You actually have the nerve to face me?

A golden beam of light streaked across the Void, converging into a golden wheel!

"Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion!"

A low hum sound arose, and the darkness was instantly dispelled.

Tōka swung his arm horizontally, and the golden light in his palm severed the Earth Release prison that trapped everyone in half. The beam of light pierced through layers of thick Rock and went straight through the eight Stone Ninja who were continuously injecting chakra into the Jonin Jutsu Formula.

"He seems to have gotten stronger again." Pakura, supported by Bai, watched Tōka's back with flickering eyes, a thought silently flashing through his mind.

A golden curtain of light shimmered in the sky until it faded, and the sky returned to its original color.

With a flick of his finger, Tōka sent the remaining half of the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, whose legs had been severed, flying through the air.

The Phantom Dragon Nine Seals requires extracting the Tailed Beast from the Jinchūriki's body, and the Jinchūriki Tailed Beast will die with the Jinchuriki. Therefore, Tōka held back and did not kill Han directly.

The Five-Tails Jinchuriki fell into Tōka. A ball of emerald light One Flash in his palm, then he turned his fist into a palm and struck Han's chest.

Bang!

With a muffled sound, Han Hu felt his chakra completely drained, and he was unable to unleash his final, desperate attack.

"Now take him back and report," Tōka said softly, tossing Han to Pakura and Bai.

Pakura frowned; she had already sensed a conspiracy.

Why go back at a time like this?

Tōka seemed to sense Pakura's doubt. "Your intuition is quite sharp. Nagato should have found out about what happened last time we dealt with the Immortal Unit."

Within the Akatsuki Organization, aside from Itachi Uchiha, Tōka couldn't see clearly, so Kisame was put in charge of monitoring.

Sasori and Deidara's Art Group, and Pakura and Haku's Ice-Fire Unit, all belong to Tōka's camp. Only Kakuzu and Hidan's Immortal Unit truly regard Nagato as their leader.

"In that case, wouldn't going back be suicide?" Pakura had no confidence in dealing with the Rinnegan; no, to be more precise, even escaping from Nagato's clutches would be difficult.

Upon hearing this, Tōka's gaze lightly swept over Pakura and Bai's faces. Pakura looked somewhat displeased, staring at him with wide eyes, waiting for his explanation.

Bai stood quietly to the side, her eyes filled with trust; she believed Tōka wouldn't really let her die.

"What happened last time was my oversight. I shouldn't have let you go to deal with Kakuzu and Hidan." Tōka admitted his mistake, but it was okay.

He grinned, revealing a sinister smile. "He wants you dead, so you might as well die!"

"What?" Pakura's expression changed slightly. If it weren't for the icy blue light flickering in Tōka's eyes, she would have thought that the Tōka in front of her was someone in disguise!

You'll understand once you see it.

Tōka took a black Scroll from his sleeve and tossed it to Pakura...

The border of the Land of Earth is a continuous Kitsuchi range, rising and falling like a giant dragon coiled on the earth.

After resting for a day, Pakura and Bai arrived at this place with the Five-Tails Jinchuriki.

Over the next few days, they needed to contact Nagato and use the Phantom Dragon Nine Seals seal the Five-Tails into the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

The chakra levels of the first few Tailed Beast were not significantly different, or rather, there wasn't a world of difference like that between the Eight-Tails and the Nine-Tails.

Therefore, even though the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path only seals the Two-Tails Matatabi, it is missing the One-Tail Shukaku, the Three-Tails Isobu, and the Four-Tails Son Goku.

However, it can also directly seal the Five-Tails Kokuō.

"The surrounding area is barren for miles around, blocked by the Kitsuchi Mountains on the border of the Land of Earth. Let's find a secluded place to deal with this guy first." Pakura stood on a huge yellow rock, looking down at the ridge below.

Beneath the endless mountain range, a thick, eerie fog shrouded the area, obscuring the depths of the Valley.

Haku nodded. The Five-Tails Jinchuriki needs some time to recover his chakra, so he's not a threat for now, but we still need to deal with him as soon as possible.

The two reached an agreement and quickly ran down the mountain.

The further down you go, the more desolate the Valley becomes.

The barren land, devoid of any vegetation and devoid of any greenery, evoked a faint sense of loneliness and melancholy.

A few Crow darted across the sky, their cawing echoing intermittently through the Yamanaka.

Pakura and Bai weren't moving particularly fast, but gusts of wind still rushed past their ears, sending fine sand and gravel tumbling away.

It wasn't until the two plunged into the thick fog that they noticed what lay beneath it was a rare and magnificent jungle.

The Valley is lush and green, and the breath of life is palpable.

This is precisely why poisonous insects and rodents in the forest are even more dangerous. In the uninhabited primeval forest, you may encounter poisonous creatures lurking behind tree trunks, in dead leaves, or even on the branches overhead at any time.

This place is not far from the border of the Land of Fire. The soil has changed, so the appearance of such a forest in the Valley is unexpected, but not surprising.

It's also possible that the First Hokage and the First Tsuchikage fought here, and the First Hokage's Wood Release Secret Technique might have been left behind.

"Let's do it here. Poisonous insects and ferocious beasts can also give us warnings." Pakura raised his hand and released a small fireball, dispelling the hidden poisonous creatures within twenty paces.

"Let's find a safe place to set up the barrier first." Bai Ju looked around and found a hidden Cave in the bushes not far away.

The cave entrance was obscured by dense weeds Tree Vines, with only a few weak rays of light filtering through the layers of leaves into the Cave.

Pakura and Bai arrived at the cave entrance in a few leaps.

The two did not rush in; such Cave was very likely the lair of some ferocious creature.

Pakura squatted on the ground, brushing aside the thick layer of fallen leaves with his fingers. "There are footprints, four fingers long, about one and a half palm-sized, and they're quite deep."

It hasn't rained in the Land of Earth recently, so the footprints will have been there for a longer time.

Judging from the extent of the pile of dead leaves, they must have been left two days ago.

"Let 'Water Release," Bai suggested from the side.

"Okay, you Water Release first, then I'll use Scorch Release to evaporate it." Pakura nodded, clapped his hands, and stood up.

Bai Hand Seals and raised his Sword Hand Seal.

Buzz!

"Water Release: Water Chaos!" A stream of clear water gushed from Haku's mouth, rushing into the Cave and splashing against the mountain walls with a loud pattering sound.

Water Wave is the simplest Water Release Ninjutsu; its Jutsu Formula is weak and can only wash away enemies in front of it.

The water didn't flow deeper; instead, it pounded against the rock face with a dull thud, indicating that the Cave had only one exit.

Pakura's eyes narrowed, and he raised his hand, forming several scorching fireballs.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!!

The fireball shot through the air and disappeared into the depths of the Cave in an instant. The Kakkō illuminated the scenery inside the cave, and the blazing flames evaporated the water inside.

The Cave was filled with Steam exceeding 100 degrees Celsius, scalding any poisonous insects and rodents hiding in the Shadowy Corner.

Let's begin!

The two entered the Cave, where the Five-Tails Jinchuriki had been sealed by Ice Release, was carelessly thrown to the ground with a thud.

Pakura was responsible for contacting Nagato, while Shiro was responsible for setting the traps.

Fifteen minutes later...

"Looks like you've really messed with the Five-Tails. It doesn't even have its lower half anymore." Kisame laughed strangely, his cold Sharks eyes gleaming slightly.

"That's nothing! If I were in that situation, I'd fry the Five-Tails into minced meat!... Hmm." Deidara turned his head away, looking like he was much more powerful, and shouted.

Sasori, standing to the side, frowned and hissed, "Shut up, Deidara."

Immediately, Deidara deflated like a punctured balloon, muttering, "Okay, Sasori-nii. You're so long-winded... um."

Pain's eyes narrowed slightly as he observed the black and white lines imprinted on his forehead. He had discovered a secret while keeping a close eye on the Five-Tails Jinchuriki's wounds.

With a clean cut, the legs of the Five-Tails Jinchuriki were severed from the root.

However, Pakura and Shiro are masters of escape techniques...

"Enough with the nonsense, let's begin." Leader Pain calmly withdrew his gaze and spoke indifferently.

In an instant, the Phantom above the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path fell silent.

Everyone's expressions were serious; the next Jutsu Formula was crucial and also a tiring task.

"Phantom Dragon Nine Seals!"

The ten strongest ninjas were assembled as casters, and the sealing image was activated by the collective consciousness of all of them. The chakra released from its mouth was used to extract and seal the chakra of the Tailed Beast.

The chakra of a massive Tailed Beast requires several days of activation from an S-rank caster; ordinary ninjas cannot even activate the sealing image.

Because there are only eight people, and the Five-Tails Jinchuriki the strongest, the time required to activate the Jutsu Formula will be slightly longer.

In the Land of Grass, two figures, one beautiful and one ugly, walk through a bustling Market Town.

Their gazes didn't linger on any particular shop, but instead quickly swept over the pedestrians beside them.

Every person who comes into view will be given a serious look.

They seem to be looking for someone...

"Black Zetsu, are you sure the information is correct?" Tōka's gaze fell on a teahouse on a street corner, and he immediately walked over.

"If that guy didn't escape, he must be in this Town," Black Zetsu replied confidently, then followed him toward the teahouse.

The teahouse was small, with a few Square Table and a shed with several red-hot stoves burning, the kettles on the stoves bubbling with boiling water.

Tōka and Black Zetsu took their seats one after the other. The teahouse owner, a middle-aged man, immediately came over with a teapot.

After a day of exploring the Town, I was a bit tired, so I had some Clear Tea to quench my thirst and refresh myself.

"Please enjoy your tea," the middle-aged man said with a smile, filling a cup before turning and walking back into the hut.

Glug glug...

Tōka didn't know how to appreciate tea; he simply gulped it down like plain water, and it flowed down his throat into his stomach.

The warm, gentle sensation soothed his heart, and a faint tea fragrance wafted from the warm water, refreshing and invigorating. Tōka immediately felt completely comfortable.

"Last time, with so many of you dealing with Orochimaru, how did you manage to let him escape?" Tōka put down his teacup and asked, wiping his mouth.

"Tsk..." Black Zetsu gave a strange twitch at the corner of his mouth, it was hard to tell whether it was embarrassment or self-mockery.

"More like a live mudfish, slippery as can be. You know how capable he is." He paused, Black Zetsu narrowed his eyes dangerously.

"Itachi Uchiha didn't go all out; it seems he intended to let Orochimaru go."

Black Zetsu knew the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan all too well; during that battle, Itachi had been using Genjutsu to restrain him.

Even his most powerful Fire Release was only used symbolically, twice.

Orochimaru's escape was expected; Kisame alone couldn't possibly have stopped Orochimaru, let alone anyone else.

"Itachi..." Tōka pondered for a moment, realizing he needed to find an opportunity to see Sasuke.

Just then, Black Zetsu, who had been sitting to the side in a daze, suddenly changed his expression and looked up, gesturing for Tōka to look behind him.

Lost in thought, Tōka noticed Black Zetsu's gaze, and his Tenseigan vision instantly opened up.

A person Earth Flow quietly down the nearby street.

Long black Long Hair, long, golden pupils, purple eyeshadow extending to the sides of her nose, pale skin, and blue Tomoe- shaped earrings.

Who else could it be but Orochimaru?

Ding-dong!

Hearing the sound of something heavy falling on the table, the teahouse owner peeked out from the shed and saw two coins spinning on the Square Table and an empty teacup.

The boy who had been sitting there and the strange man with the black and white face were nowhere to be seen.

On the other street, across a row of houses, Tōka stood with his arms crossed, blocking Orochimaru's path. "Orochimaru, long time no see!"

"Heh..." Orochimaru narrowed his eyes dangerously, "Tōka, I haven't properly thanked you for what happened last time!"

"Likewise." Tōka looked at Orochimaru calmly, his expression unchanged despite the killing intent emanating from the other party.

Tōka outmaneuvered Orochimaru, having Itachi lead a group to ambush him.

Orochimaru, too, Danzo with Danzo to outmaneuver Tōka, but all of this was within Tōka's calculations.

Toneri was merely a pawn in Tōka's plan to unlock the Eternal Tenseigan.

Such a piece of trash actually became Orochimaru and Ninja World's Danzo card; the once mighty Legendary Sannin have fallen from grace!

"Tōka, you didn't come here specifically to see me today, did you?" Orochimaru's eyes flickered slightly as he scrutinized the passersby around him.

He seemed to be searching for Akatsuki Organization members hidden in the shadows; in his view, everyone else was negligible except for those Akatsuki Organization members.

Of course, the most dangerous one is the guy right in front of us.

"Of course..." Tōka deliberately dragged out the last syllable, his Ice Blue eyes making Orochimaru's heart skip a beat, "You came here specifically to see Orochimaru!"

"I need Orochimaru's help with something!"

"What is it?" Orochimaru suddenly had a bad feeling. He had been at a disadvantage in every "deal" with Tōka recently!

This greatly displeased Orochimaru; otherwise, he wouldn't have agreed to join Danzo in Danzo against Tōka.

"About last time..." Tōka began slowly.

How dare they bring up what happened last time? Did they come here specifically to mock him?

Orochimaru's expression grew even more grim, a gloomy aura obscuring his already pale face, with only a faint, sinister black aura emanating from him.

Ignoring the anger in Orochimaru's eyes, Tōka continued to tempt him, "Orochimaru must be eager for revenge, right? I can grant your wish!"