Chapter 117: When Akatsuki Engages in Battle

Chapter 117: When Akatsuki Engages in Battle

“Did it not explode?”

On a rocky mountain overlooking Amegakure, countless figures stood in tight formation—Black Ops and white-clad Kumo ninja wearing flak jackets.

At the base of this cliff stood two colossal beasts: the fully transformed Two-Tails Jinchuriki, Yūki Matatabi, and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Killer B.

Perched atop Gyūki’s head were the Fourth Raikage and his secretary, Mabui.

Staring at the unscathed Amegakure, the Fourth Raikage growled, “No barrier rose either. Could that ultra-wide-range repulsive-force attack actually be directional?”

Mabui, her brow glistening with sweat, replied, “Lord Raikage, I can only teleport three more times in this state.”

The Heavenly Sending Technique allowed instantaneous transportation of matter to a visible or perceptible location. However, the larger the object, the greater the chakra cost.

Teleporting two mountain-sized Tailed Beast Balls had drained even Mabui, a seasoned jonin, severely.

“You’ve done well, Mabui. Rest,” the Fourth Raikage nodded before barking new orders. “If aerial strikes won’t work, we’ll try another method. Killer B, Yūki!”

“Understood!”

Without further instruction, Killer B and Yūki unleashed their technique.

The two tailed beasts tilted their heads back, jaws wide. Blue and purplish-black chakra materialized, condensing into twin spheres—tiny compared to their monstrous forms.

Like water-filled balloons, the spheres rapidly expanded. Moments later, two ultra-dense, chakra-packed orbs—each as large as a hill—hovered above Matatabi and Gyūki.

The Two-Tails’ sphere pulsed purplish-black, while the Eight-Tails’ glowed pitch-black. Either could reduce multiple mountains to rubble or erase an entire Hidden Village district.

This was the ultimate technique of perfect jinchuriki—the strategic-level deterrent known as the Tailed Beast Ball.

With a piercing whistle, Matatabi launched her sphere like an artillery shell toward Amegakure.

Gyūki delayed slightly, charging his own Tailed Beast Ball before firing it at Matatabi’s.

The two spheres arced in tandem, one chasing the other. As Matatabi’s neared Amegakure, Gyūki’s accelerated, striking it like a billiard ball collision.

Instead of ricocheting, both erupted in blinding light, merging into a single supernova.

Boom—

The overlapping explosions thundered even to Team 8, twenty kilometers away. For spies hiding at Amegakure’s perimeter, it was deafening—a sensory assault that drowned out all thought.

The inferno expanded in all directions, devouring the sky. Amegakure lay directly in its path.

The Fourth Raikage’s contingency plan—detonating the Tailed Beast Balls prematurely—had bypassed the need to pinpoint enemy defenses.

Yet as the flames approached, four crimson-transparent barriers materialized, encasing the village in a glowing red box.

The fireball, capable of vaporizing mountains, struck the barrier like a pebble hitting a steel vault door—rebounding instantly without even rattling the structure.

“Four Violet Flames Formation…” The Fourth Raikage’s face darkened. “This isn’t some mysterious third party. Akatsuki’s behind this!”

The A-rank barrier required four users with chakra reserves rivaling Kage-level powerhouses. Its defense dwarfed the Four Purple Flames Formation, which could trap a Kage-tier ninja.

Once exclusive to Konoha and Uzumaki Clan scrolls, only Kumogakure had acquired such techniques after the Uzumaki’s destruction.

Yet now, Akatsuki wielded it. Coupled with Tsunade’s stolen forbidden scroll, the truth was clear—only Akatsuki could’ve stolen this technique.

(Only Izayoi knew Obito Uchiha had gifted it to Nagato. After becoming the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, Obito had singlehandedly cast the Six Red Pots Formation.)

“Even this barrier…” The Fourth Raikage’s voice trembled. Kakuzu eyed Pain suspiciously. “Leader, you’re not really working with Orochimaru on the Leaf Destruction Plan, are you?”

Pain ignored him, turning to White Zetsu. “Status?”

“The pawns are in place. Chaos can begin anytime,” White Zetsu grinned.

Pain nodded. “Our opponent is Kumo—the strongest of the Five Great Villages. Third-party interference is possible. I won’t force anyone to fight. You may stay to maintain the barrier, join the battle, or leave.”

“Enough talk. Open the barrier,” Sasori of the Red Sand declared, emerging from the Third Kazekage’s puppet. Unfurling a scroll, he smirked. “I’m eager to see how my art compares to that brat’s.”

“Same here!” Deidara chimed in, grinning. “Meteor Rain… turning Kumogakure into a crater! I can’t imagine how artistic that’ll be! That guy’s probably watching us right now. Can’t miss this stage~!”

Hidan swung his scythe, bloodlust gleaming. “Jashin-sama loves carnage! I’ll bathe in their blood!”

Obito Uchiha, voice exaggerated and movements theatrical, saluted. “Though I’m just an intern, I’ll learn from you seniors! Let me join this war!”

Kakuzu scoffed. “I’m here for the bounties. Kumo’s elites are worth fortunes. Hope they survived the earlier strike.”

Kisame grinned, Samehada pulsing. “Those Tailed Beast Balls got Samehada hungry. Time to feast!”

Itachi Uchiha simply nodded. “I’ll fight.”

Seeing their resolve, Pain’s usually expressionless face flickered with a rare smile. “Though we’ve been exposed early, our goal remains peace. Today, we’ll announce Akatsuki’s existence to the ninja world!”

He ascended, leading the charge. Deidara conjured a white bird to carry Sasori. Konan flanked Pain with her wings, while Kakuzu, Hidan, Kisame, and Itachi darted below. White Zetsu burrowed underground, and Obito clumsily sprinted after them.

As they reached the barrier, the Four Violet Flames Formation dissolved. Moments later, five figures surged from Amegakure, joining the assault.

For the first time, Akatsuki moved as one.

The Kumo forces—and hidden spies—watched in horror.

“Bakai! What are you doing?!”

“Why’d you attack me?!”

“Stop him! He’s gone mad!”

“Genjutsu? Transformation? Did enemies infiltrate?!”

“No… his chakra’s normal. No illusion detected!”

The camp erupted in panic.

The Fourth Raikage turned sharply. “What’s happening back there?!”

Mabui Body-Flickered beside him. “Someone attacked their own squad, but no genjutsu or transformation detected. We’re subduing them now.”

“Execute them,” the Raikage ordered coldly. “Anyone turning on their comrades—ally or enemy—deserves death.”

“Yes.”

Mabui immediately issued orders.

The ninja who had betrayed their comrades were executed on the spot. Their corpses transformed into White Zetsu Clones before everyone’s eyes.

“What kind of monster is this?!”

The Cloud ninja, who had just painfully executed their own allies, froze in shock.

Mabui and the Perception Squad broke into cold sweats.

“It’s a Transformation Technique!”

“Th-This can’t be real! Does Akatsuki even have a Transformation Technique that can mimic chakra signatures?!”

“This must be the monster’s secret ability! How many others here are actually White Zetsu in disguise?”

As these words fell, the Cloud ninja instantly grew wary of their comrades.

Before the battle had even begun, morale crumbled.

At this moment, an experienced jōnin stepped forward, shouting, “Don’t panic! Find someone you recognize, use secret hand signs to ask questions only they’d know, and you’ll spot the fakes!”

The Cloud forces immediately split into smaller squads, communicating silently through hand gestures like deaf-mutes.

Soon, carnage erupted again.

The remaining White Zetsu Clones were rooted out and slaughtered.

As the chaos settled and enemies were eliminated, the Fourth Raikage turned to Killer B. “B, test them again. Let’s see how they counter the Tailed Beast Ball.”

“Got it, you stinky bro!” Killer B grinned. Gyūki roared, conjuring a massive black Tailed Beast Ball in its maw. It hurled the attack toward Akatsuki, who were now dangerously close—close enough that the explosion might engulf their own ranks.

Akatsuki members stared down the death-dealing sphere, faces unflinching, bodies unwavering.

But the Preta Path suddenly darted forward, intercepting the Tailed Beast Ball mid-flight.

To onlookers, it seemed like suicide—a direct collision with certain doom.

Yet when the Preta Path met the Tailed Beast Ball, no explosion came. The sphere halted midair, its mountainous size shrinking rapidly until it liquefied, flowing like water into Preta Path’s palm.

“Ninjutsu absorption!”

Gasps rippled through the ranks.

“If even a Tailed Beast Ball can be absorbed… Is this the power of the Sage’s Eye?” the Fourth Raikage growled. “Face full of black spikes, eyes shaped like the Rinnegan… This matches Tsunade’s description of the Rinnegan Human Puppet. Could there really be a mysterious third party? Is this the puppet’s ability… or the Rinnegan’s?”

“Finish off that guy first, you idiot bro!” Killer B snarled.

“Scatter!”

The Fourth Raikage barked the command without answering, raising his hand to signal the retreat.

He’d spotted the Pain (Deva Path) ascending to a higher altitude.

This scene mirrored the events of late December last year.

The Cloud ninja recognized it too. Many who had survived that night trembled with fear.

Without hesitation, they scattered like black and blue-white afterimages, Body Flickering away.

Their instincts proved right.

The Preta Path, now brimming with absorbed chakra, inflated like an overfilled balloon. High above, the Deva Path raised both hands toward the Cloud forces and uttered coldly:

“Shinra Tensei!”

An invisible storm erupted.

Had it rained, an entire area of rain would’ve vanished in an instant.

Even without rain, the repulsive force warped the air like a hurricane tearing through the battlefield.

Boom—

A deafening explosion shattered rocks, caved in earth, and sent thick clouds of dust billowing skyward.

The war’s opening salvo had sounded.

From the dust surged countless figures, forming a crescent that encircled Akatsuki.

Facing over two thousand Cloud ninja—each clad in flak vests—would pressure anyone. Even Akatsuki, a group of Shadow-level elites, felt the weight.

White Zetsu’s upper body emerged from the ground. Raising a single hand in a sword sign, he smirked: “Come forth, White Zetsu Army!”

Instantly, white tendrils sprouted from the earth, transforming into White Zetsu Clones.

Their numbers doubled the Cloud forces.

The Spore Technique couldn’t possibly create so many clones.

Clearly, White Zetsu had secretly deployed his full ten-thousand-strong force.

The moment the five thousand White Zetsu Clones appeared, they overwhelmed the Cloud ninja, encircling them in a yin-yang-like ‘twin fish’ formation.

“Yohoo—”

A guttural cry rang out as Hidan lunged at a lightning-charged Cloud ninja, scythe swinging for a Taijutsu duel.

The enemy blocked with a sword, ready to clash—until his eyes widened in horror.

Behind Hidan, flames erupted.

The next second, a searing inferno engulfed both men.

“Aaaaaaargh—”

Both screamed as the firestorm consumed them.

The Cloud ninja became ash within moments. Hidan, however, rolled on the ground as flames slowly vanished from his body, his burns healing at a steady pace.

“Damn it, Kakuzu! What the hell are you doing?! I hadn’t even started my ritual yet!” Hidan roared, furious. Without Scatter Mode, he felt only pain, not pleasure.

“No time for your nonsense,” Kakuzu coldly replied. “Just act as a shield.”

“You dare call me a shield?! I’ll curse you to death, I swear!”

Before Hidan finished, a lightning-fast slash severed his head.

“Kakuzu, save me!”

Above, Deidara glared at the lightning-flashing Cloud ninja, grumbling, “Why does this world have to suffer Lightning Release? So annoying.”

“Scorpion, old pal, let’s team up again!”

“Descend.”

The white clay bird dove, carrying Deidara and Sasori of the Red Sand. The latter raised his hands, unleashing twin fire dragons toward the battlefield—friend and foe alike.

“Feel the synergy of art!”

Deidara laughed, hurling two white clay birds. They circled the fire dragons, then slammed into them, erupting into twin firestorms that swallowed White Zetsu Clones and Cloud ninja alike.

When the flames cleared, three hundred Human Puppet Legions—each connected by chakra threads—materialized.

The Cloud ninja, who had surrounded Sasori of the Red Sand with hatred, now froze in shock.

Meanwhile, Kisame Hoshigaki and Itachi Uchiha loitered at the edges.

The former avoided wide-range water techniques, instead using Samehada to clash with taijutsu specialists. The latter toyed with attackers using genjutsu.

Obito, the ‘intern,’ played games too.

No Kamui, no Wood Release—just a game of tag with high-speed Cloud ninja, luring their attacks to strike his own allies.

In contrast, Pain’s Six Paths and Konan had already entered a white-hot battle.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Konan hovered above, wings launching a barrage of paper cranes—each embedded with Explosive Tags.

“Mouse-Flower Ball!”

Before Konan’s paper barrage could strike, a blue missile storm erupted from below, intercepting the white cranes.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosions lit the sky like fireworks.

When the smoke cleared, a massive Nekomata—its body blazing with blue chakra flames and black markings—leapt from the ground, slamming into Konan.

Konan blocked with her wings, but the impact sent her soaring higher.

As Matatabi opened its maw to unleash a fireball, a winged chimera leapt skyward, biting down on the Nekomata and dragging it back to earth.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

More missiles streaked down, indiscriminately bombing both beasts, igniting fireballs and roars of rage.

“Lightning Release! Lightning Release!”

Blue-red flashes teleported into existence, flanking Preta Path on both sides. Elbows blazing with Tailed Beast Chakra and lightning, they aimed for his neck.

Preta Path remained expressionless, grabbing Killer B—who had abandoned his full Tailed Beast Transformation for a partial cloak.

As the Fourth Raikage closed in on Preta Path’s exposed back, a cold voice descended from above:

“Shinra Tensei!”

An invisible divine hand yanked the Fourth Raikage off the ground.

Preta Path clung to Killer B’s arm, his feet dragging as the absorption force intensified.

The next second, Killer B’s Tailed Beast cloak vanished—flowing into Preta Path’s body.

Not only that, but Killer B’s chakra drained rapidly.

Killer B’s expression shifted. He activated his Tailed Beast Transformation, morphing his arm into an octopus tendril, severing it to escape.

Simultaneously, a new tendril lashed out, grabbing the Fourth Raikage mid-air and yanking him back.

“Shinra Tensei!”

The invisible repulsive force slammed into the tendril and Fourth Raikage, crushing them to the ground.

Yet when the dust settled, the Fourth Raikage stood unscathed beside Killer B.

“Did you notice, you idiot bro?” Killer B asked.

“…Yeah.”

The Fourth Raikage watched Pain (Deva Path) descend slowly, then glanced at Sasori of the Red Sand—struggling to control his Human Puppet Legion against the Cloud ninja. His face darkened. “A mysterious third party… might actually exist.”

“Could it be a trick? If not… should we keep fighting?” Killer B pressed.

“Don’t know. Let’s test them more.” The Fourth Raikage’s eyes hardened. “No turning back now. If he’s not the killer, we’ll take his Sage’s Eye either way.”

“Got it. Let’s show them the AB combo’s power!”

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end