Amegakure was shrouded in rain year-round. Fine raindrops formed a natural barrier, cloaking the entire village in a haze. Jiraiya held up a paper umbrella, dressed in black, his presence perfectly concealed. Like a shadow blending into the rain, he slipped silently through Amegakure's alleys.
Following the clues Su Ye had given him, he arrived at an abandoned shrine deep within Amegakure. The shrine's vermilion pillars were weathered and mottled, and the stone lanterns out front were thick with dust. Only the bronze bell hanging beneath the eaves rang out now and then, clear and bright through the rain. The moment Jiraiya stepped inside, he sensed a familiar chakra signature—it was Nagato's, yet it carried a strange, icy stillness.
"So he really is here." Jiraiya's heart sank. He gathered a faint trace of chakra at his fingertips and slowly pushed open the shrine's doors. Inside, countless black chakra receivers crisscrossed like a web. On the raised platform at the center sat a figure pierced through by the receivers: Nagato. His eyes were closed, his face expressionless. Only the chakra swirling around him proved he was still "alive."
"Nagato, it's me," Jiraiya said softly, his voice tinged with complicated emotion. Nagato slowly opened his eyes. They had once been filled with warmth and ideals, but now held nothing but emptiness and cold. He said nothing, only raised a hand. Countless black chakra receivers burst from the floor and shot toward Jiraiya.
Jiraiya's pupils contracted. He leaped back at once, forming Hand Seals. "Sage Art: Hair Needle Senbon!" Countless golden strands of hair shot out like arrows, slicing through every oncoming chakra receiver. "Nagato, snap out of it! Have you forgotten the promise we made?" Jiraiya tried to awaken his memories, but Nagato only launched another attack without a trace of expression.
At the same time, at the foot of a volcano on the Land of Fire's border, Roshi, the Four-Tails' Jinchūriki, sat cross-legged, surrounded by the searing chakra of molten rock. He had just finished training and was preparing to return to Iwagakure when he suddenly sensed a surge of malice approaching. Roshi's eyes snapped open. Several dark figures were rapidly closing in across the distant sky—the Akatsuki members Hidan and Kakuzu.
"You Akatsuki scum! You actually dare come after me!" Roshi roared. Molten-rock chakra erupted from his body, and he transformed into a Tailed Beast in an instant. The giant Four-Tails, Son Goku, appeared at the foot of the volcano. Molten rock poured from its body, sizzling as it scorched the ground.
A crazed smile curled Hidan's lips. Clutching the Triple-Bladed Scythe, he charged at the Four-Tails. "A Jinchūriki, huh? Perfect! Let me enjoy the pleasure of harvesting your soul!" Kakuzu stood expressionlessly where he was, forming Hand Seals as several Earth Release techniques blasted toward the Four-Tails.
The Four-Tails roared and whipped its tail, sending a wave of molten rock surging toward Hidan and Kakuzu. Hidan nimbly dodged the molten torrent, then swung the Triple-Bladed Scythe in a bizarre arc toward the Four-Tails. Seizing the opening, Kakuzu launched a technique. Countless black tendrils burst from the ground and coiled around the Four-Tails' limbs.
Just then, a streak of pale purple chakra tore through the air, knocking the Triple-Bladed Scythe from Hidan's hands. Su Ye, Naruto, and Kakashi appeared at the foot of the volcano. "Roshi, we're here to help!" Naruto roared. Golden chakra erupted around him, and he transformed into a Tailed Beast before charging at Hidan.
Su Ye's Rinne Sharingan blazed to life, instantly locking onto Hidan and Kakuzu's weaknesses. "Kakashi, Hidan's ability is a curse. As long as he can't get your blood, he can't use his curse technique! Kakuzu has five hearts. You have to destroy them all at once to finish him off!" Su Ye quickly told Kakashi about their weaknesses.
Kakashi nodded, activated his Sharingan, and formed Chidori in his palm as he charged at Kakuzu. Kakuzu immediately manipulated his black tendrils to block the attack, while forming Hand Seals with his other hand. A Fire Release technique blasted toward Kakashi. Kakashi swiftly activated Kamui, sucking the attack into another dimension, then formed Chidori again and thrust toward Kakuzu's heart.
Su Ye charged at Hidan, swinging a black sword in his hand. Pale purple chakra coated the blade, and every slash carried tremendous destructive power. Hidan fought back, clashing with Su Ye using the Triple-Bladed Scythe, but his attacks could never reach Su Ye. Seizing an opening, Su Ye drove the black sword through Hidan's shoulder. Pale purple chakra flooded into Hidan's body, temporarily sealing his chakra.
Naruto fought alongside the Four-Tails. A golden Tailed Beast Bomb and searing molten rock intertwined in the sky and crashed toward Kakuzu. Kakuzu immediately summoned two more hearts and launched Fire and Water Release techniques in an attempt to fend off the Tailed Beast Bomb and molten rock. But their combined force was too great. They broke through his defenses in an instant and sent his body flying.
"Now!" Su Ye shouted. He used Heavenly Hand Power to teleport beside Kakuzu in an instant, then gathered powerful pale purple chakra around his black sword and thrust at all five of Kakuzu's hearts at once. Kakashi seized the chance to strike at Kakuzu's heart with Chidori. Under their combined assault, all five hearts were destroyed simultaneously. Kakuzu's body crumpled to the ground, his life extinguished.
Seeing Kakuzu killed, fear flashed through Hidan's eyes. He turned and tried to flee. Naruto immediately chased after him, forming a golden Tailed Beast Bomb in his palm and hurling it at Hidan. The blast struck him and left him gravely wounded. Su Ye rushed in and brought his black sword down on Hidan's neck, finishing him off.
When the battle ended, Roshi ended his Tailed Beast Transformation. Looking at Su Ye, Naruto, and Kakashi, he spoke with gratitude in his voice. "Thank you for coming to my aid." Su Ye nodded, his Rinne Sharingan glowing faintly. "The Akatsuki are after every Tailed Beast. You have to stay cautious from now on. It would be best to join our joint defense plan for the time being, so we can fight the Akatsuki together." Roshi considered it for a moment, then agreed.
Just then, a sharp pain shot through Su Ye's Rinne Sharingan, and a blurry scene flooded his mind: inside the shrine in Amegakure, Jiraiya was locked in battle with Nagato. In the shrine's shadows, Obito stood silently, a cold smile curling his lips.
"Something's wrong. Jiraiya-sensei is in danger!" Su Ye's face changed. He turned to Naruto and Kakashi. "Take Roshi back to Konoha. I'm going to Amegakure to help Jiraiya-sensei!" With that, Su Ye used Heavenly Hand Power and vanished.
By the time Su Ye reached the shrine in Amegakure, it was already in ruins. Jiraiya lay on the ground, badly wounded and barely breathing. Nagato stood on the raised platform, the chakra around him growing more violent. Obito stepped out of the shadows and looked at Su Ye with a mocking smile. "Su Ye, you're too late. I've already defeated Jiraiya. You're next."
Su Ye stepped in front of Jiraiya, his Rinne Sharingan blazing to life as pale purple chakra swirled around him. "Obito, you think you can defeat me? Today, I'll avenge Jiraiya-sensei!"
Obito's right eye spun, and a crazed look spread across his face. "Avenge him? You? Su Ye, your Rinne Sharingan is powerful, but you have no idea what the Eye of the Moon Plan is truly capable of. Today, I'll show you what real despair looks like." He formed Hand Seals, and countless black chakra receivers burst from the floor, shooting toward Su Ye.
Su Ye's gaze sharpened. He swung his black sword, and pale purple chakra formed a barrier that blocked the oncoming chakra receivers. He knew a fierce battle was now unavoidable.
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