The Melee

For Nagato, a "good person of the Ninja World," returning things to their rightful owners was only natural. He just didn't know who to give the Horse Talisman to yet.

Just then, the Shadowkhan lurking in the darkness ran out of patience. They immediately spread over the building, plunging the surroundings into darkness.

"Oh no! It's the Shadowkhan!"

"They're the Daimyo's personal guards!"

"?"

Uncle and the Twelve Guardian Ninja spoke at the same time, then exchanged confused looks. "What?! Your Daimyo made these demon lackeys his personal guards?!"

"Nonsense! Our Daimyo is the Hero of Justice! He'd never do something like that! These ninjas are the Daimyo's trusted aides!"

Xidu, the most burly-looking of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, immediately refuted him. Though he hated to admit it, these black-clad ninjas were not only skilled in combat, but also excelled at everything from laundry to cooking. They were incredibly versatile.

"Hmph! I think an old geezer like you, with that strange summon, is the one who's up to no good!"

Since they couldn't see eye to eye, the Shadowkhan had already surrounded everyone completely. Nagato finally recalled the incident his Akatsuki comrades had told him about—the collapse of Amegakure's tallest tower.

Back then... it seemed these black-clad ninjas had searched the village for the Talismans at all costs, causing large numbers of Amegakure's residents to be poisoned...

--Swish, swish, swish!

Sharp shuriken sliced through the rain, launching an indiscriminate attack at everyone except the Twelve Guardian Ninja.

"Shinra Tensei!"

An invisible repulsive force made the raindrops in front of Nagato unnaturally still. Then the droplets making up the "curtain of rain" rippled like the surface of water, forming a semicircle that surged forward with the force of Shinra Tensei.

The terrifying repulsive force pushed the rain outward. The moment the sturdy shuriken touched it in midair, they shattered completely, reduced to scrap metal.

"That's... the power of the Rinnegan?!"

Orochimaru had dodged every shuriken with nimble footwork and a serpentine transformation, burrowing underground. Now, he gazed at Nagato with burning interest.

"The Rinnegan... the 'strongest eyes,' said to surpass both the Sharingan and the Byakugan. How I long to lay eyes on them~"

"Chixing!"

Meanwhile, Uncle did as he always did and slowly stepped behind Chixing—

"Got it, Uncle."

--Hiss, hiss, hiss...

A tremendous amount of steam rose from Chixing's body in the rain. Then, as if kneaded by a pair of invisible hands, he lost his solid form, replaced by scorching lava radiating such destructive heat that everyone nearby had to retreat.

The shuriken passed straight through Chixing's body without obstruction, but nothing happened. The lava swallowed every last one like a pack of hungry beasts.

"As expected! Chixing's abilities are amazing every time I see them!"

Orochimaru had seen Chixing use his abilities once before and still found them utterly fascinating. The Twelve Guardian Ninja and Nagato were even more astonished.

"What a powerful Lava Release!"

Even the experienced and well-informed Twelve Guardian Ninja had to praise Chixing's Lava Release. That kind of heat... it could probably rival that of Roshi, the Four-Tails' Jinchūriki from Iwagakure!

Since Chixing had turned completely into lava, raindrops kept falling from the sky and meeting his body, sending up vast amounts of steam that quickly obscured everyone's vision.

"This is bad!"

Nagato realized their vision was blocked, and he couldn't sense the Shadow Ninja's presence. He immediately shouted a warning to his Akatsuki comrades—

"Fall back!"

Nagato leaped backward with the Rain Ninja, landing on higher ground. While they were still taken aback by the sudden battle, a shadow suddenly emerged from behind him, slipping along the drainage pipe. As before, it gave off no trace of a presence and couldn't be sensed by detecting chakra.

"Damn it!"

Nagato reacted at once, using Water Release: Water Tornado to block the Shadow Ninja trying to ambush him. But his comrades weren't quick enough... almost all of them were seized from behind by the Shadowkhan.

"Wait! You want this Talisman, right?! I'll give it to you! Don't hurt my comrades!"

People like Nagato, who cared about their comrades, were the easiest to deal with in the Ninja World. Even with the strength of the peerless Shadowkhan at his command, he wouldn't risk his comrades' lives. He immediately handed over the Talisman.

But as soon as he handed it over, Uncle wasn't having it. He immediately bellowed, "Chixing! Hurry and take back the Talisman!"

"Dog-Biting Crimson Lotus!"

Chixing's body shot forward like a rocket blasting off, vaporizing all the rain in the air. The instant the Shadow Ninja took hold of the Horse Talisman, Chixing raised an arm that had morphed into a hideous, savage dog's head, its jaws snapping viciously. It stretched out and slammed hard into the Shadow Ninja.

--Rumble!

A large group of Shadow Ninja were burned to ashes by the lava. Chixing then charged toward the Shadow Ninja holding the Horse Talisman.

"Don't think you'll get away with it!"

"Lightning Release: Lightning Binding Technique!"

After only a few steps, several yellow-and-black staffs suddenly dropped from the sky and planted themselves firmly around Chixing. Blue lightning sprang up, forming an unbreakable triangular barrier. Even the slightest touch would bring a lightning strike.

"Oh my! What do you think you're doing, boy?!"

Uncle had just finished preparing his spell when he saw what was happening. He raised a dried pufferfish in his left hand, gripped a brick in his right, and swung at Beizi.

--Whoosh!

A green beam formed by Qi Magic struck Beizi squarely, blasting him away.

"Beizi! Are you all right?!"

The other three members of the Lightning Release Quartet—Dongmao, Xidu, and Nanwu—immediately rushed over and helped him up.

But Beizi was as motionless as a sun-dried gecko, only the slight twitch at the corner of his mouth serving as a reply.

"Hey, old man! You're asking for death!"

Hema was one of the more aggressive members of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, and he had never gotten along with the Lightning Release Quartet. Still, they were fellow retainers with the title of "Daimyo's personal guards." Losing face here was the same as making the Daimyo lose face.

Who could stand by while someone dared to make their brave and peerless Daimyo lose face?

Hema wore a Four-Bladed Iron Claw on his left hand. As he hurried toward Uncle, he gathered chakra at the tips of its blades and struck at Uncle's throat with a Blood-Sealing Throat Strike.

But just as he was about to land the blow, a double-edged straight sword suddenly appeared, clashing against Hema's Four-Bladed Iron Claw. "Orochimaru?! What do you mean by this? Are you trying to betray your country?!" (In the manga, the Kusanagi Sword is a katana; this passage follows its appearance in the anime.)

Hema could hardly believe his eyes. The blade that seemed to have the upper hand against the Chakra Blade on his left hand was none other than Orochimaru's Kusanagi Sword. Orochimaru himself wore an amused expression. "Lord Hema, I'm a Konoha Ninja. Of course, it's only natural for me to protect the person who hired me for this mission, isn't it? As for the Daimyo... sorry, I don't know him very well~"

"Orochimaru! How dare you!"

Those wildly treasonous words instantly sent several Guardian Ninja into a frenzy, especially the more aggressive ones. They all grabbed their weapons, ready to take down the snake-wielding bastard who dared show disrespect to the Daimyo.