At the same time, Guy's squad ran into the Gakidō (Preta Path).
Preta was a burly guy, nothing visually special—but Guy's team didn't dare underestimate him.
"Where are the Jinchūriki? Tell me, and you live," Preta intoned, menace dripping from every word.
"We'll never sell out our comrades! Konoha Senpū (Leaf Whirlwind)!"
Lee lunged in, a whipping roundhouse arcing up—only for his leg to be caught with ease. A heartbeat later, his chakra drained away; his body went limp.
"Lee!"
Guy flashed in and snap-kicked Preta's wrist right on the joint.
Preta had to let go; Guy snatched Lee back in the same motion.
Neji and Tenten moved at once—Neji launched Hakke Kūshō (Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm) while Tenten sent a lance of Kōatsu Honō (High-Pressure Flames).
Preta merely raised a hand—and both attacks were absorbed without leaving a scratch. Neji and Tenten's faces tightened in shock.
Lee popped open his "chakra battery," and strength finally bled back into his limbs.
"Everyone, watch it! He absorbs chakra!"
All of Guy's team frowned at that. Chakra absorption—annoying as ever. Not the first time they'd faced it, but it was always a pain. And this one didn't just drain chakra—he'd swallowed techniques wholesale.
"Let me!"
Tenten snapped a special shuriken straight at him.
Preta plucked it out of the air—eye and hand speed well beyond an average jonin. What surprised him was the shuriken's tacky feel… and the tiny etched formulae on its surface.
It was a Hiraishin (Flying Thunder God) marker.
Tenten instantly kuchiyose'd a mountain of explosive tags, then Hiraishin (Flying Thunder God)-warped them onto his palm and triggered the blast. "Kane-ton Ōgi: Jūman Kibaku Fuda no Jutsu (Money Release Secret: Ten-Thousand Tag Annihilation)!"
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!
A chain of detonations thundered like it might blow Konoha off the map.
When the smoke peeled away, Preta stood there nearly unharmed—only a sooty palm.
"You've gotta be kidding me. That's busted!"
Tenten couldn't help the outburst, but she understood: the enemy could eat attacks. Practically the ultimate defense—cracking it wouldn't be easy.
Elsewhere in the village—
Genma, Raidō, and Iwashi collided with the Ningendō (Human Path), while Ibiki's Interrogation Unit moved to block the rampaging summons of the Chikushōdō (Animal Path).
Fights erupted everywhere.
Other Konoha shinobi threw themselves at the summons, but many simply weren't strong enough; their impact was limited.
One notable skirmish broke out in a narrow lane, where Shino and his father, Shibi, confronted Konan.
Konan showed no fear. "Where are the Jinchūriki? Hand over the One-Tail, Three-Tails, Seven-Tails, and Nine-Tails, and we withdraw immediately."
"How condescending," Shibi smiled. "You won't get an answer—and we'll defeat you instead."
At his words, swarms of kikaichū surged toward Konan.
Her will was iron; even as a woman faced with a living cloud of insects, her expression didn't twitch. The bugs latched on and bit—Konan dissolved into paper and scattered.
Shibi's nose twitched—something off.
"Bad! Shino, scatter!"
He sprang up—only to see Shino still standing there.
Konan's paper split into several clones that rushed Shino; point-blank, they detonated, each one packing planted explosive tags—a human bomb made of paper.
"Shino!" Shibi's heart clenched. Why did the kid freeze up?
When the smoke cleared, Shino stood untouched, a sphere of insects shielding him; the explosions hadn't scratched him.
"My bugs don't fear explosive tags," Shino said, calm as ever.
He raised two sword-fingers to his temples—and his body flashed with blazing light. "Taiyōken (Solar Flare)!"
A white sun swallowed the alley; Konan's vision vanished. In the blindness, she felt insects coil tight and gnaw wildly—draining chakra and tearing at flesh.
But with a pop she became paper again, scattering—reforming at a distance.
"Nice work, Shino!" Shibi couldn't help a thumbs-up. He hadn't realized his son had grown so strong—the kikaichū unfazed by tags, and that Taiyōken (Solar Flare) was perfect for the Aburame style. They wore sunglasses from childhood; they could still see under harsh glare—the ideal opening to strike!
…
While battles raged across Konoha, a new force ripped in from above.
Five white clay birds swept over the village. Atop them, Deidara—eyes dark as coal—dumped a swarm of clay micro-spiders. The next heartbeat, explosions rolled across Konoha's rooftops.
"What's happening?! Akatsuki has air support!"
Battle monitors spotted the aerial threat and sprinted to report to Tsunade.
Naruto stiffened. "Deidara? I thought he was dead!"
Gaara put it together. "Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei (Impure World Reincarnation). Kabuto's brought reanimated ones!"
Tsunade grimaced. "Troublesome. Fighting the Six Paths of Pain alone is hard enough—and Kabuto shows up with Edo Tensei on top of that. And it's probably not just Deidara. Worst of all, the three who can use Shiki Fūjin (Reaper Death Seal) are tied up with Pain. No one's free!"
"Tsunade-sama, let us go," Fū said, eyes steady. "I came here to be protected, yes—but I'll fight alongside everyone, too."
"Yeah, Tsunade-baa-chan, we can fight!" Naruto pressed. "You're short on hands, right? We won't hold anyone back!"
Tsunade still hesitated. She couldn't just throw the three into the fray. If they ran into Pain, the chance of capture was high.
Gaara spoke quietly. "You're worried we'll lose to Pain and get taken. But this isn't Pain—it's Kabuto and Edo Tensei units. We might not beat them, but we can tie them down, and we won't be captured easily. It's acceptable risk."
"Edo Tensei aren't easy to handle," Tsunade shook her head.
"Tsunade-baa-chan, seriously! I'm going myself!"
Naruto suddenly shouldered the window open and leapt out. It was so abrupt even Tsunade froze.
Then her temper blew. "You big idiot! Get back here!"
But Naruto was already gone. In a moment like this, it was impossible to cage a hyperactive monkey—especially one worried the front couldn't spare a thought for his safety.
(End of Chapter)
[Get +20 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]
[Every 500 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]