Xiao was currently standing on a tree branch, his feet resting on Hayato's shoulders.
Since there was no better angle for a shot, they simply closed the distance to one kilometer.
At such a close range, the power of the wind splitter was enough to pierce the rocks they were leaning against.
"Xiao, they ran away!"
"Mhm."
Xiao responded with a sound, and once again placed his hand on the wind splitter. As he gripped the bowstring, a four-sided arrow instantly materialized in his hand.
This instant retrieval of arrows allowed him to greatly increase his firing speed.
However, when using this wind splitter, it was completely unnecessary.
Because the draw weight required for this bow was too great, he simply couldn't keep up.
He inhaled lightly and drew the bowstring once more.
Hayato felt his shoulders sink, and the sound of the vibrating bowstring exploded above his head!
Another heavy four-sided arrow shot through the air.
Hayato quickly activated his Byakugan and looked in the direction the arrow flew.
He saw the arrow pierce straight through four tree trunks before embedding itself directly into the waist of a Kumogakure ninja.
Pfft, a large amount of internal organs and blood foam from his waist were ripped out by the high-speed rotating heavy four-sided arrow.
As the arrow plunged into the ground, the Kumogakure ninja screamed and collapsed onto the dirt.
After two shots, Xiao's stamina had decreased slightly. He jumped down from Hayato's body.
"Everyone is separated now. We'll stick together and leave markers along the way."
"Remember, destroy the bodies of anyone we kill. We cannot leave any evidence pointing back to the Hyuga Clan."
"If I don't come find you tonight, we'll meet up in the Land of Hot Springs."
A fierce smile appeared on Hayato's face. He responded and immediately rushed out.
His strength had already reached the Jonin level, and aside from a lack of experience, hunting down these Kumogakure ninja was more than enough for him.
Xiao watched Hayato's retreating figure and slightly stretched his shoulder blades.
This wind splitter was a good bow, but his body was still too small to handle the load.
He put the wind splitter into his weapon space and leaped toward the Land of Hot Springs.
Although the Kumogakure ninja had scattered, their general direction wouldn't change.
Since none of these Kumogakure ninja could fly, he would definitely find a chance to eliminate all of them.
He glanced at the mission displayed on the template.
Mission: The Filthy Cloud Village Delegation!
Mission Description: Kill this group of filthy guys!
Reward: Determined by completion rate.
He planned to recover his stamina while eliminating the remaining Kumogakure ninja along the way, trying not to let a single one escape... Land of Rain, Hidden Rain Village.
The gloomy sky seemed to hold an endless rain.
Dark red liquid occasionally flowed into the gutters on the ground.
"N-No..."
An Amegakure Ninja, his face bruised and purple, writhed as a large hand painted with red nail polish gripped his neck and lifted him up.
"Pchhh..."
A hollow Black Receiver instantly pierced his heart.
The Amegakure Ninja twitched, finally falling silent.
Pain expressionlessly tossed the body onto the ground, where over a dozen other corpses already lay.
These were all former subordinates of Hanzou. After Pain killed Hanzou, these people gathered, claiming to avenge Hanzō by assassinating Pain.
The intelligence they received claimed that Pain and his companions had killed Hanzō in a sneak attack, so they did not take Pain seriously.
They consecutively arranged three waves of people to assassinate Pain.
To preserve information, Pain did not use abilities like Shinra Tensei.
He simply used Taijutsu to annihilate the entire group here.
The tallest building in Hidden Rain Village seemed to have become the entrance to a hell that devoured all life; no one who entered was able to leave alive.
Only then did these former subordinates of Hanzou realize that their opponent possessed terrifying strength and a mysterious identity, and was someone they could not possibly resist.
They could only flee. Only by escaping the borders of the Land of Rain could they survive.
After dealing with these people, Pain walked alone to an opening facing outwards on the high tower.
He silently watched the relentless rain outside.
Yahiko used to stand here as well.
"Whoosh whoosh..."
Following the sound of massive wings flapping, a pair of enormous white wings pierced the curtain of rain and landed in front of Pain.
Konan looked at Pain standing there, and for a moment, her expression was hazy, as if she saw Yahiko standing there again.
The difference was that Yahiko would smile when he saw her, but Pain would not.
After the two stood in silence for a while, Pain finally spoke:
"How did the task go?"
Konan whispered, "Some people got away, but none of them have seen you."
"Understood."
Pain had no intention of blaming Konan.
He even guessed that Konan had deliberately let some of them go; the current Konan was occasionally still soft-hearted.
Unlike him, who had completely severed ties with his former self.
To fulfill the dream of Ninja World peace, he had to abandon that naive self.
Carrying Yahiko's burden, he would constantly move forward.
He trusted Konan; even her soft heart would not pose a fatal threat.
When seizing control of Hidden Rain Village, it was inevitable that some people would escape.
But as long as they maintained their mystery, those powers wouldn't risk their lives to investigate Hidden Rain Village, a place with little to gain.
Pain had been planning for a long time. This period was exactly when the major ninja villages were recovering and recuperating.
Even if the Five Great Nations learned Hanzō was dead, they wouldn't send powerful individuals to investigate.
Therefore, they were safe.
"Once we stabilize the village, we will start recruiting new members."
Since Yahiko's death a few years ago, almost all the original members of the Akatsuki Organization had been wiped out; the current Akatsuki Organization only consisted of a few people.
Konan nodded and acknowledged him.
"Is there any special intelligence from the outside?"
Nagato was still relatively weak during this period, relying entirely on Konan for intelligence gathering.
"The peace talks between Kumogakure and Konoha have run into trouble."
"Kumogakure used a Jonin to frame the Hyuga Clan, demanding the life of their clan head, Hiashi. The Third Hokage prioritized stability and didn't help the Hyuga Clan, resulting in Hyuga Hizashi committing suicide as a substitute."
When Pain heard this, his eyes seemed to flicker.
A cold sneer then appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"The people of Konoha are truly filthy."
He looked outside; the rain was still falling steadily, and it seemed to take him back to the day Danzo ambushed them.
"Where has that guy gone now?" Pain asked.
That mysterious individual who called himself Uchiha Madara.
Konan shook her head slightly: "It should be towards the Land of Water. It's very isolated there, so we currently have no intelligence from that area."
"His identity is questionable, and his Ninjutsu is strange. Cooperating with him is not a good idea."
She considered her words before advising Pain.
Pain nodded after a moment:
"I know. It is merely a temporary measure right now."
"He is already shipping supplies and funds over."
"Hanzō lived extravagantly before he died, and Hidden Rain Village is essentially an empty shell. We lack everything right now, so we must first strengthen our organization."
...