Betrayal

In an instant, it was as if a transparent barrier had appeared in the air.

Despite Sakura Haruno's fierce attacks, Pain's expression remained calm and composed, his tranquil Rinnegan showing no ripples.

While the opponent's Ninjutsu was indeed powerful, Dao still firmly believed that the Secret Technique of the Rinnegan was the strongest Ninjutsu.

Then, in the blink of an eye, the Wind Blade Torrent and torrents collided head-on with the Almighty Push!

Clang!

An extremely loud and bizarre bang came from the point of impact.

It was clearly a collision between a water jet and an invisible force field, yet it produced a crisp, metallic clang, a high-pitched and piercing sound that sent chills down one's spine.

Amidst the cacophony of strange noises, the contest between the sharpest spear and the strongest shield came to an end, culminating in the dissipation of the Wind Blade Torrent torrents into a misty spray.

Almighty Push... is even better!

"That's a very dangerous Ninjutsu."

Even through the thin mist, Pain's words came through clearly.

"They almost... killed me."

The mist thickened, making Pain's figure appear indistinct within it; one could vaguely see him standing proudly with his hand outstretched.

His face still carried a faint air of aloofness, and his words of praise sounded more like a condescending contempt.

It was as if God was looking down upon the world.

From God's perspective, all living beings are ants. And Sakura Haruno is nothing more than a larger ant.

... Although the bites of these ants are quite painful.

Sakura Haruno raised an eyebrow and narrowed her eyes slightly, but remained silent.

"This move, is it a modified version of the so-called 'Water Severing Wave'? As expected of Ninjutsu inherited from the Second Hokage, it's incredibly powerful..." Pain examined the girl through the mist and continued.

Dao, or Nagato, I also remember that Jiraiya mentioned this technique back then, Tobirama Senju's signature Water Release: Water Severing Wave, but unfortunately it has been lost. Past information emphasized that Sakura Haruno could also use this technique, a very powerful move. She seems to have improved this move, making the water line thinner, and the power of the Ninjutsu more concentrated on that one point, thus making it even more lethal than Water Severing Wave.

The intelligence report also emphasized that in addition to its immense power, this move is extremely fast to execute and has a very flexible attack trajectory, which is what makes Sakura Haruno's techniques so difficult to deal with.

Unlike the Second Hokage's traditional practice of holding water in his mouth and spitting it out.

Sakura Haruno condensed water into her palm, using her arm and fingers to guide the direction of the water blade's cut. While this certainly increased the difficulty of the Ninjutsu, it also brought many advantages, such as a cooler posture... Most importantly, waving the hand makes it easier to adjust the direction than turning the head, making the water blade's pursuit more flexible. When facing enemies behind, she could easily deal with them without turning her head.

"For a long time, your Water Severing Wave has always involved raising your hand before launching it, giving us the illusion... that we can simply dodge it the moment you raise your hand."

Dao's gaze fell on Sakura Haruno's right hand, which hung naturally at her side.

Just now, her arm clearly hadn't been raised, but the Wind Blade Torrent was secretly activated in that instant.

This requires extremely high levels of Chakra manipulation skills.

"You deliberately misled us. What a clever trick," Pain said slowly. "However, if we pay close attention to your Chakra fluctuations, your trick won't work..."

It's a very interesting trick, just like Uchiha Itachi hiding his hand inside his robe to perform One-Handed Hand Seals and secretly launch Ninjutsu. It's effective and can catch people off guard, but it can only be used once.

With cold and calm words, Pain completely dissected Sakura Haruno's thoughts.

Sakura Haruno, however, did not get angry but instead laughed.

"After all that... you don't actually think you've cracked my Ninjutsu with just this nonsense, do you?" the girl sneered. "That's right, Almighty Push can indeed block the water blade..."

She paused for a moment, gazing meaningfully at the path that was gradually disappearing into the mist.

"But your move has a 5-second cooldown period between each use..."

Sakura's Water Release technique, however, has no cooldown! So, Pain can block the first attack, but what about the second and third?

Pain remained silent. Not only had he been outmaneuvered verbally, but more importantly, the secret of his technique had actually come from this girl's mouth!

How... did she know this?!

For a moment, Pain, who was as cold and hard as an ancient glacier, felt a sense of fear and unease.

"If you are not afraid of my Wind Blade Torrent, why do you use Kirigakure your form, Pain?"

Pain didn't respond, and Sakura Haruno didn't stop, continuing to speak.

"Or, perhaps, hidden behind the Six Paths of Pain..."

Nagato?

Nagato.

The girl's voice, clear and ethereal in the misty fog, possessed a powerful penetrating force, piercing through the thick fog and traveling hundreds of miles to reach Pain's ears and Nagato's heart.

Dao's pupils shrank drastically, while Nagato, sitting in the life support chair, suddenly widened his eyes.

She... knows who I am?

Akatsuki's biggest secret was revealed by Sakura Haruno in a single sentence?!

That's impossible.

How is that possible!

Cold sweat broke out on Nagato's forehead. He lost control of his emotions, and his breathing became frantic.

In an instant, Nagato's thin body began to heave like a bellows, his head hanging low as he gasped for breath. The man's body was extremely weak; even the slightest emotional fluctuation could affect his physical condition.

Calm down. Take a deep breath.

"Nagato! What's wrong?" Nan asked in surprise, taking his hand in her arms.

Nagato, after all, was a man who manipulated "gods," and his rapid breathing quickly subsided.

"I'm fine." The man shook his head.

After calming down, Nagato thought a lot. Minami would never betray him, and it was obvious that there was only one person who knew these secrets and had the motive to betray him.

That mysterious man who calls himself Madara Uchiha.

This man knew everything, yet he was never truly on their side. He was secretive and acted without authorization, always with his own agenda. Moreover, as the Tailed Beast capture plan progressed, he became increasingly open about his ambition.

Nagato had long anticipated that in the near future, he and that scheming man would part ways, even break off their relationship, and regard each other as enemies and stumbling blocks, ultimately fighting to the death.

But he never imagined that Madara Uchiha would break off relations so soon.

Should I leak Akatsuki's information to my enemies so they can wear down my strength? Nagato wondered.

Brilliant strategy. Strike first, that's definitely your style.

However, the Tailed Beast capture plan is only a little over halfway complete... Are you really that impatient, Madara Uchiha!

Nagato gritted her teeth inwardly.

"I just discovered a fact." Regaining her composure, Nagato calmly addressed Nando.

The man raised his head, staring at the empty space ahead, his eyes extremely cold.

"There's a traitor among us..."

Nan supported his excessively thin arm, her expression surprisingly unsurprised to Nagato.

She merely raised an eyebrow, then frowned and said, "You... also suspect Madara Uchiha?"

"Yes, he betrayed us."

Nagato clenched his fists. His voice was still weak and feeble, but his eyes were cold and resolute.

Meanwhile, Sakura Haruno, who was hundreds of miles away, probably never imagined that things would develop this way.

She just wanted to give a hint, to sow discord among the members of Akatsuki...