"Pass the order along," Danzo's voice traveled through a secret channel. "Have the Root operatives who infiltrated the Land of Rain prepare. Once an opportunity presents itself... seize those eyes at any cost! Even if we can't transplant them immediately, we must get them into our hands first!"
The Rinnegan... the legendary eyes of the sage!
That power must never fall into the hands of that Uchiha brat or Hanzō of the Land of Rain!
It must belong to Konoha, to... me, Shimura Danzō!
Hanzō's ruthlessness, Nagato's tenacity, and Danzo's greed made the battle ever more chaotic and dangerous.
In the distance, Kitsuchi of Iwagakure continued to watch, though his brow furrowed slightly.
He hadn't expected that red-haired boy from the Akatsuki to be so tenacious, much less that Hanzō would deploy a summoning beast and deadly poison.
The intensity of this battle exceeded his expectations.
"Keep watching," Kitsuchi said gravely. "Don't intervene rashly. Hanzō seems determined to silence them for good."
Wailing Ghost Valley had become a bloody meat grinder.
Hidden at the highest point of the valley, Uchiha Makoto watched the Akatsuki below, trapped in a desperate situation, the spreading poisonous mist, the frenzied Rain Ninja, and the stirrings of Root operatives lurking in even deeper shadows...
Wailing Ghost Valley had become hell on earth.
Under the frenzied assault of nearly a hundred elite Rain Ninja who paid no heed to casualties, the defensive line formed by Nagato, Yahiko, Konan, and their five companions teetered like a lone skiff in a raging storm.
On average, each of them faced attacks from at least twelve Rain Ninja who fought in perfect coordination and had no fear of death!
Despite the odds, they worked seamlessly together, Konan's Paper Secret Technique forming nimble shields and blades that constantly relieved the pressure