Even sensor-type ninja, or those from clans with Kekkei Genkai such as the Sharingan or Byakugan, couldn't tell which of Naruto's Shadow Clones was his actual body. They could only take a gamble and randomly select a target, praying it was the real one.
If each squad had one of Naruto's clones, the enemy wouldn't know which squad contained the actual main force.
A faint smile slowly spread across Shikamaru's face.
"Do you remember what you said when Lady Hokage designated you as my backup and we attended the strategy meeting? You mentioned you weren't good at tactics."
"I'm no general," Naruto shrugged. "That's why I follow your orders."
"But you're a master of misdirection," Shikamaru added.
"You got that right," Naruto grinned proudly.
Shikamaru nodded, growing even more confident in their plan to reduce casualties. "Alright then, let's finalize our battle strategy."
Several days later, high above Amegakure at an altitude of 5,000 meters, Naruto Uzumaki and Sai were circling above their target area riding a massive black bird.
To evade Pain's sensory perception, they had no choice but to infiltrate from the air. According to analysis by the Konoha Intelligence Division, although Pain could sense raindrops, his sensing range had limits.
Pain's perception was incredibly powerful—far beyond the Amegakure shinobi he'd trained—but it had a limit. His reach extended only within three kilometers of Amegakure itself, because that's where the rain clouds gathered.
As long as Naruto moved fast enough, he could enter Pain's attack range before being noticed. However, this speed surpassed human limits—it couldn't be achieved by running or even through normal ninjutsu techniques.
So Naruto had no choice but to go with an even riskier, crazier method—like a moth hurtling toward a flame, rushing headfirst toward death.
For this mission, Naruto and Sai had both prepared carefully. They wore modified breathing masks taken from captured Rain shinobi, and heavy-duty Root uniforms to withstand the freezing cold at high altitude.
To ensure absolute safety, Naruto had even abandoned his beloved Umbrella in favor of a standard ninja blade. He didn't know whether the Umbrella's unique Chakra signature might be sensed by Pain, so he couldn't risk it.
"If Grandma Tsunade found out about this," Naruto said over the radio to Sai, "she'd probably kill me herself. This might be the dumbest plan I've ever cooked up."
"I hope you'll find a way for people without Wind Release or Sage Art to pull it off too," Sai responded calmly. "You still need to solve many other problems."
"Let's just not add any more problems to the pile," Naruto complained. They had worked extremely hard to prepare for this operation in such a short time. "We've practiced this countless times already, and medical support has been sorted out thanks to Auntie Shizune."
Of course, this all depended on whether she actually buys into such a crazy plan.
"...Maybe one day we could develop mission-specific gear for situations like this," Sai suggested.
"Exactly!"
"This place is freezing!" Naruto shouted, unable to hold back his complaint. Around them, for three kilometers in all directions, there was no shelter, and the sunlight couldn't drive away the cold at this altitude. "Why's it so cold up here?"
"I'm not a scientist or anything, Naruto-senpai. How should I know?" Sai responded as usual, calm and emotionless. "Is this really something we should be talking about right now, with just minutes left before the mission starts?" They had more important things to do, like confirming their battle plan again or discussing what would happen if Naruto failed to land properly.
"...Hey, do you think if I spit now, my saliva will hit the ground before me?" Well, it was just a random, boring thought—and totally inappropriate.
"Maybe try not to think about stuff like that right now," Sai replied helplessly.
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Naruto said, taking a deep breath to calm himself down. "I'm just a little nervous. If I fail, I'll be down to less than half my chakra."
"You've only got ten minutes," Sai reminded him.
"I know, Sai. We came up with this plan together. I won't forget a single step."
"I guess... I'm getting a little nervous too," Sai admitted.
Without saying anything, Naruto patted Sai on the shoulder, then moved beneath the giant bird, locking his body in place using chakra while adjusting his posture, ready to dive downward at any moment.
"Kurama."
[Sage Mode] Now. Remember, your target is the tallest and most luxurious tower in the center." Kurama's voice echoed within Naruto's mind.
Feeling natural energy gradually fill his body, Naruto took a deep breath and activated [Sharingan].
"...I think I'm ready now. The longest ten minutes of my life are about to start."
"In any case, Senior, whether this mission succeeds or fails, you must act now. Move out!" Sai glanced at his watch, calculating precisely. "...now. Move out!"
With all his might, Naruto dove straight downward. The powerful impact nearly threw Sai's ink bird off course, but Sai adjusted promptly, using the resulting force to change direction and continue flying toward Konoha.
Sai glanced over his shoulder and saw Naruto diving headfirst into the dense rain clouds below, disappearing instantly from sight.
If everything went smoothly, Naruto would use his explosive limit flight capability to outrun the sensor range, rushing into the village while flying low, then slow down and stop completely.
Depending on his chosen landing spot and how smoothly he touched down, he could sneak into Pain's tower without ever touching the ground. That's where the [Sharingan] came in.
Combining [Sage Mode] with the [Sharingan] would allow him to analyze his high-speed descent patterns and mid-air trajectory while giving him the reaction time needed to adjust his movements and control his descent smoothly.
Sai's job was done. He'd done everything he could. Now, it was all on Naruto.
Naruto dove through storm-laden clouds, plummeting seven or eight hundred meters in barely five seconds. He swiftly passed through rain clouds, his entire body drenched by the relentless rain. His target, Amegakure, grew larger in his field of vision.
Silently calculating timing in his mind, Naruto prepared to slow himself like applying an air brake. Would he be discovered? Shot out of the sky before even landing? Would something go wrong and leave traces of his presence on the ground?
No, none of that would happen. He would survive—he would make it back home. Too many people were counting on him. If he failed, he'd leave behind far too many unfinished matters. This had to end—for Konoha to move forward.
When the village's towering tower spire came into view, Naruto stretched his body into an eagle-like posture, initiating a controlled descent. At the same time, he channeled wind chakra outward, ready to execute his final Ninjutsu—[Defying Gravity]—for one last leap.
There was a cruel irony in this. Everything started with an S-rank infiltration mission against Orochimaru, an Akatsuki member—and now, years later, it would end with another Akatsuki member.
He hoped this time the ending would be better than last time. Either way, things were finally coming to a head.
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