Naruto: Starting with Snatching the Mangekyō Sharingan

Elsewhere, Akira led his temporary team through the Land of Rain. For this mission, Hiruzen had provided key areas and directions for their investigation. They were to first cover the designated sites before conducting free reconnaissance.

Boom!

The Land of Rain rarely sees clear skies, and now the heavens were lit by flashes of lightning, thunder rumbling as rain poured down relentlessly. Akira's team had been soaked through since entering the country. After a full day spent combing Sarutobi's marked areas, they still hadn't found anything.

"Any luck with your insects?" Akira, his Sharingan eyes glinting red, looked to Aburame Shiga.

The Aburame clan was renowned for their insect-based jutsu, cultivating various kinds of insects with unique abilities that often proved invaluable.

Pushing up his sunglasses, Shiga replied calmly, as bugs crawled over his shoulders,

"Nothing. There's no trace of anything unusual."

"And you?" Akira turned to Kaori. "Anything with the Byakugan?"

"No," Kaori's cool voice replied. "The battle traces here are at least two months old—nothing recent or significant."

Akira nodded. "Let's move on to the next marked location."

As the team departed, a pale White Zetsu emerged from the muddy ground, watching them with a low chuckle.

"Just insects and the Byakugan—they'll never see through the Mayfly Technique…"

(T/N: The Mayfly is an infiltration technique, which is a signature characteristic of White Zetsu and its clone siblings, due to being infused with the cells of Hashirama Senju.)

"Heh, I'd better notify Nagato. He's been tracking them all day." With that, White Zetsu sank back into the earth, disappearing to relay his message.

Soon after, he appeared before Nagato and Konan, who were moving swiftly through the rain-drenched countryside.

"Nagato, we've located Uchiha Akira—he's in the northern Black River Mountain area."

Nagato gave a slight nod and turned to Konan. "Black River Mountain isn't far. We'll head straight there and lie in wait. This time, let's let the Deva Path handle them."

Dressed in her dark cloak patterned with red clouds, Konan nodded, then turned to White Zetsu. "Get the signal relay in place first, we'll need it."

"Got it." White Zetsu nodded and sank back underground.

Nagato and his Paths required signal relays to maintain control. If the distance was too great, his connection to the Paths would weaken.

Elsewhere, in the rain-lashed region of Black River Mountain, Akira, Shiga, Kaori, and Juro were moving swiftly through the deluge. According to their intel, this area was a potential hiding spot for an Akatsuki outpost.

Suddenly, Kaori came to an abrupt stop, her expression tense as she focused on a point at their nine o'clock.

"Akira, three people are approaching from that direction—their chakra levels are enormous!"

"They're fast—almost here," Kaori said, her voice tight with urgency.

"Prepare for battle," Akira commanded firmly.

"Understood," his team responded in low voices.

Within seconds, three figures clad in black cloaks adorned with red clouds appeared in their line of sight. Leading them was a man with spiky orange hair, a scratched-through Rain Village headband, and black piercings in his nose—his expression impassive, inhuman.

The figures flanking him included a man with a spiked orange ponytail and a similar scratched headband, with a black piercing in his forehead. The last was a large, burly orange-haired figure with sharp black rods protruding from his ears and face.

Akira felt his pulse quicken as he recognized them. The Deva Path of Pain, here in person…

The figures beside Deva Path, Akira guessed, were likely the Animal Path and the Naraka Path.

"Not an easy fight…" he thought, casting a subtle glance at the storming skies above, though he remained calm. By his estimation, Nagato had only recently fallen to darkness and started collaborating with Uchiha Obito. His skill with the Six Paths Technique was still developing—not nearly as formidable as it would later become.

"Rinnegan… three pairs of them!?" Akira's teammates were visibly shaken, their eyes wide with astonishment at the unique doujutsu in their enemies' eyes.

"What's the plan?" Juro asked in a low, tense voice.

"If a fight breaks out, I'll take the one in the center. You three, keep the other two busy," Akira replied with calm authority.

The three nodded in agreement. Their sensory skills had confirmed that the one leading them had the largest chakra reserves and likely the greatest strength.

As Akira finished assigning roles, Nagato, controlling the three Pains, moved within striking range of the team. Without a word, the Animal Path made a hand seal and activated a jutsu.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Smoke billowed as a giant chameleon emerged, its body fading into invisibility almost immediately.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Another puff of smoke, and a massive, winged three-headed hellhound appeared, charging towards Akira's team.

"Watch out—the invisible summoning creature is coming!" Kaori's Byakugan flared, veins pulsing around her eyes as she tracked the chameleon's movements.

"Stick to the plan!" Akira's voice was steady. "If the weather changes suddenly, prioritize retreat."

As Akira finished speaking, he vanished, his body turning into a streak of blue lightning that shot across the rain-soaked battlefield. In the blink of an eye, he reappeared beside the Naraka Path, wielding his lightning-coated blade, ready to deliver a fatal strike.

Among the Six Paths, the Naraka Path was key, it could revive the other Paths. Only by taking it down could Akira's team have a true shot at defeating Pain.

"Shinra Tensei!"

A chilling voice echoed as the Deva Path raised his hand. In an instant, an immense force hit Akira, sending him hurtling back dozens of meters, where he crashed into a pile of rocks.

Bracing himself with his blade, Akira skidded to a stop, his Sharingan narrowed as he steadied himself, slightly disheveled.

Although he had managed to reduce the impact somewhat, he had still borne the brunt of the Deva Path's attack. The intensity of the Shinra Tensei had left him feeling a bit shaken, his breath slightly ragged.

"Not as strong as I expected, but even with my endurance, I can't take many of these head-on. I'll need to dodge as much as possible."

In an instant, he was gone, his figure a bolt of blue lightning slicing through the battlefield. Akira aimed directly for the Deva Path this time, counting on the five-second cooldown window of the Shinra Tensei to catch his opponent off guard.

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