Hokage's office.
Natsume caught his breath, sweat streaming down his face.
These past few days had indeed been exhausting.
Glancing at Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, whose face had a rosy glow, he silently wondered why the Akatsuki hadn't arrived yet.
What was Nagato doing? They were already overdue.
At that moment, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki frowned.
The playful glint in her eyes faded, clearly displeased.
"Have the Akatsuki arrived?"
Natsume asked at once.
"I can sense a new Rinnegan."
Kaguya Ōtsutsuki gave a slight nod as she replied.
She was unaware of the Akatsuki, but she could sense the presence of a new Rinnegan immediately.
After all, Hagoromo Otsutsuki, also known as the Sage of Six Paths, possessed the Rinnegan.
Still, she could tell that Nagato's Rinnegan was different from Hagoromo Otsutsuki's.
This mildly intrigued her.
But only slightly.
More importantly, she was irritated at being interrupted mid-moment.
"How many people are there?"
Natsume continued.
"Four."
Kaguya Ōtsutsuki paused briefly before adding, "There's also someone who possesses the Mangekyō Sharingan."
Under other circumstances, she wouldn't have bothered to say so much.
It was only because Natsume asked.
"Obito Uchiha."
His eyes narrowed. So he had finally arrived.
As for the others, one was definitely Konan, though identifying the fourth was tricky.
Based on their numbers, they could deduce that four Akatsuki members were still unaccounted for.
Given their usual pairings, it was likely Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki, along with Sasori and Deidara, had gone to Kiri Village.
Which meant Kakuzu must be the one with Konan.
After a brief pause, Natsume looked at Kaguya Ōtsutsuki and gently kissed her lips. "'I'll make it up to you later,' he whispered."
Her irritation softened slightly. She rose from Natsume's lap and said, "I'm going with you."
"That's fine, but there's a condition."
Natsume didn't refuse directly. "You'll need to disguise yourself. Otherwise, they might be terrified."
Kaguya Ōtsutsuki nodded without speaking—her silent agreement.
Natsume led her to the bathroom. He quickly washed her down and dressed her in a Jonin flak vest from Konoha Village.
Then Kaguya activated [Transformation Jutsu], shifting into an unremarkable young woman.
Natsume immediately summoned Kurenai Yuhi.
"Sister Kurenai, I've got a special mission for you."
"What's going on?" Kurenai asked after glancing curiously at the unfamiliar figure of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.
"A mysterious organization will soon attack Kiri Village."
Since he'd already given her some background, he didn't need to explain further. "Four of them. I need you to lead a support squad."
"Who should I bring along?"
Kurenai's expression turned serious.
Despite the danger, she didn't hesitate.
"Kakashi Hatake, Might Guy, Yugao Uzuki, Gaara, Naruto Uzumaki, and Sasuke Uchiha."
Thinking for a moment, Natsume added, "Your main goal is to stall them. Understand?"
Truthfully, with their combined strength, they had a real shot at winning.
More accurately, the chances of victory were very high.
However, Uchiha Itachi, Hoshigaki Kisame, Sasori, and Deidara were formidable foes. Taking them all down without getting injured would be impossible. Therefore, there was no need to risk everything recklessly. Just wait for Natsume—he'll handle everything.
"I understand."
Kurenai Yuhi gave a sharp nod.
"By the way, keep an eye on Uchiha Sasuke."
Natsume stroked his chin thoughtfully. "There's someone familiar from the Mysterious Organization—he might not be able to help but interfere."
"So we should stop him?"
Kurenai asked with some confusion.
"No." Natsume said with a smile. "Just make sure the environment is safe for him."
All this time, Sasuke had worked tirelessly just for the chance to defeat Itachi. Now, Natsume was handing him that opportunity. But the outcome wasn't certain.
Uchiha Itachi could play extremely dirty—especially since he already understood Sasuke well and had far more experience. Not to mention he had the Sword of Totsuka and the Yata Mirror.
The good news, however, was that he wouldn't kill Sasuke outright. Maybe upon seeing how much his younger brother had grown, he'd willingly offer up his eyes.
"You go inform the others."
Natsume handed her a Flying Thunder God Kunai, saying, "Once everyone is ready, contact me using your Mission Bracelet. I'll teleport you all to Kirigakure."
Kurenai turned on her heel and left.
"Kaguya, where are those four now?"
Natsume glanced at her as he asked.
"They'll reach the Death Forest in a few moments."
Otsutsuki Kaguya answered calmly.
Though Nagato and the others were fast, her sensory range extended much further.
Earlier, they'd still been very far from Konoha. That's what gave Natsume the time he needed to prepare.
"Two of them have stopped—they're hiding inside the trunk of a tree."
A moment later, Otsutsuki Kaguya added, "One of them has the Rinnegan."
Natsume recalled the original story.
When the Six Paths of Pain attacked Konoha, Nagato and Konan had hidden themselves far away. Later, Naruto Uzumaki sensed their presence and engaged Nagato in a long session of Talk No Jutsu—somehow managing to convince him in the end. Nagato then voluntarily sacrificed himself, saving everyone in Konoha.
Only the protagonist could pull something like that off.
The prompt tone from the Mission Bracelet—the Heavenly Network Log-in Device—sounded.
Natsume immediately reappeared before Kurenai Yuhi.
"Oh?"
He briefly scanned the group before whisking them directly to the Mizukage's Office.
Mei Terumī flinched instinctively.
For a split second, she thought he was trying to take over Kirigakure.
But then she reconsidered—it didn't make sense to bring so many people along if that were the case.
"Hokage-sama, what does this mean?"
With outsiders present, Mei used the formal address.
"I received intelligence that four members of the Mysterious Organization are heading toward Kirigakure, targeting two Jinchuriki."
Natsume explained in one breath. "These individuals are here to help you. At the same time, Konoha also faces enemies, so I can't stay long."
Before Mei could react, he vanished.
"Lord Mizukage…"
Kurenai Yuhi spoke first. "Would you mind summoning the two Jinchuriki?"
Mei Terumī nodded slightly.
Natsume wasn't about to play dirty over something like this.
Their top priority now was protecting the Mist Village's Jinchuriki.
Losing them would be disastrous.
The Death Forest.
Originally crafted through Wood Release by Hashirama Senju, it was a marvel of its time.
It stretched for miles beyond Konoha Village, acting as a natural barrier.
But after his death, the forest lost its extraordinary nature.
Now, however, it played to Natsume's advantage.
A forest that vast would save a significant amount of chakra.
Though not that he particularly needed to worry about chakra in the first place.
"There's someone."
Kakuzu was the first to spot Natsume and Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. "It's the Sixth Hokage. How did he know we'd come here?"
"I've always wanted to see Wood Release in action," said Deva Path, unfazed by their having been exposed, stepping forward.
Behind him stood the remaining five Paths of Pain, along with Kakuzu and Obito Uchiha.
[Chapter End]
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