A pair of Rinnegan alone doesn't make you a god (update 3/3)

Shazo experienced space travel for the first time.

He felt as if his body was being squeezed by a tremendous force, then dehydrated by a high-speed centrifuge, and finally gently glided past some strange entity.

As the strange sensations faded, Shazo's vision went dark, followed by the roar of a torrential downpour. He had arrived in the Land of Rain, a land perpetually shrouded in rain.

Shazo swayed slightly, thus eliminating the discomfort caused by his first spatial teleportation.

On the contrary, the three-person team that had activated the [Flying Thunder God Formation] were all vomiting, clutching their knees.

This was their first time traversing such a long distance, and the pressure from the spatial teleportation caused internal organ damage, resulting in a sensation similar to motion sickness or seasickness.

Shazo gently patted their shoulders, channeling a mixture of Wood Release and Yang Release Chakra to alleviate their pain and initially stabilize their internal injuries.

The rain in the Land of Rain was torrential. Shazo almost instinctively activated Magnet Style, using the repulsive force generated by the magnetic field to repel nearby raindrops, preventing the three members of the Genma Squad from getting soaked.

Kakashi Hatake quickly approached and urgently reported, "Lord Hokage, Shisui Uchiha just sent out a distress signal."

Shazo calmly asked, "Where did Shisui's signal come from?"

Kakashi pointed to a towering steel tower. "That tower, the 11th window from the top."

Shazo Zuo nodded and ordered, "Kakashi, you protect Genma and the others. I'm going to Amegakure to find them."

After saying that, Shazo used Magnet Style to manipulate electromagnetic repulsion, launching himself like a cannonball towards the steel tower building that Kakashi had described.

When the launch momentum was exhausted, Shazo's Magnetic Lines of Force had already connected with the steel structure, and the resulting gravity pulled him to continue the second half of his flight, eventually allowing him to accurately enter the building's interior.

With a slight sense, Shazo immediately felt the aura of battle.

Meanwhile, in a secluded room of a tower, the emaciated Nagato suddenly awoke, his face filled with terror as he looked up in the direction of Shazo was completely exposed.

At the same time, the Six Paths of Pain, who were besieging Jiraiya and the Uchiha Technique, also stopped their attack and all looked towards Shazo, who was a thousand meters away.

Konan, flying in mid-air, immediately noticed the abnormality. Without any intention of lingering in the battle, she flapped her wings and retreated from the battlefield.

The reaction of the Six Paths of Pain proves that an enemy far more powerful than Jiraiya has arrived in Amegakure.

Konan believes that protecting Nagato is more important than fighting powerful enemies. She wants to get to Nagato's side as soon as possible to prevent any accidents.

However, Konan didn't do nothing; she sent out a secret signal, summoning support from the core members of the Akatsuki.

Prior to this, Nagato had discovered Jiraiya's identity from the beginning. He and South City believed it was a master-disciple reunion, so they did not summon other Ninja for support.

After Jiraiya was powerful, Six Paths of Pain stronger and could overwhelm him.

Even if South City make a move, there's no need to worry about Jiraiya escaping.

But when Shisui Uchiha suddenly appeared on the battlefield, the so-called teacher-student reunion ceased to exist.

Moreover, Shisui Uchiha's strength far exceeded the rumors, and he was actually no less powerful than Jiraiya. At that time, Konan almost sent out a signal for help.

However, Six Paths of Pain were still able to maintain control of the situation, causing Konan to hesitate for a moment.

After all, the core members of Akatsuki are not easy to deal with. If they discover that Pain's power has its limits, there is a high possibility that a second Orochimaru will emerge.

But a third, powerful Ninja of unknown identity suddenly appeared just a few hundred meters away, completely shattering Konan's mental defenses.

First of all, facing three such enemies, Six Paths of Pain seemed powerless.

Secondly, with three enemies invading Amegakure in succession, is there a fourth, or even a fifth?

Finally, given that the third enemy was able to penetrate so deeply into Amegakure, is it possible that another enemy could directly reach Nagato's side?

Konan no longer hesitated and sent out a distress signal.

Compared to the potential rebellious thoughts that might arise among the core members, she and Nagato were even more intolerant of Jiraiya escaping Amegakure.

As the teacher who guided him onto the Jonin, Jiraiya knew their background very well. If he returned to Konoha and had time to recall everything, the Akatsuki would be completely exposed to the Konoha.

At that time, Konoha will conduct a more comprehensive investigation into Amegakure and Akatsuki, and will try its best to hinder Akatsuki's actions.

The difficulty of the Tailed Beast collection plan will increase indefinitely, possibly even to the point where it can no longer be carried out.

Although Nagato was as powerful as Gods, he was even confident that he could conquer Konoha by himself.

But Nagato was ultimately just one person, unable to simultaneously attack Konoha and protect Amegakure.

The biggest problem was his physical condition; weakened by the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, he was unable to continuously conquer the Five Great Shinobi Villages.

Therefore, we cannot let Jiraiya leave alive!

Even if Konoha knew that Jiraiya died in Amegakure, it wouldn't matter; Nagato and Konan had enough strength to deal with Konoha's retaliation.

Furthermore, Jiraiya's infiltration of Amegakure was discovered, and he was ultimately besieged and killed in Amegakure.

If Konoha were to retaliate on this pretext, all the ninja villages would become hostile towards Konoha, and the pressure on Amegakure would not be particularly severe.

Konan breathed a sigh of relief after returning to Nagato's side through the secret passage and confirming that Nagato was safe and sound.

She asked, "Nagato, who is the third enemy?"

Nagato lowered his head and replied, "Jiraiya- sensei and Shisui Uchiha have great respect for him, and he's even stronger than them. Konan, who do you think he is?"

Konan blurted out, "The only Ninja in Konoha stronger than Jiraiya- sensei is their Hokage."

Nagato nodded and said, "Yes, the newly appointed Fifth Hokage Shazo, defeated the Fourth Raikage and the Cloud Ninja Army."

"He's really strong; the moment he appeared, he used Magnet Style to Six Paths of Pain flying."

Even the Preta Path's Chakra absorption couldn't absorb that astonishingly large amount of Chakra in time, and it wasn't enough to eliminate the effects of the Magnet Style's Kekkei Genkai.

Konan frowned and said, "Shimura Danzō died a long time ago, and Hiruzen Sarutobi died a few days ago. Now, Konoha only has four Kage-level Ninja left Tsunade: Naruto Shazo, Body Flicker Shisui, Jiraiya, and Tsunade."

"Three Kage-level Ninja have arrived today, it's like they've come out in full force, could it be—"

Konan suddenly raised her head. "Could it be that Konoha had relatively clear intelligence beforehand?"

"Yes, that's it! They're after our Akatsuki!"

Nagato's expression darkened slightly, and he said in a deep voice, "Very likely."

Konan recalled her guess and said, "If our information leaked to Konoha, it must have been through someone connected to Konoha. I think there are only two possibilities."

"Either Uchiha Itachi and that guy in the veil secretly leaked information about our Akatsuki to Konoha."

"Either Konoha retrieved Orochimaru and obtained our information from Orochimaru."

Konan said bitterly, "It must be Uchiha Itachi! Those two are spies from Konoha!"

"They are all from the Uchiha Clan, and their relationship with us is distant; they don't agree with Akatsuki's ideals."

"I've always felt that we shouldn't have accepted them into Akatsuki; they really are a menace!"

Nagato chuckled and said, "Konan, you can't say that anymore."

"The Fifth Hokage of Konoha acts with a ruthless style, completely different from the Third Hokage. He may very well overturn the Third Hokage's orders and reinstate Orochimaru to Konoha."

"We all know that Orochimaru has deep feelings for Konoha. If the Fifth Hokage were to ask for it, he probably wouldn't be able to refuse."

Nagato looked at Konan and patiently advised, "Konan, I don't like that Nezumi who calls himself Madara Uchiha either, but the Ninja he recommends are all quite good."

"Whether it's Zetsu, Uchiha Itachi, or even Kisame Hoshigaki, they are all rare talents. They have made considerable contributions to the development of Akatsuki over the past three years."

"The Akatsuki can no longer maintain the absolute purity of its ideals as it did during Yahiko's era. Our first priority must be how to strengthen ourselves."

"Most importantly, it's about power—the power to complete the world-destroying weapon deterrence plan."

Nagato's smile vanished, and he said coldly, "Once the world-destroying weapon is complete and a peaceful era arrives, I will eliminate that cowardly coward."

Suddenly, Nagato's eyes widened. "Huh? The Fifth Hokage —he wants to challenge Pain alone?"

Nagato's surprise was so intense that even Konan was affected by his emotions.

She exclaimed in disbelief, "Has the Hokage gone mad?"

Nagato sneered, "Perhaps, and besides, he's not going to fight Pain: Deva Path alone, but Six Paths of Pain."

Konan sneered in return, "He really has gone mad."

Although Nagato's health was not good, his strength was unmatched in Konan's eyes.

Konan remembers that just a few years ago, Nagato, even when he had only recovered from his injuries and was still visibly weak, was able to overwhelm the Hanzō.

The strongest ninja who once dominated the world and influenced the course of two major ninja wars was reduced to dust by the Rinnegan before he could even utter his last words.

The Fifth Hokage actually wanted to challenge Six Paths of Pain simultaneously? Wasn't that insane?

Not only were Nagato and Konan surprised, Jiraiya and Shisui Uchiha also felt that Shazo was taking too much of a risk.

However, Shisui had great trust in Shazo's strength and wisdom.

In his view, if the Lord Hokage said that, he must have absolute certainty.

When the Fifth Hokage is present, a fool like me doesn't need to think anymore; I just need to obey the Lord Hokage's orders.

Moreover, Shazo's order was exactly what he wanted: to kill Uchiha Itachi.

As soon as Uchiha Itachi appeared on the battlefield, Shisui immediately activated his Mangekyō Sharingan and cast a Genjutsu filled with rage on the missing-nin: [Genjutsu: Resentment and Anger].

However, the moment Uchiha Itachi saw Shisui, he simultaneously activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, not only blocking Shisui's Genjutsu but also countering it with [Mangekyō Sharingan: Tsukuyomi].

Shisui Uchiha kept his eyes fixed on his target, and Uchiha Itachi also dared not be distracted by watching Shisui. The two Mangekyō Sharingan remained locked in a stalemate on the battlefield.

Their standoff appeared calm, but was actually fraught with danger.

Kisame Hoshigaki initially failed to grasp the danger, but because he got too close, he was caught in Genjutsu by Shisui Uchiha's peripheral vision.

Kisame Hoshigaki was transported back 15 years. He was so young, yet he wielded the Samehada, fiercely fighting his way through the surrounding enemies and bringing the soft-spoken Ninja back to the village.

After that, Kisame frequently encountered this woman who didn't discriminate against his appearance. Gradually, they developed feelings for each other, their hearts drew closer, and they eventually came together completely.

She got married and had children. Her first child was a boy, who was as ugly as Kisame. Her second child was a girl, who was as beautiful as her mother.

The happy life was so wonderful that Kisame's heart gradually softened, and the sharp, murderous Samehada of his Kisame Hoshigaki gradually faded.

But Kisame Hoshigaki reveled in it, enjoying his happiness without caring about his moral decline.

If Uchiha Itachi hadn't reached out and pulled Kisame Hoshigaki back, this shark might have succumbed to the Mangekyō Sharingan Genjutsu and died.

Upon regaining his senses, Kisame Hoshigaki was terrified, his entire body covered in cold sweat from the shock. He hurriedly fled the battlefield of the two Mangekyō Sharingan Uchiha.

Shisui Uchiha had boundless confidence in Shazo, but Jiraiya on the other hand did not.

He anxiously advised, "The Fifth Hokage cannot. Every one of the Six Paths of Pain is Kage-level Ninja. You bear the safety of Konoha on your shoulders; you cannot recklessly take such risks."

Shazo glanced at him. "Heh, Lord Jiraiya, then what do you suggest we do?"

Jiraiya answered without hesitation, "Shisui and I will hold off Six Paths of Pain and these missing-nin. Fifth Hokage, you must immediately retreat back to Konoha."

Shazo shook his head, both amused and annoyed. "Lord Jiraiya, when did you become as cowardly as your teacher?"

"Does my slinking back to Konoha mean nothing happened?"

Shazo looked at the Deva Heavenly Dao, the leader of the Six Paths of Pain, and said loudly, "Don't you know the principle of 'a single punch can prevent a hundred punches'?"

"I will take the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, as my role model. I would rather be Hokage who dies in battle than a coward who runs away!"

"Pain from Akatsuki!"

"Let's find a deserted spot to fight. There are too many buildings and too many people in Amegakure; the collateral damage from a fight here would probably be beyond our imagination."

Nagato paused for a moment, then replied through Pain Deva Heavenly Dao, "Good, Fifth Hokage, you are truly the Superstar."

"If I defeat you, I promise I will not attack Konoha because of it."

Shazo laughed loudly, "As long as you can defeat me, I will naturally die in battle, and there's no need to worry about anything else."

"But I don't think you can beat me so easily. On the contrary, I'm quite confident I can."

"Don't think that just because you have the Rinnegan, you can do whatever you want!"

"Having only one or two Rinnegan is not enough to reach the level of Gods!"