"This is a case of the student surpassing the master."
Shizune nodded.
"Indeed..."
After a brief silence, she looked at Tsunade.
"Lady Tsunade, when do you plan to tell Naruto the truth about his family?"
"Hmm..."
Tsunade thought for a moment before answering.
"I'll tell him when he returns."
"The time has finally come..."
Shizune smiled, but her expression soon became slightly complicated.
"Ah... Naruto's emotions are probably going to be incredibly complicated."
"Yes."
Tsunade sighed softly.
"But sooner or later, he'll have to face the truth."
The two women continued chatting, enjoying a rare moment of peace.
Neither of them knew that this peaceful atmosphere would soon be shattered.
---
Konoha Village Gate
At the entrance to Konoha, several ninjas responsible for guarding the village were preparing to change shifts.
"Oh, finally..."
"We can finally switch shifts. How about we go grab a drink, gentlemen?"
"Aren't you supposed to be training? You're really getting lazy."
"Lazy? I've been standing here for several hours. And now you're lecturing me about being lazy?"
"Hahaha! Fine, fine. Let's go!"
Just then—
"Wait!"
"What's wrong?"
"Someone's coming!"
The ninja's expression suddenly changed.
"There's an incredibly powerful chakra approaching!"
Everyone's hearts trembled.
They immediately became alert and assumed defensive positions.
Not far away, several figures slowly emerged from the lingering morning mist.
The expressions of the guards changed instantly.
Cold sweat appeared on their foreheads.
"That uniform..."
"The Akatsuki?!"
"Inform the Hokage immediately!"
"We'll hold them here—"
Before the guard could finish speaking, his body suddenly jerked forward.
It was as if an invisible black hole had appeared before him and was dragging him inward.
Then—
Pshk!
A black chakra rod pierced directly through his throat.
"Who are you?"
"What kind of power is this...?"
The guard didn't even have time to react.
Suddenly, enormous eyes appeared above him.
The Rinnegan.
For a moment, the ninja felt as though he had been swallowed by an entirely different world.
Those enormous purple eyes seemed to fill the entire sky.
He felt as tiny and insignificant as an ant.
Then—
Bang!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Several muffled sounds echoed through the entrance.
The guards of both units were killed almost instantly.
Their bodies collapsed lifelessly onto the ground before they even had time to properly resist.
The Akatsuki had entered Konoha.
---
"The Animal Path will enter the village from a high point."
"Once it reaches Konoha, it will summon the other Paths."
Pain calmly issued his orders.
"After entering the village, the Animal Path and Asura Path will be responsible for creating chaos."
"The remaining four Paths, along with Konan, will search for the Jinchuriki."
"Understood, Pain."
The Animal Path stepped forward.
Asura Path grabbed her arm.
Then, with tremendous force, he threw her into the air.
Whoosh!
The Animal Path shot forward like a missile.
In an instant, she reached the highest point above Konoha's barrier before beginning her descent.
Crunch!
A sound like breaking glass echoed through the air.
The barrier team immediately detected the anomaly.
"Enemy infiltration detected!"
"Get to the top immediately!"
"Inform the Hokage!"
"Yes!"
"Tell the defense forces to prepare for intervention!"
"Inform the Intelligence Division and have them determine the enemy's identity and origin!"
"Tell the ANBU to evacuate the villagers!"
Orders were transmitted rapidly throughout the village.
Konoha's defense system immediately sprang into action.
Years of experience had given the village an extremely efficient emergency response system.
But none of that mattered.
Because the moment the Animal Path's feet touched the ground—
The other five Paths of Pain and Konan entered the village as well.
Then the true invasion began.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Boom!
Countless enormous creatures suddenly appeared throughout Konoha.
Giant rhinoceroses, bulls, centipedes, monstrous crabs, enhanced hellhounds, giant birds, and other terrifying beasts descended upon the village.
Their enormous bodies rampaged through the streets.
Buildings were crushed.
Houses were destroyed.
Civilians were caught completely off guard.
At the same time, the Asura Path extended its mechanical arms.
"Fire!"
Dozens of chakra missiles were launched simultaneously.
Whoosh!
BOOM!
Explosions erupted throughout the village.
Flames soared into the sky.
Thick smoke spread everywhere.
The earth trembled violently as rubble and stones flew through the air.
Konoha instantly descended into chaos.
Screams.
Cries for help.
People desperately calling for their families.
The groans of the injured.
Everything mixed together into a terrifying symphony.
"What is happening?!"
"Wasn't there only one enemy?!"
"How did the entire village suddenly become surrounded by enemies?!"
"Where is the Hokage?!"
Fortunately, Tsunade had already been keeping an eye on the village.
The moment Pain entered Konoha, she sensed his presence.
Her expression changed dramatically.
"This..."
"The Akatsuki are invading!"
Tsunade's eyes narrowed.
"No..."
"Those eyes..."
"They're the legendary Rinnegan—the divine eyes of the Sage of Six Paths!"
Her expression became extremely serious.
"The enemy is the leader of the Akatsuki..."
"Pain!"
"Shizune!"
Tsunade immediately turned toward her assistant.
"Notify the ANBU and have them prepare for battle!"
"Gather every available ninja in the village and mobilize them immediately!"
"Yes, Lady Tsunade!"
---
Pain's Invasion
With Pain's invasion underway, the entire Konoha Village was thrown into chaos.
Although it appeared that there was only a single enemy, there were actually several individuals fighting together under Pain's command.
Nagato.
Konan.
The Deva Path.
The Asura Path.
The Human Path.
The Naraka Path.
The Animal Path.
The Preta Path.
The moment they entered Konoha, the village was caught completely off guard.
The Asura Path continuously fired chakra missiles and devastating mechanical weapons, while the Animal Path summoned one terrifying creature after another.
The village rapidly transformed into a living hell.
However, Pain had never intended to fight the entire village head-on.
The chaos was merely a means to an end.
He wanted to exploit Konoha's confusion and search for the Jinchuriki of the Seven-Tails and Nine-Tails.
The Human Path quickly found a Konoha ninja.
He grabbed the ninja and forced him to his knees before placing a hand against his head.
"Tell me where the Seven-Tails and Nine-Tails Jinchuriki are."
The ninja trembled violently.
Fear filled his eyes.
Yet he still stubbornly shook his head.
"Konoha ninjas will never betray their village!"
The Human Path remained expressionless.
He quietly released his chakra.
In an instant, his power invaded the ninja's mind and scanned his memories.
For Konoha's Intelligence Division to perform a memory search, numerous intelligence and interrogation specialists would normally have to work together for days.
But in the hands of the Human Path, the process took only a moment.
That was the terrifying ability of the Human Path—
Soul Absorption.
"Hmm..."
"So you really don't know anything."
"In that case, you have no further value."
The Human Path slowly raised his hand.
Then—
He pulled.
A hazy, ethereal figure suddenly emerged from the ninja's body.
His soul.
The Human Path grabbed it directly.
The ninja's body instantly went limp.
All signs of life disappeared from his eyes.
He collapsed lifelessly onto the ground.
The surrounding ninjas stared in horror.
Their bodies began trembling uncontrollably.
"Did he really just rip the soul out of a living person?!"
"Damn it!"
"What kind of monsters are these?!"
The Human Path slowly turned his Rinnegan toward the remaining ninjas.
"Now..."
"It's your turn."
But before he could make another move—
"Stop!"
The Human Path paused.
He turned his head.
A group of people stood nearby.
The first person was a tall, muscular man.
A cigarette hung from the corner of his mouth.
He slowly removed it with his fingers and exhaled a cloud of smoke.
His expression was filled with disgust as he stared at the Human Path.
"You're..."
The Human Path narrowed his eyes.
"Asuma Sarutobi."
Behind Asuma stood three members of Team 10.
Nara Shikamaru.
Akimichi Choji.
And Ino Yamanaka.
The Human Path looked at Asuma with a mocking expression.
"So you're Asuma Sarutobi, the son of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi?"
Asuma's expression remained calm.
The Human Path continued.
"Then you should know where the Jinchuriki are hiding."
The atmosphere instantly became tense.
Asuma took another drag from his cigarette.
His eyes hardened.
The battle between Konoha and Pain's forces was about to begin in earnest.
________________________________________
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