It's normal to get a kaleidoscope as a first deposit of six yuan, right?

"This thing can devour chakra! Our troops will probably have a hard time escaping!"

"What did you say!" Raikage, seeing Sand Iron gradually fading into a state of exhaustion in the distance, also glared angrily at Shisei, who was flying in the air.

How could the Akatsuki organization produce such a monstrous scourge? This Magnet Release that can absorb chakra would be incredibly powerful during wartime!

While the Third Kazekage's Magnet Release was powerful, it only limited iron implements. This scourge is not only several times larger than the Third Kazekage's, but it also possesses the ability to absorb chakra. If it were left on the battlefield and not eliminated quickly, it wouldn't be surprising if it devoured a thousand-strong army.

Zhi Xue glanced at Yukito, who was walking to Raikage's side while supporting his back, and shrugged.

"Alright, hand over the Two-Tails Jinchuriki. Even if all the ninjas from Kumogakure came, it would be useless against me." Shiki landed on the ground and said to Raikage A.

"Kid, what nonsense are you spouting! Even if you have many strange abilities, you can't make Kumogakure submit!" Raikage looked at Shisei in the distance, and the lightning on his body once again roared like muffled thunder. The terrifying power propelled Raikage to break through the soil where he stood and rush towards Shisei.

"Thunder Plow Hot Knife!"

Zhixue's pupils reflected Raikage's muscular body, and then her chakra surged and erupted, creating a storm-like pressure that sent everything around her flying.

boom!

After a loud bang, the ground beneath Zhixue's feet gradually collapsed in a radial pattern, and Raikage looked at the Kusanagi Sword that stood firmly in front of him in disbelief.

"Spiral Wheel!" The Raikage pressed a celestial energy ball with planetary rings that he had already condensed into his hand against his chest. Under this terrifying power, the Raikage was propelled straight into the sky by the Spiral Wheel. A dazzling white light shone from the sky, and the world seemed to lose its color in that instant.

A deafening roar echoed through the sky, and the violent shockwave caused all the natural stone pillars within a radius of tens of kilometers to collapse. Even Afei was so frightened that he hid behind Kakuzu.

"This...is this your true strength, senior? It's terrifying..."

Feeling the wave of heat hitting him, Kakuzu covered his face with his hand, his brows furrowed.

"This guy... has gotten so much stronger again. He can actually overpower the Raikage and the Two-Tails Jinchuriki. No wonder he's a descendant of Hashirama Senju and the Uchiha clan..."

Obito: ?

After the Spiral Wheel exploded, a dark figure fell from the sky, and several Cloud Village ninjas quickly carried the heavily injured Raikage and ran in the opposite direction.

Zhi Xue put away the iron sand, and then, watching the rapidly retreating Cloud Village troops, she spotted Yukito, who was being concealed by ninjas and trying to escape through a side path.

"Kids who like playing hide-and-seek aren't good kids," Zhi Xue chuckled, then disappeared into the sky.

Snapped!

A hand landed on Yugito's shoulder. Seeing Shiki suddenly appear there, the surrounding Cloud Village ninjas were terrified and scattered in all directions. Only a few who were still putting up a fight were kicked away by Shiki.

"Oh dear, Miss Yugito, you wouldn't want to see anything happen to the village you love, would you?"

Hearing Zhixue's words, Yugito finally gritted his teeth and succumbed to Zhixue's tyranny. He was tied up and returned to the Land of Rivers with the other Akatsuki members.

Chapter 252, Jiraiya Returns

"What? The old man is dead!?" In a casino in the Land of Hot Water, Tsunade, having received news from Konoha, kicked open the door and hurriedly ran out with Shizune.

No wonder she's been winning so much money lately, it turns out something really big happened...

"Hey, you big fat sheep, you haven't taken your winnings yet!" The people inside the casino were dumbfounded as they watched Tsunade leave at a fast pace.

……

One day later, Tsunade returned to Konoha and walked through the village gates. Looking at the village, which was only a quarter of its original size, a string of question marks appeared above her head.

Wasn't it said that Konoha had already been razed to the ground?

At the Konoha construction site, Yamato leaned against the railing, looking extremely weak. His dark circles were so heavy they resembled a panda's. Nara Shikaku, who was there to inspect the site, couldn't help but feel sorry for him when he saw his emaciated appearance.

"Yamato, if you're too tired from work, take a good rest. The Daimyo's relief funds for Konoha will be coming in a few days, and everyone will treat you to a good meal to make up for it." Nara Shikaku went up and patted Yamato on the shoulder, but saw that he didn't react at all, which made Shikaku's expression a little strange.

"Yamato? Yamato?" Nara Shikaku nudged Yamato and saw him fall straight to the ground.

Nara Shikaku:! ! !

5 minutes later...

Inside the temporary medical tent in Konoha, Shizune, who had just returned to Konoha, gave Yamato an IV drip of nutrients. Then she said to Nara Shikaku behind her, "Mr. Yamato is just suffering from excessive chakra depletion and severe mental fatigue. Let him get some rest and eat more."

"Okay, okay, thank you so much, Shizune. With Konoha in this state, without Yamato as a capable... excellent successor of the Will of Fire, who knows how much money we'd lose, hahaha." Nara Shikaku scratched his head and quickly said.

Yamato, who has just woken up: ...

So, he really was just a tool in everyone else's eyes? How could his fate be so tragic? Shouldn't Wood Release be an offensive bloodline limit? How could it be used for building houses?

At the Konoha meeting table, Tsunade declined the nomination for Hokage without hesitation after hearing so many people wanting to nominate her.

She came back to see what had happened in Konoha, since Konoha was a village created by her great-grandfather, and the old man was also her teacher.

"No, Lady Tsunade! Who else but you can fill such a crucial vacancy? This is the Hokage position!" Clan Chief Shimura stood in front of Tsunade as she was about to leave, repeatedly trying to dissuade her.

The Shimura clan head knew that the former clan head, Shimura Danzo, and Uchiha Shisui didn't have a good relationship. Moreover, their clan had previously opposed Tsunade and strongly supported her. If Uchiha Shisui became Hokage, would things be any better for them?

Looking at the chattering clan chief Shimura beside her, Tsunade's head creased with a "well" shape, and she ruthlessly threw him out of the tent.

Watching Tsunade leave, the clan head Shimura's face also turned ugly. He said, "Fine, none of you want to take over the Hokage position. But you should try to persuade Jiraiya to become Hokage instead of that brat Uchiha Shisui."

"But didn't Lord Jiraiya go to the Land of Rivers to gather intelligence on the enemy's stronghold? It's still uncertain whether he'll be able to return." At the conference table, someone brought up this matter after listening to what the Shimura clan chief had said, and this voice made Tsunade, who was leaving, stop in her tracks.

"Hmph, that guy actually put himself in such a dangerous place for information, he's really stupid." Seeing that Tsunade seemed to have gone far enough, the head of the Shimura clan spoke up, but the next moment, he felt his collar being pulled up.

"What did you say? Where did Jiraiya go?" Tsunade asked, frowning as she lifted the head of the Shimura clan.

Clan Chief Shimura, seeing the terrifying aura emanating from Tsunade so close to him, broke out in a cold sweat and said, "J-Lord Jiraiya went to the Land of Rivers to gather information on the Akatsuki, didn't he? Everyone knows about that..."

After putting the clan chief Shimura down from her hands, a tic-tac-toe mark appeared on Tsunade's forehead.

Jiraiya… how can someone so old act so impulsively like a child? The Akatsuki, who have ravaged Konoha like this and possess the ability to capture tailed beasts, could they really infiltrate so easily?!

Nara Shikaku, who had rushed over from Yamato, headed straight for the meeting place after learning that Tsunade had returned. However, on the way, he seemed to see a figure appearing in the forest to the west.

"Is that Lord Jiraiya?" Nara Shikaku rubbed his eyes and looked at the limping figure with a bruised and swollen face that emerged from the bushes.

"Hiss~ That brat really went all out." Jiraiya touched the bruise on his face, and his lips twitched as he recalled that annoying, stubborn brat from the Land of Rivers.

It's a bit of a shame that we weren't able to get any specific information about the Akatsuki organization inside the Land of Rivers this time, but it's somewhat surprising that that brat didn't kill him.

"Alas, what a pity about my handsome face that has captivated countless girls. It's been a whole day, and the color still hasn't faded." Jiraiya touched his cheek, then felt a suspicious gaze.

"Are you Jiraiya-sama?" Nara Shikaku asked, looking at the figure in front of him who was leaning on a cane and whose face was covered in bruises and whose body was covered in mud and green leaves.

Jiraiya:......

"Haha, I was just passing by the first creator. The Jiraiya you're talking about must be that famous, dashing, and handsome guy in the ninja world, right?" Jiraiya pretended not to recognize him, turned his head, and scratched his head as he spoke.

For the sake of his good image in the hearts of the people of Konoha, it would be better to wait until the swelling goes down before coming back. His current appearance is quite embarrassing for the Sage.

Just as Jiraiya was about to leave, the familiar chakra coming from afar sent a chill down his spine.

"Wait, Tsunade, don't hit my face!"

"Jiraiya, you bastard! What kind of mess have you been making on your own?!" Tsunade ran over from a distance and punched Jiraiya in the cheek.

After feeling the pain on his face, Jiraiya realized that the force was wrong. Then, looking at Tsunade in the distance, whose face was a mixture of anger and worry, he smiled heartlessly.

Who would have thought that Tsunade, that violent woman, would have a gentle side towards him? Hahaha…

……

Within the land of the river, Shiyuki and the others, who had just returned, opened the barrier and headed to the enormous cave where the Gedo Mazo was kept.

Pain nodded in approval as he watched Shiki and Tobi bring back the two immortal members of Akatsuki along with the Two-Tails Jinchuriki.

"Looks like the mission went smoothly. All that's left is to wait for the Five-Tails to be captured..." Pain murmured, glancing at the Gedo Mazo behind him, which had opened six eyes in succession.

To be honest, even though he has been with the Gedo Mazo for so many years, he has never seen just how strong the real Ten-Tails really is.

After all, according to legend, this is the ultimate power within the Sage of Six Paths, enough to suppress the entire world...

Chapter 253, The Five Kage Summit

Three days later…

Within the Land of Rivers, after sealing away most of the Tailed Beasts, the Akatsuki organization also began to capture the spies who had infiltrated the area.

After killing the Sand Ninja in front of him with a single blow, Pain extracted his soul and read fragments of his memories.

"It seems that all the major powers are preparing to attack us, but with the Ten-Tails about to be completed, they probably won't have much of a chance to turn the tables."

"That's hard to say. I heard that the Raikage is organizing the Kage of the other four villages to go to the Land of Iron to hold the Five Kage Summit to defeat us." Zetsu, who looked like a pitcher plant, popped up from the ground and said to Pain with a grin.

"The Five Kage Summit? Laughing, they have no idea how terrifying the Ten-Tails' power is..." Pain planted a black rod in the location of the Land of Iron on the sand table.

With just a little more Nine-Tails chakra, the Gedo Mazo can reach its complete form. At that time, no one will be able to stop Kami's revolution of the world. Even if it means bloodshed, it will be worth it for the long-term peace of the future!

Payne's eerie purple gaze fell upon the sand table, then he spoke to Zetsu, "Go and call Xue over. This tournament is a good opportunity to teach the Five Great Nations a lesson..."

……

Within the Land of Iron, several samurai were making final repairs to the decorations for the Five Kage Summit, and a few hours later, the Kage from several large villages arrived one after another.

When the Tsuchikage, Onoki, saw the Raikage's half-hanging arm, he sighed.

The Raikage's physical abilities and speed are renowned throughout the ninja world, yet he actually fell victim to the Akatsuki.

Seeing the Raikage injured, Onoki became even more certain of the extent of the threat that the Akatsuki organization, these madmen, posed to the ninja world.

"Old man, what are you looking at? I was just surrounded by the enemy when I was fighting the Akatsuki!" The Raikage explained somewhat awkwardly when he saw Onoki staring at his wounds.

Onoki almost burst out laughing at the sight of his arch-rival's current disheveled state, while the Raikage slammed his fist on the table before sitting down in his chair with suppressed rage.

In no time at all, Mei Mizukage also arrived here.

"Has the Kazekage and Hokage not arrived yet?" Mei Terumi asked the other two Kage as she sat down in her chair.

"Aren't they still arguing about the positions of Kazekage and Hokage in their own village? Let's wait a little longer," Mifune explained to Mei Terumi as he walked out from the back door.

"Those two countries are closest to Akatsuki, so even if they come, they should be on guard. After all, that old man seems to have some secrets with them," Raikage said, glancing at Onoki beside him.

"What did you say!?" Onoki stood up from his chair, his eyes wide with anger, upon hearing that the Raikage seemed to know about his previous cooperation with the Akatsuki.

"Alright, you two, don't be impulsive. This meeting is to discuss the extermination of the Akatsuki organization, so let's not be so confrontational. After all, it seems that all the tailed beasts in the world except for Konoha's Nine-Tails have been captured."

Upon hearing Mifune's advice, the three people present also turned serious.

The tailed beasts of Iwagakure and Kumogakure are indeed gone, while Kirigakure has lost the Six-Tails. The Mizukage Yagura, who was the Jinchuriki of the first Three-Tails, disappeared many years ago and has not been found to this day. It is unknown whether this is related to the Akatsuki organization.

"It seems you all arrived quite early. I hope this old woman isn't late?" Footsteps echoed in the corridor of the Five Kage Summit, and the three Kage were not surprised at all when they saw Chiyo.

The Sand Village is currently facing a talent shortage, and Chiyo is probably the only person who can temporarily act as Kazekage.