The Dawn of Rebirth (Part 2)

With Nagato's roar, the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path opened its massive maw, exhaling a purple dragon of chakra.

The dragon writhed and lunged through the rain, weaving through the air. Whether they were Amegakure ninja or Root operatives, the moment they were touched, their bodies instantly stiffened. There were no wounds, no blood, and not even a change in expression; their souls were forcibly ripped from their bodies.

"Run! If that thing touches you, you're dead!"

"Aaaaaah!"

Terror completely overwhelmed the crowd. Aside from Danzo's death squads, the remaining Amegakure ninja began to flee in a panic. They attempted to distance themselves from Nagato and the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, but without exception, they failed. The chakra dragon caught up to them, devouring their life force and souls alike.

Before long, the valley—which had just been filled with the clamor of clashing ninja tools—was left with only Hanzo. The chakra dragon locked eyes with him, swaying its body gently before opening its giant mouth to ruthlessly consume Hanzo's soul.

"Don't joke with me! I am Hanzo of Amegakure! The pinnacle of the Ninja World! How could I possibly die here!"

Hanzo erupted with an unprecedented desire to survive, using a Water Flicker Technique to retreat hundreds of meters in an instant.

What? You ask where Danzo went? The moment Nagato summoned the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, he had furrowed his brows, shielded his men, and fled for his life.

The chakra dragon pursued relentlessly. Hanzo had originally intended to launch a surprise attack on Nagato to stop the dragon, but he quickly realized he was wrong. With the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path now at Nagato's side and the reinforcement of Shinra Tensei, let alone a surprise attack, even getting close was as difficult as ascending to heaven.

"Damn it..."

Seeing that a surprise attack was futile, Hanzo chose the safest method: "Nigerundayo!"

But just as he turned his head to perform the "Water Flicker Technique" to escape the battlefield, a sharp blade suddenly pierced through his chest.

"!?"

Hanzo's body stiffened as he slowly turned back. He saw that a faint mist had risen behind him at some point. Hidden within it, holding a dagger, was a small, delicate figure.

"Zannen (Too bad), Uncle, it's impossible for you to run away..."

"I actually... didn't sense her?!" Feeling the twisting pain in his chest, the blood gushing out, his body growing weak, and his consciousness blurring, Hanzo found it hard to believe. After a lifetime of battle, he had finally fallen at the hands of such a brat.

Hanzo collapsed, filled with resentment. Nagato finally saw the figure holding the dagger, who had precisely extracted all of Hanzo's internal organs.

"Jack?!"

That's right, it was the child Konan had picked up a few days ago. She had left a deep impression on everyone in the Akatsuki organization with her personality, which seemed to get along with everyone.

But...! Wasn't she just a stray child?!

Aside from her expression and build, how did the Jack before him match the image of that kind little angel? Especially the way she precisely controlled the blade, as if she were merely butchering meat—it looked more like the work of a serial killer.

"Jack?! Why are you here?!"

Konan, her eyes red from crying, looked up upon hearing Nagato's surprised voice. Her own eyes were filled with astonishment. She had spent the most time with Jack over the past two days, and she had never noticed anything special about her. With her delicate, porcelain skin and frail, pitiful image, how had she approached a powerhouse like Hanzo without a sound?!

Countless questions filled their minds, but Jack had no intention of answering. She simply hopped lightly in front of Nagato, bowed slightly, and said, "Sorry~ Brother Nagato, Sister Konan. We lied to you. I'm not some displaced child at all, but 'Jack the Ripper' from the Hidden Organization."

"Hidden Organization? Jack the Ripper?"

Nagato and Konan exchanged a glance; they had never heard of it. Just as Nagato was about to ask what Jack's intentions were in approaching Akatsuki, Jack suddenly flickered to the side of the fallen Yahiko.

"Brother Yahiko still has a pulse. It would be a real pity if he died just like that."

As she spoke, she pulled out the Horse Talisman and used it on Yahiko's body. As the healing radiance spread, murmurs began to escape Yahiko's lips. Like someone waking up from a long, confused sleep, the first thing Yahiko asked after climbing up was, "Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?"

"Yahiko!"

Seeing their dear friend "resurrected," Nagato and Konan were both moved to tears, wanting to step forward and give him a big hug. However, Nagato had already had an excessive amount of chakra drained by the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and his legs had been crippled by Hanzo's Explosive Flame Formation; even with the statue gone, he couldn't stand.

But for the noble Horse, this was nothing. As the divine power of the Horse Talisman was injected into Nagato's body, his legs, which had been blown to pieces, regained sensation.

"Jack...! What is your goal in approaching us?"

After Jack finished displaying the divine power of the Horse Talisman before the three of them and had farmed enough Dimensional Points, it was time to retreat. The mist grew thicker, and Konan asked the question she had been dying to ask before Jack vanished.

Jack revealed a sweet smile and said, "It's to complete the mission assigned by our leader!"

Jack continued according to the script Qian Yu had prepared in advance:

"Leader said that our Hidden Organization has been dormant for a long time, and it is time to show our fangs to the world. And the best way to show our power is probably to kill some famous big shot, right?!"

"Oh, right, take this Horse Talisman as a Parting Gift!"

Subconsciously catching the object Jack tossed, the three looked at it. "So this stone that can heal all wounds is called the 'Horse Talisman'..."

"Wait...!"

The three wanted to say more, but Jack's body had completely vanished into the thick fog. After that, there was nothing left there...

Inside Amegakure, after some disguise, Orochimaru, Uncle, and Chixing successfully infiltrated the village.

"How strange... the highest tower of Amegakure has actually collapsed..."

Orochimaru had been to the Land of Rain and Amegakure when he was on missions. In his memory, that highest tower—the symbol of supreme power—was a place Hanzo would never allow anyone to damage...

"And... the crowds on the streets are a bit sparse..."

Although Amegakure was just a small village in a buffer state, its population was quite large. The current desolate state of the village was somewhat reminiscent of the days when Konoha was plagued by the "Fog Demon."

"Uncle's spell tells Uncle that we are late; the Shadowkhan have already taken the talisman..."

"Is that so..."

Just as the three thought they had come for nothing, Uncle's map suddenly flew out of his cloth bag on its own and began to float. Immediately after, the horse hoof print appeared once again on the map of the Land of Rain.

"Aiya! Uncle's spell tells Uncle that there are two talismans in this country! The Shadowkhan only took one of them!"

"No time to waste! We must find it before the Shadowkhan discover it!"