Clash Encounter!

Deep within Bellflower Mountain, a steel wire invisible to the naked eye lay hidden amid the wild grass.

Shisui stood at a high vantage point, peering through his Sharingan. He threw a kunai, striking the wire with precision!

"Click!!"

The explosive trap buried deep underground instantly sprang to the height of an adult. Upon detonating, concealed weapons sprayed in every direction!

Shisui swung his blade to block them, knocking down every approaching projectile. "A bouncing mine would have been bad enough, but it even came with projectiles triggered by the explosion..."

His Sharingan shifted toward the weapons embedded in the rock wall, and the faint purple hue upon them made his eyes narrow.

"The weapons were even coated in deadly poison? They truly stopped at nothing to kill."

"Luckily, this trap didn't go off during the battle. Otherwise, the casualties would have been severe."

"Boom!!"

After clearing another similar trap nearby, Fugaku walked over. "That means all the traps left behind by the three sides that fought in the Battle of Bellflower Mountain have been cleared. The blockade in this area can be lifted."

Shisui sheathed his ninja sword and jumped down from the mountain wall, heaving a sigh of relief. "Yeah. We worked for three whole days and nights. It was truly a massive undertaking."

Fugaku said, "Let's rest here for now. We'll return to the village at daybreak to report."

"Rumble...!"

Dull thunder rolled overhead. The thick clouds that had gathered in the sky for over a month could no longer hold back, releasing merciful rain as if to thoroughly wash away the scars of war...

Yet as two pairs of Sharingan gazed up at the rainy sky, their owners' expressions grew solemn.

The chakra mixed into the rain could not escape their keen eyes.

Fugaku and Shisui exchanged a glance, reaching the same conclusion.

"It seems... resting is out of the question."

Within the dense forest below Bellflower Mountain, rain battered the leaves with crisp pattering sounds, and the air was filled with the distinct scent of wet earth.

Nagato and Konan stood side by side, dressed in raincoats.

"Oh, right, Konan. Take this." Nagato removed a "crystal ball" he had acquired along the way from his ninja tool pouch and handed it to Konan.

He formed hand seals and placed them over the crystal ball.

Bzzzt!

An image appeared on the crystal ball, showing Fugaku and Shisui advancing through the rain.

"This is..." Konan's eyes could not conceal her astonishment.

Nagato lowered his hands and said, "This is the Telescope Technique used by Hiruzen Sarutobi for remote surveillance. It was recorded in the fragment of the Scroll of Seals I obtained, and I mastered it along with that technique."

Konan asked, "Can this technique observe someone directly under any circumstances?"

Nagato smiled. "No. You must be intimately familiar with the other person's chakra characteristics. I use the Rain Tiger at Will Technique to confirm their chakra, then use the Telescope Technique to project an image. They're a perfect match."

This technique... was probably the one Teacher Jiraiya had dreamed of most.

Konan asked another question. "What about the range? Once you know someone's chakra characteristics, can you see them from any distance?"

Nagato said, "Of course not. The farther away the target is, the more chakra it consumes. Conversely, as long as you have enough chakra, you can see across any distance..."

I see... With Nagato's chakra, he should be able to see very, very far.

Her expression shifted slightly.

"Can I... learn this technique too?"

Nagato smiled. "Of course. If you want to learn, I can teach you. But for now, you should use this crystal ball in my hand to watch every movement on the battlefield."

But... after a moment of silence, Konan handed the crystal ball back to Nagato.

She said solemnly, "Nagato, rather than watching the battle from your side, I want to participate in it directly!"

"Konan..." Feeling Konan's determination, Nagato could not refuse her. That would have been disrespecting her.

"Then go. I'll give you a task: during the battle, use your ability to collect their blood..."

After all, no matter how powerful Pain was, Nagato could not imagine him pinning those two men to the ground and collecting their blood directly. With Konan there, Nagato could fight without restraint.

"Understood," Konan said.

"Also..." If Konan joined the battle, there was one matter Nagato had to keep in mind: Fugaku and Shisui's ocular power.

On the eve of the Uchiha rebellion, both Shisui and Fugaku had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.

However... the original story had never revealed exactly when they awakened it.

The death of someone close, or an equivalent level of mental trauma, was the catalyst for awakening the Mangekyō.

The Third Shinobi World War had just ended... Honestly, the chances of these two having awakened it were not low at all, especially... Fugaku!

If they had already awakened it by now... Fugaku's ocular power was unknown, so that could be set aside for the moment. But Shisui's ocular technique, "Kotoamatsukami," had to be guarded against—especially where a living person like Konan was concerned!

Nagato warned seriously, "Konan... during this battle, under no circumstances are you to look directly into Uchiha Shisui's eyes!"

"Ah, I understand. Not just Shisui—I won't look directly into either of their eyes!"

"Good." Nagato put away the crystal ball.

"Poof!" At that moment, the Animal Path, Pain Rin, summoned the Yata Crow and sped toward the rain-soaked foothills!

Bellflower Mountain, halfway up the slope.

"Did you feel it, Shisui?"

"Yeah. Even the air has become scorching. The enemy's chakra feels incredibly powerful!"

"Very few people in the village knew we were assigned this mission. Aside from the village higher-ups, only the members of the police force knew..."

"I believe the Fourth would not kick us while we were down, and I believe our clansmen would never betray us."

"Other than them, the only person who might possibly target us is... that man."

The man Fugaku referred to... was self-evidently Shimura Danzō!

With intelligence cut off, this was almost the only possible answer.

As they advanced, both men heightened their vigilance!

Suddenly... a blur of motion descended!

"It's here!!"

Fugaku and Shisui stopped, exchanged a glance, and leapt backward at the same time!!!

"Boom!!!"

A mechanical armored fist blazing with fire slammed heavily into the spot where they had stood, leaving behind a terrifying crater!!

"Clack!" The Asura Path withdrew its monstrous arm, and the mechanism closed!

"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" "Whoosh!"

Dark figures flashed in succession through the rainy air.

Fugaku and Shisui moved at high speed, their Sharingan swaying from side to side with crimson light in their pupils!

"One enemy, two, three, four, five..."

"Swish!" "Swish!"

Their backs pressed together once more!!

A figure stood atop each of the six protruding humps, forming an encirclement as they looked down at the two men standing back to back!

"There are... six of them!!"

"Screech!!" A dark shadow fell over them as the Yata Crow swooped down from the sky...!

Fugaku and Shisui formed hand seals in unison, unleashing their most proficient inherited ninjutsu at the descending shadow at the same time!!

—Fire Release: Great Fireball!!!

"Rumble...!!"

Combining their strength, two pillars of fire raced side by side and erupted into a magnificent fireball in midair. Its terrifying heat evaporated the rain over a wide area and blasted the Yata Crow into white smoke!

"Since Konan has joined the battle, let's end this quickly with this move!"

Deva Path Pain brought his hands together in a seal!

—Illusion: Bringer of Darkness Technique!