The Failed Ambush

A fierce wind howled, and raindrops the size of soybeans pounded against the windowpane with a rapid, piercing sound.

The world, shrouded in white rain, looked eerily cold.

However, the room was warm as spring, with bright red embers in the hearth radiating intense heat, and milky white soup bubbling in a hanging earthenware pot. The enticing aroma spread rapidly with the rising steam, stimulating everyone's sense of smell.

"It smells so good!"

Idaten Kyusuke sniffed hard, a look of ecstasy on his face.

"Konan, your cooking is still amazing! Yahiko is in for a treat!"

The Buddha touched his bare head and laughed innocently.

Konan was chopping a fish head with a cleaver when she accidentally chopped a cauliflower in two. Her face turned red, and she didn't dare to turn around.

Kyusuke, however, seemed to have been struck by lightning, collapsing onto the table with an expression of utter despair and despair.

"Great Buddha, eat your grilled fish and stop talking nonsense!"

Yahiko glared at the bald, burly man, sighed helplessly, and then lowered his head to focus intently on the book in his hands.

The Legend of Strong Perseverance Ninja!

"Yahiko, is this book interesting? You've been reading it for the past few days." Kyusuke looked over curiously.

"Hmm... how should I put it! I think this book is very interesting, not because the author is my teacher... I genuinely think this book is excellent." Yahiko thought for a moment and gave it high praise.

"Eh! Is that so? Then let me borrow it in a couple of days. By the way, Yahiko, is your teacher really that famous Sannin?"

Kyusuke recalled the rumors circulating within the organization and sought confirmation from the questions.

"Yes! It's true. Konan, Nagato, and I all lost our families and wandered around. Then we met our teacher who was fighting the Rain Ninja. By chance, our teacher took us in and learned that we were training in Ninjutsu... If it weren't for our teacher, we might have died in a ditch or in the wilderness one day."

As his fingers gently traced the pages, Yahiko recalled those arduous years and felt a sense of déjà vu.

Looking at Konan preparing dinner and Nagato quietly reading in the Nagato, it's amazing how many years have passed in the blink of an eye. It still feels like they're just tiny little kids, constantly scheming and tricking each other for food...

"Nagato, did the teacher say when he would come back when he left last time?"

"No, as you know, Master isn't the type to sit still. He's been traveling all the time. There haven't been any battles in the last two years, and it seems he hasn't even returned to Konoha." Nagato didn't even look up, engrossed in his book even more than Yahiko.

"... Travel the world? It's a pity we have ambitions we must fulfill... Otherwise, I would love to travel to different places like you, teacher, and see different scenery... Speaking of which, it's a real shame we didn't get to soak in the hot springs when we went to the Land of Hot Springs last time."

Yahiko stretched.

"Watch out, there's an attack!"

Nagato suddenly jumped up, his roar echoing in everyone's ears. Yahiko, who had only stretched halfway, was startled and almost twisted his back.

"Boom!!"

With a loud bang, the earth trembled slightly, and the house creaked under its own weight. The chandelier overhead spun wildly like a windmill, and bottles and jars on the table crashed to the ground. However, the earthenware pot of soup was saved by Kyusuke.

"Nagato, what's going on? What happened?"

Yahiko rubbed his lower back and asked urgently.

"There are attackers, and they're tough guys. My clone is fighting them..." Nagato replied quickly. "We can't stay here any longer. We need to get out of here. The attackers are very strong. That old Hanzō is back... and he's brought reinforcements."

The moment Hanzō was mentioned, everyone in the room became serious.

Since its inception, Akatsuki Organization's main enemies have been the Rain Ninja. They have dealt with each other countless times and have a deep understanding of the Rain Ninja, especially the old man Hanzō.

If it weren't for Hanzo holding things Hanzō, Rain Ninja would probably have been swallowed up by Akatsuki Organization long ago. Keep in mind that even under Hanzō's oppressive rule, Rain Ninja execution to defect and join Akatsuki Organization. It's precisely because of this Hanzō monster, Hanzo, that Amegakure not only maintained its stability but also kept Akatsuki Organization at bay—at least for now...

"Great Buddha, Kyusuke, Konan, you take the brothers and retreat first. Nagato and I will stay behind to cover the Nagato. Kyusuke will take command."

Yahiko quickly sorted out his thoughts and issued the order.

The small village they were in was a stronghold where some members of the Akatsuki Organization were stationed, and shouts of battle could already be heard outside the houses.

"No, stop them quickly! This time, the enemy is someone they can't afford to mess with."

After saying that, Nagato decisively rushed out.

"Damn it, Kyusuke, forget about the soup! Konan, Great Buddha, get everyone out of here!" Yahiko stamped his foot and rushed out after Nagato.

The Akatsuki Organization members in the village were in complete disarray. A sudden battle had broken out outside the village, causing a minor commotion among the people who were eating. However, under the leader's command, they quickly regrouped and prepared to fight.

Then Yahiko and Konan called a halt to it.

Konan, Kyusuke, and Great Buddha began organizing the members' retreat. They were quite skilled at this, as there was still a certain gap in strength between them and the Rain Ninja, and retreat was one of their main tasks.

More than three hundred people left the village in a flash, while a fierce battle was still raging in the valley in front of the village!

As fate would have it, it would have been easy for Zetsu to sneak up on Uchiha Gensō and launch a surprise attack without a sound. However, Nagato's Nagato Deva Path Clone was practicing Barrier Ninjutsu and had set up a whole bunch of barriers in the ravine outside the village, including sensory and defensive ones. Then, White Zetsu, who was enveloping Uchiha Genso as he advanced, accidentally bumped into them.

Therefore, the stealth that would have been undetectable was exposed.

The Deva Path Clone was immediately shocked. It unleashed a Shinra Tensei, which peeled off three feet of the ground, and then engaged in a fierce battle with Hanzō and Zetsu.

"Damn it, didn't you say you could get close to them without alerting anyone?"

Hanzō roared, knowing his teammates were unreliable, but damn it, they shouldn't have messed things up from the start.

"Who knew so many barriers would be set up here, with barriers for concealing auras and barriers for sensing being mixed together, so I didn't notice for a moment..." Jue Qiang tried to defend himself, but ultimately he was a little embarrassed and stopped mid-sentence.

"Stop talking nonsense and get this over with quickly."

Uchiha Genso cursed rudely, leaping and running among the giant trees to dodge the fierce firepower attacks from the Heavenly Dao.

"You all do your best."

He left those words behind, then darted underground and disappeared without a trace.