Pain narrowed his eyes at Sakiya, skepticism clear on his face.
"What did you just do!?"
Sakiya smirked, hands on her hips.
"Hah! That was the incredible power of my Eye of Death. Want to see more? My supreme, unrivaled Eye of Death!"
Pain's gaze flickered to her blindfolded left eye.
"So, the Eye of Death… is under that blindfold?"
Sakiya gasped in mock surprise.
"Oh! You figured it out so quickly!"
Pain remained silent, barely resisting the urge to sigh.
It's not hard to guess when you're literally wearing a blindfold over one eye. Is it special in some way? Does she have a third eye hidden somewhere too?
Still, despite her over-the-top theatrics, Pain had to admit—this girl was strong. Unpredictable. Even at full power, she'd be a problem.
Sakiya grinned.
"Since you guessed it, I'll reward you with a glimpse of my Eye of Death!"
She lifted a dramatic finger.
"You must know—within this eye lies unimaginable power! A single glance can end the world! That's why I keep it sealed… If even a sliver of its energy escapes, the entire planet could be doomed!"
Pain's expression remained neutral, but internally, he was cringing.
Then don't show it.
And why would you be responsible for protecting the world? That's literally my job.
Sakiya, ignoring his lack of reaction, took a deep breath.
"First, I must unlock the seal!"
The moment she said this, a massive glowing symbol spread out beneath her feet, pulsating with swirling colors and shifting runes.
Pain's eyes widened slightly.
Was she… telling the truth?
An eye rivaling the Rinnegan? Something even beyond the Six Paths?
Even Pain—no, Nagato—had yet to fully grasp the depths of his own power. Could she really possess something of equal magnitude?
Then Sakiya began to chant.
"Hear the voice of all things! Darkness approaches, and death is the final truth! All life sings its final requiem… The Eye of Death will—"
She pulled down the blindfold—
And stopped.
"...Wait, something feels off."
A long pause.
Her left eye—just a normal black pupil—stared blankly ahead.
Pain blinked.
Sakiya furrowed her brow, thinking hard.
Then her face lit up.
"Ohhh! That was the incantation to activate the Eye of Death. Not the one to unseal it!"
Pain just stood there, completely dumbfounded.
The next moment, Sakiya pulled her blindfold back on and cleared her throat.
"The truth veiled by death and darkness! The light of pover—"
Pain stared at her, feeling more and more like an idiot.
Why was he even listening to this nonsense?
Why was he standing here, watching her chant like a street performer?
He sighed.
And without hesitation, raised a hand.
"Shinra Tensei."
Before she could finish, Sakiya was sent flying by the sudden shockwave, crashing into a pile of rubble.
Her eyes spun in circles, and her body went limp.
Pain blinked.
Was… was that it?
Had he actually just one-shot her?
Pain hesitated, staring at her unmoving form.
"Wait… did she seriously not put up any defense while chanting? No way."
Still skeptical, he decided not to get too close.
Instead, he summoned several black rods and launched them at her body.
They pierced through her, turning her into a human pincushion.
Blood pooled around her.
Pain froze.
Wait. What?
Did she… actually die?
Pain slowly walked toward her and rolled her over to inspect the body.
No breath. No movement.
She was really dead.
"...Huh?"
This wasn't how he expected the fight to go.
He had prepared to unleash his strongest techniques, thinking she would be an unpredictable nightmare to deal with.
But… he had won with a single surprise attack?
"Is this some kind of illusion?"
No… the rain from his Rain Tiger's Freedom Technique was still falling, confirming her lifeless state.
The body was real.
And judging by its form…
She wasn't any kind of ninja he'd ever encountered before.
Pain considered the possibility.
Was this girl really dead, or was she faking it to ambush him later?
If she was actually strong, why resort to a cheap trick like playing dead?
And yet…
If this was just an act, wouldn't she have attacked him already?
The more he thought about it, the more it didn't make sense.
He exhaled sharply.
"Forget it. If she's not stopping me, I'll continue searching for Konoha's forces."
He said it aloud, half expecting a reaction.
None came.
Without hesitation, he turned and took off into the sky.
---
A little earlier.
Deep underground, Danzo hid in a tunnel with his Root operatives.
The team Tsunade had sent earlier? That was just one of his clones.
Meanwhile, his real men were here, safely out of sight.
Danzo had planned this carefully.
If the battle outside went well, he'd stay put.
If it didn't, he'd wait until both sides were weakened, then swoop in to claim victory.
A perfect plan.
Or so he thought.
Because at that moment—
"Shinra Tensei!"
BOOM.
The tunnel exploded.
Root ninjas were flung into the air like ragdolls.
From the smoke and debris, Pain descended into the darkness.
Danzo's eyes widened.
"Him?! How did he find us?!"
---
The answer?
Sakiya.
She had tricked him.
By using a holographic projection, she made a damaged corpse resemble her own broken body.
The corpse was much smaller than her actual form, but with careful manipulation, she masked that difference.
The black rods piercing the corpse? Just for realistic detail.
Even the rain from Pain's perception technique had been manipulated, ensuring it passed through the illusion without suspicion.
Once Pain believed the deception, she subtly altered his vision with another illusion—
Leading him directly to Danzo's underground hideout.
This had been her plan all along.
If Pain was coming to destroy Konoha, why waste the opportunity?
Might as well redirect his wrath toward Konoha's most corrupt leaders.
And Danzo was first on the list.
---
Pain's eyes locked onto Danzo.
His voice was icy cold.
"The leader of Konoha's secret forces… Shimura Danzo."
He paused.
"If I kill you, Konoha loses a key figure. That would cause… considerable suffering."
Pain had done his research.
Danzo was a critical player in Konoha's power structure.
And right now, he was cornered.
Danzo's face darkened.
He gritted his teeth.
"So… you've come to kill me?"
________
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