- In Marvel: I Start by Marrying Scarlett Witch [Complete]
- MWM Chapter 301
With his current strength, if he went all out, he wouldn’t really fear anything unless it was someone on the level of the Sage of Six Paths. His powerful body, terrifying recovery ability, mastery of ninjutsu, magic, Daoist techniques, and enchanted artifacts made him formidable enough to even stand a good chance against a resurrected Uchiha Madara or Senju Hashirama.
There were two reasons why he didn’t want to take the path of conquest through brute force.
First, he wasn’t that cold-blooded or heartless. In the terms of this world, he had formed bonds with some people here. He didn’t want to become a villain hunted by everyone unless it was absolutely necessary.
Second, his power wasn’t at the level where he could truly disregard everything. There were the Otsutsuki clan out there in space, hidden deities in this world, and even the Sage of Six Paths wasn’t truly dead.
So, if possible, he preferred not to be reckless. If his overconfidence led to disaster, it wouldn’t be worth it. Since there wasn’t a life-or-death crisis looming, a safer and more stable approach was undoubtedly better.
“Next, I expect Hiruzen will want to talk to me,” Yuan Chuan thought as he left the bulletin board.
With Danzo having put his name on the list of Hokage candidates, it would be hard for Hiruzen not to be suspicious. Given that Yuan Chuan frequently sought him out for ninjutsu training, a conversation seemed inevitable.
But to Yuan Chuan’s surprise, over the next few days, Hiruzen continued guiding him in ninjutsu training as usual, without asking any questions about his connection to Danzo or even testing him subtly.
Upon further reflection, Yuan Chuan realized that Hiruzen might not be overly concerned. Perhaps the Third Hokage believed that Yuan Chuan couldn’t possibly become Hokage, so even if he had dealings with Danzo, it didn’t matter much.
After all, Danzo was still part of Konoha, not an enemy—he just held different political views from Hiruzen and had always coveted the Hokage position.
In reality, Hiruzen needed Danzo and the existence of Root to handle certain matters he couldn’t address openly, such as the Uchiha clan’s rebellion.
While Danzo often schemed behind Hiruzen’s back, he also dealt with many tasks that the Third couldn’t handle directly. If it weren’t for their longstanding friendship, Hiruzen wouldn’t have allowed Danzo to develop Root into such a powerful faction.
Even the Fifth Hokage, in the future, would need Danzo.
So even if Yuan Chuan had made some sort of deal with Danzo, as long as it didn’t harm the village, it wasn’t a big deal.
Hiruzen had always treated the Shimura clan, who staunchly supported Danzo, and the Aburame clan, who leaned toward Danzo, fairly, never targeting them.
Rather than confront Yuan Chuan and cause tension, it was better to pretend the matter didn’t exist and continue as normal.
As long as Hiruzen remained firmly in control, nothing would change.
Hiruzen had maintained his position as Hokage for so long, despite Danzo’s ambitions, because he knew how to stay steady.
…
One month after Yuan Chuan’s arrival in the world of Naruto, at the Akatsuki’s base, the Nine-Eyes Graveyard in the Land of Rain:
On the ten outstretched fingers of the Gedo Statue sat six Akatsuki members: the Animal Path Pain, Uchiha Itachi, Kisame Hoshigaki, Sasori, Deidara, and Tobi. All were seated cross-legged, their eyes closed in meditation.
Unlike usual meetings where most members only appeared via projections, this time, they had all gathered in person.
Initially, they had been carrying out missions in various countries under Pain’s orders, stirring up conflicts among smaller nations and reaping the benefits. But Tobi, who possessed space-time abilities, had suddenly appeared and ordered everyone to return to the base for an urgent meeting.
After rushing back, they gathered, and Pain announced the shocking news that Kakuzu had been killed at the Fire Temple, and that Akatsuki would now focus all its strength on destroying the largest ninja village, Konoha.
Everyone except Itachi supported this plan with enthusiasm.
Kisame sought revenge against Yuan Chuan for gravely injuring him. Sasori and Deidara, the two artists of the group, saw the destruction of Konoha as the perfect canvas for their artistic vision.
Itachi wanted to secretly warn Hiruzen and Yuan Chuan about the plan, but with Pain closely watching him in the base, he didn’t dare make any move.
A few moments later, Zetsu, with his Venus flytrap-like head, emerged from the ground.
“According to our latest intel, Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin, left Konoha a few days ago, taking the Nine-Tails brat with him.
Because of the damage from the joint Orochimaru and Sand Village attack, Konoha is in a high-mission period, with many of its shinobi out on missions to gather funds for repairs. The village is currently vulnerable.”
The Animal Path Pain opened his Rinnegan, and with a press of his hands, summoned the other five Paths of Pain: Deva Path, Asura Path, Human Path, Naraka Path, and Preta Path.
“Move out. Target: Konoha. The mission is to kill everyone and wipe Konoha off the map, so the world may begin to understand true pain.”
With that command, the base’s sealed stone gate opened, and Pain led the Akatsuki members as they rushed toward Konoha.
Pain was confident in his own and the Akatsuki’s strength, but Konoha was still the most powerful ninja village. In previous wars, Konoha had held its ground even when fighting against two or three other villages simultaneously.
That’s why Nagato didn’t recklessly charge in with all of Akatsuki. He had Zetsu gather intelligence first and chose the moment when Konoha was at its weakest.
He aimed to obliterate Konoha without suffering any losses.
The Land of Rain bordered the major nations of Earth, Fire, and Wind, so it would take the Akatsuki members, moving at full speed, only an hour or two to reach Konoha.
Not long after Pain and the Akatsuki left the Nine-Eyes Graveyard, Konan spread her white paper wings and followed closely behind, guarding Nagato’s frail body.
Nagato controlled the Six Paths of Pain through the special black rods given to him by Madara, but they couldn’t operate too far away, or his control would falter.
Konan would not participate in the assault on Konoha. Her sole responsibility was to protect Nagato’s vulnerable body. As long as Nagato remained safe, the Six Paths of Pain couldn’t be defeated.
Even if five of the Six Paths were destroyed, the Naraka Path could always resurrect them. There was no way to truly kill them.
An hour and a half later, in the forest outside Konoha, Deva Path Pain gazed at the sensory barrier surrounding the village and gave the command:
“Attack head-on. We’re going to crush Konoha.”
To Nagato, the Six Paths of Pain and the Akatsuki were more than capable of overwhelming Konoha. There was no need for tricks; a full-frontal assault would suffice.
…