"If I'm not mistaken, that up there must be Raijin's Thunder Dream," Daniel muttered, glancing at the massive lightning chains and the rapidly expanding thunderball beneath the barrier in the sky. Originally intended to destroy Konoha, this forbidden technique was now targeting Rain Village instead. It made sense—Akatsuki Nation was now a far greater threat to the Land of Fire than Konoha ever was.
Konoha might disobey orders occasionally, but at least they still acknowledged the authority of the Fire Daimyo. Akatsuki, however, sought to abolish the daimyo system altogether.
"The plan isn't bad—sending in waves of ninja to occupy Akatsuki forces, then using the forbidden technique to annihilate Rain Village in one blow. It could work against other villages, but against us, it falls short," Daniel thought. He wasn't in any hurry to break the barrier. Even if the Thunder Dream was fully unleashed, he could use a space-time jutsu to divert the attack elsewhere.
"Maybe I should let them charge it to full power and redirect it over one of the Five Great Ninja Villages," he considered, amused by the idea.
But when Daniel received a message from Nagato through his ring, he set the idea aside. Nagato and Konan wouldn't let the attack reach its peak—this was their home, after all.
"Fire Style: Ash Pile Burning!" As Daniel glanced at the massive thunderball in the sky, Asuma Sarutobi attacked. Forming quick seals, Asuma exhaled a cloud of hot ash that rushed toward Daniel, ready to ignite and explode.
This fire technique was a two-stage attack. First, the intense heat burned anything it touched. Then, the ash cloud would explode, causing even more damage. It also served a secondary purpose: to obscure the target's vision.
Asuma had chosen well—Fire Style was an effective counter to Wood Style. However, he had underestimated the difference in their power levels.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough." Daniel formed seals of his own, releasing a powerful gust of wind. Though wind usually fuels fire, the sheer force of his jutsu overpowered the flames, blowing the ash cloud back toward Asuma.
The ash turned against him, forcing Asuma and his allies to scatter. Though they reacted quickly, Asuma still suffered burns on his hands from the high-temperature ash.
"Too bad I can't go all out here," Daniel thought. The battle was taking place inside Rain Village, and using his full power would level the surrounding buildings. Against enemies of this level, he could have finished things quickly, but he had to hold back to avoid unnecessary destruction.
Now Daniel understood why the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars had taken place in the Land of Rain. Fighting on foreign soil allowed the combatants to unleash their full power without concern for collateral damage.
"That fake Nine-Tails jinchūriki… Konoha sure has been busy with their experiments," Daniel noted as he watched the chakra cloak recede from the fake jinchūriki named Sora. The wooden dragon he had summoned tightly coiled around the boy's small body, rendering him immobile.
"Empty!" Asuma shouted, his eyes wide with concern as he rushed forward. Wielding his chakra blades, Flying Swallow, Asuma infused them with wind chakra, extending the reach of his blades and slashing at the wooden dragon.
Sora was the son of Chiriku, one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, but Chiriku had no fatherly affection for him. Instead, he had turned his son into a tool, forcibly imbuing him with Nine-Tails chakra to create a fake jinchūriki. This entire plan to destroy Rain Village had been his brainchild, though it was originally intended for Konoha.
In contrast, Asuma treated Sora more like a real son. He and Chiriku had come to Rain Village to keep an eye on the plan, intending to stop it if necessary. But with orders from the Fire Daimyo and the rest of the Twelve Guardian Ninja supporting the mission, they had little choice but to go along with it.
Unfortunately, Asuma's wind-infused blades barely left a scratch on the wooden dragon Daniel had summoned.
"Asuma, watch out!" Chiriku, who had been standing nearby, suddenly shouted in alarm. But it was too late. With a flick of its tail, the wooden dragon swatted Asuma away, sending him crashing into a nearby building.
Daniel spared no further thought for Asuma's fate. In war, enemies were enemies, and if Konoha's ninja died, it was simply bad luck for them.
"You've played enough," Daniel said as he appeared behind the bald monk who had been strumming his instrument. Before the monk could react, Daniel delivered a powerful punch to his chest, sending him flying with a spurt of blood.
"Master!" Chiriku and the others called out in alarm, rushing toward Daniel. But unlike Chiriku, who had genuine concern for Sora, these monks were only here to help guide the rampaging fake jinchūriki.
"Rankyaku!" Daniel kicked out, unleashing a crescent-shaped air blade. The monks barely had time to register the attack before they were sliced in half. The blade continued forward, heading straight for Chiriku.
"Welcoming Thousand-Arm Death!" Chiriku clasped his hands together, and a giant golden Buddha with countless arms manifested behind him. The arms whirred into motion, deflecting Daniel's air blade with a barrage of punches. Though successful, the effort left Chiriku visibly shaken.
"Thousand-Armed Kannon. Not bad," Daniel said, observing the jutsu with interest. The giant Buddha was similar to the Uchiha clan's Susanoo in how it acted as a powerful chakra construct. However, the Thousand-Armed Kannon was much smaller in comparison.
Daniel could also use a similar technique—his own version of the Hundred-Arm Kannon inspired by Netero's ability from another world. Though it didn't literally have a thousand arms, it was still a formidable jutsu. Chiriku's version, by contrast, had only about twenty-two arms.
"Chiriku of the Fire Temple, if I'm not mistaken. And these others must be from the Wind Temple," Daniel deduced, recognizing the affiliations of the fallen monks. "What a shame. If you had stayed in your temples to meditate, you could have lived long lives. But by involving yourselves in the wars of the ninja world, you've sealed your fate. After today, there will be no need for Fire Temple—or Wind Temple—to exist."
"And any clans or shinobi who participated in this attack will face the full might of Akatsuki Nation. There will be no compromise," Daniel continued. His words weren't an idle threat. Akatsuki needed to assert dominance and instill fear, just as they had done with the Land of Iron. Only by displaying overwhelming power would those wavering in their allegiance be forced to choose.
Nagato had refrained from resurrecting Yahiko for this very reason. Yahiko's idealism would have prevented such decisive measures.
Chiriku didn't respond to Daniel's words. Instead, the giant Kannon behind him unleashed a flurry of fists, each arm elongating to strike at Daniel.
This same technique had overwhelmed Hidan and Kakuzu, but Daniel was on a completely different level.
"Daytime Tiger!" Daniel punched forward, and a massive white tiger of compressed air roared into existence. It tore through the arms of the Thousand-Armed Kannon, destroying the Buddha and everything in its path. The shockwave continued, obliterating the ground and buildings behind Chiriku before finally dissipating.
The Daytime Tiger was a technique Daniel had simplified after studying the Eight Gates technique. Normally, Might Guy needed to open the Seventh Gate to use it, but Daniel had refined it to the point where he could use it in his base form.
"You chose the wrong side, Chiriku," Daniel said, appearing in front of the battered monk. He grabbed Chiriku's head with one hand, while his other hand reached into Chiriku's memories using the Soul Clone Technique.
Daniel was intrigued by the Thousand-Armed Kannon and wanted to see if there were any hidden secrets to the jutsu. Perhaps he could combine it with the Wood Style Wood Golem Jutsu to create a powerful new technique similar to the Armored Susanoo.
Suddenly, a chakra blade flew toward Daniel's head. Without even looking, he caught the blade between two fingers—it was Asuma's Flying Swallow, his signature chakra-infused weapon.
"You can still move?" Daniel glanced at Asuma, surprised to see him standing despite the earlier attack. His determination was admirable, but ultimately futile.
"Why keep fighting?" Daniel asked coldly. Then, without hesitation, he plunged Asuma's own chakra blade into Chiriku's heart, killing him instantly. He let Chiriku's body fall at Asuma's feet.
"Chiriku... Empty..." Asuma whispered, his voice cracking with grief. He glanced up at the massive thunderball in the sky, now nearly ten meters in diameter.
"Did you really think Raijin could destroy this place?" Daniel's voice cut through the tension. "Do you know why I haven't destroyed the barrier yet? Because I don't need to. The Rinnegan can absorb all forms of chakra—even the Third Tsuchikage's Particle Style. In the world of ninja, nothing can stand against the Rinnegan."
Daniel relayed Nagato's message to the other Akatsuki members through his ring, telling them not to worry about the barrier and to focus on the enemy shin
obi.
If Nagato had wanted to, the battle could have ended long ago. The fact that the barrier still stood was by design—Nagato wanted to test Akatsuki's strength and flush out any hidden enemies.
Under Daniel's guidance, Nagato had not only grown stronger but also more cunning.
"This is the justification for your war?" Asuma asked, his voice filled with bitterness.
"Even without us, the Fourth Shinobi World War would have happened. And after that, a Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh War. The villages are too narrow-minded to achieve true peace. You claim to want peace for your village, but what about the other villages? Rain Village has been the battleground for the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars. Do you even know how many innocent civilians died here?"
"Let me tell you something," Daniel continued, his voice cold. "The leader of Akatsuki, Nagato—his parents were killed by Konoha ninja during the Second War. Yet even with that pain, he strives for peace across the entire world, not just one village. If not for that goal, do you think Konoha would have survived his wrath?"
Asuma was silent, unable to argue. He had never considered the consequences of the wars beyond the borders of Konoha.
"The Five Great Villages can't bring peace to the entire world—but we can," Daniel said, his voice softening slightly. "I won't kill you today. But don't think you can attack Rain Village without paying a price."
With those words, Daniel hurled Asuma's Flying Swallow back at him. The chakra blade severed Asuma's right arm, leaving him writhing in pain.
For a ninja, losing an arm was devastating. Without both hands, it was impossible to perform most ninjutsu. Sasuke had been forced to rely on his Uchiha body slam technique after losing an arm, and Asuma's fate would be no different.
Though Daniel respected certain Konoha ninja, this was war. Respect alone wouldn't stop him from doing what needed to be done.
"You came here because you feared I'd kill him, didn't you?" Daniel asked, turning his gaze to a nearby rooftop. Emerging from the shadows was Uchiha Itachi, his expression unreadable.
"I was just concerned about the enemies here," Itachi replied, his voice emotionless.
"By the way, Itachi, what do you think about the idea of peace for the entire ninja world? Not just for Konoha."
"I'll check on the other areas," Itachi said, ignoring Daniel's question as he dissolved into a flock of crows and disappeared.
"Convincing him won't be easy," Daniel mused, watching Itachi vanish. "But that's to be expected. He grew up in Konoha. Even the best arguments are just words to him."
Itachi's unwavering loyalty to Konoha ran deep, and Daniel knew it would take more than logic to change his mind.
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