Melee

Returning items to their rightful owners was a matter of course for Nagato, a "good man of the Ninja World," but he was momentarily at a loss as to whom he should hand over the Horse Talisman.

Just then, the Shadowkhan lurking in the shadows could wait no longer; they instantly swarmed over the building, plunging the surrounding environment into darkness.

"Oh my! It's the Shadowkhan!"

"It's the personal guard of the Daimyo!"

"?"

Uncle and the Twelve Guardian Ninja spoke at the same time, and as they locked eyes in confusion, they asked in unison, "What?! Your Daimyo uses these demonic minions as his personal guard?!"

"Nonsense! Our Daimyo is a champion of justice! How could he ever do such a thing? These ninjas are the Daimyo's most capable subordinates!"

Xidu, the most rugged-looking of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, immediately retorted. Though he was loath to admit it, these black-clad ninjas were incredibly versatile, excelling not only in combat but also in chores like laundry and cooking.

"Hmph! I think you old geezer with that strange summoning beast isn't such a good person yourself!"

With no common ground to be found, the Shadowkhan had already completely surrounded the group, and Nagato finally recalled the incident his Akatsuki companions had told him about regarding the collapse of the highest tower in Amegakure.

At that time... it seemed it was these black-clad ninjas who had recklessly hunted for a talisman throughout the village, which had led to a large number of Amegakure residents being poisoned...

--Swish, swish, swish!

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

"Shinra Tensei!"

An invisible repulsive force caused the rain strands in front of Nagato to freeze unnaturally. Then, the water droplets forming the "curtain of rain" rippled like the surface of a pond, transforming into a semicircular outline that surged forward violently with the repulsive force of the Shinra Tensei.

The terrifying repulsion pushed the rain outward, and the moment the hard shuriken touched it in mid-air, they were completely shattered into scrap metal.

"That is! Is that the power of the Rinnegan?!"

Orochimaru used his agile footwork and snake-like movements to dive into the ground, dodging all the shuriken. As he watched Nagato, his gaze became incredibly intense.

The Rinnegan... the "strongest eye" that legend claimed surpassed both the Sharingan and the Byakugan. "It truly makes one yearn for it so~"

"Chixing!"

As for Uncle, he retreated behind Chixing as he always did—

"Understood, Uncle."

--Hiss, hiss, hiss...

A massive amount of steam erupted from Chixing's body in the rain, and then, as if kneaded by a pair of invisible hands, he lost his solid form. In its place was scorching lava that radiated a destructive heat, forcing those nearby to retreat to avoid it!

The shuriken pierced into Chixing's body without obstruction, but nothing happened; the magma, like a hungry beast, instantly swallowed all the shuriken.

"As expected! Chixing-kun's ability is always astonishing to behold!"

This was the second time Orochimaru had seen Chixing use his ability, and he still found it incredibly novel, let alone the Twelve Guardian Ninja and Nagato.

"Such powerful Lava Release!"

Even the experienced and knowledgeable Twelve Guardian Ninja had to praise Chixing's Lava Release. Such high temperatures... they were likely on par with the Four-Tails Jinchuriki of Iwagakure, "Roshi"?!

Because Chixing had completely transformed into a body of lava, the raindrops falling from the sky intersected with him, causing a massive amount of steam to rise and quickly obscuring everyone's vision.

"Not good!"

Nagato realized with a start that his vision was blocked, and unable to sense the presence of the Shadow Ninja, he immediately shouted to warn his Akatsuki companions—

"Fall back!"

Nagato leaped backward, jumping to a higher vantage point with the other Rain ninjas. Just as he felt surprised by the sudden battle, a shadow suddenly attacked from behind him along the drainage pipes. It still possessed no aura, making it completely impossible to detect using chakra-sensing methods.

"Damn it!"

Although Nagato reacted instantly, using Water Release: Water Tornado to isolate the Shadow Ninja attempting to ambush him, his companions did not have such quick reflexes... 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 companions!"

Someone like Nagato, who cared so much for his companions, was the easiest to deal with in the Ninja World. Even with the strength of the peerless Shadowkhan, he was unwilling to gamble with his companions' lives and immediately handed over the talisman obediently.

But as soon as the talisman was handed over, Uncle was not pleased and immediately shouted at the top of his lungs: "Chixing! Quickly, take back the talisman!"

"Dog-Biting Crimson Lotus!"

Chixing's body shot out like a launched rocket, completely evaporating the rain in the air. Then, the moment the Shadow Ninja grabbed the Horse Talisman, Chixing raised his arm, which had mutated and shaped into a ferocious, snarling dog head that snapped its jaws, extending it violently to slam into the Shadow Ninja.

--Rumble!

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

"Don't even think about it!"

"Lightning Release: Lightning Binding Technique!"

Before he had taken many steps, several yellow and black-striped staves suddenly descended from the sky, firmly embedding themselves around Chixing. Then, blue lightning surged upward, forming an unbreakable triangular barrier that would deliver a shock upon the slightest touch.

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

Uncle had just finished preparing his Qi Magic when he saw this situation. He raised a dried pufferfish in his left hand and a stone brick in his right, and struck Beizi with it.

--Whoosh!

A green beam formed by Qi Magic hit Beizi's body with precision, sending him flying with a heavy impact.

"Beizi! Are you alright?!"

The remaining three members of the Lightning Release Quartet, Dongmao, Xidu, and Nanwu, rushed over immediately to help him up.

However, Beizi remained motionless, like a dried-out gecko, his only response a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth.

"Hey! Old man! You're courting death!"

As a radical among the Twelve Guardian Ninja, Hema had never really gotten along with the Lightning Release Quartet, but they were colleagues bearing the title of "Daimyo's personal guards," and losing face here meant losing face for the Daimyo.

Daring to strike the face of our incomparably heroic Daimyo? Who could tolerate that?

With the Four-Bladed Iron Claw on his left hand, Hema closed in on Uncle, gathering chakra at the tips of his blades to unleash a Blood-Sealing Throat Strike aimed directly at Uncle's throat.

Yet, at the very moment he was about to succeed, a double-edged straight sword suddenly struck out, clashing against Hema's Four-Bladed Iron Claw. "Orochimaru?! What is the meaning of this? Are you trying to commit treason?!"

Hema could hardly believe his eyes; the blade that was faintly suppressing the chakra blade on his left hand was none other than Orochimaru's Kusanagi Sword, while Orochimaru himself wore a playful expression. "Lord Hema, I, Orochimaru, am a Konoha ninja; protecting my mission client is only natural, isn't it? As for the Daimyo... apologies, I'm not very familiar with him~"

"Orochimaru! How dare you!"

Uttering such treasonous words instantly triggered the group of Twelve Guardian Ninja, especially the radicals, who all drew their weapons, intending to finish off this snake-charming bastard who dared to disrespect the Daimyo.