Death to You, Not Me

"Even if you and I joined forces, we probably wouldn't be a match for Hanzo the Demigod. We'd need other powerful fighters to help surround him."

Sasori of the Red Sands looked at Nagato and Konan, then paused before continuing. "I take it these two are the allies you plan to bring against Hanzo."

Ever since Jiraiya had given him a thorough beating, Sasori had grown much more cautious. He no longer dared underestimate fighters who rivaled a village's Kage.

"Let me introduce them."

Uchiha Mai pointed to Nagato. "This is Nagato, a descendant of the Uzumaki Clan. He possesses the legendary eyes of the Sage of Six Paths: the Rinnegan, one of the three great ocular techniques alongside the Sharingan and Byakugan.

"He's every bit as strong as I am."

For some reason, the moment Nagato heard Uchiha Mai say "every bit as strong as I am," he clenched up and felt strangely drained.

"And this is Konan."

Uchiha Mai pointed to Konan. "A beautiful, kindhearted angel in white. She possesses the Paper Release Kekkei Genkai.

"Both of them also trained under Jiraiya for several years."

After Uchiha Mai and Namikaze Minato had made their names across the Ninja World, being Jiraiya's student had become practically synonymous with being a genius. That pedigree spoke for itself.

"Hello."

Nagato greeted Sasori of the Red Sands politely. The redhead before him was crucial to avenging Yahiko.

Sasori gave no answer. Without warning, he raised a hand and sent several Chakra Threads shooting toward Nagato and Konan.

Performance: Human Body Manipulation!

The only way to judge their strength was to fight them.

Sasori's sudden attack clearly caught Nagato off guard, but Nagato reacted quickly and raised a hand toward him.

Shinra Tensei!

Chakra surged outward as a repulsive force, instantly smashing the