Ch.463 Slaughter Unleashed!

At nearly the same moment that Haku and Sasuke charged into the 'Infinity Castle,' on another side of the castle's exterior, Neji and Kimimaro's team unexpectedly encountered the Hidden Leaf elites led by the Third Hokage.

Neji was caught off guard and felt a pang of guilt.

However, he quickly noticed that upon spotting him, the Third didn't immediately attack but instead kept his distance, visibly wary.

"I'm making the Hokage himself wary?"

Neji was momentarily stunned.

With his Byakugan, he could clearly see the genuine apprehension in the eyes of the Hidden Leaf elites as they looked at him.

For someone accustomed to being an overlooked member of the Hyūga branch family, this was an unfamiliar sensation!

Kimimaro, accompanying Neji, also glanced at the Hidden Leaf elites in the distance. Unlike Neji, his gaze zeroed in on one figure within the Leaf ranks.

"Orochimaru-sama…"

With a single look, Kimimaro averted his eyes.

Undoubtedly, despite donning the red-cloud cloak and joining the Akatsuki, he remained loyal to Orochimaru, secretly feeding him intelligence through his own methods.

What the Third Hokage didn't realize was that Orochimaru, with audacious boldness, had disguised himself as an Anbu and infiltrated the elite unit he personally led.

Orochimaru, blending seamlessly among the Hidden Leaf forces, studied the distant 'Infinity Castle,' his eyes gleaming with excitement. "I never expected the Akatsuki and the 'Upper Ranks' to go to war. This is truly spectacular!"

Being scrutinized by the Hidden Leaf elites was far from pleasant, so Neji quickly reined in his thoughts and urged Kimimaro to enter the 'Infinity Castle.'

After Neji and Kimimaro disappeared into the castle, the Third hesitated briefly before leading the Hidden Leaf elites inside as well.

Inside the 'Infinity Castle,' after brushing past the mysterious figure, Uchiha Shinji paused to think, then donned Akatsuki attire and turned to pursue them.

However, the mysterious figure's speed was extraordinary. During their earlier encounter, Shinji had already lost track of them, and with the 'Infinity Castle's' buildings and streets constantly shifting, he searched for a long time without catching even a glimpse of their shadow.

Zheng!

At that moment, another sharp biwa note rang out.

Shinji felt the world spin, and when he opened his eyes, he found himself on an unfamiliar street.

Before him stood six sword-wielding swordsmen and a few visibly panicked Hidden Sand shinobi, likely displaced by the 'Infinity Castle' as well.

Shinji's expression darkened. "The Stone Hashira, Sound Hashira, Mist Hashira, Love Hashira, Serpent Hashira, and Wind Hashira… My luck's just peachy, isn't it?"

Undoubtedly, the six demonized swordsmen standing on the street were the Demon Slayer Corps' six Hashiras who had previously clashed with the Five Paths of Pain!

His gaze then shifted downward, spotting the Five Paths of Pain sprawled haphazardly on the ground.

From their appearance, the Five Paths seemed undamaged, resembling puppets abandoned by their puppeteer rather than defeated combatants.

"Has something happened to Nagato!?"

Shinji's heart skipped a beat.

Based on his assessment of Nagato's strength, the Rinnegan-wielding leader shouldn't have been defeated so quickly. His mind raced, and he speculated that Nagato might have been ambushed by the mysterious figure, withdrawing the Rinnegan's power from the Six Paths of Pain to engage the enemy with his true body.

Instinctively, Shinji scanned his surroundings.

A battle between Nagato and the mysterious figure would undoubtedly cause a commotion, so he hoped to pinpoint the general location of the battlefield by observing the signs.

In a clash of titans, the outcome was unpredictable.

Thus, Shinji needed to reach the battlefield as quickly as possible and intervene at the right moment to decisively eliminate the mysterious figure. Otherwise, the shinobi world would forever remain under their shadow.

At that moment, the Serpent Hashira, noticing Shinji ignoring them, said coldly, "You dare to look around at a time like this?"

Shinji paid the Serpent Hashira no mind, turning to leave.

Having deduced that Nagato was likely engaged with the mysterious figure, he had no interest in tangling with these demonized swordsmen.

But as Shinji prepared to depart, the six Hashiras blocked his path.

The sudden collapse of the Five Paths of Pain had left them without opponents, making Shinji, an unexpected Akatsuki member, their new target.

The few Hidden Sand shinobi who had also been transported to the street cowered in a corner, trembling.

Unaware of why the Five Paths of Pain had fallen, they assumed the demonized six Hashiras had defeated five Akatsuki members in red-cloud cloaks.

On one side was the infamous 'A' of the Akatsuki; on the other, the six Hashiras who had vanquished five Akatsuki members. To the Sand shinobi, both were untouchable, leaving them no choice but to huddle in fear.

As tension crackled between Shinji and the six Hashiras, whoosh, two figures landed in the street, bowing respectfully to Shinji in unison. "Boss!"

These were none other than Karin and Hidan, who had recently entered the 'Infinity Castle' of their own accord.

Shinji gave a faint nod and ordered, "Take care of them."

Without looking back, he vanished from the spot.

The six Hashiras' gazes immediately shifted to the newly arrived Karin and Hidan, particularly drawn to Hidan's spiritual form, which captured most of their attention.

Hovering in midair, Hidan was brimming with excitement, saying to Karin, "The boss gave the order. Can we go all out and slaughter them?"

Karin nodded slightly. "These demons—leave none alive!"

The six Hashiras frowned in unison.

Having just fought the Five Paths of Pain, they didn't take Karin and Hidan too seriously.

Based on their intelligence analysis, the Five Paths of Pain, with their so-called 'Eyes of the Sage,' were likely a secret puppet technique of the Akatsuki leader, even if they weren't the leader themselves.

Thus, the Five Paths' strength was presumed to be the pinnacle of the Akatsuki's power, and they didn't believe these two Akatsuki members could surpass them.

Boom boom boom.

At that moment, Karin unleashed the full power of her Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan—the strongest dojutsu in the shinobi world at present—simultaneously activating 'Susanoo' and 'Susanoo Tomoshibi'!

In an instant, an immense 'Susanoo' rose from the ground, towering like a deity, gazing down at the six Hashiras on the street.

"This…"

The six Hashiras were stunned.

Even these battle-hardened warriors, unafraid of death, froze in place at the sight of Karin's fully unleashed 'Susanoo.'

Not only them, but the few Hidden Sand shinobi were equally dumbfounded. "Is this the legendary 'Susanoo' of the Uchiha clan?"

At that moment, Hidan let out a piercing shriek, activating her Koryugan abilities.

Instantly, the six Hashiras felt their blood solidify, rendering them immobile.

In that fleeting moment, Karin's godlike, colossal 'Susanoo' took a single step forward, crushing the six Hashiras into a bloody pulp.