---1 hour before Hanzō's death---
Akatsuki's attack had already become an unstoppable wildfire, and Ame's forces were utterly unable to resist. Bodies littered the rain-soaked streets as the assault continued.
As for Ame's ally, Root, which Hanzō had placed high hopes in, performed terribly.
Reinforcements were delayed indefinitely, and the advance troops suffered devastating losses. It seemed that they were about to retreat without mounting any meaningful resistance.
The rain washed away blood from countless wounds, turning puddles crimson beneath their feet.
At this critical moment, Black Zetsu, leading Yuichi, left Ame. After a difficult journey through forests and obstacles, they finally found Danzō near the border.
By this time, he had already learned that reinforcements had been cut off. The rain grew heavier, matching his darkening mood.
Additionally, he had received an order from Minato, instructing him to immediately withdraw Root from Ame and return to the Land of Fire's front line to report.
"Since when does he command Root?" Danzō muttered through clenched teeth.
This was the first time Minato had issued such a firm command to him. This partly stemmed from pressure from the Uchiha clan, and partly from the butterfly effect caused by the variable Shin.
A few months ago, the aborted trial against Kakashi within the village hadn't caused much damage in the end, but it had completely torn open the rift between Minato and Danzō.
Thanks to Obito's reckless interference, the entire village now knew it was Root that had been troubling Kakashi.
This chaotic situation of political games at the top being disrupted by Obito resembled a wolf pack fight suddenly interrupted by a lone husky...
The poor father and son of the Nara clan racked their brains at the time but couldn't figure out where things had gone wrong.
Now, seeing the front-line commanders from various battlefields starting to ignore him, Danzō was furious. Leaving was not something he wanted to do, but advancing further left him clueless about what to accomplish, leaving him utterly stuck.
Fortunately, Black Zetsu arrived with Yuichi at this time.
The Ame ninja immediately proposed a suggestion to Danzō: "They have fully mobilized; their rear must be empty! Why not take this opportunity to attack their base?"
Danzō looked suspiciously at him, "You know where Akatsuki's base is?"
"Wouldn't this mean abandoning Hanzō to his fate? Why are you suggesting such a thing to me?"
Yuichi licked his lips and smiled maliciously, raindrops running down his face like tears. "Everything I do is for Ame. Hanzō-sama will understand."
Danzō squinted his eyes, scrutinizing the White Zetsu-possessed Yuichi with a dangerous gaze for a full two seconds. He suspected the man of having ulterior motives but had no evidence. Should I interrogate him? No time...
Seeing Danzō still hesitating, Yuichi pressed harder, stepping closer through the curtain of rain: "This is our only chance to turn the tide, Danzō-sama. You must decide quickly!"
Since saving the North was hopeless, they would head south and exchange bases with Akatsuki.
After all, Black Zetsu's goals had always been completely different from those of Hanzō and Danzō. He didn't care about Ame or Akatsuki's fate. He only wanted to push Nagato into despair.
And at this moment, the seeds of despair were waiting in Akatsuki's rear base. This was because Yahiko had not gone on the Northern Campaign.
The pacifist leader remained behind, unknowingly playing into their hands.
He had always opposed Akatsuki taking the initiative to wage war, regardless of the justification. Even though Shin had usurped the leadership position, Yahiko still refused to personally participate in the war. He spent his days at the base, training younger members and maintaining their defensive positions.
In a sense, his belief in peace was firm. However, when Danzō and Yuichi led their troops to Akatsuki's base, this very belief became his death sentence.
"Yahiko-nii, run!" The Akatsuki members left behind at the base respected Yahiko deeply.
The Ajisai was the first to urge him loudly to escape.
But if he had been someone who would abandon his comrades to save himself in a crisis, he wouldn't be Yahiko.
"I won't abandon our home!"
"Earth Style: Rock Collapse!"
He slammed his palms against the wet earth, sending waves of stone spikes erupting toward the Root forces. Several ninja were caught off guard, impaled or thrown back by the sudden attack.
Yahiko fought with all his strength.
But when Ajisai was captured, he angrily shouted, "Let her go!"
Hiding among Root and Ame ninjas, Black Zetsu spoke, "If you want us to release her, you'll have to trade your life for hers!"
This scene, resembling a fateful cycle, was strikingly similar to the original storyline. However, in the original, it was Konan who was captured; now, it was Ajisai.
And Yahiko's response was as resolute as ever, though his hands trembled slightly: "Fine, I'll do it! Just don't hurt her!" I won't let anyone die for my beliefs.
Ajisai, restrained and pressed to the ground, looked utterly despairing. Mud soaked into her clothes as she watched her leader prepare to sacrifice himself. "No, Yahiko-nii! Don't do it!"
However, in this timeline, Yahiko had endured months of intellectual oppression and scrutiny from Shin. Though his kindness and naivety remained, he had gained some wisdom.
Shin's constant challenges to his ideology had taught him something after all—the value of thinking before acting.
"You must release her first," he called out. "I'll come with you, and we'll exchange places. But I won't die immediately on your terms!"
"Once you're dead, we'll release the others!"
Unexpectedly, Yahiko firmly refused this time, standing his ground as water pooled around his feet. "No! You must release her and withdraw first."
"I'll go with you, but I won't die right here and now. That's not negotiable!"
This unexpected turn of events made Black Zetsu frown. This isn't going according to plan, he thought darkly.
Ajisai, restrained and desperate moments ago, suddenly felt a glimmer of hope.
So touching! Big brother finally grew a brain when it mattered...
This maneuver by Yahiko bought some time, allowing her to secretly control her summon birds outside the base to carry messages to the North and call for help. Just a little longer. The messages must reach them!
This led to the scene where Shin and others received the call for help after defeating Hanzō.
"I'm going back!" Nagato shouted.
Shin barely raised his hand to stop him before he had already disappeared.
Konan suggested calmly, "You should continue managing Ame. I'll go after Nagato."
Her reasoning was sound from a strategic perspective, but Shin immediately rejected the idea.
"No."
Konan saw something hidden in his eyes - a shadow she didn't understand. After brief reflection, she chose to support him. The past months had taught her to trust his instincts, even when she didn't understand them.
When he turned back, Konan had already moved closer, holding his hand in both of hers. Her warmth spread through his palm, and she smiled softly.
"Don't worry. I'm here. I'll always be here."
"If you're not reassured, we'll go back together," she continued, squeezing his hand. "If you're still worried about Nagato losing control, we'll pick up Kaori on the way."
"There's always a way, Shin. There's always a way."
The moment the news of the base being under attack arrived, Shin had to admit that he was briefly shaken.
Knowing the plot ahead of time is often an advantage, but sometimes it can become a heavy psychological burden.
Especially when someone has gone to great lengths to change fate, only to find the predetermined storyline relentlessly chasing them. That suffocating feeling, as if trapped in a web with no way out, is undeniably despairing.
Shin felt as if a fog had lifted, and clarity suddenly replaced his confusion. Perhaps the chains of fate were indeed still pursuing him, but many things in front of him had already been altered by his actions.
For instance, the girl before him was no longer the same as described in the original story. Through his continuous guidance, she had become rational, empathetic, and firm in her trust in him.
"You're right."
"Kakuzu, I leave the siege to you. After taking Ame, eliminate any resistance from the ninjas without hesitation."
"And be mindful of protecting the city's property and civilians. Remember, civilians are assets too. Don't let the the enemy destroy our property," Shin decisively said.
These words might sound heartless, but for him, they were the perfect directive. Talk to Kakuzu about the sanctity of life, and he'll scoff. Talk to him about the value of property, and he'll pay full attention.
"I got it."
The next moment, he nodded and crossed the river to assist the Akatsuki members still battling on the other side.
"Let's go too," Shin said as Konan lifted him into the sky.
They first returned to a previously captured town to pick up Kaori.
---
In Akatsuki's rear base, Yahiko was still locked in a standoff with Black Zetsu.
"Why are you still resisting?! Are you really going to watch this little girl die?"
"I told you, I'm willing to exchange myself for her! Let her go, and I'll come with you!"
The tug-of-war reached no resolution, leaving Black Zetsu seething with frustration. What is happening?
A few years ago, Yahiko had been naive and gullible. How had he become so adept at stalling now?
As time ticked away, Black Zetsu began to grow anxious. The sound of distant explosions reminded him that time was not on his side.
He urged his companion, "Take him down!"
Yuichi rolled his eyes, not bothering to hide his disdain. "Me? If I could beat him, would I need you?"
Black Zetsu fumed but came up with another idea. "Then throw that little girl to Danzō!"
At that moment, the Root leader was leading his few remaining Root members, ransacking the Akatsuki's base room by room in search of valuable information and resources. Like vultures circling wounded prey, they methodically tore through everything in their path.
Yuichi tossed Ajisai over to Danzō. He froze momentarily but quickly sneered, grabbing Ajisai by the neck with one hand while pulling out a kunai with the other.
Unlike Black Zetsu, Danzō was solely focused on annihilating Akatsuki and had no interest in keeping hostages alive. His grip tightened around Ajisai's throat as she struggled to breathe.
This isn't good! For the first time, Yahiko panicked. He lunged forward desperately, water splashing beneath his feet as he charged.
"Water Clone Jutsu!"
As he ran, Yahiko created two water clones, both reaching out to stop Danzō.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Blade!"
However, Danzō had also been waiting for this opportunity. He infused chakra into his kunai, forming a sharp vacuum blade at its tip.
With a sweeping motion, the wind blade cut through all three Yahikos at the waist. The water clones burst into sprays of water, but the real Yahiko kept charging forward.
He wrapped himself around Ajisai. His body moved purely on instinct, focused only on protecting the young girl.
Squelch!
The vacuum blade sliced through his abdomen. Blood mixed with rain water as it sprayed through the air.
Still, he managed to grab Ajisai and roll to safety, rescuing her from captivity at the last possible moment. They tumbled across the wet floor, Yahiko's body shielding her.
Ajisai's eyes widened as his blood soaked into her clothes.
Black Zetsu grinned in delight as he saw this. "Excellent!"
Suddenly, the ground burst open, and a massive pitcher plant emerged, biting into Yahiko's lower half.
The plant spewed out countless white spores that rushed into Yahiko's body through his wound.
In a fair fight, White Zetsu stood no chance against Yahiko, let alone controlling or replacing him.
But the situation was different now. His injury had become the perfect weak point. Blood continued to pour from his wound as the spores infiltrated deeper.
The plant clamped tightly onto his legs as the spores invaded him. Yahiko attempts to break free grew weaker with each passing second.
Seeing this, Black Zetsu finally laughed with satisfaction, retreating into the ground with a smirk, disappearing from sight.
He felt like the victory was in the bag.
Just then, Nagato arrived. Seeing Yahiko gravely injured, his eyes turned red, and he roared, "No!"
The ripple patterns of his Rinnegan spun uncontrollably, and his chakra erupted like a tsunami.
"Shinra Tensei!"
A terrifying shockwave exploded from his palm with relentless force, crushing buildings, tearing through the rain, and smashing through the earth.
Danzō and his few remaining Root members were paralyzed with fear.
"What kind of power is this?!" These were the last words of a Root ninja as he was swallowed by a torrent of rain, mud, and debris, silenced forever.
His body disappeared into the maelstrom, joining the wreckage of the devastated base.
Only the possessed Yuichi remained. With Black Zetsu gone, he stood alone, grinning madly. His clothes were torn and bloody, but his smile never wavered.
"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"
Black Zetsu, reappearing on a distant tree trunk, watched the scene with satisfaction, as if admiring his masterpiece.
He believed everything was settled, almost ready to celebrate.
Then, out of nowhere, a spear made of paper pierced through the rain, shooting forward like lightning and blowing Yuichi's head apart in an instant.
Shin arrived in a flash, standing before the headless corpse, extending his hand.
"Triple Phase Seal!"
White Zetsu was horrified. Why was someone still so cautious of a headless body? Unless they knew the truth?
---
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