Enter the Fray!

"Should we make our move now?" Konan asked, glancing behind her.

The Six Paths of Pain had assembled once more.

After learning the location of the Third Raikage's burial site from Orochimaru, the two had encountered three Hidden Stone spies operating within the Land of Lightning while on their way there.

They had therefore helped the Hidden Cloud Village eliminate them, while also replenishing the Human Path, Preta Path, and Asura Path lost during the Konoha expedition and the Bellflower Mountain expedition, preparing for the battles they might face next.

However... the purpose of this trip was merely to dig up a grave and retrieve a corpse. In theory, combat could be avoided. After all, corpses did not stand up and run away on their own.

Nagato said, "Let's wait. The Raikage is a filial son, so let him finish handling his father's funeral."

"Mm, that would be best." Konan agreed.

Nagato's gaze swept over the Hidden Cloud shinobi accompanying the Raikage's funeral procession, and he immediately recognized a familiar face.

The man kneeling behind the Raikage, sorrow written across his face yet not weeping loudly.

It's him—the Hidden Cloud's elite jonin, Dodai. Naruto used to affectionately call him Rubber Uncle, though he doesn't have an uncle face yet.

His intelligence was also exceptionally high. He could be called the Hidden Cloud's Shikaku.

There was no one else familiar... "Hm?" Suddenly, Nagato's scanning gaze stopped on several children kneeling at the rear of the procession.

From this angle, he could not see them very clearly... but their hair colors and outlines did seem somewhat familiar.

The ones who would later become the Hidden Cloud's pillars should be children like this right now.

Right... Killer B, the Eight-Tails' jinchuriki, isn't here.

He and the Raikage were known as the AB Brothers. It seemed rather inappropriate for him not to attend the previous Raikage's funeral.

Nagato stroked his chin and tilted his head. Could it be that they were afraid he'd perform an improvised rap at such a solemn occasion?

The more he thought about it, the more that seemed entirely possible...

Konan watched Nagato shift between deep thought and sudden realization, his expression changing back and forth in a rather comical way.

"Nagato, what are you thinking about? Why won't you tell me?"

"Oh!" Nagato blurted out, "I was thinking... these major nations' ninja villages all seem to have some kind of 'inheritance of will.' Konoha has the Will of Fire, the Hidden Cloud Village has the Will of Lightning, and the Hidden Stone apparently has the Will of Stone. Once we reclaim Amegakure, should we also establish something like that? The Will of Rain? Doesn't that sound a little too gloomy and small-minded?"

"Pfft!" Konan could not help covering her smile. "What was that? So that was what you were thinking about. I thought..."

Nagato inexplicably became a little nervous. "Huh? You thought what?"

A faint blush crossed Konan's face as she said, "I thought... you needed to relieve yourself, but were too embarrassed to tell me."

Nagato scratched his head. "Uh... so that was it!"

Ninjas did not merely have three prohibitions; they also had three urgent needs. Nagato and Konan were naturally no exception. Whenever they encountered such urgent needs while traveling, they always acted separately.

They were not at the stage where they could use the bathroom together.

Not yet.

Nagato and Konan waited until the latter half of the night.

"Wooooooahhhh! Dad, why did you leave so early, placing this ten-thousand-pound burden upon my frail shoulders!!!"

Kuang!! Kuang!! Kuang!!!

The Raikage's surging emotions could no longer be expressed through crying alone. He began pounding the ground before him with his "frail shoulders," and every blow made the earth rumble!

"Damn it!! Those Hidden Stone bastards, I'll make them, make them..."

Behind him, Dodai slightly raised his chin and watched the dragon-like muscles continuously flexing across the Raikage's back. It looks like Lord Raikage has just gotten into the mood. This funeral will surely last until dawn...

The war may have ended, but the village's relationship with the Hidden Stone is still at rock bottom. Ōnoki, the Tsuchikage, is deeply calculating. We cannot entirely rule out the possibility that he might set an ambush at a moment like this...

Thus, he turned and quietly instructed the jonin beside him, "Yun Zhiyi, to be safe, use your sensory abilities to check the surrounding area!"

"Understood." Yun Zhiyi answered softly. He lowered his head, straightened his body, lifted his hands from the ground, formed a hand seal before his chest, and closed his eyes to sense the area.

Whoosh!!

In an instant, the chakra signal coming from the mountaintop made him jerk his head up. He shouted, "On the mountain!! Someone is watching us!!"

"What...!?" The Hidden Cloud shinobi mourning below abruptly raised their heads and followed the falling rain toward the summit!!!

"Damn, we've been discovered...!!" Nagato grabbed Konan and quickly retreated!!

Konan asked, "What now... should we withdraw?"

Nagato's thoughts raced. If they retreated now, the Hidden Cloud would certainly move the Third Raikage's body and strengthen their defenses. It would be extremely difficult to make another move then. Worse still, if the Raikage made up his mind and destroyed his own father's corpse, then...

"No choice. We have to do it!"

Among the Six Paths of Pain, the Asura Path, Human Path, and Preta Path leaped forth!!!

With a sweep of his sleeve, Nagato said, "The terrain below is narrow. Let the 'three Hidden Stone Paths' go first!"

The three figures plummeted at high speed... Crack!! The Asura Path tore off its arm, revealing a string of missiles like a gourd vine!

"Let's start with a little greeting!"

Asura Path: Five-Finger Missiles!!

Boom boom boom!!

The missiles trailed long tails of fire as they crisscrossed down from midair!!

"Th-that is...!!" Dodai's pupils contracted sharply as he shouted, "Quick, scatter!!!!!"

The Hidden Cloud shinobi, snapping back to their senses, hurriedly dodged!!!

Rumble rumble rumble...!!

Mushrooms of explosive fire blossomed at the bottom of Cloud Gate Valley!

Thanks to Dodai's timely warning... only a handful of Hidden Cloud shinobi were injured, and no one had died!

Someone pushed aside dirt and rocks, clutching his wounded shoulder as he cursed, "Damn it... those three suicidal bastards!!"

"No, not them. The chakra I sensed was another..." Yun Zhiyi's words abruptly stopped, and terror filled his features.

Because... the person who had suddenly descended behind him had grabbed his head!

The Rinnegan's pupils gleamed with a cold light as they spoke quietly within Yun Zhiyi's trembling, terrified eyes.

"As a sensory ninja, you are outstanding. At the same time, you are also an obstacle. Farewell, unfamiliar yet worthy Hidden Cloud ninja."

Human Path!!