Nagato's Assault

On the other side, Uchiha Akira was leading his temporary squad through the Land of Rain.

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

After first scouting these priority sites, they were to transition into free-roaming reconnaissance.

BOOM!

The Land of Rain was perpetually drenched, rarely seeing a clear sky; at this moment, thunder rumbled and lightning flashed as a torrential downpour hammered the earth.

Once Uchiha Akira and his team entered the Land of Rain, their clothes were already soaked through by the rain.

After spending a full day meticulously investigating the locations marked by Sarutobi Hiruzen, the four of them had come up empty-handed.

"Did your insects find anything?" Uchiha Akira's scarlet Sharingan turned toward Aburame Shigang.

The Aburame Clan excelled at the Insect Manipulation Jutsu, cultivating various insects for diverse purposes, which sometimes yielded miraculous results.

Aburame Shigang pushed up his sunglasses as insects crawled across his body, and he replied calmly, "Nothing to report."

"What about you?" Uchiha Akira looked toward Hyuga Kaoru and asked, "Did the Byakugan pick up anything?"

"Captain, there is nothing. The traces of combat here are at least two months old; there is no sign of anything unusual," Hyuga Kaoru's cold voice rang out.

"Understood." Uchiha Akira nodded and said in a deep voice, "Let's head to the next marked location!"

Not long after the group departed, a pale-skinned White Zetsu emerged from the mud.

"Hehe..." The White Zetsu let out a low chuckle as he watched the direction they had left in. "How could mere Byakugan or insects possibly detect the Mayfly Technique..."

"Perfect. It's time to notify Nagato; he's been searching for them all day." With that, the White Zetsu sank into the ground, activating the Mayfly Technique.

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

As soon as the White Zetsu appeared, he spoke loudly, "Nagato, we've found the trail of Uchiha Akira. They are in the area of Mount Kurokawa in the northern part of the Land of Rain."

"I see." Nagato nodded, then looked at Konan. "Mount Kurokawa isn't far from us. We can just head over and wait for them to walk into our trap. This time, let the Deva Path Pain handle them."

Konan, wearing the black cloak with red clouds, nodded and looked at the White Zetsu. "You go ahead and set up the Signal Tower. We will be there shortly."

"Understood." After acknowledging the order, the White Zetsu sank into the ground and departed.

Nagato and the Pains required a Signal Tower as a relay; if the distance were too great, Nagato would be unable to control the Pains.

Elsewhere, in the Mount Kurokawa region of the Land of Rain, Uchiha Akira was leading Aburame Shigang, Hyuga Kaoru, and Yamanaka Shigeyoshi as they sprinted through the rain.

This area was a priority site marked by Sarutobi Hiruzen for special investigation; according to mission intelligence, a branch of the Akatsuki might be hidden here.

Suddenly, amidst the pouring rain, Hyuga Kaoru stopped in her tracks, looking toward the nine o'clock position with a grave expression. "Captain, at nine o'clock, three people are approaching. Their chakra is immense!"

"They are moving very fast; they will be here in an instant," Hyuga Kaoru said, her voice urgent.

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

"Understood," the three replied solemnly.

Within a few short breaths, three figures wearing black cloaks with red clouds appeared in the line of sight of Uchiha Akira and his team.

The leader had orange hair, wore a headband with a horizontal scratch through the Amegakure symbol, and had three black piercings on his nose; his expression was cold, lacking the vitality of a living person.

Behind him was a person with orange braids, also wearing a headband with a horizontal scratch through the Amegakure symbol, with a black piercing in the center of his forehead.

Following the two was a bulky orange-haired man with sharp black rods protruding from his ears and piercings embedded in his face.

Seeing the arrivals, Uchiha Akira's heart tightened—it was Deva Path Pain himself.

If his guesses were correct, the two beside Deva Path Pain were the Animal Path and the Naraka Path.

This won't be easy... Uchiha Akira glanced unobtrusively at the thunderous sky, though he was not overly panicked.

According to the timeline, Nagato should have only recently turned to darkness and colluded with Uchiha Obito; his mastery of the Six Paths Technique might not be fully refined, far from the power he would eventually possess.

"Rinnegan? Three pairs!?" Upon seeing the newcomers, everyone except Uchiha Akira wore expressions of shock.

They recognized the unique ocular power in the eyes of the arrivals immediately.

Yamanaka Shigeyoshi looked grave and whispered, "Captain, what do we do?"

"If a fight breaks out, I will handle the one in the center. You three deal with the other two," Uchiha Akira said calmly.

The three had no objections; based on their respective sensory methods, the leader possessed the most massive chakra and was undoubtedly the strongest.

Just as Uchiha Akira finished his assignments, Nagato controlled the three Pains to a position not far from them.

Nagato had no intention of talking; as soon as the three arrived, the Animal Path initiated the Summoning Beast.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Accompanied by a massive cloud of smoke, a giant green Chameleon burst forth, then vanished from sight in front of Uchiha Akira and his team.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Another low shout followed, and amidst the summoning smoke, a massive, winged, three-headed Hellhound leaped out and lunged at the three.

"Watch out, that invisible Summoning Beast is charging!" Veins bulged on Hyuga Kaoru's face; under the Byakugan, the hidden beast had nowhere to hide.

"Follow the plan! If the weather changes, you three must get away from the battlefield immediately."

As Uchiha Akira's voice faded, his figure transformed into a bolt of blue lightning and vanished from his spot. When he reappeared, he was already beside the Naraka Path.

Wielding a ninja blade flickering with lightning, Uchiha Akira intended to run Naraka Path through on the spot.

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

Naraka Path was capable of continuously resurrecting the other five paths; only by eliminating him could one truly resolve the threat of Pain, otherwise, Pain would always find an opportunity to revive.

"Shinra Tensei!"

At that moment, the cold, indifferent voice of Deva Path Pain rang out.

As Uchiha Akira brought his blade down in a powerful strike, he felt a massive force surging toward him—an invisible power of immense magnitude.

Accompanied by a deafening roar, Uchiha Akira, still wreathed in lightning, was blasted dozens of meters away, crashing into a pile of rubble.

Uchiha Akira carved a long trench into the ground with his blade, his scarlet Sharingan narrowing slightly as he stood up, his appearance somewhat disheveled.

Although he had managed to deflect a portion of the force, he had still endured the brunt of the impact.

Having taken the full force of that Shinra Tensei from Deva Path, his breathing was slightly ragged and his blood surged uncomfortably.

Although it isn't as strong as I imagined, my current constitution still cannot withstand it too many times. I must avoid taking Shinra Tensei head-on as much as possible!

The next moment, his figure vanished.

A flash of lightning streaked across the distance, covering 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 seized the timing correctly, he still had a chance.