Upon hearing Ayumi's greeting, Fu and the other Root ninja were stunned.
We covered our tracks perfectly... They couldn't understand where this elephant had come from, or how it found them.
Could this tiny elephant have been following us all along?
In the brief moment they were stunned, Ayumi quickly sprang to action, her trunk moving with surprising dexterity as she reached into a small pouch at her side to retrieve a signal flare.
She aimed her trunk skyward and launched the flare into the sky.
Only when he saw the bright flare burst across the dark sky did Fu snap back to reality. There was no time to mourn his fallen dog; now, they had to figure out how to escape.
"Run!" Fu grabbed his comrade, ready to make a break for it.
A storm of paper spears and needles rained down from above before they could move.
Fu leaped back, drawing a kunai just in time to block—barely saving his life as paper spears sliced through branches around him. Too many... there are too many to block!
When he glanced aside, his teammate was already pierced through like a human sieve. Blood sprayed in an arc as spears tore through flesh and bone, the man's scream cut short by a spear through his throat.
A figure descended from the shadows, paper wings spread like an angel of death against the night sky.
Sweat trickled down his face beneath the mask as he recognized their attacker.
"It's you!"
Konan frowned, displeased by his tone. She said nothing, silently summoning even more paper spears.
Fu panted.
If he were at full strength, he wouldn't give this young girl a second thought. But after a night of torment, with burns all over his body, he was nearly out of stamina and chakra.
"This is it... it's all over," he murmured painfully.
All his careful planning, reduced to nothing in a single night. But it now seemed that none of it would make it back. Danzō-sama... forgive my failure.
Who would have thought that a small organization in the Land of Rain would pose such a threat?
The girl in the air ignored his despair. Another volley of paper spears rained down upon him. Fu raised his kunai in a final, futile defense.
Boom!
Boom! Boom!
This time, explosive tags were mixed in with the folded paper.
After working alongside Shin for so long, Konan had learned caution and decisiveness. "Never leave an enemy breathing"—that's what he had always told her.
She continued to bombard him until she was certain he was left in pieces, then descended to ask Ayumi, "Is this the last straggler?"
Her paper wings folded neatly behind her as her feet touched the ground.
"Yes!" Ayumi confirmed cheerfully, her trunk swaying as she cleaned her kunai. "Only these two made it down the mountain."
Konan let out a small sigh of relief, muttering softly, "That guy... he always makes things..." The scattered paper around her began to return, folding itself back into her cloak.
Her tone, though, carried not irritation but a hint of affectionate indulgence, like an older sister fondly tolerating her mischievous younger brother.
It was thanks to her support that Shin dared to enact such bold, risk-filled strategies.
---
High up on the mountain, surrounded by a fiery inferno, Torune was still oblivious to all this.
He was simply taken aback by Shin's calmness, to the point where he began to doubt the meaning of his own resistance. The boy stood before him, untouched by the flames, as if they were merely a decoration.
Seizing the moment when Torune's mind wavered, Shin pressed forward decisively.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
A burst of small fireballs shot from his mouth, spreading out like seeds, filling the area around Torune in a fiery scatter.
The Root ninja quickly tried to dodge, but his loose robe caught fire in the rush. The flames spread rapidly across the fabric, forcing him into a desperate situation.
He discarded his burning robe, revealing a body crawling with black parasitic insects—a nightmare for those with a fear of insects.
As an Aburame, he usually avoided showing himself like this, but now he was forced to display his unsightly state.
"So hideous," he muttered wryly.
He wasn't sure if he was referring to his appearance or to his current plight—driven to desperation by a younger ninja from the Land of Rain.
The insects covering his body began to move more aggressively, spreading outward like a living shadow.
He no longer spared a thought for his comrades' fates, for the safe return of intel to Konoha, or for the purpose of his fight. Now, he was focused solely on one thing: to eliminate this dangerous Ame ninja before he died, for Danzō's sake.
To do so, he willingly sacrificed his own life force, forcibly activating his worn-out insects. Raising his arms, he summoned a cloud of them that buzzed ominously. If I must die, I'll take him with me.
He had made up his mind, with no plans to return.
A twisted expression distorted his features as he let out a fierce roar. He had abandoned everything, but in the next instant, all his will and resolve were gone with a single sound of something slicing through the air.
A voice from behind rang out—
"Shinra Tensei!"
Torune's body was flung like a rag doll, smashed with brutal speed into the nearby blaze, scattering embers everywhere. The impact was so violent it created a shockwave, sending burning debris flying in all directions.
His insects scattered in panic, the control suddenly severed.
The scene, oddly, had a touch of dark humor to it. Reality was no manga—when facing overwhelming power, the last-ditch efforts of the desperate held little weight.
The Rinnegan's power had spoken, and there was no arguing with its verdict.
Shin never hesitated to call for backup.
With Konan there, Nagato, of course, couldn't be absent. Once on the scene, the Uzumaki helped the nearby Sanda and Kazuya finish off the last Root jonin they were fighting.
Another display of the Rinnegan's power sent the enemy flying through several trees before they could even react.
At the end, all twelve Root ninja who had entered the Land of Rain were completely wiped out.
The Akatsuki members who arrived with Nagato quickly worked together to douse the surrounding flames with Water Release techniques. "Captain Shin, everyone, hurry! We just cleared this path, but if we delay, the fire will start again!"
Shin paused only briefly, disappearing into the flames to retrieve Torune's body. He stabbed it through the chest, sliced open the throat, and sealed it into a pre-prepared scroll.
Finally, he returned to the others and used their Water Release techniques to put out the flames on his body.
When dealing with someone as formidable as Torune, extreme caution was always necessary. Even the dead could still kill you if you weren't careful.
On their way out, Sanda used Fire Release to incinerate the remaining Root ninjas' bodies. The group then retreated down the mountain, following the reinforcements Nagato had brought.
When they reached the bottom, they looked back to see the entire mountain still engulfed in flames.
Shin turned to Tanaka, who had joined them, and asked, "How are things at the foot of the mountain? Were there any casualties?"
Tanaka replied, "Luckily, Nagato and Konan arrived just in time, and all the villagers were evacuated safely."
Even so, Nagato's face was filled with sorrow as he gazed at the blazing mountain. "At dawn, Yahiko will definitely criticize this plan again. Was it truly worth it?"
Shin gently touched the sealing scroll at his waist and smiled. "It was worth it."
Being able to wipe out the elite force, including the top commander, by simply setting a mountain on fire—he thought this trade was absolutely worthwhile.
More than fair, considering what they could have done to us.
Not to mention, tonight was a complete victory. The dead could no longer speak. And the dead make excellent scapegoats.
He then turned to Tanaka, noting the ash and soot that covered his uniform. "How did the villagers at the base of the mountain react when you evacuated them?"
"Any complaints?"
Tanaka hesitated, but replied truthfully, "Yes, many were angry, and some were sad. The elderly especially—they've lived here their whole lives."
"Excellent."
Everyone froze when Shin called this 'excellent'. Could this really be good?
"Tomorrow, go tell those villagers that the Konoha ninjas who set fire to the mountain have been completely eliminated by us."
"Once again, Akatsuki has safeguarded the peace of the Land of Rain."
Some gasped, while others looked on in shock.
Shin then turned to Konan, who stood quietly among the paper butterflies that drifted around her.
"Konan, did you take care of the two Root ninjas who escaped to the base of the mountain?"
"Yes."
"Are the bodies still there?"
"Yes, though one of them..." A paper butterfly landed on her shoulder as she spoke, "Is a bit fragmented."
Even the gentlest flower can grow thorns when properly nurtured.
Shin paused, surprised that she could be so ruthless. It hadn't occurred to him that she was simply following his example.
"Ahem," he coughed, brushing it off. "A few fragments are fine. Just bring back the most identifiable parts and show them to the villagers as the culprits who burned their mountain."
"Also, arrange for a few of our members to disguise themselves among the villagers, stirring up emotions and anger." He gestured to a group of younger ninjas. "Make them believe in their grief, their rage. Let them see Akatsuki as their savior."
The crowd grew more astonished with each word. Their gazes at Shin shifted from shock to awe, then settled into numb acceptance. Some nodded slowly, beginning to grasp the elegance of his strategy.
They all had the same thought: "You truly live up to your name."
No one asked, "Weren't we the ones who set the fire?"
If they couldn't grasp even this basic concept, Shin's time spent leading them would have been wasted.
Before leaving, he patted a fellow Akatsuki member's shoulder, feeling the man's slight tremor at his touch. "You'll handle the fire afterward. Remember, if anyone asks, this is the work of the Konoha ninjas."
The man smiled wryly. "Yahiko-sama might not accept this explanation."
Shin just smiled slightly, saying nothing further.
He had transformed completely since first arriving here. With his growing power, influence, and army of subordinates in the organization, he no longer needed to worry about Yahiko's attitude.
Especially now that both Konan and Nagato were leaning his way, Yahiko's opinions had long since lost their weight. The burning mountain behind them showed just how much things had changed.
What if he didn't accept it?
The deed was done; people were dead, the fire was set, and the mountain was burning.
After his instructions, Shin intended to head back to rest. The smoke was beginning to irritate his eyes, and exhaustion pulled at his limbs. Konan suddenly approached him, saying, "I'll accompany you back."
Since she could fly, Shin didn't refuse. The nearest village was far; there was no need to inconvenience himself.
As they flew through the air, the burning mountain shrinking behind them, he noticed that Konan seemed hesitant to speak. "If there's anything on your mind, just say it. We're companions, aren't we?"
"Isn't this a bit too underhanded? Is this really the ideal we've been striving for?" Konan asked quietly.
Rather than discouraged, Shin felt delighted because Konan had said 'our way' rather than 'your way'. This meant she already considered herself complicit in tonight's actions, which brought him comfort.
"Do you remember the lesson from Mashiro's case a month ago?" he asked, recalling the merchant investigation that had first shifted her perspective.
"Yes, I remember."
"Then, today is lesson two."
"Often, only the victor gets to define justice; the loser is left with nothing but dust. Even the best ideals are nothing but mirages without victory to support them."
"Consider the last Shinobi World War. When Konoha invaded the Land of Rain, the suffering didn't lessen simply because a few, like your teacher Jiraiya, adhered to principles." He watched her wings flutter at the mention of her old teacher.
"On the contrary, this time, we won. Even if we burned an entire mountain, we have the chance to make amends with the villagers afterward."
"At any time, only by being alive can we cling to our ideals."
These words, of course, carried a hint of sophistry, but that didn't matter. Truth was malleable in the hands of the victorious. Shin didn't need to truly convince anyone; he just needed to keep Konan's emotions in check.
He knew her heart leaned toward him and Akatsuki. She simply needed an anchor for her beliefs. And the burning mountain behind them served as the beginning of her new path.
"If you feel lost, think of your companions around you, of their smiling faces, and tell yourself with conviction: My heart and actions are as clear as a mirror; what I do is justice."
Konan fell silent, feeling something was amiss in hearing these words from Shin. Yet as she repeated them to herself, a quiet peace took root within her.
She couldn't help but laugh quietly. Shin's words might have been twisted, but they held a peculiar magic.
After returning, Shin, exhausted from the night's work, fell asleep instantly, only to wake up to good news—his system's outcome assessment had updated.
This time, there was no need to wait for further consequences. The defeat of Torune and the heavy losses inflicted upon Root had already altered the course of fate.
His odds of dying peacefully had risen to 7.9%, while his chances of not surviving the next year dropped below 55%. Each percentage point marked another step away from death.
His likelihood of escaping Konoha had risen too, with a nearly 10% chance of surviving until the Fourth Shinobi World War as a wanderer.
He sighed, watching the last wisps of smoke rise from the distant mountain. The Shinobi world was truly a place where the strong preyed on the weak. To keep breathing, he would burn as many mountains as needed.
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