The Hidden Rain remained an enigma, its details shrouded in mystery—a fact that was becoming more and more obvious the more Sasuke dug through the information he had extracted from Orochimaru's mind, only to find that a lot of it was incomplete and obsolete.
The village sprawled before him, its skyline a harsh silhouette of industrial spires, smokestacks, and looming steel towers that stab the heavens like rusted needles. Bridges and walkways crisscross at dizzying heights, connecting narrow buildings that rise in cramped clusters, all made from decaying concrete and weather-worn metal. Steam vents hiss from every corner. Neon signs flickered, casting warped reflections in the puddles below. A dull mechanical hum filled the air, a blend of electricity, distant generators, and the occasional burst of pressure from underground pipelines.
The air was scented with rust, ozone, and damp stone—a combination of industry and stagnation. Beneath the streets lied a tunnel system, pipes, and hidden passageways.
Despite the city's grandeur and mildly impressive architecture, there was an undeniable feeling of desolation and emptiness. It was a place that seemed to emanate a feeling of unease and sort of kept everyone at bay, as if it was attempting to close itself off from the rest of the world while it clutched its secrets very closely.
There was also that.
The rain, which until very recently, fell in amounts as if heaven itself mourned.
The previous downpour contained the chakra of a particular chakra signature, far more potent than any of the Akatsuki members he had just fought, barring Obito. From the intelligence he had gathered about the place, two possibilities emerged regarding the source of this scattered chakra.
The first possibility was a means to kill a person from afar. However, despite the ominous nature of the situation, Sasuke's confidence remained unshaken. He was no stranger to danger and possessed the power of chakra absorption, a direct counter to such an extreme method of killing.
The second possibility was far less sinister. An intrusion detection method, a defense mechanism designed to sense and identify foreign chakra within the village's boundaries. If this were the case, then Sasuke's mission would end quicker than anticipated, as a confrontation would end well for him. He knew his superior power and speed were no match for any living being on the planet at this moment in time.
In any case, both circumstances turned out to his advantage, and more times than not, he'd end up winning.
"The Rain has stopped."
"That's unusual."
"Good riddance, I say. It was brutal."
From the gathered information, the gate guard had revealed an organizational structure within the Hidden Rain. The nation's leader appeared to hide behind and operate through a hierarchy of individuals, each reporting to a higher-ranking senior. The building in front of him, according to these details, stood as the primary working place for these upper echelons of power.
In any case, it would seem that he had finally reached the intended destination. Perched atop a wall, Sasuke took a calculated leap, landing with an almost ethereal grace before the two guards stationed at the entrance of the building.
"Who the hel—!"
"What—!"
Universal Pull.
Both men, their strength inadequate to resist the power of the Rinnegan, found themselves ensnared in his unyielding grip with little effort. Sasuke's hands closed around their throats after which he swiftly initiated the Chidori Current, seizing them by paralysis, rendering them immobile and helpless.
He hefted the man in his left hand by his neck and forced him to look into the Sharingan to ensnare him in a genjutsu.
"Your leader, who goes by the name of 'Pain.' Where is he?"
"I.. don't know."
Useless.
Sasuke's patience waned as he released the now-unconscious man, his body thumping onto the ground. His attention then shifted to the remaining individual, a figure gripped in the vice of his right arm. The Sharingan, its crimson glow intensified, fixed its hypnotic gaze upon the trembling Ame ninja.
"Tell me," Sasuke's voice was firm, commanding, "where is your leader?"
The man's emotionless voice answered, "It is said that our Lord has taken residence in the tallest tower in the Western part of the city."
That reduces the need for interrogating any more of these shinobi.
"Show me the way."
The man pointed to his left. Sasuke turned, following the indicated direction. Before him stood a colossal tower, unmistakably the loftiest among the ensemble of structures. It rose far from the core of civilization, distanced from the city's populace.
Isolated.
Isolation meant no collateral damage, no innocent bloodshed should he use some of his more... destructive techniques.
Good.
He released his grip from the man's throat, a thud echoing in the general surroundings as the Ame shinobi landed ungracefully on his back, unconscious.
With a lightning-enhanced flicker, Sasuke moved.
Under a fraction of a second, Sasuke covered the entire required distance, landing directly on top of one of the metallic pipes attached to the tallest tower in the vicinity. Reaching out with his sensing abilities made him discover a single large, powerful chakra signature approximately thirty degrees to his right. Turning to face the direction of the enemy standing horizontally on the wall opposite to him, Sasuke scrutinized his foe.
The black cloak littered with red clouds, long orange hair, and the unmistakable presence of the Rinnegan were the most distinguishing features of the man before him. And those rods... they're receiving chakra from behind the walls.
"Sasuke Uchiha," the man's unyielding, authoritative voice boomed. "You have made a grievous mistake presenting yourself before me. However, before your inevitable demise, I must ask... for what reason have you chosen to fight me?"
"My words will not be saved for a mere puppet. Where is the real you?"
A flicker of surprise danced across those otherwise apathetic eyes. "You saw through my disguise? Impressive. No one has managed that feat before."
However, the astonishment of having his elusive masquerade unraveled instantaneously soon gave way. The man's hands clapped together with a resolute snap. "Yet, it matters not. You, a mortal, a child, dare to stand against me, a higher being. By trespassing into our realm, invading our people, our nation – you have sealed your fate – a common destiny shared by all mortals...death."
"A god?" Sasuke understood why the leader called himself such. The shinobi he had interrogated disclosed that those who had faced this man never emerged victorious, meeting their end swiftly after surrendering. "And what will you consider yourself after your certain defeat?"
"Heh, I do not waste my time thinking about the impossible."
With chakra molded within his palms, his opponent summoned forth a plume of smoke, obscuring a section of the wall. Within moments, the smoke dissipated, revealing a colossal, lobster-like creature, its eyes mirroring those of its summoner.
So, this... is another power of these eyes, Sasuke deduced, seeing the brief chakra flare in the ocular power of his opponent. The Rinnegan seemed to hold powers that he was unaware of. How interesting.
A deafening roar tore through the air as the summoned creature surged toward him, claws snapping.
"Enton: Honoikazuchi!"
A resounding scream pierced the air as the flames of Amaterasu engulfed the creature, its agony echoing through the surroundings. The blaze seared through until the sharp tip of the flames burst through the opposite side of its head.
In a matter of seconds, the ferocious beast vanished, dispersing into a haze of smoke.
"I see. It appears our intelligence regarding your power was... outdated."
Sasuke raised an intrigued eyebrow. "You were keeping tabs on me? Madara, I presume?"
It wasn't far-fetched, given Obito's possession of a creature capable of covert attachment, escaping most detection methods.
"It seems you have crossed paths with my subordinate..." the puppet murmured, surprise flickering through his expression. "I suppose Madara is no more, judging by your presence before me."
"He's dead," Sasuke answered flatly.
The puppet's brows rose slightly.
"Impressive, yet unfortunate. If you have the power to end a man as renowned and strong as Madara, then your presence demands more serious consideration than I had initially thought."
Another clap of the puppet's hands echoed—
But Sasuke was already moving.
The interval between the clapping sound and Sasuke's appearance was infinitesimal, leaving the orange-haired puppet frozen in his actions. With lightning chakra enveloping his hand, Sasuke materialized right before the puppet, moving at a speed that seemed to defy perception. A torrent of powerful lightning chakra was released, obliterating his opponent along with multiple steel-enforced walls behind him.
Sasuke walked toward the hole he had created behind the now-destroyed opponent. His strategic strike had been flawlessly executed, the angle of impact meticulously chosen to mirror the path of chakra flowing through the black rods embedded in the puppet's body.
As he stepped through the debris-strewn aftermath, his gaze instinctively lifted, tracing the path of destruction he had carved through the surroundings. At the farthest point of this trail of devastation, his piercing eyes caught the figures of two men.
One of them had the same hair as his old teammate, except in the shade of orange. The telltale black rods piercing through the visage, the cloak adorned with red clouds, and the eyes that mirrored the previous puppet all pointed to one undeniable fact: Another Puppet.
Yet, it was the figure behind this puppet that truly captured Sasuke's attention.
He was a red-haired man, crippled and gaunt, his form frail and emaciated as though he had endured years of deprivation and hunger. His body was contorted, held within the confines of metallic pipes and a wooden structure that enveloped his lower half. The very essence of suffering seemed etched into his weakened features, his skeletal frame alluding to a prolonged agony that had taken its toll. Sasuke's left eye, enhanced by the powers of his Rinnegan, discerned the intricate flow of chakra that emanated from the eyes of the man entering the black rods of the puppet.
There was no doubt of who this man was.
"So...you are the real leader?" Sasuke understood why he chose to hide behind so many disguises. People would refuse to believe such a weak-looking man could be a God.
But first—
Sasuke's senses tingled, feeling a scattered presence behind him.
Pivoting on his heel, his gaze fixing upon the source of the impending threat—flying paper rushing toward him in the thousands. No, they weren't just any ordinary paper with those markings. They were—
Paper bombs.
Sasuke's chakra flared as the explosives surrounded him.
BOOOOOOMMMM!
_____________________________________________________________________
It had been years since Nagato fought an opponent that made him feel such powerlessness.
Nagato Uzumaki was a man born from hopelessness, weakness, and frailty. His childhood had been some of the worst times of his life, living as an insignificant rat, a weakling easily trampled on by the trials and tribulations of life. That despair and grief would have continued had he not met them.
Konan and Yahiko had been the two to uplift him from his constant state of hopelessness. From then on, it had been perfect, a flawless record of some semblance of peace and happiness. It was not until Hanzo and Danzo had conspired against them, destroying all of Nagato's optimistic ambitions of peace, that he felt the same taste of powerlessness, not since the death of his parents. It was only at that point did he realise that peace was impossible, at least according to human standards.
There was another realisation after the killing of Hanzo by his hands that to accomplish the impossible, he would have to be the impossible. Nagato refused to give up on Yahiko's vision of a world that lived in harmony, without the taint of war. So, to accomplish the dream of his deceased comrade, he chose to become the impossible—he chose to become a God. An all-encompassing, all-powerful God that would be so undeniably strong, there would be no man, no mortal on Earth to challenge his ideals—they would only have to accept whatever he ordered them to.
And for nearly two decades, it was an indisputable fact that he was the strongest being alive. Not even Madara could boast a victory over him, not without Konan by his side.
Except now it no longer looked like that fact would remain true.
"Is he dead, Konan?"
His friend, recently returned and fully materialized, shook her head with a grimace. "No. But my technique may have damaged him a little."
Through the eyes of the Deva Path, he watched as the residual smoke dissipated, revealing his most powerful opponent to date—
Unblemished and unscathed.
Nagato could see residual whisps of purple flames surrounding Sasuke, vanishing into the wind. He could feel Konan's vexation and anger at her attack being shrugged off as though it were a mild annoyance rather than a lethal, killing blow.
Nagato narrowed his focus.
Fine.
It wasn't over.
There were other ways. Stronger ways.
Infusing a massive surge of chakra into the Deva Path, he compelled Yahiko's body forward, crafting a black rod in its hand, raising the other.
"Universal Pu—"
There was no time to react.
A flash of lightning, and his vision from Yahiko's path went black.
Nagato sat frozen in his chair, watching through a dozen auxiliary eyes. Yet none of them could truly comprehend what he had just witnessed.
How?
HOW?!
That is – that is – What is... this?
His mind reeled.
The Deva Path, the path that contained the true might of his power, the manifestation of Yahiko's dream, had been obliterated before he could even finish the first syllable of his attack.
No Rinnegan insight. No predictive counter. No resistance at all. Just—
Gone.
I didn't even see him move, Nagato thought, disbelieving.
It was impossible. Impossible. IMPOSSIBLE.
Sasuke Uchiha stood completely and utterly unfazed, occupying the space in which his friend's corpse had been torn asunder, pieces of flesh, bone, and raw, black chakra scattered all around.
Nagato's thoughts raced in a tangled blur—
Another attack? No, he will counter. Summon another Path? No, he will destroy them too. Defend? Evade? All meaningless.
None of it mattered if the Uchiha would react faster than Nagato could think. There was no maneuver he could execute before death would claim him.
For the first time in years, since the death of Yahiko, Nagato felt that old, choking helplessness settle into his chest. Not the righteous fury that birthed Pain. Not the cold inevitability of godhood, but rather it was a small, flickering human terror, something he thought he had long buried under his supreme power.
In front of him, Konan shifted into a defensive stance, already preparing to shield him with her body if necessary. "I will not let you harm—"
"Konan...stop."
She froze, mid-motion, stunned by the tone more than the words.
"But Nagato—" she protested.
He squeezed his eyes shut for half a second. Felt the shame, the bile, the grief rise.
And then forced it all down.
He was Nagato Uzumaki. He was still Pain. But at this moment... he was no longer a God, just a man.
However, he would not die pointlessly, just another nameless leader. That was something he refused to do. He would not sacrifice the last fragments of Yahiko's dream to pride.
"No, Konan," he said again, voice heavier but firmer. "We have done enough."
He felt her gaze on him—conflicted, confused, hurt, scared.
He swallowed, each word burning like acid in his throat.
"He is too strong for us."
The admission tasted like ash. It tore at the core of everything he had built, everything he had believed. But it was the truth. And if there was even a thread of hope to salvage Amegakure, to protect Konan, to live long enough to find another way—
He would grasp it.
Nagato forced his mechanical rig to lurch forward an inch.
"Let me speak to him."
Konan reluctantly backed down, but not without molding a large amount of chakra in her hands, ready for a strike.
His eyes turn to focus on the child... no, the man responsible for his defeat. "Sasuke Uchiha, are you here to kill me? Perhaps pilfer my eyes and seek even more power and vengeance?"
There was a derisive snort on the other side. "Has your mind painted such a pathetic picture of me?"
Nagato's lip curled, more in resignation than anger. "Are you in any position to blame me? You came into my nation, bested me in a battle with casual...ease – you refused to give me a reason as to why you have done all...this? Your motivations are far from clear to me."
"Fair point," Sasuke admitted coolly. "Very well, then. You no longer have the strength or the numbers to challenge me. It costs me nothing to explain."
Nagato listened, skeptical, his heart still pounding a beat too fast.
"My reasons for the elimination of the Akatsuki are simple," Sasuke continued. "To prevent the resurrection of the Ten-Tails... and, more importantly, to stop the initiation of the Infinite Tsukuyomi."
Silence.
Thick, heavy silence.
Nagato stared at him, confused.
Konan broke it first, her voice careful. "We were going to create the Ten-Tails as a weapon for distribution, a threat to enforce stability across the nations – yet we have no recollection of anything called...Infinite Tsukuyomi."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed.
"You... don't know?"
His voice was flat, but there was an edge to it—a growing tension, like a string pulled taut.
"Is that not the motivation for the creation of the Akatsuki?" he pressed.
Konan shook her head slowly.
"No," she said. "We were never told of any such plan. Only that the bijuu would serve to bring peace through deterrence..."
Sasuke was silent.
He stared at them for a long moment, as if weighing the sincerity in her voice.
"Madara's vision," he said finally, tone dropping into something darker. "The Moon's Eye Plan. The resurrection of the God Tree. The casting of an eternal genjutsu reflected off the surface of the Moon, trapping all of humanity in a dream. A dream without pain, without conflict."
He watched their faces.
There was no recognition. No glimmer of understanding. Only confusion.
"...You really don't know...?" Sasuke said, voice soft with something almost like pity.
"...No."
"..."
"..."
"Oh."
_____________________________________________________________________
The Hidden Leaf - Front Gate
"Eh? So you pranked Lord Jiraiya like that? And he didn't reprimand you – not even a little bit."
"Nah. He was too busy perving or goofing off for that. Besides," a smile as bright as the sun's rays lit up his face. The blonde prankster gave a thumbs-up. "You're talking about Konoha's number-one prankster. There ain't no one as good as me, ya know!"
"Huh, you're quite the exception, Naruto," Izumo commented, his voice carrying a tinge of amusement. "The village has been...dull without your enthusiasm filling every nook and cranny of this place."
"You guys slack off all the time. Of course, it's going to be boring."
"Hey! You try sitting here nearly all day doing nothing, and you'll find out the true meaning of boring!" Kotetsu chimed in petulantly. "I mean, just look at this," he waved a hand in the direction of the opened gate, and Naruto turned in the indicated direction, catching sight of something—no, someone. "It's empty all the time. Those patrol guards have stolen our jobs – hey, where are you going?!"
The container of the Nine-Tails paid no heed to the call, for he had recognized the people who were close to the gates.
Naruto ran and ran, panic and apprehension openly written on his face, seeing the condition the approaching shinobi were in.
Nononononono –
There were seven people, with three walking. Naruto identified them as his old classmates and—
"Sakura-chan!" He yelled in extreme terror and fear—fear for her well-being.
She looked horrible, along with the rest of the team. Bushy brows was placed over a large white dog—Akamaru—unconscious along with his Sensei. He recognized Kiba having Neji draped over his shoulder and Sakura carrying Neji's female teammate.
The entire team was littered with scrapes, cuts, and bruises. Clothes were torn in certain areas, an indication of severe battle, and there seemed to be an air of depression clouding the squad.
"Sakura-chan!" he yelled, finally reaching the team. Worry etched on his expression, Naruto reduced his volume to a near whisper. "What happened? Who... who could... who could do this to you?"
For a second, there was no response as she hung her head low. Naruto observed trails of tears on her cheeks.
Kiba, seemingly knowing her weak emotional state, turned to him, his eyes cold and emotionless.
"Sasuke. It was Sasuke, your old...friend."