A ninja wearing a breathing apparatus slowly approached Konan and spoke to her, "Lady Konan, the enemies have all been eliminated. What are your orders next?"
His voice sounded muffled through the thick mask.
Upon hearing the report, Konan didn't answer immediately. Instead, she stared coldly ahead, as if seeing through the misty haze toward unseen foes lurking in the shadows.
After a long pause, she turned her head toward the Rain Ninja, "Clean up the battlefield. Then continue advancing outward along the prearranged routes and within designated areas. Make sure none of these invaders who sneaked into the heartland of the Land of Rain ever leave this place. However, don't forget to protect yourselves. You've seen the power gap between our villages. Even if we have the numbers, victory is still no easy task for us. Therefore, stay cautious during the upcoming operations. Only do what you can handle. White Zetsu will assist you by providing accurate enemy movements."
Near her feet, not far away, lay several dead ninja scattered across the ground. Their bodies were pierced with white paper senbon. Eyes wide open, they seemed confused about their deaths.
The flowing blood mixed with puddles on the ground, forming a growing bloodstain.
The Rain Ninja replied solemnly, "Understood!"
Then he left, joining the group of ninja forces nearby.
No matter the outcome of today's events, everything that had happened brought a sense of relief and satisfaction to the Amegakure Village ninja.
It felt like a heavy weight they'd carried on their shoulders for years had finally been lifted.
The last time Amegakure Village had such a satisfying victory over intruders was probably during the Second Great Ninja War.
During the Third Great Ninja War, Rain had even become a battleground used for conflicts among Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Konoha.
At that time, Hanzo still controlled Rain, so they remained suppressed within the village, unable to act.
And it wasn't until near the end of the Third Great Ninja War that the village underwent a change in leadership.
So such experiences were rare.
But it was exactly what they always wished to do deep inside.
Although their strength was inferior to the enemies, as long as they used numerical superiority effectively, even powerful enemies would eventually be worn down and defeated.
Especially since their ranks included powerful ninjas like Konan, capable of quickly coming to their aid when facing difficult opponents.
This unit was only part of Amegakure Village's forces.
In total, the village could deploy nearly several thousand ninja. To deal with enemies coming from all directions, Konan divided these forces into several tactical units, each with around three hundred ninja.
This arrangement ensured they wouldn't be overwhelmed when encountering powerful foes while maintaining good mobility.
After all, here in the heartland of the Land of Rain, enemy forces couldn't move openly but instead operated in small units with high mobility.
A force of around three hundred ninja was enough to handle current threats, balancing both offense and defense well.
That was why Konan felt comfortable dividing the troops.
The Shinobi Coalition Forces truly were formidable. Although the main frontlines were formed by the Five Great Hidden Villages, the inclusion of ninja from smaller villages still adequately fulfilled various combat requirements.
Despite Amegakure's growth over the years, both individually and as a force, they were still outmatched by their opponents.
For instance, this Rain Ninja Unit had just encountered ninja from Konoha.
Even with an overwhelming numerical advantage, they were still being maneuvered and worn down by the enemy as if being led by an invisible string.
Battle awareness, experience, and most importantly, power—these two sides simply did not operate on the same level.
As a result, Amegakure suffered heavy losses.
If it hadn't been for Konan intervening at the decisive moment, at least ten more lives would have been lost before eliminating the enemy completely.
Following Konan's orders, the unit cleared the battlefield and accounted for all casualties before setting off once again.
Soon, they disappeared into the familiar mist of the Land of Rain.
Everything was still ongoing—their goal was not some fleeting victory.
As she watched the unit disappear, Konan fixed her gaze ahead, then leapt into the air. With a sudden swoosh, a pair of white wings resembling those of an angel unfolded from her back, and she likewise vanished into the sky.
White Zetsu served as the eyes opposing the entire Shinobi World, while she acted as the very link binding these Amegakure units together.
Therefore, she needed to travel between them constantly, ensuring their safety and that the planned operations proceeded smoothly.
Before long, she arrived at the location of another unit.
The distance between these units wasn't great—only about ten kilometers. This kept her travel time low, minimized risk, and gave her more room for error.
At this moment, the Rain ninja here were locked in fierce battle.
The Rain ninja had made the mistake of overestimating their own strength.
The enemy consisted of a Kumo Ninja force numbering over a hundred, including some sword-wielding samurai—most likely from the Land of Iron.
Although the numbers differed greatly between both sides, Kumo's formidable combat capabilities were enough to bridge the gap in quantity.
Therefore, they fought the Rain ninja in a stalemate—neither side gaining any real advantage.
This Kumo unit also turned out to be different from what Konan had anticipated earlier.
Previously, the largest enemy forces Amegakure had faced numbered no more than twenty or thirty individuals. But now, this unit still had over a hundred active fighters.
Her expression subtly shifted, deeply disappointed with the commander leading this operation on the Ame side. At the same time, she knew she needed to act quickly, otherwise losses would continue growing.
Konan first conducted a brief aerial reconnaissance from high above and found a forest behind the Kumo formation. However, there were no passive chakra signatures within, clearly indicating that it couldn't possibly contain any large hidden forces.
Then, she dove sharply toward the battlefield below.
Her wings beat rapidly, sending paper scraps flying forward—sharp projectiles that sliced through the air itself. The stalemate finally broke.
Meanwhile, the Kumo ninjas hadn't expected a sudden deathbringer plummeting from the heavens and were taken completely off guard.
These paper scraps rained upon them, unleashing tremendous power that pierced through their bodies and armor alike, sinking deeply into flesh.
Either causing severe internal injuries or exploding on contact...
In the blink of an eye, the tide of battle turned completely.
In a single breath, Konan's attack had claimed several enemies, drawing their attention to her.
A ninja who barely avoided Konan's assault left his opponent behind and shouted in rage, "Damn it! Look up there! That woman's in the air!"
His eyes lingered momentarily on Konan's black cloak bearing red clouds — his expression turned deathly serious.
But the next second, a thin, long white senbon pierced through his throat, freezing his movements and consciousness in that very instant.
"It's Konan-sama!"
"Kill!! Kill these damn bastards!"
The Rain Ninja locked in bitter combat recognized her appearance as reinforcement. Their hands moved even faster while they shouted loudly to let others know that Konan had arrived.
Their spirits lifted instantly, throwing off the weight of earlier despair.
Taking advantage of the momentum shift, Konan pressed her attack further. Several Kumo Ninja and Samurai who finally noticed her presence still couldn't withstand her onslaught, getting slain the moment they laid eyes on her.
Within the Kumo Ninja forces, a muscular ninja wearing dark sunglasses signaled his companions to disengage from battle and shouted loudly, "Retreat! Everyone, retreat! That's someone from the Akatsuki Organization! Watch out for those papers!"
He had witnessed that woman's merciless slaughter-like entrance and judged that his side was already outmatched; it would be better to retreat and preserve their strength.
After shouting these words, he immediately led the withdrawal himself, acting upon what he had just said.
His teammates quickly followed behind him.
Since they were stationed at the edge of the battlefield, detaching from the Rain Ninja and withdrawing was much easier for them.
Previously, they might have been able to rely on their strong combat skills and challenge the Rain Ninja to a suspenseful confrontation.
However, after an elite member of the Akatsuki Organization entered the fray, staying any longer meant only death awaited them.
One Kage-level expert against just over a hundred ninja? They stood no chance, especially since she also had the ability to fly.
She was essentially an overwhelming countermeasure to their entire squad of swordsmen and physical cultivators.
The commotion among the Kumo ninja quickly spread across the small battlefield, and all the Kumo ninja lost their will to fight, eager only to escape.
Konan soared high above, her eyes locking onto the fleeing enemy commander. Her wings behind her flapped fiercely several times, creating powerful gusts of wind.
Targeting him, she raised her hand and launched numerous paper scraps from her sleeve, covering the area where they tried to flee.
Meanwhile, she herself rapidly left the cleared battlefield, flapping her wings to pursue.
Since she had decided to act, naturally she wouldn't let her prey escape.
While running, the ninjas noticed Konan launching another attack toward them, so they screamed together, "Watch out, the enemy's attack is coming!"
Once again, the ninja wearing sunglasses issued orders, "Attack together and block the enemy's jutsu!"
These seemingly simple paper scraps carried considerable destructive power. To escape unscathed, they needed to stop this attack first.
Thus, a group of Kumo Ninja activated their ninjutsu to counter Konan's overwhelming aerial assault.
They erupted with chakra from their bodies, transforming it into electric currents that surged outward, weaving an electrical net in the sky behind them.
This massive net covered half the sky, blocking the path of Konan's ninjutsu.
Those seemingly delicate paper scraps now resembled insects about to collide with a spiderweb.
After releasing their technique, the lead Kumo ninja shouted, "Don't just stand there! Run! Run if you want to survive!"
But could Konan's ninjutsu truly be intercepted so easily?
A small number of paper scraps gradually turned red while flying through the air, then exploded violently before hitting the electrical net.
As a result, the tightly woven net, appearing impenetrable, was blown open in several places by the continuous explosions until finally dissipating into the air.
"Ahh!" "Ahh!" "Damn it!"
"..."
More than ten ninja at the rear were unable to dodge. Some were pierced through the body by the paper scraps, leaving bloody holes; others were pinned to the ground, and some fatally struck down, collapsing into pools of blood.
They kept screaming in agony, but the ninja who had already fled ahead didn't stop for even a second. At most, they looked back with sorrowful glances before quickening their pace further.
Did they want to save their comrades?
Of course they did.
But right now, saving them was simply impossible.
Looking back would only get more people killed.
Some things about war can't be summed up in just a few words.
One thing must always be remembered: the mission comes first.
From the moment they set foot on the battlefield, many had already given up control over their fate. Emotions were something they could no longer afford.
Konan's expression remained unchanged as she flew past the enemies lying lifeless on the ground. Then she fired countless projectiles from her wings, killing them all with ruthless efficiency.
A Kage-level expert versus lower-ranked ninja — it was like cutting leeks, effortless.
"Kill!"
Many Kumo ninja and samurai failed to retreat alongside their earlier comrades in time.
Left behind without their allies, they fell into encirclement.
Yet, confronted by death, they unleashed greater potential.
Arcs of electricity and cold flashes of blades continuously lit up the sky. The Rain ninja's encirclement was torn open with a split, allowing them to rush out and chase after their retreating companions.
Konan sensed the commotion from behind and noticed the enemies who hadn't run away earlier were now breaking through.
With a wave of her hand, countless rectangular paper scraps soared into the air like newspapers lifted by the wind, covering their direction. Hidden among them were numerous explosive tags.
The Rain ninja hadn't expected those seemingly certain-to-capture foes to break free again, so they chased furiously.
At this moment, both sides' formations resembled a sandwich.
The front layer was made up of Kumo ninja who fled first. The second layer was Konan chasing closely behind. The third layer contained the Kumo ninja bursting out from the heavy encirclement of Rain ninja, while the fourth layer became the overwhelmed Rain ninja.
The paper scraps and explosive tags Konan tossed out effortlessly slowed down the pursuing Kumo ninja at the rear. Explosions claimed several more enemies who failed to dodge in time.
Taking advantage of this moment, the Rain ninja resumed their pursuit and engaged them in combat again.
One of the Cloud ninjas who had initially escaped noticed Konan rapidly closing in. Someone shouted, "Scatter! The enemy's attack is specifically effective against us. We can dodge better if we spread out!"
Ahead was a forest. Although their enemies had mastered flight techniques, once they entered the trees and scattered, there was still a good chance they could shake off their pursuers.
It was crucial to report back that a core member of Akatsuki had appeared here. If they succeeded, higher-ups could dispatch appropriate ninja to deal with the threat instead of letting the enemy lurk in these areas ambushing the Joint Alliance with unevenly matched forces.
One after another, ninja and samurai covered in faint electrical pulses or chakra understood the key at this moment was to shake off that kunoichi, so they all exerted their utmost efforts.
Just as they were about to enter the woods, one ninja leading the charge suddenly shouted, "Who's there?!"
He thought it might be Konan lying in wait again, his mental state already showing signs of breaking.
If more enemy reinforcements had indeed arrived, their last chance for survival would be completely gone.
And if they failed to get this critical information out, even more comrades or allies would end up dying here.
"It's Konoha's ninja! It's our backup! Our backup has arrived!"
Someone spotted indistinct figures approaching from the direction of the forest and cried out like someone grasping a lifeline, feeling unexpectedly excited deep down.
However, soon those charging ahead realized this supposed backup only numbered four people, seemingly having little impact on the battlefield.
At least four more fighters wouldn't balance the odds against that Akatsuki member, so they still needed to keep running?
Nevertheless, a Kumo ninja loudly shouted toward the Konoha ninjas hiding in the woods: "Hurry up and leave! Behind us is a member of Akatsuki! None of us are her match. She attacks using flying paper."
"Huh? One of Akatsuki?"
Among the four, the burly white-haired man looked surprised but didn't turn around and flee immediately; instead, he spoke calmly.
"You wouldn't happen to be Jiraiya, one of the Sannin, would you?"
Suddenly, one ninja recognized him. After closing the distance slightly, he asked uncertainly.
Unconsciously slowing his pace, he eventually stopped right in front of Jiraiya's group, as if the pursuing enemies behind no longer posed any threat.
If it really is the great Jiraiya himself, then the woman behind us isn't much of a threat after all, is she?
"That's me!"
Jiraiya revealed his pearly white teeth, his face brimming with confidence, exuding a reliable aura that gradually calmed the previously panicking ninjas before him.
Right then, he also saw exactly who had been chasing them.
Akatsuki's paper-wielding kunoichi—just as he'd suspected—it really was his former student.
"Konan?"
"Fate brings us together again."
He looked toward her, then smoothly moved past the ninjas in front of him and crouched forward into action.
The Kumo ninja who'd arrived first froze for a second in shock, then snapped out of it and turned to follow Jiraiya's lead.
Originally facing nearly a four-to-six disadvantage against the Rain ninja alone, their escape had become necessary due to the additional disruption caused by Konan.
But now that Jiraiya had arrived, the situation seemed to turn around, even giving them a better chance at victory.
The fact that Jiraiya took the initiative to step forward indicated his strong confidence, so naturally, no one else could afford to fall behind.
"Hm?"
Piercing another Cloud ninja's chest, Konan lifted her gaze toward the front.
A familiar figure appeared in her line of sight.
Teacher Jiraiya?!
Her movements paused momentarily before she rapidly retreated backward.
She hadn't expected to confront him here.
Because of this sudden development, the Rain and Cloud ninjas quickly disengaged from battle rather than continuing their fight.
The moment Jiraiya and others arrived altered the whole battlefield dynamic.
"Long time no see, Konan."
Landing in front of the Cloud ninjas, Jiraiya looked up at the winged figure hovering midair, eyes narrowing slightly.
He had originally been stationed at the central command of Konoha's Main Force, responsible for coordinating the front and rear units while staying alert for any unexpected disturbances.
However, upon receiving calls for help from Kumogakure and Iwagakure, he immediately decided to come provide support.
As for Konoha, with Minato and others present, the situation remained relatively stable—no need for his concern.
He hadn't expected that on the way, he noticed something unusual and upon investigation found such a scene unfolding.
"Jiraiya-sensei."
Konan's expression grew complex.
Facing Jiraiya directly, she didn't have absolute confidence in victory.
And if she chose to flee, these Amegakure ninjas would have to be selectively abandoned.
War being what it was made such sacrifices inevitable, but this wasn't something she wished to see happen.
Therefore, she now faced a difficult decision.
Recognizing the sudden appearance of this ninja thanks to Konan's presence, the Rain ninjas' morale shifted subtly.
The Sannin (Legendary Three Ninja) earned their fame precisely through wars against Amegakure.
Thus, as Rain ninjas, they naturally harbored a deep fear of Jiraiya.
The Cloud ninjas reacted differently.
Hearing Jiraiya's name renewed their hope for victory, completely shifting their earlier attitude. One by one, they glared at the Rain ninjas with renewed confidence and hunger for battle.
"I'll handle Konan. You all deal with the Rain ninjas. Any problem with that?"
Having gone through so much—including harsh lessons from his own students—Jiraiya was no longer as hesitant as he once was when facing her.
After glancing at the number of enemy Rain ninjas, he judged both sides' strengths as fairly balanced before asking the Cloud ninjas behind him.
"No problem at all, Jiraiya-sama."
A dark-skinned ninja grinned widely, his muscular frame crackling with [Electric Shock] pulsing visibly through the air.
"Good!"
Jiraiya nodded, his face maintaining its calmness right before an impending battle.
Finally, Konan made her decision. She called down to the Rain ninjas below: "Retreat!"
Underprepared, she knew she couldn't defeat Jiraiya head-on.
To preserve their strength, temporarily avoiding direct confrontation was the only choice.
First, she raised her arm dramatically. Numerous paper scraps materialized into countless distinct shapes, shooting rapidly in Jiraiya's direction.
Rain Ninja were somewhat taken aback, but at the first sign of Konan's command, they still chose to retreat.
It was their trust in her.
Even they themselves couldn't bring themselves to believe that Konan could defeat Jiraiya, one of the legendary Sannin who had long since made a name for himself.
Plus, they'd just heard Konan refer to Jiraiya as "teacher"—surely not someone she could fight.
Facing the oncoming attack, Jiraiya slammed both hands onto the ground and shouted:
[Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!]
With a thunderous boom, the earth cracked open.
A huge earthen wall tens of meters long erupted from the ground, shielding himself and the Kumo Ninja troops behind him.
Konan's attacks struck almost instantly after the technique formed, producing sharp, slicing sounds.
"Haa!"
She showed no surprise at Jiraiya's defense, instead forming a single hand seal and letting out a low growl.
Amongst the paper scraps she had launched, there were numerous explosive tags mixed in—not merely a simple use of her Paper Dance technique.
The air exploded.
Of course, her intention wasn't to actually kill Jiraiya with such a basic approach.
Jiraiya, having previous combat experience against her, would surely be on guard against this combination of Explosive Tags and the Paper Dance technique. Therefore, the chance of success was practically zero.
But the explosion from the tags could slow down the enemy's pursuit—giving at least some of them a chance to escape was still an advantage.
Boom—
Jiraiya's jutsu was buried within the blast, shattered into fine rocks thrown high into the sky.
Thick smoke filled the battlefield, blinding the Kumo forces momentarily.
But soon, Jiraiya's voice rang out again:
[Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!]
With his elemental techniques second nature to him, he cleared their view, revealing the unharmed forces behind.
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