A gentle breeze rustled the black cloak of the man sitting on the edge of the cliff. His gaze was fixed forward, calm and unreadable, yet behind those eyes burned a sharp intelligence.
He was waiting.
Suddenly, a masked figure appeared behind him. From the cliff's edge, the newcomer took in the panoramic view of Konoha below and let out a soft sigh.
"This is a good spot."
The seated man didn't turn. His voice was steady, indifferent.
"You don't seem like someone who enjoys 'good spots'."
"Maybe."
The masked man shrugged.
"After all, my goal is to turn the entire world into a 'good place.' This one just happens to be in the way… Itachi."
The name was spoken with familiarity, yet carried weight.
Itachi's gaze remained forward. The three tomoe in his Sharingan slowly rotated, his presence sharpening.
"So, you've noticed, haven't you... Obito?"
The masked man chuckled, unfazed.
"We had an agreement, after all."
Obito scratched his head, almost sheepish.
"Though, to be fair, I broke it first. But don't blame me—Pain doesn't listen to anyone. He's got those Rinnegan eyes, makes him think he's some sort of god."
"I never expected you to keep the agreement," Itachi replied, his voice flat. "But I didn't expect you to act this quickly."
Still seated, Itachi watched as a familiar figure soared over Konoha.
Draped in the same red-clouded cloak as his own, Pain hovered above the village.
A moment later, he summoned the other five Paths of Pain into the heart of Konoha.
Itachi exhaled slowly. He couldn't stay still any longer.
But he knew Obito was here to stop him.
Rising to his feet, he finally turned to face the masked man.
"I've been waiting for this day."
Obito let out an exaggerated sigh.
"Ahh, I really didn't want to fight you."
His words weren't a bluff—he knew exactly how dangerous Itachi was. The Uchiha's strength, intelligence, and sheer willpower made him a nightmare opponent.
But that didn't mean Obito was afraid.
Through the mask, his lone Sharingan gleamed coldly.
"So, Itachi… how do you plan to save Konoha from me?"
There was no answer.
Itachi drew a kunai.
The battle began.
From the very start, Itachi activated his Mangekyō Sharingan.
But Obito played defensively, relying on Kamui to phase through every attack. He wasn't interested in a direct fight—his real goal was to wear Itachi down.
And that was exactly what Itachi hated most: a prolonged battle.
He needed a way to land a decisive blow.
But Obito couldn't afford to appear weak, either. As far as the world was concerned, he was Madara Uchiha. He couldn't let that image be shattered.
So instead of a head-on fight, he stalled.
But Itachi knew him too well.
He had already seen through the act.
Obito may have had Kamui, but Itachi had something just as dangerous.
A secret he had never shown.
A last resort, should the moment call for it.
In the end, Itachi used a powerful illusion technique to create a time lag, tricking Obito into misjudging the activation of his Kamui.
That single miscalculation was all Itachi needed.
Before Obito could phase through the attack, Yasaka Magatama struck him with full force.
The explosion sent Obito reeling.
Defeated—for now—he had no choice but to retreat.
As he vanished into the void, he left behind a single remark:
"Just as I expected… Itachi."
Then, he was gone.
---
Meanwhile, atop Hokage Rock…
Itachi stood there, his body battered, his breath unsteady. His gaze was locked onto Konoha Village below.
Without hesitation, he leaped.
His mission wasn't over.
The village needed help. Sasuke needed help.
That was his priority.
When he finally reached the battlefield, he arrived just in time to see Sasuke fighting alongside Lee, delivering a decisive blow to the Preta Path of Pain.
But Sasuke didn't stop there.
Using his speed, he moved ahead of the others, rushing to assist on another front.
And so, the moment came—Itachi standing in front of Sasuke, shielding him from danger.
----
Itachi stood in front of Sasuke, calm on the surface, but his body was already nearing its limit.
His chakra was almost depleted.
Pain—watching closely—knew exactly what that meant. He was well aware of Uchiha Itachi's strength.
Without hesitation, he raised a hand.
"Universal Pull!"
Itachi was just about to react—
When suddenly—
A massive boulder came crashing down from above, landing right between him and Pain, completely blocking Pain's line of sight.
The sudden disappearance of his target forced Pain to cancel his technique.
Before he could figure out what was happening—
A beam of light shot down from the sky.
A magic circle formed on the ground beneath it.
And then—
A voice rang out.
"Hmmm-hmmm-hmmm—!"
The magic circle erupted in a dazzling glow, the light from above narrowing into a single point before vanishing entirely.
And there—standing in the center of the magic circle—was a girl.
She faced the sky, hands on her hips, fingers curled into dramatic claws.
"The hero has arrived!!!"
Behind her, the massive rock slowly sank into the ground, revealing her full entrance.
From behind, the Uchiha brothers could only see her dramatic pose, the glowing magic circle, and the spectacle she had just created.
Pain's expression hardened as he recognized her.
"So, you really aren't dead."
The girl—completely unfazed—smiled.
"Of course not. I'm invincible while I'm singing! So no matter what you try, your attacks won't work."
Pain didn't waste any more time.
He reached out again.
"Universal Pull!"
Suddenly, the girl's body lifted into the air, sucked toward Pain with great force.
"Eh—?!"
She flailed her arms, clearly panicked as she flew toward him.
Sasuke and Itachi tensed, ready to intervene—
But then—
They realized they didn't need to.
Because at that moment, another version of the same girl appeared behind Pain, holding a giant mallet.
The one being pulled?
Her panicked expression suddenly shifted into a mischievous grin.
"Hee hee~ Gotcha!"
Pain's eyes widened in shock.
"Wait—!"
BANG!
The massive mallet came down hard—slamming directly into the back of Pain's head.
The impact was brutal.
Like hammering a nail into wood, Pain was driven halfway into the ground.
Meanwhile, the version of the girl that had been pulled toward him vanished into thin air.
For a brief moment, Pain's vision blurred, and his ears rang from the impact. But Nagato's control was strong. Despite the dizziness, he immediately retaliated.
"Almighty Push!!!"
A massive shockwave erupted from his body, obliterating everything in its path. The ground split apart, dirt and debris exploding into the air.
The battlefield was wrecked.
The pit he was stuck in? Now even deeper. One more blast like that, and he'd probably hit groundwater.
But despite the destruction, Pain already knew the truth—his attack had done nothing.
Because just a few meters in front of him, she stood there.
Completely unharmed.
And smiling.
With her giant club resting casually on her shoulder, she tilted her head.
"I'm gonna bonk you again."
Pain's expression darkened.
This girl… she's messing with me.
It seemed he had no choice.
He had to use the Super Almighty Push.
Pain locked eyes with her, voice steady.
"Do you understand the pain of this world?"
But before he could finish his monologue—
BAM!
Another direct hit to the head.
The ground beneath him cracked. His legs? Now one-third buried in the dirt.
A vein twitched on his forehead.
"You—"
BAM!
This time, he was half-buried.
His fingers twitched in rage.
"You…!"
BAM!
Now, only his head was sticking out of the ground.
At this point…
Pain didn't want to talk anymore.
He just wanted this girl GONE.
___________
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