I Remember, Your Name Is Yahiko

As soon as those words were spoken, Uchiha Itachi's end fell into a prolonged silence.

"The true purpose behind taking Sasuke away—only Akatsuki knows that, right? It was for Uchiha Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan."

Kakashi's tone was steady, yet every word struck like a hammer, pounding heavily against everyone's nerves.

Far away, Itachi, who was receiving the information, no longer looked as composed as before.

Because Kakashi's words left him unsure how to respond...

His silence was neither an admission nor a denial.

For a moment, he truly did not know how to reply.

Those past events, those choices, those sacrifices... were they really worth it?

And Sasuke...

In fact, it was not just Konoha. Even Nagato and Konan, after learning the truth about the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, believed that Uchiha Itachi was behind it.

Just as the atmosphere grew increasingly heavy beneath the rain curtain, a dense wave of chakra suddenly erupted from the outskirts of Amegakure.

Nagato swiftly cut off contact with Uchiha Itachi...

He looked toward the edge of the village, his expression dark. "Konoha's Anbu?"

The next moment, a large number of black-clad figures wearing animal masks rapidly appeared at Amegakure's border.

They moved swiftly and held a disciplined formation. There was no doubt that they were Konoha Root ninja who had undergone strict training.

Nagato lowered his gaze toward Jiraiya, a faint glimmer shining in his Rinnegan. "Is this Konoha's sincerity? We were just discussing cooperation here, and you sent Anbu to surround us?"

Jiraiya looked equally embarrassed. He had not expected things to turn out like this either.

He quickly looked at Kakashi, suspicion in his voice. "Kakashi, what is going on? Weren't you only here to pick me up?"

Kakashi's expression was grave as well, his brows tightly furrowed. "I was indeed only ordered by the Third Hokage to come receive Lord Jiraiya. As for the actions of these Root ninja..."

"It may be Danzo..."

"Danzo?"

At the mention of that name, Nagato, trapped in PTSD...

His gaze turned ice-cold, and his entire presence became exceedingly dangerous.

Rainwater gathered at his feet, trembling faintly along with the fluctuations in his emotions.

Back then, Danzo...

Danzo had played no small part in supporting, subverting, and controlling Amegakure from within...

He had even caused Yahiko's death...

Black Zetsu hid in the shadows. It had originally only intended to observe, but its expression changed as it inwardly cursed.

What was this situation?

I could understand Obito going mad...

But what was happening on Konoha's side? Something was off...

The timing of Danzo's appearance...

Seemed a little wrong...

As an ancient monster that had lived in the Shinobi World for a thousand years, Black Zetsu possessed extraordinarily sharp instincts.

At that moment, it instinctively sensed that the situation was slipping in an uncontrollable direction.

Someone was definitely stirring things up...

But...

Who, with the Shinobi World on the verge of destruction, was still trying to obstruct it?

Especially since the instigator knew exactly how much Danzo would provoke Nagato...

Just what I was afraid of.

At that moment, footsteps slowly carried through the sound of rain.

A figure leaning on a cane slowly stepped out from the ranks of Root ninja. He wore a dark gray robe, his eyes cold and his face as sinister as a serpent's.

Danzo had appeared.

The air seemed to freeze completely the instant he emerged.

Countless gazes turned toward him in unison, while Danzo merely lifted his head slightly and coldly swept his eyes over everyone present. At last, his gaze settled on Nagato, his interest undisguised.

"The Rinnegan... I've finally seen you."

Danzo spoke slowly, his voice low and hoarse, carrying a twisted greed.

Killing intent surged in Nagato's eyes, and chakra churned through the air!

Soon, the other Six Paths of Pain appeared... and stepped forward together, their killing intent awe-inspiring.

"You should not have come."

Kakashi swiftly drew his short blade as well, his body taut as he moved one step closer to Jiraiya. "Lord Jiraiya, I'm afraid peaceful communication will be difficult now."

"Danzo!"

Jiraiya glared furiously, unable to suppress the rage in his voice!

"What are you doing here? Have you come to sabotage the negotiations?"

"Negotiations? Watch your attitude when you speak. I am still the Hokage's advisor..."

"Do you think Akatsuki truly wants to cooperate? They are merely lulling us into lowering our guard, buying time for their conspiracy. The Shinobi World is about to be destroyed. What we need is control—integrating every force we can control—not listening to the nonsense of our enemies."

Jiraiya was nearly angered into laughter by Danzo's logic...

"So you brought a unit of Root and forcibly barged into someone else's territory?!"

"If we do not display Konoha's strength, how would they willingly cooperate with us?"

Danzo refuted him without expression.

It was as though invisible threads had quietly tightened in the air. The slightest disturbance would trigger an earth-shattering explosion.

Nagato's killing intent became increasingly obvious. An astonishing light flickered in his Rinnegan as the Six Paths of Pain stood in a line, ready to fight at any moment.

In the rain, heaven and earth seemed to be suffocated beneath dense dark clouds...

Raindrops hammered down like needles upon tiles and stone slabs, pattering with an uneasy rhythm.

Within that cold, silent expanse, Danzo stood amid the encirclement of Root members, leaning on his cane as he stared straight ahead at the man standing there like a deity.

Those indifferent, emotionless Rinnegan made anyone who looked into them feel as if they had fallen into a bottomless abyss.

This person's name...

Seemed to be...

Seemed to be... Yahiko...

Danzo, who had originally been unable to remember Yahiko's name, suddenly found his memory improving and remembered it.

Suddenly, a meaningful smile curled across Danzo's lips. It was as though he did not take the other side seriously at all; instead, he spoke casually, as if he had seen through everything.

"The Rinnegan... how did it end up with you?"

"I remember, your name... is Yahiko, right?"

His tone was light and airy, without anger or surprise, yet it carried a contempt and provocation that ran to the bone.

The moment those words were spoken, the tense atmosphere exploded like a spark falling into dry tinder!

Nagato's eyes abruptly narrowed. Overwhelming killing intent suddenly surged from those cold Rinnegan, as though even the rain had frozen at that instant.

The surrounding air suddenly grew heavy, as if invisible waves of force were slowly gathering and boiling.

Konan, standing beside him, was even more agitated. Her chest heaved violently as she demanded in a broken voice, "You... what did you say?"

Her voice carried rage and grief that she could not suppress. It was a memory that had been trampled upon, a scar buried deep in her heart that she had never wished to touch.

And now, Danzo had exposed it with a single sentence!

"Hanzo truly was useless..."

Danzo's tone and demeanor were filled with arrogant condescension.

The arrogant stance of a great nation toward a small one...

Deva Path Pain's body suddenly moved.

His killing intent could no longer be restrained!

"Shinra Tensei!"

A furious shout exploded through the air!

Deva Path Pain's rage erupted completely as he abruptly raised his right hand...

The surroundings twisted and caved in, then an irresistible repulsive force violently burst forth from him as its center!

Heaven and earth roared!

The rain was blasted apart at that moment, countless droplets rushing backward into the sky like an overturning tidal wave.

The powerful shockwave swept outward, sending Root ninja flying. They crashed into walls and the ground, blood spraying everywhere amid cries of pain.

Danzo, meanwhile, was forced back again and again by the violent force. His cane shattered with a bang, and he staggered back several yards before barely steadying himself.

"You dared to insult Yahiko's name,"

"You are not worthy to set foot on this land!"

Black Zetsu:...

I'm really tired...