Kakuzu, Kill Them Both, This Is Your Pledge of Allegiance!

The voice that echoed simultaneously in the minds of the four individuals seemed to originate from another dimension, carrying an indisputable, chilling authority.

Kill them both.

The target was Yahiko and Konan.

Time seemed to freeze at that very moment.

Amidst the ruins of the Underground Bounty Station, the air solidified like a block of iron.

The color drained from Konan's face in an instant. She instinctively spread her paper wings, shielding Yahiko, whose spirit was already on the verge of collapse behind her. Her amber eyes were filled with horror and despair.

Why?

They had already surrendered; they had already donned these black robes that symbolized their fall. Why must they still be hunted to the death?

Yahiko was stunned at first, then he laughed.

It was a laugh uglier than weeping, filled with self-mockery and a sense of release.

"Ha... hahah... hahahaha..."

As he laughed, tears streamed down his face.

So that was it.

So this was the ending.

From the very beginning, that man had never intended to let them go. Everything—the so-called "rebirth"—was nothing more than a malicious drama, meticulously orchestrated to toy with them in the palm of his hand.

Die.

Dying was fine, too.

If he died, he wouldn't have to watch his dearest friend turn into someone he no longer recognized, nor would he have to watch the ideals he had built with his own hands be trampled into a puddle of mud.

Nagato's body also stiffened violently.

His Rinnegan, usually as still as an ancient well, contracted sharply for the first time.

He could be cold and ruthless toward enemies; he could take the life of a stranger with his own hands.

But these were Yahiko and Konan!

They were his only family, the ones who had crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood with him, huddled together for warmth in the rainy nights, and built dreams of peace together!

Only Kakuzu was different.

He knelt on one knee, clutching the bloody hole in his chest. In his glowing green eyes, a flicker of astonishment flashed, only to be replaced by a bloodthirsty fanaticism.

So that was it.

A pledge of loyalty?

This was truly... the most appetizing initiation ceremony he could imagine.

"As you command."

Kakuzu responded in a raspy voice. This reply was not spoken aloud but transmitted directly through his consciousness to that supreme existence.

He slowly stood up from the ground, his wounds healing at a speed visible to the naked eye as the black Earth Grudge Fear threads writhed.

The remaining two heart-monsters returned to his back, eyeing their prey with predatory intent.

"Kid," Kakuzu grinned, revealing a mouthful of stark white teeth as he looked at Nagato opposite him, "it seems the boss isn't too satisfied with your two companions."

"You..." Nagato's voice carried an uncontrollable rage for the first time.

"Don't look at me with those eyes." Kakuzu stretched his limbs, completely unbothered. "I'm just following orders. Or perhaps... are you planning to defy the leader's command?"

His words were like a poisoned dagger, precisely piercing Nagato's heart.

Defy?

That man could easily manipulate his heart from a hundred miles away and treat ultimate sealing techniques like fireworks.

What would be the outcome of defying him?

Nagato's heart was in turmoil.

"Very good, it seems you are a sensible one." Kakuzu caught the fleeting hesitation in his eyes.

"Then, let's start with that woman."

Before the words had even faded, Kakuzu's figure vanished from the spot!

The wind-attribute monster behind him opened its mouth and spat out a highly compressed wind bullet, aimed directly at Yahiko, who was being shielded by Konan!

Meanwhile, Kakuzu's main body appeared beside Konan like a ghost, his fist wrapped in black Earth Grudge Fear threads whistling through the air as it smashed toward her head!

It was a lethal strike from the very start!

"Konan!" Nagato's eyes were bloodshot. Without a second thought, his ocular power erupted!

"Bansho Ten'in!"

A powerful suction force arrived first, enveloping Konan and Yahiko's bodies.

Their figures were pulled backward uncontrollably by this force, narrowly dodging Kakuzu's fatal blow.

BOOM!

The wind bullet and the fist missed their mark, smashing two deep craters into the ground.

"Oh? You intend to protect them?" Kakuzu steadied his stance, watching with keen interest as Nagato shielded his companions. "That is not something a qualified subordinate should do."

"Their lives belong to me." Nagato's voice sounded as if it were squeezed through gritted teeth, cold and bone-chilling. "Since when was it your turn to lay a hand on them?"

"Yours?" Kakuzu sneered. "Kid, don't forget, your life belongs to the Leader. If he tells you to die, do you dare refuse?"

"You!"

"Enough talk!" Kakuzu clearly had no interest in trading barbs; he only wanted to finish this bloody "mission" as quickly as possible to prove his worth. "Since you insist on getting in the way, I'll just take care of you along with them!"

"Earth Style: Earth Spear!"

Kakuzu's body hardened once more, and like a runaway chariot, he charged fiercely toward the three of them!

"Shinra Tensei!"

Nagato concentrated repulsive force in front of him, forming an invisible barrier.

RUMBLE!

The violent collision caused the entire ruin to shake violently once again.

This time, Nagato did not hold back, and the powerful repulsive force pushed Kakuzu back by sheer strength.

But Kakuzu was, after all, a battle-hardened old monster; he performed a somersault in mid-air, and the fire-attribute monster on his back opened its maw wide.

"Fire Style: Searing Migraine!"

A sea of fire, covering the sky and earth, instantly engulfed the three of them!

"Water Style: Water Wall!"

Yahiko finally broke free from his emotional collapse. Forcing down the despair in his heart, he performed hand seals, and a wall of water rose from the ground, barely blocking the flames.

However, Kakuzu's offensive was like a relentless storm.

"Wind Style: Pressure Damage!"

The wind fueled the fire, and the power of the flames surged several times over, easily evaporating the water wall!

Konan's paper began to show signs of curling under the intense heat.

The three were forced into a retreat, looking utterly disheveled.

Inside the cave, Lin Feng watched this scene with great interest.

Very good.

This was exactly what he wanted to see.

Flowers in a greenhouse cannot withstand the storm. Only by pushing them to the brink, forcing them to struggle through blood and fire, could they be tempered into true steel.

Nagato possessed the power of the Rinnegan, but compared to an old fox like Kakuzu who had survived since the Warring States period, his combat experience was that of an infant.

As for Yahiko...

Not bad. At least he wasn't just sniveling like a waste of space anymore.

"That's enough."

Lin Feng looked at the three, who were already struggling to keep up, and decided to put an end to this farce.

On the battlefield.

"It's over!"

Kakuzu seized an opening, and countless black Earth Grudge Fear tentacles erupted from his body like a net, sealing off all paths of retreat for the three!

Just at this critical moment.

That majestic and indifferent voice echoed in the minds of all four once again.

"Stop."

The simple word, consisting of only one syllable, seemed to carry a magical power that made reality bend to its command.

Kakuzu's tentacles, which were about to pierce their bodies, stopped dead in mid-air, less than a centimeter away from Konan, who was the closest.

Kakuzu's body stiffened, and he retracted his attack with visible reluctance.

Nagato and the others collapsed to the ground, gasping for air, their bodies drenched in cold sweat.

"Kakuzu."

"I am here." Kakuzu responded respectfully.

"You have done well. I have seen your loyalty."

Upon hearing this praise, a flicker of joy crossed Kakuzu's green eyes.

"However," the voice shifted, "Nagato is the leader of this organization. His words, to a certain extent, represent my will."

"He is my avatar!"

Kakuzu was stunned.

Nagato was stunned as well.

"Just now, it was merely a small test for all of you."

The voice explained, unhurried and calm.

"A test for you, Kakuzu, to see if you would execute my orders without condition."

"And a test for him, Nagato, to see if he had the courage to throw a punch at an opponent in order to protect his companions."

"A ninja must not only complete missions but also value their comrades; those who do not value their comrades are worse than trash!"

"All of you have passed."

These words plunged everyone present into silence.

A test?

That life-or-death struggle just now was merely a test?

What exactly did this man hiding behind the scenes take them for? Chess pieces? Or puppets to be toyed with at will?

A deep chill rose from the bottom of everyone's heart.

"As for you two..."

The voice turned its focus toward Yahiko and Konan.

"Remember the feeling of being near death just now."

"In this new 'Akatsuki,' weakness is the original sin."

"You must grow rapidly and not become a burden to him."

"Your lives were saved by Nagato. From this day forward, your lives belong to him. If he tells you to live, you live. If he tells you to die, you shall die."

"Do you understand?"

Yahiko gritted his teeth so hard his nails dug into his palms, yet he did not make a sound.

Konan trembled all over, responding in a low voice, "...Yes."

"Very good."

"The farce is over. Now, return to your village."

"A god does not permit discord within his own kingdom."

"Go back and make everyone in Amegakure remember the red cloud on your chests. Let them call out to your new god—Pain—amidst their pain and fear."