko flung the treaty into the air, the papers fluttering down like dead leaves.
Danzo Shimura didn't even blink. He looked at Yahiko with that same cold, unreadable stare and spoke in a slow, measured tone.
"So, Leader Yahiko, you refuse these terms?"
"Absolutely not!"
Yahiko's answer was firm, each word sharp as a blade.
Behind him, Nagato stood silent, determination etched on his face. Kijima looked like he wanted to speak, but the words died in his throat.
"If that's your decision, there's nothing left to discuss. The war begins now."
Danzo tossed out the words as if he were ordering tea, turned, and strode away without a backward glance.
"Let's go! Back to base—we prepare for battle," Yahiko growled, jaw clenched.
He pushed aside the tent flap, Nagato and Kijima right behind him—and froze.
The ground outside was a massacre. The twenty ANBU jōnin he'd brought as bodyguards lay sprawled in pools of blood, their bodies twisted and lifeless. At the center, a tall, powerful ninja flicked blood from his blade. Up on the ridge, the valley was crawling with Konoha shinobi.
"Sakumo Hatake!"
Of course Yahiko recognized the legendary White Fang of Konoha. In a split second, he understood what this "negotiation" had really been about.
There was never going to be any negotiation—only execution.
Without its leader, Akatsuki would be thrown into chaos. Aotu Tailuo might have the brains, but he didn't have the authority to hold the group together. With overwhelming numbers and a headless enemy, Konoha could seize Amegakure with barely any effort.
"Despicable!"
Nagato's fists trembled with rage. Kijima collapsed to the ground, shaking like a leaf.
"Stop struggling. I'll make your deaths quick," Sakumo Hatake said, his voice icy.
Deep down, Sakumo felt a flicker of hesitation about this assassination mission—but he knew the truth. As long as Yahiko lived, Akatsuki's resistance would only grow fiercer, and Konoha would lose more shinobi. Besides, this was a direct order from Hiruzen Sarutobi himself. Whatever doubts he had, they were irrelevant.
Yahiko and Nagato drew their blades in unison, ready for a last stand. Kijima scrambled backward, rolling into the tent for cover.
Sakumo didn't rush in. Instead, he gave a subtle wave.
In an instant, a hailstorm of kunai and shuriken blotted out the sky, all aimed at them.
Yahiko sprang in front of Nagato, unleashing a pulse of repulsive force that sent the projectiles flying.
"Hmm. Not bad," Sakumo murmured, a hint of surprise in his eyes. He signaled again, and nearly a hundred Konoha ninja surged forward, weapons gleaming.
"Wind Release: Gale Palm!"
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
Yahiko and Nagato moved as one, hands flashing through seals, unleashing a torrent of wind and water to beat back the attackers.
...
At the same time, Danzo had already ordered a full-scale assault on Amegakure.
"Damn that old bastard! Declaring war without warning—so much for being a 'great ninja nation.' Shameless!"
In the Amekage Building's command center, Aotu Tailuo cursed under his breath, hands flying as he issued orders, rallying what little force they had left for a desperate defense.
But Konoha's advantage was overwhelming—more troops, the element of surprise, and with Yahiko absent from command, the situation was grim.
The outer defenses crumbled almost instantly. Within an hour, the fighting had spilled into the streets. The earlier wave of defeatism meant Konoha's shinobi swept through Amegakure like a storm, capturing half the village in no time.
"Damn! Yahiko is in danger!"
A flash of realization hit Aotu Tailuo. If Konoha had launched a surprise attack, what about Yahiko and Nagato at the negotiation site…?
"Daibutsu!"
he barked.
"Here!"
The burly Daibutsu rushed over, iron staff in hand, sweat streaming down his face.
"Abandon the front lines. Gather 800 shinobi and build a second defensive line at the Amekage Building. Hold for at least two hours! Can you do it?"
Daibutsu tightened his grip on the staff.
"Two hours. Not a single enemy will get past me—unless they step over my dead body!"
"Konan!"
"Here!"
"Organize the logistics and clerical staff. Move every last ryo of cash to the secret camp in the mountains. That five hundred million is our only hope for a comeback—it cannot be lost!"
The secret camp had been set up after a long talk between Yahiko and Aotu Tailuo. It was an abandoned bandit hideout, chosen as a fallback in case Konoha ever pressed them into a corner. They'd started stockpiling supplies there as soon as Konoha's army appeared, but the attack came so fast that much of their gear was left behind.
"Understood! But… what about Yahiko and Nagato?"
Konan's eyes were clouded with worry.
"Don't worry. I'll go get them myself!"
With that, Aotu Tailuo grabbed two ninja blades.
"Kazama Xu! Bring the guard unit—you're with me!"
Kazama Xu was already suited up, barking a sharp "Follow me!" as a squad of masked, red-cloud-cloaked shinobi fell in behind. Aotu Tailuo wasted no time, striding out at a run.
...
"These two kids really are something else,"
Sakumo Hatake muttered, unable to hide a trace of admiration.
Yahiko and Nagato—brothers in arms, trained by the same master—moved with flawless coordination. In moments, seven or eight Konoha shinobi had already fallen.
Sakumo still hadn't made his move. He watched, analyzing every nuance of their teamwork.
There… between each use of that bloodline power, there's about a five-second gap. That's the window.
A plan formed in his mind.
Suddenly, Sakumo dropped his center of gravity, body coiling like a drawn bow. In a blur, he shot toward them, flicking two kunai as he came.
"Clang! Clang!"
The pair deflected the kunai, weaving past each other in a tight, serpentine pattern as they charged.
Sakumo didn't slow down, didn't defend. He only accelerated, eyes locked on Yahiko.
"Konoha's White Fang—so that's all you've got?"
Yahiko sneered. As they passed, he unleashed a repulsive blast, hurling Sakumo away.
But Nagato was already waiting at the spot where Sakumo would land, blade poised to skewer him like a kebab.
Just as Sakumo sailed within two meters of the blade, his left hand flicked—and a chain snapped out, wrapping Yahiko tight in a blink.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
The story isn't over...
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