Behind that fire poker, Konan could clearly see a flaming dragon barreling toward her with bared fangs and claws, as though it intended to devour her whole.
Faced with such a ferocious attack, Konan's heart tightened. She knew that, with her current strength, it would be difficult for her to withstand this blow.
Yet at that critical moment, Pain would never stand idly by. Without hesitation, he activated the Deva Path Pain's ability and repelled every attack before him.
With a thunderous boom, both the flaming dragon and the fire poker were forcibly blasted back. They exploded in midair, turning into countless sparks that scattered across the ground.
After Konan landed safely, she did not immediately concern herself with Ōnoki and Rasa's movements. Instead, she turned her gaze toward the direction from which the fire poker had come.
A figure gradually emerged there. It was none other than Hiruzen Sarutobi!
Konan's eyes widened. She had never expected Hiruzen Sarutobi to appear here at such a time, and from the look of things, he was clearly allied with Ōnoki and Rasa.
That was right. Hiruzen Sarutobi, Ōnoki, and Rasa now shared an unknown conspiratorial relationship. They seemed to have a common goal and plan.
Konoha's home-field advantage was now little more than a name! With powerhouses like Uchiha Yato and Hashirama Senju here, how could Hiruzen Sarutobi dare boast of any so-called home-field advantage before them?
Thus, the three naturally joined forces, their objective clear—together, they would punish Akatsuki!
At the same time, Ōnoki and Rasa also raised the banner of punishing Akatsuki, echoing Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others from afar.
However, Hiruzen Sarutobi's intentions differed from everyone else's. His ambition was even greater—one could say it was immense!
There was no other reason. The current leader of Akatsuki was his