A special thank you to all my patrons.
The List of My "Wandering Reader":
-Lord_Clamiral
-Cain
-Shahzaam
-Goha21
-Jacob Mooe
-Nathan king
-Mp Gaming
-Paul Panzer
-Austin Levy
You can read 30 chapters ahead of everyone on p@treon.
P@TREON - p@treon.com/lessaservantofcosmos
(just replace the "@" with "a")
ps: Please support me on P@treon. I can really use your help!
-------------------------------------------------------------
Logically speaking, the Akatsuki organization shouldn't have been this quiet.
This was an organization that gathered S-rank missing-nin and assassinated important figures across the nations. Calling them a terrorist group wouldn't be an exaggeration in the slightest.
The members of Akatsuki were a lawless bunch.
Given the nature of these rogue ninja, facing a joint assault from the Five Great Shinobi Villages, unless they were planning to flee outright, they would definitely make the allied forces pay a heavy price.
Yet, from the Five Kage Summit until now, as the allied forces pushed all the way to the outskirts of Amegakure, Akatsuki hadn't shown the slightest reaction.
By normal reasoning, they should have at least caused some trouble for the allied forces in other ways—setting traps along the way, launching ambushes, cutting off supply lines, and so on.
But there was nothing.
The elite escorts dispatched by the villages to protect the supply convoys had nothing to do—no enemies in sight.
Moreover, with the Five Great Shinobi Villages jointly declaring war on Amegakure, no fool from any village would dare target the supply units at this point.
"Put yourself in their shoes."
Having eaten his fill, Kazuki put down his chopsticks and picked up his teacup for a sip.
"If I were part of Akatsuki, I'd do everything in my power to make trouble for the Five Great Shinobi Villages—at least to slow down the war effort. Any delay would be better than doing nothing. Don't you think so?"
"If it were me, I'd do the same."
Shikaku frowned deeply, a faint unease stirring in his heart.
"Could it be that Akatsuki's preparations are all concentrated within Amegakure? Are they planning to face the allied forces in one decisive battle?"
"That's exactly what I'm curious about."
"Now, we wait for news. At dawn, the allied forces will launch their attack. It won't be long before reports come in. Let's just hope it's good news."
Though he said that, Kazuki was prepared to accept whatever news came—good or bad.
Of course, if the Third Hokage and the Sarutobi clan's shinobi died in Amegakure, that would be even better.
Losing a few hundred elite shinobi was something Konoha could handle.
Losing the Third Hokage? Still manageable.
So, it'd be best if they all perished.
The loss of a hundred elites, plus an iconic figure like the Third Hokage, would undoubtedly hurt Konoha—but not enough to cause major instability.
Put another way, if things reached the point where the Sarutobi clan's shinobi and the Third Hokage were all dead, how well would the other villages fare?
By then, Konoha wouldn't need to worry about others causing trouble—no one would dare provoke them.
"Hmm."
Shikaku fell silent as well. After having the table cleared, he sat with Kazuki, sipping tea and waiting for updates from the front lines.
---
Dawn arrived, and the rain finally stopped.
Perhaps the heavens were in a good mood today, because Amegakure—usually shrouded in endless downpours—was bathed in sunlight for once.
Unfortunately, the clear skies did nothing to slow the Five Great Shinobi Villages' advance.
At the command of A and Ōnoki, the allied forces launched their assault from both the northern and southern fronts.
Only when the enemy reached the village walls did Amegakure's shinobi finally begin to fight back.
But their resistance was feeble—barely an inconvenience to the allied forces.
Without Akatsuki, Amegakure was just a minor village. Even with slightly more shinobi, they stood no chance against an army composed entirely of elite fighters.
The allied forces advanced like a hot knife through butter, crushing all opposition.
In less than half an hour, they had broken through both fronts and stormed into the heart of Amegakure.
"The show begins."
Atop the central tower, Akatsuki's members gathered, watching as the allied forces flooded into the village from both directions. Kakuzu licked his lips, a bloodthirsty grin spreading across his face.
Obito hadn't interfered with Nagato's plans—he, too, stood atop the tower.
With the Six Paths of Pain at the forefront and the other members flanking them, only Konan, the organization's "angel," was missing.
"A bunch of trash!"
With a single stomp, A crushed the chest of a defiant enemy beneath his foot.
He raised his head, scanning the battlefield. Wherever the allied forces passed, corpses littered the ground.
On the other front, the assault was even swifter. Perhaps due to the village's heavy losses, or perhaps because of his son's death, Ōnoki seemed to be taking out his personal grudges.
At the start of the attack, he unleashed a Particle Style technique, obliterating Amegakure's outer walls in a single strike.
"Kazekage, still no sign of Akatsuki?"
Ōnoki and Rasa hovered in the air—one using Earth Release, the other his Magnet Release.
Compared to Rasa, who had to stand atop his golden sand, Ōnoki—floating effortlessly with his hands behind his back—cut a far more imposing figure.
"No trace of Akatsuki's members. Amegakure's resistance is pitiful."
Rasa had been searching for Akatsuki, but to no avail.
Amegakure wasn't particularly large, but it wasn't small either. Finding Akatsuki's members here wouldn't be easy unless they revealed themselves or engaged in combat, releasing detectable chakra fluctuations.
"Strange. Are they hiding?"
Ōnoki had been eager to face Akatsuki's members. If they were hiding, it would be a bitter disappointment.
Breaking into a minor village like Amegakure only to find no trace of Akatsuki would be a humiliating blow to the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
---
"You will pay for this."
Inside a hidden base, Konan didn't hesitate to ignite her entire stockpile—she intended to give the allied forces a grand fireworks display.
The explosive tags originally meant for Obito in the original timeline were now being used against the Five Great Shinobi Villages' joint forces.
She had spent considerable effort setting them up, waiting for this very moment—to send the invaders sky-high the moment they stormed Amegakure!
As Amegakure's resistance weakened further, the allied shinobi began scouring the village for Akatsuki members and any usable intelligence.
"BOOM!!!"
Suddenly, explosions erupted within Amegakure.
At first, few paid attention—it was common for allies to use explosive tags in battle.
No need for alarm.
Sure, the blasts were a bit louder, the tags a bit more numerous.
Which village's shinobi is wasting explosive tags like this? Couldn't they space them out?
Those who noticed the explosions couldn't help but grumble internally.
But their complaints were cut short—because the explosions weren't isolated. They were continuous.
"BOOM!! BOOM-BOOM!!!"
The entire village seemed engulfed in explosive tags. Once Konan triggered them, a chain reaction followed.
Amidst the deafening blasts, buildings collapsed en masse. Many allied shinobi were killed before they could react, buried beneath rubble.
"The enemy planted countless explosive tags throughout the village—!"
Realizing this, A, the Third Hokage, and Yagura paled.
On the other side, Ōnoki was beside himself.
"The village is rigged with explosives! Akatsuki plans to bury the entire allied force here! How ruthless! How vicious!!"
Rasa froze for a few seconds before instinctively moving to save as many as he could.
But the allied shinobi were scattered, searching for Akatsuki—they weren't gathered in one place.
Even with his Magnet Release, he couldn't protect many.
*****
T/N: P@treon Discount Code: 2025 (Use this to get 50% off your on first month)