Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 445 The Invasion Begins

The deployment in Konoha is proceeding in an orderly manner.

The proposal to put the village into a state of emergency was not approved by the authorities, but that does not mean that Tsunade is helpless.

If they won't allow the recall of the ninja, then they'll stop the unimportant missions outside the village. The ninja world has been quite turbulent lately, and the other major ninja villages have all shown signs of retreating. It's easy to guess that Akatsuki has also taken action against the Jinchuriki of these villages. As for whether those Jinchuriki have actually fallen into Akatsuki's hands, they genuinely can't gather any more information.

However, Konoha was not the only one making preparations. Akatsuki had never underestimated this behemoth and was also preparing for a thorough capture operation.

To avoid detection as much as possible, even the White Zetsu responsible for setting up the barrier were sent there by Madara's space-time ninjutsu. Whether it was because the layers of barriers had even a tiny bit of effect or not, the White Zetsu worked outside Konoha for a week without being discovered. To test the reliability of the barrier, they even sent White Zetsu clones to infiltrate Konoha from other directions, but they never returned; they were killed before even reaching the village gates.

"I can confirm the barrier is reliable. Are you sure you don't need my help?" Standing before Madara was Pain, whose hair was tied in a high ponytail. To ensure the raid wouldn't go awry, Pain had to use his full power. This puppet was called the Animal Path, specializing in summoning techniques. It could summon various strange beasts, as well as other Pains. Madara only needed to throw the Animal Path into Konoha, and their raid would be more than half successful.

“No need,” Payne refused again. “Let’s begin.”

Madara looked up at the blazing sun overhead, a slight smile playing on his lips beneath his mask. He was well aware of Pain's strength, but he also knew exactly what kind of place Konoha was. Despite its rotten roots, he had to admit that when the people of Konoha were united, they could indeed unleash extraordinary power.

Having one person who can use the Flying Thunder God Technique is troublesome enough, but adding a large group of fearless ninjas, can Nagato really come back alive?

Well, he'll just have to be more careful. If those eyes also fall into the hands of the Nine-Tails, he'll be completely at a disadvantage.

A small vortex suddenly appeared in the narrow alley, and the distorted space ejected a person who fell straight down before disappearing. The speed was so fast that Senju, who was pretending to be exploring the shop nearby, thought he was hallucinating from being so tense lately. But when the chakra link was restored and the person lying on the ground suddenly opened their eyes, got up, and formed hand seals, he realized that Akatsuki had truly begun its operation!

[Report #3! A massive source of chakra has suddenly appeared at location 3E near the southwest entrance of Konoha, and has now dispersed in six different directions!]

[The intruder has been confirmed as Pain. Proceed immediately according to plan one!]

"Pain will be divided into two groups: the decoy group and the exploration group. The decoy group will consist of the Asura Path, Animal Path, and Hungry Ghost Path. The exploration group will be carried out by the Deva Path, Human Path, and Hell Path. Konan, you don't need to send any clones this time. Conserve your strength and stay by my side."

"I have my own way of doing things..."

"Let the world feel pain from this moment on."

Covered in various dangerous weapons, Shura Path took the lead, spreading out to immediately begin his trap. He pulled out his wrist, exposing the core filled with explosives, and launched it outwards, quickly shattering the tranquility of Konoha with a deafening roar.

While the Animal Path's speed is slightly inferior to the Asura Path, the strange beasts he summons are all extremely troublesome. This time, he used a giant centipede that hadn't appeared in the previous battle against Jiraiya. The three enormous, brightly colored summoning beasts certainly caught the attention of all the ninjas as soon as they appeared.

The Hungry Ghost Path doesn't have such powerful attacks, but its strange ability to absorb ninjutsu is enough to cause most ninjas who rely on ninjutsu to lose their lives due to major misjudgments as soon as they appear. It chooses to wander around the streets openly, and rushes out whenever it sees a ninja gathering place, which does attract a lot of attention.

As for the three Pains responsible for reconnaissance, their actions were much more discreet. Each of them coordinated with a Pain member who was luring the enemy, and were responsible for sweeping up any survivors in the aftermath of the battle. At the same time, they were also using their own methods to gather information about the current situation in Konoha. The Human Path was the first to act, quickly capturing a guy who had seen his comrades enter the fray but had run away. From him, they learned that Naruto Uzumaki was currently not in Konoha.

Whether he's there or not is irrelevant. As long as Konoha is invaded, that guy will definitely rush back the moment he receives the intelligence. As for that person's malicious speculation? That's not something Pain needs to think about.

Before the first explosion in Konoha, a scroll suddenly fell from the Hokage's desk.

Tsunade was already quite used to this method of communication. Naruto, even more imaginative than Minato, had developed a hundred uses for the Flying Thunder God Technique, applying it not only on the battlefield but also integrating it into his daily life. Tsunade was currently reviewing the latest defense map, figuring that Naruto, currently stationed at Mount Myōboku, probably wouldn't have any major reports to give; at most, he might want to request permission to return.

She and Jiraiya had discussed this issue. Akatsuki now seemed to have Naruto as their primary target. If they sent Naruto into battle from the start, they might be forced into a war of attrition, and with no intelligence on the upcoming battle, the chances of defeat were extremely high. This decision was cruel, but... Konoha wasn't a village that would abandon its comrades. Naruto had already poured enough effort into protecting this place; it was time for Konoha to fight for him.

Moreover, if Pain really invades the village, she can't stop the liaison frog from returning to Mount Myōboku. If the kid wants to come back, it'll only take a moment. Having companions to help him fight is much better than him fighting alone.

Tsunade caught the scroll without even looking up, her initial intention to put it aside abruptly changing as she held it. She stared at the scroll in disbelief; its unique design and the strange yet familiar feel were enough to shock her.

This isn't a scroll at all, but... a family letter from the Senju clan!