Uchiha Itachi vs. Konan and Nagato

"Huh?!" Nagato also opened his eyes.

"What's wrong, Nagato?" Konan asked, somewhat surprised and uncertain, upon seeing Nagato's expression.

"I never expected the Shinobi Village to have such a master," Nagato said weakly.

"Is there something wrong with the Heavenly Dao?" Konan asked.

"The Deva Path has arrived here with the Six-Tails Jinchuriki. We should retreat immediately. The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path will hold back many of the Shinobi Village's top fighters."

"However, someone has discovered this place, and as far as I know, it's a master," Nagato said with a hint of helplessness.

"Tendo is slowed down by having the Six-Tails Jinchuriki with him, so he won't be there for a while. Konan, I'll have to trouble you from now on," Nagato said.

"Leave it to me, Nagato." Konan then walked up to Nagato, her body already in a half- Paper Release form, ready to protect Nagato with all her might.

Soon, the figure entered the tree hole at the top, and the person then came in and spoke.

"Nagato, Konan, I've been looking for you for so long." The newcomer had black hair, wore battle armor, and had the Uchiha Clan's mark on his back and chest.

"So you know our names and our identities. Did Uchiha Shigure tell you?" Nagato asked.

"And who are you? State your name," Konan asked.

"Uchiha Itachi," Itachi said calmly, and then his eyes transformed into Three Tomoe Sharingan.

Itachi glanced at Konan, then at Nagato, and suddenly realized that all three of them had similar expressions—they were all expressionless.

"I see. You have the Sharingan. So you really are a master of the Uchiha Clan. Why not consider joining Akatsuki? True peace can be born from a cycle of suffering. This world, filled with pain, no longer needs to exist," Nagato said firmly.

Itachi shook his head and said, "Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together. Besides, your attempt to stall for time will not actually benefit you, because Shiyu is already rushing towards the village at full speed."

"Although Sunagakure is far from Shinobi Village, given his speed, he won't be here long. His arrival means victory for us, so you'd better think about how to defeat me quickly."

Uchiha Itachi instantly guessed Nagato's intentions and decided to fight. He quickly threw his shuriken at Konan.

Konan's hands transformed into countless sheets of white paper, which immediately scattered out like a celestial maiden scattering flowers, swiftly deflecting Uchiha Itachi's shuriken.

Itachi's terrifying Hand Seals speed was on full display at this moment. Just as Konan deflected Itachi's shuriken, Itachi's Ninjutsu had already arrived.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

A massive fireball hurtled towards Konan in an instant. Konan once again used her Paper Release to raise a paper wall around her, barely managing to block the Fire Style.

"Oh? They even used flame-retardant paper?" Itachi was also surprised; it seemed the enemy had come prepared long ago.

"Dance of the Shikigami!" Konan then controlled the paper to completely wrap around Uchiha Itachi, and then threw an Explosive Tag on it.

Konan raised her index and middle fingers, instantly detonating the Explosive Tag.

At that very moment, the Itachi, wrapped in Paper Release, transformed into countless crows.

"Caw caw!" Countless crows flew towards Nagato and Konan.

"Is it Genjutsu?! When?" Konan and Nagato were both taken aback.

"Perhaps it was the moment he activated his Sharingan when he announced his name?! We were careless. Nagato possesses the Rinnegan, which should theoretically make him immune to all conventional Genjutsu."

However, on the one hand, his Rinnegan was Madara Uchiha, and on the other hand Uchiha Itachi's Genjutsu skills were too superb, so Nagato was still caught in the Genjutsu.

Nagato was already under the Genjutsu, Konan's situation was even worse.

Unable to distinguish between reality and illusion, Itachi once again hurled several shuriken at Konan with a "whoosh! whoosh!" sound Konan was preparing to defend herself when, miraculously, the shuriken changed direction.

Itachi's shuriken-throwing skills were also top-notch; the shuriken bypassed Konan and flew directly towards Nagato.

"How could this happen? Konan couldn't stop Uchiha Itachi's shuriken in time."

Nagato, on the other hand, had no choice but to raise his hand and unleash a burst of Chakra Rod to block Itachi's shuriken.

However, when Itachi's shuriken was struck by the black rod, it once again turned into a flock of crows.

"Caw caw!" The crows scattered and quickly burrowed into Nagato and Konan's bodies, creating a very eerie scene.

Nagato and Konan were exhausted; it was clear that it had been Itachi's Genjutsu again.

"Uchiha Itachi's Genjutsu is never-ending, Konan! Bite your tongue! Use the pain to break the Genjutsu! I'll break his interference with my chakra."

Konan then immediately spat out a mouthful of blood, which finally dispelled the Genjutsu.

Konan immediately conjured countless paper spears and shot them towards Itachi.

"Impressive, has the Genjutsu been broken?" Itachi then dodged the spear.

"Release!" Nagato took this opportunity to dispel the Genjutsu.

"As expected of the Uchiha Clan, but I won't fall for your Genjutsu now," Nagato said with great certainty.

"Oh, Genjutsu should be used unintentionally. Since you've taken precautions, I naturally won't use it either," Uchiha Itachi said calmly.

"Ha, it seems you won't have the chance to see Uchiha Shigure alive," Nagato said.

Then, a figure walked in from the entrance of the tree hole. He had short orange hair and was carrying a red-haired woman on his back.

"This is... Kushina?" Itachi recognized the red-haired woman's true identity at a glance.

"You have no chance," Deva Path Pain said calmly.

"Fighting here would injure the Six-Tails Jinchuriki. Why don't we find another place?" Deva Path Pain pointed outside and said.

"This place is indeed not suitable for fighting, let's go." Itachi didn't care too much, after all, Pain had returned, and Pain and Konan wouldn't give Itachi a chance to attack Nagato's main body.

Itachi and Tendo didn't go very far; both of them had their own thoughts on their own.

The two arrived at the clearing next to the large tree that Konan had hidden using the Paper Person of God Technique.

"What about the other five of the Six Paths of Pain? Did they die in Konoha?" Itachi asked.

"Their chakra is all with me," Deva Path Pain said. "That means I am currently the strongest."

"We'll only know if we try." Itachi remained expressionless; both of them resembled robots.

"Then let's begin! Banshō Ten'in!" Deva Path Pain wasn't lying. Because his chakra was concentrated in one body, his gravitational pull increased significantly, instantly attracting Itachi.

"Gravity?" Itachi was also startled. He immediately drew his katana. There happened to be a huge rock next to him. He stuck the katana into the rock to stabilize his body.

"You can't escape." Deva Path Pain's cold eyes were devoid of any emotion.

"The rock is starting to shake. This guy's strength is formidable!" Itachi said with great seriousness.