The Ruins of Light —

Shinobi forces dispatched by various villages gathered around the glowing stone statues, holding all sorts of strange instruments, scanning the area for any traces of Chakra.

Notably, every single one of them wore sunglasses to protect their eyes from the blinding light after prolonged exposure.

And yet, everyone maintained an unspoken agreement—no fighting. They simply went about their tasks in silence.

On one hand, the Konoha shinobi were desperate to prove that this thing wasn't their doing, clearing their names and preventing other villages from using it as an excuse to declare war on the Land of Fire.

On the other hand...

They were truly at their wits' end. Over the past week, life in the Land of Fire had been forcibly upended. Everyone was exhausted, and if this continued, they'd all be driven mad.

Allowing shinobi from other villages into the Land of Fire was also a way to see if they had any solutions.

The Konoha shinobi had only one thought:

Whoever it is...

Just take this damn statue away already!

"Pakkun, found anything?" Kakashi crouched by the statue's feet, rubbing a handful of dirt between his fingers.

Maybe it was just his imagination...

But the residual Chakra here felt oddly familiar.

"Strange... It smells like..."

"That idiot son of Fugaku's."

Pakkun sniffed, recalling the brat who used to beat up dogs in the village, his face twisting into an almost human-like expression of disgust.

"You're mistaken." Kakashi's voice was firm, as if stating an undeniable fact. After a pause, he added, "Since we didn't find anything, let's head back."

The affairs between the village and the Uchiha clan...

He didn't want to get too involved. Coming here today was just an excuse to get some sun.

Glancing up at the Kumo and Iwa shinobi gathered around the statue's head, Kakashi dispelled the summoning jutsu, yawned, and shoved his hands into his pockets as he strolled back toward the village.

He hadn't slept in three days...

"This statue seems to be the product of some kind of summoning jutsu..."

"We can't even damage it!"

The Kumo and Iwa shinobi weren't putting in their full effort, as they had already confirmed that this had nothing to do with Konoha.

Not that they hadn't tried—but the statue was downright eerie. No matter how much effort they put into digging a massive pit, it would just revert to its original state moments later.Such a bizarre occurrence had never been witnessed across several villages.

The Kumogakure and Iwagakure shinobi exchanged glances, sharing a knowing smile before turning to shout at Konoha's sealing team.

"Hey, Konoha shinobi! Try your sealing techniques on this!"

It was common knowledge that Konoha's sealing techniques surpassed those of other villages. Given the chance to exploit this advantage, they weren't about to let it slip by.

Though aware of the others' ulterior motives, the Konoha sealing team gritted their teeth and attempted various seals. Yet after half an hour, none of their techniques left any mark on the stone statue. The black sealing formulas would barely crawl onto its surface before being dispersed by some unknown force.

"Konan, any recent intelligence?"

Hidden in the shadows, Pain's voice carried undisguised killing intent. He needed to teach these intruders a lesson—to stop them from constantly poking around Amegakure and disrupting his progress on the Six Paths of Puppets.

Konan hesitated, unsure how to explain to Nagato about Kakuzu's recent... activities. The greedy shinobi had gone completely rogue, pillaging the Land of Fire under the pretense of "fundraising for the organization." If not for Kakuzu's argument that this was the fastest way to gather funds, she would have dealt with that money-obsessed fool already.

Ever since "Kakuzu" began his so-called "anti-vice crusade" across the Shinobi World, more and more imposters had emerged using his name for robbery. Some even had the audacity to raid daimyo palaces outright. The Akatsuki Organization was becoming the scapegoat for every major crime in the shinobi world.

Truly...

Whenever Nagato and Konan thought about this situation, they felt nothing but helplessness.

"Nothing. Let's return."

"The outside world is unstable now. We should avoid public attention for the time being."

Pain nodded, finding Konan's reasoning sound, and turned to leave. But before they could retreat, chaos erupted behind them.

Then Nagato, controlling the Pain body, heard words that would make him question his entire existence.

"Witness the power of GOD!"

Nagato: ?

Crowd: ?

From within the masses emerged Uchiha Kaito, disguised as Pain. His cold expression, enhanced by those striking Samsara Eye contact lenses and icy demeanor, actually carried an air of authenticity that rivaled the original.

Hidden nearby, Uchiha Hikari watched this idiot charge into the crowd to deliver his ridiculous line, cringing so hard she could've dug through her sandals with her toes.

What an absolute moron!!

Couldn't he just attack directly?!

"Akatsuki Organization?"

The assembled shinobi scrutinized the newcomer. When their gazes landed on his eyes, initial surprise gave way to something darker—greed.

These eyes...

None had seen their like before.

And unknown eyes meant a special Bloodline Limit. Perhaps...

These might surpass even the Uchiha clan's legendary dojutsu.

"Attack!!"

Root operatives in the crowd moved simultaneously upon seeing those eyes. Kunai tied with explosive tags flew toward the newcomer's lower body.

Kaito sighed at their impatience.

He hadn't even finished his dramatic introduction.

But if they insisted on rushing to their deaths...

Very well.

Facing the hail of kunai, Kaito simply reached into his Akatsuki robe and produced one of Runtu's poorly balanced "dog kunai." Aerodynamics be damned—he hurled it with pure brute force.At the same moment, his hands swiftly formed seals, executing the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique that his great-grandmother had just taught him.

Swish, swish, swish—

The moment the dog kunai was thrown, under the miraculous effect of chakra, one became two, two became four, four became eight...

In an instant, they transformed into hundreds of kunai. Though the number was slightly fewer than those thrown by the other ninjas, Kaito had no intention of using these to kill.

"The hunt... begins."

Countless phantom images of "dog" markings flashed before his eyes. Kaito drew a sixty-centimeter ninja sword and, under the effect of his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, cast a minor Genjutsu on these people in advance...

Perhaps he didn't possess Itachi's natural talent for Genjutsu.

But even small alterations could determine the outcome of a battle.

For example.

In the eyes of others, what he held in his hand wasn't a ninja sword but an utterly ordinary kunai.

This way, during the ensuing battle, even if his opponents managed to react, their misjudgment of distance would lead them to dodge straight into the lethal reach of his sword.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

Cold glints flashed as Kaito activated his teleportation ability while simultaneously employing Shisui's Body Flicker Technique.

The hundreds of kunai flickered and transformed into his figures. By the time they landed before the crowd, his silhouettes had multiplied into countless copies.

"Dammit!!"

"It's the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!!"

"This isn't the Akatsuki Organization! It's those damned Konoha ninjas!!"

"We've been tricked!!!"

Though the present ninjas couldn't comprehend why his kunai were so peculiar, the technique he used was unmistakably recognizable.

At this moment, all the foreign shinobi felt a chill run down their spines, their limbs turning cold.

Even the Root operatives who had initially attacked paused, casting bewildered glances at their comrades as if asking...

Wait...

Did Lord Danzo have some other plan? Why wasn't I informed at all???

What the hell is going on??

Why is this different from what we were told before setting out??

While the others were grappling with their confusion, Kaito had already closed the distance.

Swing, slash—smooth as flowing water.

There was no intricate swordsmanship involved. Kaito merely repeated a single motion, yet like a wolf among sheep, he unleashed a massacre devoid of any suspense.

Everyone only saw a blur before feeling a sharp pain at their necks. Blood sprayed as their consciousness faded.

He spared every Konoha ninja present and didn't even kill all the foreign shinobi.

If the other villages learned that most of their ninjas died within the Land of Fire's borders...

That would be truly interesting.

After the slaughter, the Konoha ninjas stood frozen, unsure if this was a comrade in disguise.

Meanwhile, the surviving foreign shinobi who had regained their bearings began counterattacking, uniting to assault the Konoha forces.

Hidden in the shadows, Nagato and Konan's faces darkened. Even Pain's puppet features seemed to twist with fury.

Now, they finally understood who had been behind all the recent disturbances.

"Feel the pain!!"

Uchiha Kaito raised his hands high, but before he could even begin his dramatic chant, Pain and Konan emerged from the bushes.

His words caught in his throat.

"?"

Pain slowly walked onto the scene, and the two locked eyes.

Those still engaged in combat also halted, glancing left at the Akatsuki Organization members suspected to be Konoha imposters, then right at the two newcomers who had just arrived.

An abrupt silence fell over the scene, creating an awkward atmosphere.

"?"

...

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Next Bonus chapter is 500 ps

Hey there's 50 chapter ahead here : patreon. com/Pain1231

Dont forget to remove the space okay!