"Our objective is crystal clear," Yahiko declared, his voice steady as he gazed at the towering black stone walls before them. "It is the Tenshu Pavilion at the very center of the three defensive rings!"
"The Five-Kage Summit is taking place there. The Kage and the Daimyo will undoubtedly be present."
"So, the plan is simple—" Yahiko's expression grew solemn. "We will split into two groups: the Decoy Group and the Breakthrough Group."
"We concentrate our strength at a single point, like a sharp dagger, to pierce deep through the enemy's lines! With maximum speed, we break through the defenses, decapitate the Daimyo, punch straight through the formation, and evacuate immediately!"
"The Decoy Group will alternate positions to draw away and divide the enemy's military force, preventing the team from being surrounded and dragged into a war of attrition."
"As for the Breakthrough Group..." Yahiko's eyes sharpened. "They must act with the most overwhelming dominance, sweeping away every obstacle in their path!"
The others nodded in agreement. Even Kakuzu, the oldest and most combat-experienced member of the group, gave a rare sign of approval.
"A wise choice," Kakuzu muttered. Facing an army of ten thousand packed into the narrow battlefield of the inner city, attempting a scattered breakout would only lead to them being divided by human-wave tactics and picked off one by one.
The Akatsuki's current advantage lay in the fact that every single member possessed the strength of an elite Jonin or higher. Only by clenching their strength into a single fist could they hope to tunnel through the front lines while preserving enough energy to face the unknown threats of the third defensive layer—and finally reach the Daimyo.
"Then, let's confirm the roles one last time."
Yahiko turned his head slightly, his gaze firm. "The Decoy Group: myself, Konan, Mangetsu Hōzuki, and En Oyashiro."
"The Breakthrough Group: Nagato, Mr. Kakuzu, and Terumī Mei!"
"Finally, Sasori will handle the rear. His task is to deal with that massive Chakra Cannon—the one that thwarted Orochimaru's plan to collapse the Cloud Village."
"That is all!"
"Wait!"
At that moment, En Oyashiro frowned. He lowered his rectangular tinted glasses slightly, revealing the Ketsuryūgan—eyes with blood-red whites and square pupils.
"The first obstacle before us isn't this wall, which can be climbed easily!" He swept his left hand forward, releasing a wisp of chakra so light it was almost weightless. As it brushed past the team, it triggered an invisible ripple in the air, like wind over a pond.
En Oyashiro continued gravely, "It's this spherical barrier created by the Cloud's Barrier Corps, which envelops the entire inner city! Any intruder will be detected instantly, and reinforcements will be dispatched to this location immediately. If we could avoid that..."
However, at that very second—
—Shua!
From the western side of the inner city, miles away, dense patterns of tadpole-like sealing runes suddenly rippled outward. They surged past the group and raced toward the horizon on the opposite side.
Following that, the massive barrier enveloping the city suddenly manifested into visibility. Then, in a brief, blinking instant, the surface of the barrier turned entirely red, swarming with those tadpole runes!
And then...
CRACK!
After a slight tremor, the perception barrier standing before them shattered like glass, exploding into nothingness!
"Someone moved before us on the western side?!" Terumī Mei gasped, looking toward the north in astonishment. "Who could it be?!"
"No matter who it is, they've done us a huge favor. This is our chance!" Yahiko quickly turned around, his brow furrowed as he called out: "Nagato!"
"Yeah!" Nagato nodded, his face grim.
He stepped forward, walking to Yahiko's side and grasping his shoulders. Yahiko immediately crouched down, bracing Nagato's feet in his hands.
"Let's begin!"
Yahiko took a deep breath, churning his internal chakra. Beneath his black-and-red-cloud cloak, the muscles of his powerful frame tensed, veins bulging. Unlike Nagato, who possessed the 'Eyes of a God' and mastery over six chakra natures, or Konan, whose brilliance birthed the Paper Style, Yahiko considered his own talent mediocre.
He had specialized solely in Water Style and Greatsword Taijutsu, honing them to a level that had amazed even Jiraiya. His was a lean, hardened physique capable of brawling with a six-tailed Naruto in a state of half-beast transformation!
Now, bracing Nagato, Yahiko's brow twitched with effort as he let out a low, guttural shout:
"HA!!"
Using his best friend almost like a javelin, he thrust upward with an explosive shove against Nagato's soles!
BOOM!
The surrounding air was instantly dragged into a shrill, supersonic sonic boom! Nagato shot into the sky like a rocket!
He streaked across the sky like a bird of prey, soaring over the city walls, leaping across the (now broken) barrier, and flying high above the heads of the startled samurai.
As countless eyes from all corners of the inner city snapped toward him, Nagato extended a single hand downward. The rushing wind whipped his red hair back, fully exposing the terrifying Rinnegan—rippled purple eyes with a single black dot at the center!
"HAAAAAAAAAAAA—!!!"
He roared, his fingers clawing inward as if grasping the atmosphere itself!
"SHINRA TENSEI!"
The invisible hand of God, capable of repelling all creation, descended! Centered on Nagato, a circular gravitational wave expanded to a radius of nearly a hundred meters in an instant, detonating in mid-air!
In a heartbeat—
As if crushed by a solid iron sphere, the twenty-meter-high city wall collapsed instantly!
The samurai and minor-nation shinobi guarding the wall were flung away by the invisible violence before they could even react. The unlucky souls directly beneath him were flattened instantly as the wall crumbled into dust!
By the time Nagato landed gracefully amid the debris, the Cloud shinobi a hundred meters away finally snapped out of their shock. They began sounding the alarms like madmen!
"Enemy attack!"
"Enemy attack!!"
"Command center! The eastern sector is under heavy assault! Requesting immediate reinforcements, AAAAAARGH—!!!"
Before the smoke could even clear, as the alarms reached the command center and flags signaled the eastern diversionary division, a chaotic army of over a thousand shinobi began to swarm forward under the lead of Cloud Jonin.
However...
The smoke parted.
Behind Nagato, seven figures of varying heights had appeared! The only thing they shared was the same uniform: the black cloak with red clouds.
The fierce wind made the hems of the eight cloaks snap and flutter violently.
Among them, two figures stepped forward, their hands already moving in a blur of hand seals!
Leading the charge was a tall figure with eerie green eyes and a mask, with two dark shadows perched on his shoulders. Combining the Earth Grudge Fear: Fire Mask and the Wind Mask, he unleashed a massive combined ninjutsu.
"Composite Ninja Art: Turbulent Wind and Flame!"
The seals were completed in an instant. Kakuzu took a deep breath and formed the final 'Snake' seal!
—BOOM!!
The swarm of wall-guarding ninjas had just come face-to-face with the invaders when they saw it—
A gale of wind exploded outward for nearly a thousand meters! A sea of fire, surging like a tsunami, crashed toward them with overwhelming force!
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