Into Konoha!

At the summit of a mountain, amid the torrential rain, Nagato opened his eyes and said to Konan beside him, "I have a general grasp of the situation within Konoha. But an uninvited guest has also entered my rain."

In the cold rain, Konan's expression turned grave. "Madara... Should we postpone the operation?"

After lowering his head in thought for a long while, Nagato made his decision. "No. This rain is a rare opportunity. It allows us to clearly sense the movements of Konoha's ninjas even from outside. We cannot let this chance slip away!"

Outside Konoha, the Six Paths of Pain, led by the Deva Path, had assembled. Looking past the towering walls standing in the rain, they could clearly see... the sensory barrier enveloping all of Konoha.

"When foreign enemies invade, this barrier can automatically identify their locations and numbers."

"Let us use Nagato's old tactics here."

The arm of the Third Kazekage's Asura Path lifted Pain Rin's small body, flames of propulsion erupting from its arm!

Boom!!!

Like a human cannonball, Pain Rin was launched more than a hundred meters into the air. The instant she passed through the barrier, ripples spread across it!

Almost simultaneously, Konoha's barrier team sensed her intrusion!

"Four o'clock direction! One intruder!!!"

Whoosh!

Pain Rin performed a series of backflips, landing lightly before forming hand seals with her tiny hands and slapping the ground!

Summoning Technique!

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Five figures descended amid smoke. The Deva Path's gaze was cold. "Destination: the Uchiha clan compound. To conceal our true objective, split up and create disturbances. If necessary... you may kill!"

"Disperse!"

Five black shadows scattered in every direction!

Pain Rin slowly rose to her feet. Through the rain, her true body had already sensed a large number of Konoha ninjas gathering toward this location.

"As expected of Konoha. They move so quickly."

The Rinnegan beneath her cat-faced mask gleamed with crafty light.

"Hehe~, let's play a game of hide-and-seek with them."

Without rushing to summon anything for battle, she ran alone into a dark alley.

Before long, the first group of ninjas arrived.

"This is where the intruder was reported to have appeared!"

"Damn it, where did they go?"

"None of us are sensory types."

"No, isn't there one here?"

Under everyone's gaze, the silver-haired youth crouched down, sniffed with his sensitive nose beneath his mask, then looked toward the entrance of an alley. "The scent indicates that the intruder went into that alley."

"Oh? Then let's chase them!"

"Wait." The silver-haired youth slowly stood up and said in a low voice, "There is more than one scent, and they went in different directions."

"What!? Are you saying there is more than one intruder, Kakashi?"

"That can't be possible, right? Even if they can hide their chakra, they could not have escaped detection at the moment they passed through the barrier!"

Kakashi hesitated where he stood for a moment. "I cannot be completely certain either, because the rain interferes with my sense of smell to some extent. To be safe, we should not concentrate a large number of people in one place, lest we fall for the enemy's deception."

"Search in the other directions and report the suspected presence of multiple intruders to the higher-ups. As for the intruder from before, I will handle them."

"Understood!!" After receiving Kakashi's orders, everyone sprang into action.

Kakashi rose and stared into the dark alleyway, his gaze dim. "For some reason, that scent just now gave me a faint sense of familiarity..."

"Kakashi!"

At that moment, a man dressed in a green jumpsuit-style ninja uniform, his hair still gleaming in the rain, landed beside him. "I'll chase them with you!"

Kakashi frowned. "Guy, weren't you about to leave on a mission? The intruder is none of your concern."

"In principle, that is true." Might Guy smiled. "But I am a little worried about letting my dear friend act alone. After what happened half a year ago, you were depressed for quite some time."

Kakashi hid his face beneath a gloom. "It's fine. I am a ninja, after all. Hurry and leave for your mission. It's an S-rank mission, so..."

"Quit whining!" Before he could finish, Guy had already shoved him forward.

"Stop being so hesitant. If you do not want me to be punished, then help me subdue the intruder quickly! If the situation were reversed, you would do the same, wouldn't you? Because you have already been changed by your other dear friend."

In the rain... Kakashi began to run. Guy running alongside him let his long-cold heart feel the faintest trace of warmth again.

"Perhaps..."

"Lord Hokage, according to Kakashi's latest intelligence, there may be multiple intruders!"

Yamanaka Inoichi urgently contacted Minato Namikaze, who was at home, using the Mind Transmission Technique.

"Good work. I understand."

Minato Namikaze put on the Fourth Hokage's cloak and walked into the living room.

"Lord Hokage..."

On the sofa, Iruka looked tense. Still studying at the Ninja Academy and not even a Genin, he simply could not believe what was happening before him.

Could it really happen... that the village had been invaded?

Minato said hurriedly, "Iruka, I know all about Mizuki. Once the trouble in the village is resolved, I will immediately organize a search party!"

Iruka stood up and timidly asked, "Is, is there... anything I can help with?"

The moment the words left his mouth, he regretfully clenched his fists and lowered his head.

I am overestimating myself. I am not even a ninja yet. Facing intruders who require the Hokage himself to act, wouldn't saying something like that only humiliate me?

Just as he waited for the inevitable refusal, a hand rested on his head.

"Huh?" Iruka looked up and saw Minato's warm smile.

Minato smiled. "Your mission is to stay here and keep my wife and the little baby in her belly company. Understood?"

At that moment, Kushina stood at the doorway holding a fruit platter, smiling as well. "We'll be relying on you, Konoha's little guardian."

A smile bloomed across Iruka's face. "Yes!"

"Then I'm off."

Minato vanished in a flash...

"Hmm?" As Pain Rin moved through the streets, she received the true body's perception through the rain and noticed two people approaching her.

"They are pursuing me this accurately? Both of their chakra signatures are quite strong. I may have trouble dealing with them alone. I should have the Asura Path provide a little support here..."

Whoosh!

But just then... a vortex appearing out of thin air in the air before her made Pain Rin abruptly halt.

Uchiha Obito appeared before her just like that!

From the black hole in Haku's spiral face, that Sharingan stared coldly at the exposed "Rinnegan" on Pain Rin's cat-faced mask.

A faint voice sounded. "Rinnegan... You are Nagato, aren't you? What exactly do you intend by entering Konoha this way?"