Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

"Animal Realm, Asura Realm, Hungry Ghost Realm... a combination of offense and defense?! But these mere three clones think they can take down our entire group? That's a bit... "

"I've really been underestimated!"

Zongxian stood motionless, watching the falling missiles without making any statement. He hadn't entered Amegakure alone.

Even if the troops are dispersed,

Jiraiya and Chihaya Uchiha were still by his side. Kabuto Yakushi's words could be ignored for the time being, as it wasn't his turn to perform yet.

And this time,

It's no longer just Chihaya Uchiha standing out.

Jiraiya seized the initiative.

"Ninja Technique: Needle Hell"

Having anticipated this, Jiraiya acted before Uchiha Chihaya, his hands moving with lightning speed to form hand seals. Strands of his white hair shot into the sky like flying needles, colliding with the falling missile in mid-air. The impact caused the missile to detonate prematurely, bursting into brilliant sparks in the air.

Chihaya Uchiha, who was a step too late, frowned and reluctantly sheathed her beloved sword again.

"Jiraiya-senpai, Chihaya, be careful. That guy with the slicked-back hair has the ability to absorb chakra. Be careful not to get hit when you fight him." Sogen pointed at the slightly chubby Preta Path clone with the slicked-back hair.

"Absorb chakra?"

Having just deflected an attack, Jiraiya's expression grew even more serious and solemn upon hearing this. "Is this why you released Susanoo?"

"Yes."

"That's a really tricky ability."

"After all, it's the Rinnegan; how could it function without some skill?"

Zongxian said with a smile.

"Absorbing chakra... does it require direct contact with the body, or can even the power of ninjutsu be absorbed? If even ninjutsu can be absorbed, will the absorption efficiency differ among the five types of chakra nature ninjutsu?" Jiraiya quickly sorted out his thoughts and glimpsed the crux of the problem.

He truly lived up to his reputation as a seasoned ninja who had experienced both the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars.

His strength is not only reflected in his combat power.

His rich past experiences honed his keen insight to get to the heart of the problem, as well as his ability to collect and analyze intelligence, which proved invaluable in battle. From this limited intelligence alone, he discovered so many problems and considered many possibilities.

Zongxian didn't answer Jiraiya's question, firstly because he didn't want to reveal that he also possessed the power of the Rinnegan at this moment, and secondly because, while they were talking, Pain's new offensive was coming, and its fierce momentum was impossible to ignore!

Seeing that the first wave of missile attacks had no effect, Shura Dao did not choose to continue with long-range attacks this time, but instead quickly rushed to the front of everyone.

Then--

The bald, hairless head opened like the petals of a carnivorous plant, revealing the 'alien turret' inside.

The reason it is called a fort is that

The reason is that within that core, a massive amount of high-density chakra is compressed and condensed into a 'cannonball' with a terrifying and destructive aura.

No need to use the Sharingan or Byakugan to observe; anyone who isn't blind can see that dazzling, high-density chakra mass. Of course, if you observe it with the Byakugan or Sharingan, you can more clearly and intuitively estimate the scale of its destructive power once it erupts.

One to say one,

This move is very similar to the forbidden technique of the Earth Spider Clan, "Raging Hair Heaven".

However, he disagrees that the Tsuchigumo clan's forbidden technique, "Raging Heaven," can draw on natural energy, and the longer the preparation time, the stronger the destructive power it unleashes. In contrast, the Asura Path's technique uses its own chakra as a power source, so its upper limit is definitely not as high as the forbidden technique "Raging Heaven."

However, its destructive power is already considerable, not to mention that this is a full-force attack.

"boom!"

A devastating beam of light poured down on Zongxian and his group.

only--

it is a pity,

The man who received this attack was the Sixth Hokage of Konoha.

Logically, this invincible tactic failed to achieve the desired result.

"Take a look! This move is called—"

Zongxian put away the banana leaf fan he was carrying, and with a backhand, he pulled out the flame fan that he had been carrying on his back, and fiercely fanned it at the destructive light shooting out from the head of the Asura Path.

The Flame Fan, forged from the branches of the Divine Tree, perfectly blocked the terrifying attack that was powerful enough to obliterate a steel and concrete building. It also devoured the massive chakra, transforming it into a boundless storm. As Zongxian fanned the fan, the storm rebounded towards the Asura Path, instantly engulfing the Asura Path who had no time to dodge.

The storm was so powerful that it blasted the Asura Path into a pile of mud.

"·····Uchiha rebound."

When the Asura Path is crushed,

Zongxian then revealed the name of this move.

At this moment, the Animal Path finally used its summoning technique, but it was too late to pull the Asura Path to its side. The Asura Path, now a puddle of mud, was unable to respond to its summons and lay obediently on the ground, emitting a not-so-strong smell of blood.

"...Doesn't look like a living person!"

Chihaya Uchiha looked at the blood and flesh smeared all over the ground and said seriously.

"Although it has a life force, it lacks the vitality of a living person, and the blood... is a bit scarce. It looks like some kind of puppet."

"Puppets... Is this also the power of the Rinnegan?" Jiraiya frowned, pondering, "But if they are puppets, it can barely explain why there are so many people with two Rinnegans. Could it be that these guys are all puppets?"

As he spoke,

He carefully examined the Hungry Ghost Realm and Animal Realm that had merged back together and retreated a few steps. The faint sense of déjà vu he had felt earlier had intensified, as if... he had seen such a scene before.

No, that's not right.

It's not that I've seen similar scenes, but rather that I've seen similar faces.

"I feel like I've seen this somewhere before?"

Jiraiya's brows furrowed even more tightly, enough to trap a fly, yet this thin veil firmly sealed his memories. Over the past few decades, he had experienced too many things, and his mind was filled with a vast amount of memories. Without specific keywords, it was no easy task to find what he wanted from that ocean of memories.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"That fan... is it the Uchiha fan?"

Pain stood on the long, bright red tongue, a hint of surprise appearing on his usually expressionless face. He briefly reviewed his memories and recalled that Obito Uchiha had told him about this thing, whose true name was 'Flame Fan,' which many people habitually referred to as the Uchiha Fan.

This gourd-shaped fan is the weapon held by successive Uchiha clan leaders, and it is also a symbol of the clan leader's status and position.

This item originally belonged to Madara Uchiha.

With Madara Uchiha's defection from Konoha, the Uchiha clan also lost this treasure.

"That useless Obito Uchiha can even lose something like this." Pain couldn't help but scoff. As Madara Uchiha's chosen representative, Obito used to carry this fan around and show off in front of him.

In the end, it turned out that Madara Uchiha's judgment was not very good.

Obito Uchiha not only lost to Mugen Uchiha several times, but he even managed to lose a treasure like the Uchiha Fan... It's only because his space-time jutsu was still decent back then, otherwise he would have been utterly useless and there's nothing to say about him.

"Pain, are you going to take action yourself?"

Konan, who had been quietly accompanying Payne all along, spoke up at this moment.

"This Sixth Hokage is indeed not an easy enemy to deal with. The Asura Path has been destroyed, and we can't win with just the Animal Path and the Preta Path. What's more... don't forget that Jiraiya is also here, plus that 'Wind of Death'. With such a scale... we can't afford to be careless."

Payne spoke slowly.

Footsteps echoed behind him.

The remaining two clones also appeared: one was a young man with long hair, and the other was an elderly man with a wrinkled face who looked to be around fifty or sixty years old.

"They need me..."

"Don't worry."

Pain interrupted Konan, turned to her, and said earnestly, "The Rinnegan is invincible. No one can match its power. I will end this battle as soon as possible." His words were filled with an unshakeable confidence.

"I see."

Xiao Nan responded softly.

She didn't say anything more, just as Pain was confident in the Rinnegan, she also deeply trusted the power of those eyes.

Then--

Payne and his two other clones disappeared from her sight.

The long, bright red tongue protruding from the mouth of the demon sculpture was now empty, devoid of the figure of 'God,' leaving only an 'angel' with outstretched snow-white wings standing guard beside it, silently overlooking the village that had once again been plunged into the flames of war.

[Chapter 374. The Surging Undercurrents About to Converge]

Sasuke Uchiha sat on the cold iron bed, his back against the concrete wall. His hands and feet were bound by heavy shackles with incantations specifically designed to seal chakra. These were extremely powerful incantations that completely suppressed his chakra. Not only could he not release ninjutsu, he couldn't even walk onto the wall.

and also,

The wound on my right leg has not healed to this day.

The constant pain reminded him that even without his chakra being sealed, he couldn't possibly escape in this state. However, even if he were completely unharmed, he probably wouldn't have much confidence in escaping from here.

Until today—

"Help! My wound has reopened!"

Sasuke shouted for the third time.

However, after waiting for half a minute, the 'prison guard' who would usually come out to inspect the situation just by turning over was nowhere to be seen. The corridor was empty, with not a single person in sight. Only the lamps on the walls swayed and flickered with the airflow coming in from the outside.

seem,

what's going on.

"Could it be that someone has come to rescue me and Naruto?"

Sasuke remained seated calmly on the iron bed, though his inner unease was palpable despite his feigned composure. His face was filled with anticipation and worry. In this predicament, he naturally hoped someone would lend a helping hand, but he couldn't help but worry that his hopes would be dashed.

"Bai, are you there?"

He shouted again.

This time, they directly named names.

Of all the prison guards I've met, Bai is the most polite. It's also clear that Bai holds a very high position. The other guards, who look fierce and speak in a harsh tone, are incredibly obedient in front of Bai.

The shouts echoed down the corridor and faded away with time.