At the Hidden Leaf Village frontline camp.
Ninjas were still patrolling, drinking water, and recording intelligence, the air thick with nothing but exhaustion and tension.
In this seemingly calm night, a slender crack suddenly tore open with a sharp rip in the shadows at the center of the camp.
In the darkness, space was torn apart like cloth by a sharp blade.
A dark fissure silently opened, accompanied by a low vibration.
Stepping out from the rift was a tall, slender red-haired youth.
The Rain Ninja Forehead Protector gleamed coldly on his forehead.
Nagato's expression was icy, the power of his Uzumaki Clan Bloodline faintly surging in his eyes like deep-sea undercurrents.
Behind him, six White Zetsu followed closely.
Beneath their identical faces, all six manifested identical Two-Tomoe Sharingan, spinning simultaneously.
Shared vision, synchronized observation—this allowed their instantaneous reactions and judgment to far surpass that of elite ninjas.
And within the cold light of the Sharingan, there was a faint, eerie, unstable fluctuation.
This was a side effect of the fusion with Ditto Cells.
The Six Paths of Pain belonging to this era had appeared.
"Begin the operation."
Space trembled, and the power of the World Tree spread with it.
The true nightmare, from the moment they appeared... had already descended.
The camp's hidden sentries barely had time to sound the alarm.
Nagato raised his hand.
Hum!!!
Chakra erupted like a tsunami.
The formidable vitality unique to the Uzumaki clan churned within him, bolstered by the World Tree Roots, generating a profound and terrifying pressure.
The ground trembled slightly.
The entire camp's soil surged like a tide.
Countless roots burst forth from underground.
Thick as arms, fine as hair strands, densely packed, as if a forest had instantly grown upside down.
"What... is this!?"
Only now did the Hidden Leaf ninjas notice the anomaly.
But it was too late.
Nagato clenched his ten fingers sharply.
Numerous enormous buds burst open, their petals transforming into a silvery-white mist that instantly enveloped the entire camp.
Pollen drifted.
Carrying an eerie sweetness.
Over a hundred Hidden Leaf ninjas collapsed weakly to the ground.
"...My body feels heavier and heavier..."
"Chakra... is being drained!!"
The few remaining conscious individuals tried to bite their tongues to force alertness, only to find the ground beneath them suddenly grasping them.
The World Tree Roots wrapped around their waists, legs, and wrists like octopus tentacles, frantically absorbing their chakra.
"Ah!"
Their cries merged into one, but quickly weakened.
The moment their chakra was drained dry, they collapsed like emptied sacks.
The roots enveloped the many lower-ranking ninjas with weak chakra reserves!
Dissolving them into nutrients for the World Tree.
The scene was so bizarre it was suffocating.
The six special White Zetsu, expressionless, began inspecting the unconscious ninjas, selecting those who still had value.
Nagato scanned the area, confirming that all chakra had been completely harvested.
He raised his hand and waved.
All the roots automatically parted.
Over thirty unconscious ninjas who hadn't been drained were brought before Nagato by the roots.
Nagato said to the six White Zetsu:
"Take them away."
The six White Zetsu immediately transformed into transport structures, like soft yet rigid containers, swiftly swallowing these thirty-plus individuals into their internal spatial layers.
Nagato took one last look at the destroyed Hidden Leaf camp.
The next instant, he entered the dimensional rift. The light of the World Tree flashed, and all figures vanished.
The night returned to tranquility.
As if none of this... had ever happened.
Outside the Flame Gym, the air seemed frozen.
Shiroishi, wearing an eerie mask, subdued the remaining eight Hidden Leaf ninjas and tossed them onto the broken ground outside the gym.
The two strongest jōnin from earlier had already been dealt with by him.
Just as their limbs were restrained, the dimensional space cracked open again with a crunch.
When Nagato and six White Zetsus appeared, the chill that swept through the air as six pairs of Two-Tomoe Sharingan simultaneously rotated nearly suffocated the Anbu.
The Hidden Leaf Anbu's pupils contracted slightly.
As expected, this was related to the Uchiha clan!
The White Zetsu Paths with Sharingan confirmed to the Leaf ninjas that this incident was orchestrated by the Uchiha.
Indeed... it was the Uchiha causing trouble!
Fear, anger, and confirming glances rapidly passed among the Anbu.
Just as the atmosphere grew extremely tense outside, a dull thud suddenly echoed from the arena.
Might Duy's body was sent flying by tremendous force, crashing near the edge of the arena, completely exhausted and unconscious.
Facing the Flame Gym's Arcanine, Duy's youthful flames... ultimately turned into failing embers.
His Ninja Beast Egg emitted anxious fluctuations on the ground, but the suppressing power of the Flame Gym prevented it from hatching or breaking out to protect its master.
Sakumo Hatake watched this scene, fists clenched tightly.
He desperately wanted to rush over to save Duy, and also wanted to charge out to rescue the captured Leaf ninjas.
But he had to make a choice.
At that moment, Shiroishi slowly appeared inside the gym. "Sakumo Hatake."
He called the name directly.
"The secrets of the Flame Gym... can be fully revealed to you."
Sakumo's expression changed.
"As long as you succeed in the challenge. Of course, if you voluntarily give up the challenge."
He pointed at the captured Anbu and Root members on the ground.
"You can take all these Leaf comrades back with you."
"Otherwise..."
At this point, the Leaf ninjas spoke up: "Accept his challenge!!"
"We must investigate these secrets thoroughly!"
"The Uchiha clan orchestrated the Flame Gym incident!! The Hidden Leaf cannot back down!!"
Their voices trembled, yet carried a certain determination.
But Sakumo remained emotionally unmoved.
The space vibrated faintly.
Shiroishi, wearing the eerie mask, emerged from the shadows, his footsteps silent as he stopped before Sakumo Hatake.
He spoke calmly:
"Have you decided?"
Sakumo Hatake didn't answer immediately.
He merely rested his fingers lightly on the White Fang's hilt.
The blade's hum echoed through the empty gym - clear, yet heavy.
Sakumo raised his head, his gaze unwavering:
"I... have decided to abandon the challenge."
He took a deep breath.
"I choose to save people."
As these words fell...
The captured Leaf ninjas on the ground immediately erupted.
"Are you abandoning the mission!?"
"Lord Sakumo! You can't abandon the mission!!"
"This is a deliberate plot by the Uchiha clan, waiting for you to be disgraced!!"
"Like this, Lord Hokage won't be able to answer to the higher-ups!!"
"Lord Sakumo!!! Mission priority!!"
Roars, curses, and fear erupted almost simultaneously.
But Sakumo didn't waver in the slightest.
He simply stood there quietly, his hand merely an inch from the sword hilt, yet never drawing the blade.
Behind the mask, Shiroishi's pupils contracted, seemingly examining, analyzing, confirming.
After a moment, he slowly nodded: "I confirm my withdrawal from the challenge. You may release these Hidden Leaf Village ninjas."
Shiroishi nodded in response, snapping his fingers. Instantly, the ninjas whose Chakra had been largely drained collapsed weakly before Sakumo Hatake.
They had lost all possibility of ever becoming ninjas again.
The roots of the World Tree had inflicted devastating damage to their bodies.
These ninjas, who had always prioritized missions above all else, had now failed their mission while losing their qualifications as ninjas...
At this thought, Shiroishi glanced at Sakumo Hatake.
Without another word.
--Enjoying the story? Want more chapters? Check out my Patreon and support me for 40+ advance chapters.
Just search for "LegendaryTL" on Patreon!"
Thanks!