Naruto: Five Lives, Five Times the Excitement

Chapter 148 The Akatsuki's Interception

On a hilltop, Kyosuke, wearing a black and white yin-yang mask, sat cross-legged on a huge rock, gazing into the distance at the rugged mountain path ahead.

Dark clouds gathered in the sky, and soon a light drizzle began to fall. Kyosuke stretched out his left hand, watching the raindrops fall and shatter in his palm, feeling the smoothness of the water flowing over his skin, and his mood soured a little.

He dislikes the sticky feeling on his body and also dislikes rainy days.

"Could this be a bad omen, foreshadowing the failure of the mission? If there were screenwriters in this world, they would definitely love plots with twists and turns."

"Perhaps their goal is to watch our carefully prepared plans fail and to enjoy the shift in our expressions from joy to disappointment."

Okay, it's not that Kyosuke's thoughts have gotten taller, it's just that he's been waiting all day and is a little bored, so he's talking nonsense.

"Actually, it doesn't matter if we fail. I'll just pack up and go back to Konoha. Do you think the Rain Ninja would dare to chase us to Konoha? As for whether Kiichiro will be killed by Hanzo, whether Mikami will be killed by Nagato, or whether Ooka Shin will be tormented to death by the sealed tailed beasts, it doesn't matter."

"Since ancient times, no one has escaped death. Whether one dies sooner or later, it is their greatest honor to die for my handsome name."

Whether influenced by someone or simply by his nature, Kyosuke has grown increasingly fond of muttering to himself as he gets older and stronger.

Sometimes it's in my heart, sometimes it's on my lips.

After chatting for a while, Kyosuke suddenly shut up, his eyes peering through the holes in his mask, and saw some figures appearing in the rain in the distance.

Kyosuke's body naturally entered battle mode, and he created several shadow clones that began to infiltrate the area.

"This is the main road to the Land of Earth. I hope we can still rescue Fu."

The kind-hearted Nagato was slightly out of breath, ignoring her exhaustion and instead worrying about Fu's safety.

Ooka Shin wasn't so sentimental. He was panting heavily as he leaned against a large tree by the roadside, silently recovering his strength.

The other Akatsuki members who accompanied him were similarly silent; no one answered Nagato's question. Only Yahiko, despite his exhaustion, patted Nagato's shoulder as a gesture of comfort.

Nagato's chakra and stamina are unparalleled. Traveling at maximum speed, while others are exhausted like dogs, Nagato is practically unaffected.

"Someone's coming! Prepare for battle!"

Before they had even rested for a minute, Nagato suddenly spoke, looking south.

Mi Shou is really dedicated to role-playing games; he ran away so fast that we almost couldn't catch them.

Ōoka Shinri criticized Mikami and then got up to prepare for battle.

Of course, with Kyosuke as insurance, Mimori and his group have absolutely no chance of shaking off Ooka Shin's pursuit.

"Heh, kid, looks like your plan has failed miserably."

Looking at the group of ninjas wearing Rain Ninja headbands in front of him, Kakuzu calmly glanced at Mikami beside him.

Shin looked around and saw that there were only a dozen or so Rain Ninjas in front of him, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

With their combined fighting strength, as long as Hanzo and the main force of the Rain Ninja were not pursuing them, they had nothing to fear from the other Rain Ninja.

Clearly, Iura Shin's information was somewhat delayed, or rather, he lacked a good intelligence system and was unaware of the Akatsuki's strength in Amegakure, which led to some carelessness.

Mikami remained expressionless and silent, offering no response to Kakuzu. Instead, he led Fu a few steps away from Kakuzu, fearing that Kakuzu might kill Fu for the bounty.

This move would arouse suspicion from Kakuzu and Iura Arata, but given the circumstances, Yamori was not afraid of their suspicion.

As expected, upon seeing Yagami's unusual behavior, Kakuzu and Iura Shin's expressions darkened. Considering Yagami's excessive concern for Jinchuriki, they could easily deduce that Yagami was hiding something from them. However, facing an enemy at this moment, they did not act rashly without knowing the truth.

Yahiko and the others also noticed that the enemy's behavior was a bit strange. However, there are many strange things in the ninja world, especially since the three people in front of them all had a cut on their headbands, which meant that they were all rogue ninjas.

Rogue ninjas don't trust each other much, so it's normal for them to behave strangely. There's no need to investigate further; saving lives is the priority.

"Who are you people? Why are you attacking us Rain Ninja!"

Yahiko tried to make conversation to attract the other party's attention, while Nagato and Ooka Shin prepared to attack in perfect unison.

Unexpectedly, Kakuzu's attack was even faster.

Suddenly, a group of black lines shot out from under Yahiko and the others' feet, piercing towards their bodies.

Several members of the Akatsuki organization were caught off guard and fell victim to the attack.

Kakuzu's distrust of Yakami reached its peak. He worried that something might happen if things dragged on, so he decided to eliminate the enemy cleanly and then deal with Yakami with peace of mind.

To Kakuzu's surprise, the Rain Ninja before him was incredibly strong and reacted extremely quickly.

His determined attack not only yielded little result, but the enemy also quickly launched a counterattack.

With Yahiko, Nagato, and Ooka Shin as the core of the battle, they directly confronted Kakuzu and his two companions, while other Akatsuki members provided support. They quickly suppressed Kakuzu and the others.

Among them, Yahiko, as the leader of the Akatsuki organization, took the initiative to rush towards what appeared to be the most powerful angle.

"The young people these days are surprisingly strong. It's a pity that the gold exchange doesn't have your bounty, otherwise I could have made a small fortune."

Kakuzu, controlling two Earth Grudge Monsters, fought against Yahiko, who was using Water Release and Taijutsu. His deep voice contained a hint of surprise.

In recent years, Yahiko has grown rapidly amidst war and battles.

Even without his bloodline limit, Yahiko still possessed formidable fighting power. With his skillful water-style ninjutsu, solid taijutsu, and flexible tactics, he managed to hold his own against Kakuzu for a time.

However, facing a powerful opponent, Yahiko was under great pressure. Therefore, he remained highly focused and silent throughout, only occasionally observing the situation of the others while moving.

Compared to Yahiko, Nagato's opponent was Arata Iura, and their battle was like an autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves.

Nagato's various attacks, like powerful slaps to the face, landed on Iura Arata's face, making him see stars and leaving him bewildered and unsure of what to do.

In an instant, the confidence in Iura Shin's heart was completely crushed.

Seeing Nagato's calm expression and his silent attack, Iura Arata had no way to resist and was quickly knocked to the ground.

They didn't even have the courage to turn around and run away.

And just like that, Nagato shattered all of Iura Arata's helpless struggles with a wave of his hand, and approached Iura Arata slowly but irresistibly.

"This is simply... the power of a god... What on earth did that bastard Mimori offend?!"

In Shin's trembling pupils, Nagato slowly raised his right hand, and a distant and unfamiliar fear descended once more, completely engulfing Shin.

Having dealt with the enemy, Nagato glanced around at his surroundings, but frowned.

Ooka Shin has disappeared.