Nagato Attacks

On the other side, Uchiha Akira was leading his temporary team around the Land of Rain.

For this mission, Sarutobi Hiruzen had naturally given him specific directions and locations to investigate.

They would first investigate those designated locations, then move on to a broader search.

Rumble~

It rained almost constantly in the Land of Rain, with clear skies a rare sight. At that moment, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled overhead as rain poured down.

By the time Uchiha Akira and the others entered the Land of Rain, they were already soaked.

After spending a day thoroughly investigating several places Sarutobi Hiruzen had marked, the four of them had found nothing.

"Did your bugs find anything?" Uchiha Akira asked, his scarlet Sharingan fixed on Aburame Shigang.

The Aburame Clan specialized in the Insect Manipulation Jutsu and raised bugs with all kinds of uses. Sometimes, they could prove surprisingly effective.

Aburame Shigang pushed up his sunglasses as bugs crawled all over him. He replied calmly, "Nothing at all."

"What about you?" Uchiha Akira turned to Hyuga Kaoru and asked, "Did your Byakugan find anything?"

"Captain, nothing at all. The traces of battle here are at least two months old. There's nothing unusual." Hyuga Kaoru's cool voice rang out.

"Mm." Uchiha Akira nodded and said gravely, "Let's head to the next location marked in the mission."

Not long after the group left, a completely pale White Zetsu emerged from the muddy water.

"Heh..." The White Zetsu watched them leave and chuckled under his breath. "As if the Byakugan and a bunch of bugs could detect the Mayfly Technique..."

"Perfect timing. We should notify Nagato. He's been looking for them all day." As he spoke, the White Zetsu sank underground and used the Mayfly Technique.

Before long, he appeared beside Nagato and Konan, who were moving through the Land of Rain.

As soon as the White Zetsu appeared, he called out, "Nagato, we found Uchiha Akira's whereabouts. He's near Mount Kurokawa, in the northern part of the Land of Rain."

"I know." Nagato nodded, then turned to Konan. "Mount Kurokawa isn't far from here. We can head there and wait for them. This time, I'll have Deva Path deal with them."

Konan, dressed in a black cloak with red clouds, nodded and looked at the White Zetsu. "Go set up the Signal Tower. We'll be there shortly."

"Understood." The White Zetsu replied, then sank into the ground and left.

Nagato needed Signal Towers as relays to control Pain. If they were too far away, he couldn't control him.

Elsewhere, near Mount Kurokawa in the Land of Rain, Uchiha Akira and the others—Aburame Shigang, Hyuga Kaoru, and Yamanaka Shigeyoshi—were racing through the rain.

This was a key location Sarutobi Hiruzen had specifically marked for investigation. According to the mission intelligence, an Akatsuki branch might be hidden there.

Suddenly, amid the torrential rain, Hyuga Kaoru stopped and looked gravely toward the nine o'clock direction. "Captain, three people are coming from the nine o'clock direction. Their chakra is enormous!"

"They're moving fast. They'll be here any moment," Hyuga Kaoru said urgently.

"Prepare for battle," Uchiha Akira ordered in a low voice.

"Understood," the three replied solemnly.

A few breaths later, three figures in black cloaks patterned with red clouds appeared in Uchiha Akira and the others' line of sight.

The man at the front had orange hair and wore a Forehead Protector marked with a horizontal slash through the symbol of Amegakure. Three black studs pierced his nose, and his expression was cold. He didn't look alive.

Behind him was a figure with orange braids, wearing the same slashed Amegakure Forehead Protector. A black stud was embedded between their brows.

Behind the two of them was a burly, orange-haired man. Sharp black rods pierced both his ears, and more black rods were embedded in his face.

Seeing them, Uchiha Akira's heart tightened. Deva Path Pain had come in person.

The two beside Deva Path Pain were, if he guessed correctly, Animal Path and Naraka Path.

"They won't be easy to deal with..." Uchiha Akira glanced discreetly at the thunderclouds overhead, but wasn't especially worried.

Judging by the timeline, Nagato had only recently turned to darkness and joined forces with Uchiha Obito. He might not have mastered the Six Paths Technique yet, and was nowhere near as powerful as he would become later.

"The Rinnegan? Three pairs!?" Everyone except Uchiha Akira looked shocked when they saw the newcomers.

They had immediately recognized the unusual dojutsu in their eyes.

Yamanaka Shigeyoshi looked grave and asked quietly, "Captain, what should we do?"

"If a fight breaks out, I'll handle the one in the middle. You deal with the other two," Uchiha Akira said calmly.

The three had no objections. Judging by their respective sensory abilities, the lead enemy had the most chakra and was probably the strongest.

Just as Uchiha Akira finished assigning roles, Nagato controlled the three Paths of Pain and brought them within a short distance of the group.

Nagato had no intention of talking. As soon as the three arrived, Animal Path immediately performed the Summoning Technique.

"Summoning Technique!"

Amidst a cloud of smoke, an enormous green Chameleon burst out and vanished from sight in front of Uchiha Akira and the others.

"Summoning Technique!"

With another low shout and a cloud of summoning smoke, a gigantic, winged, three-headed Hellhound leaped out and charged at them.

"Watch out! The invisible Summoning Beast is coming!" The veins bulged around Hyuga Kaoru's eyes. Beneath her Byakugan, the hidden Summoning Beast was impossible to miss.

"Follow the plan! If the weather changes, the three of you should withdraw from the battlefield immediately."

As Uchiha Akira's voice fell, his figure vanished in a flash of blue lightning. When he reappeared, he was beside Naraka Path.

Holding a Ninja Blade crackling with lightning, Uchiha Akira was about to run Naraka Path through.

Of the Six Paths of Pain, Naraka Path was the most crucial.

Naraka Path could repeatedly revive the other five. Only by eliminating him could they truly defeat Pain. Otherwise, Pain could always find a chance to revive them.

"Shinra Tensei!"

Deva Path Pain's cold voice rang out.

As Uchiha Akira swung his Ninja Blade down, a tremendous force slammed into him. The invisible force was immense.

With a deafening boom, Uchiha Akira, wrapped in lightning, was blasted dozens of meters away and crashed into a pile of rubble.

His Ninja Blade gouged a long furrow in the ground as he skidded to a stop. His scarlet Sharingan narrowed, and his clothes were disheveled.

Though he had managed to deflect some of the force, he had still taken most of it.

After bearing the brunt of Deva Path's Shinra Tensei, his breathing was ragged and his blood surged.

It's not as powerful as I expected, but even with my current physique, I can't take too many hits. I have to avoid being struck head-on by Shinra Tensei as much as possible!

The next moment, he vanished.

Lightning flashed as he crossed the dozens of meters in an instant.

This time, Uchiha Akira launched a direct frontal assault on Deva Path Pain.

Shinra Tensei had a five-second cooldown. If he timed it right, he still had a chance.