Rustle rustle.
With a cascade of sound, a large swarm of paper scraps gathered in the air, coalescing into Konan's form. She spoke to Nagato with a grave tone, "Nagato, Itachi and Kisame have found 'Upper Rank One,' and Sasori and Deidara have pinned down 'Upper Rank Two'!"
Nagato asked bluntly, "How's the battle going?"
"They're likely still fighting!" Konan paused, her brow furrowing. "The strength of 'Upper Rank One' and 'Upper Rank Two' is formidable. I'm worried they might not be able to complete the mission."
Nagato issued a decisive order, "Send the others to support them. We must capture 'Upper Rank One' and 'Upper Rank Two'!"
Konan's face showed hesitation. "Kakuzu and Hidan are tied up in the south. Hiruko and Raiga are also in the middle of intense combat. The situation in the Grass Country is far more complicated than we anticipated. The enemy seems to have prepared in advance, with many unknown powerful figures emerging. Hiruko's group is already struggling to hold their own!"
Nagato's voice was firm. "Forget Hiruko. Capturing 'Upper Rank One' and 'Upper Rank Two' is the key to this operation. I need to know the truth behind these creatures!"
Konan protested, "But we're short on manpower!"
Nagato paused briefly before making up his mind. "If that's the case, I'll go myself."
Konan quickly tried to dissuade him. "Let's wait a bit longer. They might be able to handle it!"
"The shinobi world has been off lately. The appearance of these monsters is too abnormal—it unsettles me!" Nagato paused, then shifted his tone. "Don't worry too much. No one in the shinobi world is my match!"
Seeing Nagato's resolve, Konan stopped arguing and silently took her place by his side.
Swish swish swish.
Soon, the Six Paths of Pain mobilized!
On a mountain peak in the Grass Country, Obito gazed into the distance, his brow furrowed tightly.
After arriving in the Grass Country, he realized the chaos here far exceeded his expectations. The internal conflict that erupted in the Hidden Grass Village wasn't the end of the turmoil—it was just the beginning. The fierce battles between mysterious monsters and the five great shinobi villages had set the entire Grass Country ablaze.
Now, the Akatsuki's involvement had made the situation even more convoluted.
Rustle rustle.
At that moment, Zetsu's figure slowly emerged from the ground.
Obito asked, "What's the situation?"
Zetsu replied, "Battles are happening everywhere. It's complete chaos!"
Obito turned his gaze toward the Hidden Grass Village. "And the Hidden Grass Village? What's going on there?"
The Hidden Grass Village was the epicenter of all this chaos, so Obito was keenly interested in its current state. In his mind, only by understanding what had happened in the Hidden Grass Village could he unravel the tangled mess of the current situation.
Zetsu shrugged. "No idea."
Obito shot Zetsu a glance.
Zetsu said helplessly, "Don't look at me like that. None of the clones I sent out came back!"
Obito's brow furrowed.
Zetsu's infiltration abilities were unquestionable. For all of Zetsu's clones to be eliminated meant something extraordinary was hiding in the Hidden Grass Village.
After some thought, Obito said, "Send Mōryō and Shennō to investigate. I think the answers might be there."
"Got it!" Zetsu nodded, then added, "Nagato's group has started moving. He's likely targeting 'Upper Rank One' and 'Upper Rank Two.'"
Obito asked, "They've already tracked down 'Upper Rank One' and 'Upper Rank Two'?"
Zetsu nodded. "Itachi's team found 'Upper Rank One,' and the Hidden Sand's shinobi army is nearby. As for 'Upper Rank Two,' Sasori and Deidara located him. But…"
"But what?"
Zetsu continued, "I can't shake the feeling that these 'Upper Ranks' aren't trying to hide their tracks. It's hard to say whether we found them… or they found us."
Obito said, "Let's go take a look."
In a forest, Uchiha Shinji remained perched in the tree canopy, using 'Jikibi' to stay in constant contact with his team, gathering all sorts of information.
Haku reported through 'Jikibi,' "Boss, we've spotted 'Upper Rank Two.' He's currently fighting the Akatsuki!"
Shinji casually instructed, "Keep monitoring."
Shortly after, Karin reported, "Boss, I've located 'Upper Rank One.' He's surrounded by the Akatsuki and Hidden Sand shinobi!"
"Keep monitoring."
Shinji's response was the same.
He then pulled out a map he carried with him, marking the locations of 'Upper Rank One' and 'Upper Rank Two' with a pen.
"'Upper Rank Six' has already been dealt with by me. Even if the 'Upper Rank demons' have been fully replenished, there should only be five left now. With 'Upper Rank One' and 'Upper Rank Two' already exposed, that leaves just three Upper Rank demons."
After marking the map, he calculated silently.
In truth, among the 'Upper Rank demons,' the only ones that truly concerned him were the demonized Tanjiro, 'Upper Rank One,' Kokushibo, 'Upper Rank Two,' and Nakime, who controlled the 'Infinity Castle.'
As for the other 'Upper Rank demons,' he had already killed some before—they posed little threat.
At that moment, Neji, who had been linked through 'Jikibi,' suddenly reported, "Boss, we've discovered an Akatsuki team heading toward the Hidden Grass Village!"
"Who is it?"
Shinji asked, his gaze falling on the Hidden Grass Village's location on the map.
Neji replied, "Based on their appearance, it seems to be the team of the demon Mōryō and the medic Shennō. They're moving quickly and have already entered the Hidden Grass Village."
Just as Shinji was about to order Neji to monitor them closely, a startled exclamation came from Neji's side.
Shinji asked urgently, "What happened?"
Neji reported, "A battle has broken out in the Hidden Grass Village. It's Mōryō—he seems to have encountered a powerful enemy and has already revealed his full form. Also, Shennō, who's with him, has unleashed his chakra and transformed into a massive purple monster."
Shinji's expression darkened.
Having fought Mōryō before, he knew the demon's strength well. In terms of chakra scale, Mōryō was absolutely on the level of a tailed beast—a true monster!
The purple monster Neji described was, in all likelihood, the artificial tailed beast 'Zero-Tails' that Shennō had obsessively pursued in the original timeline.
The combination of Mōryō and Zero-Tails was no small matter, so Shinji was deeply curious about what could be in the Hidden Grass Village to force Mōryō and Shennō to unleash their full power right from the start.
"Trouble!"
Through 'Jikibi,' Shinji heard another startled cry from Neji.
Shinji asked, "What now?"
Neji seemed too shocked to form coherent words.
Kimimaro, who was with him, reported through 'Jikibi,' "Boss, the demon Mōryō and Shennō have completely vanished!"
Shinji was stunned. "Vanished?"
Finally regaining his composure, Neji clarified, "No, they didn't vanish. They were restrained by some kind of force! Boss, there's an incredibly powerful demon hiding in the Hidden Grass Village!"
Clearly, Neji's Byakugan had witnessed something unimaginable.