Through the darkness, a figure flew.
After, two other shadows shot forth, chasing after the figure.
"Stop right there!!"
Yahiko, running along with Nagato, shouted at the ninja ahead of them.
"Should you not, we'll consider you an enemy of the village!!"
The ninja turned his head and took a peek at the two. His legs, not knowing how to stop, didn't cease running.
Yahiko clicked his tongue. Revealing a shuriken, he proceeded to throw it at the enemy with accuracy, but the enemy, having seen it coming, evaded it by parrying it with his kunai.
However, that slight amount of time that the ninja spent parrying the shuriken was enough.
"Earth Release: Earth Wall!"
Slamming his hands down, Nagato formed a thick wall of earth in front of the ninja, cutting off his escape route.
"..."
With no other option, the ninja was now left with no choice but to face the two of them.
"State your identity."
"..."
Yahiko demanded, but no response came.
Then, the ninja broke a smirk, causing Yahiko and Nagato to tense up.
In front of the two, the ninja then proceeded to whistle.
With a swoosh, two other ninjas appeared, now surrounding the two.
The ninja whom the two of them were chasing took off his forehead protector that had the symbol of Ame.
Yahiko's eyes narrowed as he found the forehead protectors of Iwa on the foreheads of two other ninjas who surrounded them.
"...How?"
Yahiko had to whisper, clearly confused.
"We are keeping Iwa in check at the border between the land of grass and the land of earth. Furthermore, the line extends all the way to the frontline handled by Suna... there should be no opening for spies to get through."
Yahiko and Nagato, standing back to back, observed the three ninjas who began to circle them.
"Heh, any last words?"
One of them, a short, middle-aged shinobi with a bulky stature, mocked.
"The legendary Rinnegan... so the rumor was true."
Another one, who was tall and thin, spoke as he made a greedy expression.
"Yahiko and Nagato. We have already identified that you are the core ninjas of the Rain, holding a close association with Hanzo of the Salamander. Be it through the elimination or capture, you shall be dealt with tonight."
The ninja whom Yahiko and Nagato have been chasing after, one with sharp-looking eyes, stated as he lifted his kunai.
However, Yahiko wasn't listening.
"Strange... even if they managed to get past the frontline, how did they manage to get through the heavy security?"
"...It's clear, Yahiko. There is a betrayer among our ranks."
Nagato spoke the exact conclusion that Yahiko reached.
Grimacing, Yahiko and Nagato then watched as the three Iwa ninjas rushed at them.
CLANG—!
__________
Dark in the night, Konan, with her hand placed on the window, gloomily watched the view outside.
Mood swings have become frequent. She tried to smile, but her face would stiffen.
How come? She wondered.
In the past, she had no trouble acting. Feigning happiness, she tried her best not to interfere with Yahiko and Nagato's endeavors in this village.
...Truth to be told, she wasn't alright at all. This wasn't the peace or comfort that she wanted.
Be it here or the dark cave that was hard to live in, Konan didn't care. What mattered was the company.
The fact that Akashi wasn't with them made her feel insecure. After he's come back to them, after she's realized that he wasn't dead all along, and after the years they spent together before he had to leave once more, Konan couldn't pretend to be the same any longer.
Konan didn't speak it out loud, but the grandiose goals that Yahiko and Nagato seemed to have in their minds weren't of her interest. Instead...
"The red cloud certainly does exist. Life beyond the war exists. Peace... may exist. However, peace does not guarantee happiness."
Yes, happiness. That's what mattered, and her happiness stemmed from being with her close ones.
"Why does this world hate you, Akashi?"
Konan couldn't help but whisper.
"Why must you be chased? Wanted? They tried to kill you out of spite when you were weak, and now that you've gained strength, they fear you. They know nothing about you..."
"Because, this world is a filthy and worthless place."
Konan stiffened as a foreign voice spoke to her.
Quickly turning, Konan was met with the sight of a black, spiky-kaired man wearing an orange mask.
On the opposite side of the room, at a different window that was currently open, the masked man sat with his legs crossed.
"...Who are you?"
Konan, lowering her stance, prepared to fight at any moment.
"Who am I, you ask?"
Through the mask, a pair of crimson pinwheel eyes, sharingans, rotated rapidly.
"You may call me Uchiha Madara."
Konan immediately averted her eyes, knowing very well what the sharingans are capable of. Her gaze was headed at the masked man's left instead of straight at him, so that she could still track his movement, all while avoiding an ocular genjutsu.
"Madara... lies. He is said to have died years ago."
"Whether you believe me or not is up to you. What matters at the moment is that..."
The masked man revealed a red orb. It floated up from his palm, right in front of the bright moon from Konan's perspective.
"You are a valuable hostage to me."
Limited Tsukuyomi: Genjutsu World.
Konan's view abruptly subverted as she found herself getting sucked into the orb.
Then, darkness.
__________
The peaceful night was over in Ame.
Under the light rain that poured down nonstop, the numerous ninjas of Iwa, making their appearances out of nowhere, began their sudden invasion.
The horns were blown by one of the Ame ninjas, signalling an attack. The patrols fended off as best as they could, but the ninjas of Iwa were the veterans among veterans, elites among elites.
"How did these bastards reach all the way here unnoticed?!!"
"Earth Release: Earth Bullet!"
"Damn it...!! Lightning Release—"
"Don't! Do you plan to electrocute all of us?! What did I tell you about using your lightning release here?!"
"Then—fuck, dodge—"
BOOM.
Chaos rose, and the commotion reached all the way to the central tower.
"...Report the current situation."
Walking rapidly with a jonin by his side, Hanzo ordered strictly, fully armored.
"Yes, Hanzo-sama! With the majority of our ninjas currently residing in the land of grass, we are having difficulty fighting back! The reported casualty amounts to 8 genins, 3 chunins, and 1 jonin—"
His words couldn't be finished as, at the next moment, the central tower was abruptly struck by a powerful force.
The entire building crumbled down. The civilians gasped in horror, re-living the nightmare that 'Red Blade' caused years ago.
"RUN!!!"
"KYAAAA!!!"
Many frantically ran. Some more sensible ones quickly looked for places to hide and/or barricade—not that it would help much against keen ninjas.
"...Who would dare?"
Lifting rubble over him and walking out of the pile of the crumbled-down building, Hanzo spoke solemnly. He was currently supporting the bleeding ninja—the one who was reporting just previously—by his shoulders.
"Hmph, who else but us?!"
Hanzo's eyes narrowed as he identified the enemies in front of them.
There were two, those who were the forehead protectors of Iwa.
At a glance, Hanzo immediately recognized them.
"To think that old Onoki would risk sending two jinchurikis at me... now isn't this foolish?"
"Even you, Hattori Hanzo, cannot face the two of us alone!"
The jinchuriki of the four tails, Roshi, snorted.
"...Not even Konoha's Team 6, which included the infamous sannin, Jiraiya, and 'Yellow Flash' Namikaze Minato, could oppose us. What makes you think that you can?"
The jinchuriki of the five tails, Han, remarked.
"...Hah! To think I, Hanzo, would live to see the day that I'd get ignored!"
Hanzo laughed. Then, his laugh died down in an instant as he revealed a cold gleam in his eyes, leaking a killing intent.
"It looks like I must help you remember why I'm called Hanzo of the Salamander."
Hanzo slammed his hand on the ground.
"Summoning Technique!"
"Here he comes! Prepare yourself, Roshi!"
"That's for me to say, Han!"
The battle between the three began in the middle of Ame, in the middle of the uncontrolled, chaotic night.
__________
In the dark woods, there lied one corpse, robbed of his clothes and forehead protector.
"..."
Approaching this corpse, Akashi leaned down and inspected its state.
"This is..."
"Someone is impersonating this ninja in the village. Something is happening."
That meant that Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato were potentially in danger. Just the idea of it brought a chill down Akashi's spine.
"We must make it quick."
Akashi's dark-blue eye gleamed dangerously within the darkness.
Whoever it may be, they were trying to touch what shouldn't be touched.
"If something happens to them..."
His clenched hands trembled with outrage.
"...Worry not."
Mei soothed him, surprised to see such an intense reaction from Akashi of all people.
"You told me that they are strong. They can hold their own... they will be fine."
"...Thank you. Let's hurry."
Urgently, Akashi and Mei resumed their travel, now at a pace much faster than before.