Chapter 28 : Capture
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The first act of the day had begun.
Naruto's main goal was to resurrect a man who refused to die.
The immortal snake himself—Orochimaru.
Even during Naruto's reign in his past life, Orochimaru had continued his twisted research, ultimately making contributions to Konoha.
After all, Naruto had granted him the title of Konoha's Chief Scientist, allowing him to pursue his research under strict supervision—though, of course, he couldn't be as insane as before.
Now, in Amegakure, Naruto had placed a Flying Thunder God seal and left a Shadow Clone to guard the village.
With Nagato's Rain Tiger at Will Technique constantly active, Naruto could instantly teleport back if the village was invaded.
Since Nagato relied on chakra rods to control his Six Paths of Pain and had difficulty walking, he had to remain on his giant mechanical launcher.
To solve this, Naruto marked the launcher with his Flying Thunder God seal and simply teleported him along.
In an instant, the two arrived in the Land of Fire, about 30 kilometers outside Konoha.
This was a pre-marked safe zone—a blind spot where Konoha's sensory units wouldn't detect their presence.
Naruto already knew from his past life that Mitarashi Anko was on a mission around this time.
While he didn't know her exact location, he had a good guess.
Activating Sage Mode, Naruto had Nagato summon a large green-feathered bird, the same kind used in the past for reconnaissance.
Naruto left a Shadow Clone to secure Nagato's launcher onto the bird, then took off into the sky, scanning the area with Sage sensing.
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Somewhere in the Land of Fire
Mitarashi Anko, Captain Yamato, and Sai were currently tracking Orochimaru's movements.
Standing over a map, Sai frowned.
"I've used my Super Beast Scroll to scout these locations. They all appear abandoned."
Yamato sighed, looking at the remaining strongholds. "They say a cunning rabbit always has three burrows. Orochimaru? He's a damn mastermind at setting traps and diversions."
Anko snorted. "No. That's not it."
She pointed at the map, her eyes narrowing.
"You two have never dealt with him personally, so you wouldn't understand. Orochimaru doesn't set up these strongholds to mislead people—he builds them purely for research."
She tapped a location on the map.
"Even if one is destroyed, he has multiple backups to preserve his findings. That's the kind of man he is."
Sai looked surprised. "There are really people like that?"
Yamato muttered, "This guy sounds like a complete lunatic."
Anko's hand subconsciously touched the Cursed Seal on her neck.
That man had left her with too many scars.
Just as she was lost in thought, her senses suddenly flared.
Yamato immediately noticed her change in expression. "Anko, what is it?"
Anko's face darkened. "Something's moving—fast. And it's not on the ground…!"
Her eyes widened. "Wait! They're coming down—right in front of us!"
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High Above, on the Giant Bird
Naruto, sitting atop the bird, had already locked onto Anko's position.
With a swift dive, the massive bird descended thousands of meters toward their location.
Konan, standing beside Naruto, observed the figures below.
"They're from Konoha," she noted. "Naruto, do you want to say hello?"
Naruto smirked but shook his head. "If we save this world, there'll be plenty of time for reunions. Right now, we focus on the mission. Nagato—full firepower. I want them alive."
Nagato's Rinnegan gleamed. "Understood."
He suddenly paused. "Naruto… allow me to handle this. You shouldn't reveal yourself yet."
Naruto raised an eyebrow but nodded. "Fine. Show me what the leader of Akatsuki can do."
As soon as the words left his mouth, multiple ink lions burst from the foliage.
Nagato frowned. "Tch. These pests dare attack first? They have no respect for Pain."
With a single thought, the Six Paths of Pain surged forward.
The ink lions? Destroyed in seconds.
Naruto smirked. "Having henchmen is nice."
Below, Sai's ink creatures had only been a test.
But now, they saw the truth.
"It's… Akatsuki!" Yamato's voice tensed. "Why the hell are they here?"
Before they could react, Tendo Pain extended his hand.
"Banshō Ten'in."
A powerful gravitational pull dragged Anko straight toward him.
Anko gritted her teeth. "Oh, hell no!"
Her hands flashed through seals.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
From beneath her sleeves, multiple snakes erupted, their fangs bared as they shot toward Tendo Pain.
They aimed to latch onto a nearby tree, using it as an anchor to pull her away.
But…
"Fujutsu Kyūin."
The Preta Path stepped forward, absorbing the chakra-infused snakes instantly.
Anko's eyes widened in shock. "What the hell?!"
Yamato didn't waste time. "Anko!"
With a quick Wood Style jutsu, his arms morphed into wooden tendrils, wrapping around Anko's waist and pulling her back.
Sai, meanwhile, had already drawn another wave of ink beasts.
Nagato remained unfazed.
"Naruto, you only want them alive, correct? Collateral damage is fine?"
Naruto leaned back on the bird, arms crossed. "Just don't kill anyone."
Nagato nodded. "Understood."
Immediately, Asura Path's arm transformed, launching a barrage of missiles.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Sai's ink beasts were obliterated on impact.
Yamato, Sai, and Anko barely managed to dodge.
From the shadows, Anko's instincts screamed.
Something wet coiled around her.
Her eyes widened.
"What the—?!"
The chameleon had wrapped its tongue around her, pinning her arms and rendering her unable to form seals.
Before she could react, Preta Path appeared beside her.
"Too slow."
His hand clamped down, draining her chakra, ensuring she wouldn't escape.
"Anko!" Yamato and Sai rushed forward.
"Shinra Tensei."
A massive force wave sent both of them flying.
With that, it was over.
The chameleon's tongue retracted, swallowing both Preta Path and Anko, disappearing into invisibility.
Nagato turned toward Naruto. "Capture complete."
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