Hearing Tsunade's question, Naruto struggled to remember the details of his infiltration into Amegakure.
"Even if our four villages unite, a direct assault would be difficult," he said. "I'm not even sure we could succeed. Amegakure itself is surrounded by water and located two kilometers inland, with the surrounding land occupied by villages filled with stationed ninja. The moment we enter that country, they would detect us immediately. This would turn into a prolonged siege."
Yugito caught his meaning.
"You're saying we can't do it? Even working together?"
Temari folded her arms, clearly skeptical.
"That's hard to believe, Naruto. We outnumber them four to one!"
"But this would be a siege," Naruto explained. "No matter how many soldiers we bring, we must first traverse vast stretches of land just to reach Amegakure. They will harass us the entire way as we clear out the outer villages. That alone could take weeks or even months, depending on how fiercely they resist and whether they've set up remote defenses. Each of those outer villages has its own defensive strategy. And Amegakure's strength rivals that of the Five Great Countries."
Gaara found Naruto's reasoning convincing.
Sunagakure was universally regarded as the weakest of the Five Great Countries.
The only reason Amegakure had not replaced Sunagakure was due to its former leader Hanzo's isolationist policies.
"We already have three Jinchuriki," the Raikage countered, trying to justify a direct assault. "Not to mention Lord Kazekage. I don't think the fight would last long enough to escalate into total war."
"Lord Danzō hadn't expected the Land of Fire's forest conflict to escalate into a war of attrition either, yet that mission had taken them a full year," Naruto thought. "Those defenses were nothing compared to Amegakure's. This would become a costly, exhausting battle for both sides."
Mei Terumi frowned, cutting in.
"Raikage-sama, having Jinchuriki doesn't guarantee victory. Five out of the nine current Jinchuriki have already fallen. Besides, you yourself said that without Yugito's fierce resistance and Naruto's timely intervention, she might have been captured too."
"A direct attack on Amegakure is our worst option," Tsunade said, drawing on her experience. "They have every home-field advantage—ambushes in the streets and alleys, fortified high-rises where they can draw us into urban combat… Even the civilians will resist us. If they truly believe Pain is divine, the situation becomes even worse."
Kankuro furrowed his brow, deep in thought before speaking.
"So… what if we eliminate Pain and dismantle Akatsuki's core forces? Wouldn't that effectively mean declaring war on Amegakure?"
The Raikage scoffed coldly in response.
"If we stand united, Amegakure wouldn't dare act recklessly—they would face the united wrath of all the Great Villages. In my view, Madara Uchiha is the true threat—not Pain—even though he wields the Rinnegan."
"As long as he doesn't make the first move against the Jinchuriki, we should wait and see how things unfold. There's no need to go head-to-head with him directly. Many leaders, like Pain, have delusions of grandeur, but if we apply enough pressure, we can force them to abandon their plans. Perhaps we can push the Akatsuki organization to stop its operations."
He turned toward Naruto. He heard him mutter under his breath—too quietly for anyone else to hear—but Tsunade caught every word.
"What did you just say, Naruto? Speak louder."
Tsunade asked him to repeat himself, so Naruto raised his voice and said:
"I don't think someone like Pain will give up easily. I think he'll retaliate even harder. He actually believes everything he says, and he's got everyone in Amegakure believing it too."
##Sunagakure##
The entire village had mobilized. The ninja were scrambling around in chaos.
Villagers were urgently evacuated to safe locations, and shops were ordered to shut down immediately.
Most of the rooftops were filled with Sunagakure ninjas who gazed upward at that solitary figure hovering in the sky, as if bracing for battle at any second.
"Captain Baki!" a Jonin from Sunagakure shouted toward Baki, who was in charge of command. "What should we do? He's just floating there in the air. If Gaara were here, he could've taken him down easily."
Everyone knew the intruder was a member of the Akatsuki organization, yet he hadn't made any aggressive moves yet.
However, regardless of his purpose, his mere presence was a threat to the village. Anyone associated with the Akatsuki must be neutralized.
Baki immediately gave orders to those nearby:
"All ninja skilled in long-range Wind Release techniques, move to the front! Everyone capable of reaching that guy with an attack, hit him hard—bring him down!"
"It's time to awaken the world of ninjas and confront my strength directly," murmured Asura Path Pain to himself.
None of the other Pains had appeared because there was no need for caution or restraint in this situation.
His only task was to deliver a message to the entire world.
After this moment, the eyes of the world would turn to this place.
"Not even the Five Great Ninja Villages can stand against divine power."
Asura Path hovered above Sunagakure, fully aware his presence had been discovered. The village's ninja were gathering forces to strike him.
But it was meaningless—they didn't stand a chance.
"Though doing this will shorten my lifespan… this small price is worth it." Asura Path spoke while extending his arm, aiming directly at the village below.
"This is a necessary sacrifice."
If Konan had been present, she definitely would've stopped him, even pleading desperately—but she already knew Pain wouldn't listen to her.
To him, all of this was inevitable.
[Shinra Tensei!]
No defense could withstand such force. Under the immense repulsive power, Sunagakure collapsed instantly.
This… was divine power—or rather, the strength of an S-class ninja.
The village that once stood proudly at the heart of the desert had now become nothing more than a desolate ruin, its air thick with the scent of death.
Rain began to fall from the sky—a strange, unnatural rain—as though the land mourned the catastrophe.
"This is just the beginning..."
---
## Land of Wind - Far From Sunagakure ##
Dust, sand, and shards of rock shot high into the air above Sunagakure's defensive barrier, a barrier originally meant to hide the village's entrance.
A man dressed in the black cloak of the Akatsuki organization slowly rose from the desert. He wore an orange mask with a spiral design, surrounded by a strange white substance, watching everything unfold from a distance.
"Did our leader go too far this time?" White Zetsu said, both sides of his face expressing shock.
"Didn't he go beyond just overdoing it? If Tobi finds out, he'll definitely fly into a rage," Black Zetsu replied.
Meanwhile, the Asura Path of Pain had already vanished into the sky, and returned to Amegakure.
"...The world is going to fall into chaos, isn't it?" Zetsu muttered as he sank underground. White Zetsu turned to Black Zetsu—his question more like a reflection spoken aloud.
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