Stirring Restlessly...

Outside Konoha's Root headquarters, rain pattered against the eaves. A man in a black robe stood silently, half his face shrouded in white bandages, his right arm hidden beneath a black sleeve and his left hand resting on a cane. He listened to the white-clad, masked man kneeling before him report the situation.

"That's the situation... The invading enemies seemingly possessed the same 'eyes' we saw in the Rain Country!"

After hearing this, he closed his eyes in contemplation. He recalled the first time, half a year ago in the war-torn Rain Country, when he had seen the fledgling red-haired youth inadvertently synchronize with the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path after his companion's life had been threatened.

That soul-shaking impact... was still engraved into the marrow of Shimura Danzō, the man known as the darkness of the Shinobi World.

That power... did not belong to this world.

Danzo opened his eyes. "The Rinnegan is not such a cheap power."

"Send a letter to Hanzo, leader of Amegakure, immediately. Tell him that the Akatsuki criminals who escaped the last encirclement have appeared in Konoha and gained new power. Tell him to be especially vigilant..."

"Yes!" The Root member cautiously asked, "Then, sir... should Root take action against these enemies?"

"No need. There is nothing in this Shinobi World that even the old and new generations of Hokage combined cannot handle."

"However... the corpses the enemies left behind are surely worth investigating. Why has the Rinnegan appeared repeatedly? I will keep that secret in my hands!"

Rumble... Thunder flashed as Danzo's lips curled into a dark smile.

"Because the Rinnegan surpasses even the First Hokage and Madara. It is the power of the Sage of Six Paths. Even if I cannot obtain it, I will destroy that power!"

Konoha's eastern district had been reduced to ruins in the fierce battle.

The Asura Path and the Preta Path had both died here.

Hiruzen had defeated them, but Minato had finished them off.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was still in his prime. Clad in armor and gripping the Adamantine Staff, he stood in the rain and cast a sharp glance at Minato. "Minato, you should not have killed them. This will create diplomatic problems."

Minato explained respectfully, "Third Hokage-sama, I had no choice. The enemy who stole the Scroll of Seals self-destructed right in front of me. I feared these two would do the same and harm innocent people. If this causes diplomatic problems, I will take responsibility!"

"Sigh, there was no helping it."

Hiruzen sighed softly, only hoping this was the work of rogue ninja from Hidden Sand Village or another ninja village. Then the other side would have no grounds to use it as an excuse to make trouble for Konoha.

At that moment, an "eye" opened on the Adamantine Staff. Enma said gravely, "Still, these two had truly troublesome abilities. That big fellow's absorption ability rendered all your best ninjutsu useless."

"As for the other one, he was even more troublesome. It would have been one thing if he could use Magnetic Release: Sand Iron as powerful as the Third Kazekage's! But his body was also stuffed full of bizarre contraptions. If not for my Adamantine Body, I probably couldn't have endured it either!"

Magnetic Release: Sand Iron as powerful as the Third Kazekage's... Those words caught Hiruzen's attention.

"..." He stepped forward and used the Adamantine Staff to clear away the rocks and rubble burying the Asura Path, staring intently at the face he had not been able to examine closely during their battle.

"What!? How could this be?"

At the sight of it, his pupils abruptly contracted, and his five fingers clenched tightly around the Adamantine Staff!

"He... is the Third Kazekage!!!"

"What...!?" Minato and the Konoha Jonin present were all stunned.

During the Third Kazekage's tenure, relations between the Fire Country and the Land of Wind had been tense. They had almost no shared missions or exchanges. During wartime, the Third Kazekage had remained in the rear, and no Konoha ninja had ever seen his true face!

"The Third Kazekage was said to be the strongest Kazekage in Hidden Sand Village's history, and his mysterious disappearance directly led to Hidden Sand Village's surrender, marking the end of the Third Shinobi World War!"

"The strongest Kazekage, whose whereabouts had been unknown... attacked Konoha after the war!?"

"Th-this... is too unbelievable, isn't it?"

Minato was the first to regain his composure. He said to Hiruzen, "Third Hokage-sama, the Third Kazekage's body was turned into a puppet, and compared to the other enemies who were suspected of being puppets, his structure resembles the mechanical puppets we traditionally recognize much more closely!"

"So... I believe he was killed and turned into a puppet when he attacked Konoha. His death has nothing to do with us!"

"Fourth, you are too naive. Even if that is the truth, Hidden Sand Village will not see it that way."

At that moment... a dark, low voice rang out.

Minato looked over. "Danzo-san..."

At the Uchiha compound, on a training ground far from the residential area.

Members of the Military Police Force led by Uchiha Yashiro surrounded the edge of a deep pit, looking down at the Naraka Path's miserable corpse.

"I really don't understand it. This guy obviously wasn't that capable, so how did he subdue Yakumi and Uchiha Setsuna?"

"I find it strange too."

After pondering for a moment, Yashiro made a rational analysis. "Could he have had an accomplice? The moment he saw us, he fled without a second thought, and he deliberately ran to this place far from the residential area. It could be understood as covering for that accomplice, right?"

"That makes sense... Shouldn't we search the area immediately?"

At that moment, a long-haired youth following behind the Military Police Force jumped into the pit.

"Compared to his accomplice, there is something else worth confirming."

"Inabi." Everyone looked toward the youth who had spoken.

Uchiha Inabi was nine years old. He had already awakened the Sharingan and become a candidate member of the Military Police Force.

With his immature One-Tomoe Sharingan, Inabi stared at the Naraka Path Pain's "eyes" and said in a low voice, "Brother Yashiro, compared to his accomplice, don't you think his eyes are strange?"

Yashiro looked closely. "Now that you mention it, that base color and pattern do not look like ordinary eyes..."

Likewise unaware of the Rinnegan's existence, the Uchiha clan, who were especially perceptive when it came to eyes, discovered the abnormality in Pain's eyes before the rest of Konoha.

Inabi said calmly, "This corpse will eventually have to be handed over to the village."

"I mean, hypothetically, if those eyes are some kind of ocular technique besides the Sharingan and Byakugan, then if the village acquires them, it could be detrimental to our clan, right?"

Yashiro asked, "Then what do you propose?"

Inabi lightly clenched his fists as a bold idea arose in his heart. "How about we remove those eyes and hand only the corpse over to the village? If the village asks, we can say his eyes were destroyed during the battle!"

The matter was of great importance, and Yashiro had some reservations. "Your idea is not unreasonable, but without Captain Fugaku making the decision, we should not act on our own..."

Inabi smiled. "One of the Military Police Force's principles is to handle special matters with special measures. I think if Captain Fugaku were here, he would certainly consider the clan's interests."

"If it is really difficult, then let me do it. I'm just a child, after all!"

As he spoke, Inabi bent down, preparing to dig out the Naraka Path's eyes!

Whoosh!

In the rain, a slender black shadow descended into the pit and seized his small wrist!

Deva Path Pain looked down at Inabi. "Boy, your idea is dangerous."

"So there really was an accomplice!!!"

"Let Inabi go!!!"

The Uchiha youths drew their blades and leaped forward one after another!!

The Deva Path muttered coldly, "Almighty Push."

Boom...!!

The powerful repulsive force expanded the deep pit by dozens of meters!!

"Ah...!!!"

The completely unprepared Uchiha members were all sent flying in disarray, crashing into the barriers around the training ground!!!

"Y-you..." Inabi stared at the Deva Path's face in terror, cold sweat streaming down his face.

Through the Deva Path's eyes, Nagato recognized the face of the child before him.

This face... it's him.

Before the Uchiha rebellion, because of Shisui's death, three experts from the Military Police Force had grown suspicious of Itachi and gone to confront him.

The long-haired youth leading them was the Uchiha Inabi before him. Besides another rising talent named Uchiha Tekka, the one accompanying him had also been Yashiro, who now held considerable prestige among the young Uchiha.

Although Itachi had dismissed Inabi's caliber, looking at him now, he was undoubtedly a "genius" as well. His brilliance simply did not shine as brightly as Shisui's or Itachi's.

"J-just one strike, and Brother Yashiro and the others..."

The overwhelming power displayed by the Deva Path made Inabi tremble in fear. If his arm had not been held by the other man, he would have collapsed onto the ground in terror.

At that moment, Deva Path Pain raised his hand... covering Inabi's terrified face.

I am not interested in your blood sample... but a Sharingan awakened at such an age may also hold considerable potential.

"I will remember you. When you die in the future, I will come and take your eyes."

Nagato smiled as he reserved a pair of eyes in advance. Of course, those eyes would not be for his own use; he did not think highly enough of them.

Thud! The Deva Path drove his knee into Inabi's abdomen.

"Uwaaaaaah..." Inabi curled up and fell to his knees, losing consciousness.

"Damn it!!! You dared... lay hands on a junior of our Uchiha clan!!!!"

"This is absolutely unforgivable!!!"

Ignoring the pain in their bodies, Yashiro and the others climbed to their feet. Their Sharingan spun into Three-Tomoe as they charged forward!

The Deva Path sighed with complex emotion. "The Uchiha clan's obsession with blood relatives is truly admirable and lamentable. Unfortunately, you... are not my family."

Danzo's appearance made all the Konoha ninja at the scene change expression. They retreated into the distance without prior agreement.

Danzo did not care. He walked straight to Minato and Hiruzen, staring at the Third Kazekage's corpse on the ground as he spoke.

"This matter... must be kept strictly confidential. In my opinion, why not let Root handle the Third Kazekage's corpse, as well as the corpses of the other invaders? We will ensure that nothing is overlooked."