Konoha: Naruto of Sekiro

"ROAR!!"

The roar echoed through the heavens. Even Naruto, protected by his Tailed Beast Cloak, felt his eardrums ache faintly; one could only imagine the state of the others.

Looking down at the two unconscious figures, he thought, Good thing I arrived in time. Otherwise, no matter how god-like Nagato was, he'd have been done for.

"Truly the husk of the Ten-Tails," Naruto mused, scooping up the two from the ground and heading into the distance.

He currently lacked the ability to fight while carrying two burdens.

Besides, judging by Nagato's current state, he probably didn't need his help.

Not far away, Yamauchi watched this scene in terror. The heights of joy and depths of despair in life were just like this. One second they held victory in their grasp, the next, they were like rats scurrying through the streets.

Snatch back the hostages? He had no such thoughts at the moment.

Setting aside whether he could even defeat the ninja who had suddenly appeared, he certainly didn't think the golem-controlling ninja would let him take hostages again.

"Lord Yamauchi, what do we do next?" the two Chunin cautiously sidled up to him and asked in low voices.

"Flee," Yamauchi said, glancing at his friend's corpse. Though his heart ached, there was nothing he could do.

Boom!

Boom! Boom!

One after another, massive boulders, under Nagato's control, landed precisely on each Amegakure ninja.

Hanzo of the Salamander was too slippery; even with the Rinnegan, Nagato couldn't catch him.

Watching comrade after comrade turn into piles of mangled flesh before their very eyes—anyone would break down. The only difference was how long it took.

"Ahhh!!!"

After several breaths, the first Amegakure ninja broke.

Like dominoes, the collapse wouldn't stop; it would only accelerate. In less than a minute…

The Akatsuki, once trapped in a desperate situation, had successfully turned the tables.

Looking at the restrained Amegakure ninja, the surviving Akatsuki members felt none of the joy that victors should.

There was only sorrow and confusion.

Nagato, having dispelled the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, slowly approached. The Akatsuki members present spontaneously gathered around him. Gazing at the equally devastated Amegakure ninja, he remained silent for a moment, then slowly said:

"Let's go."

"Leader, where should we go?" someone asked.

"…" Nagato's lips moved a few times. Compared to Yahiko, he was clearly not as articulate. "…Back to base."

"You're all injured. You need treatment."

"Yes, sir!!"

The Akatsuki members present answered in unison. The road ahead was dark; they needed a guiding light.

Nagato, powerful and their savior, naturally became that light.

Even if he hadn't uttered any inspiring prophecies, even if he had been unknown before this, even if, after the battle, he had only offered them the most ordinary words of comfort.

The image of the red-haired youth as their leader was now etched into the deepest parts of their souls.

Crackle!

The bright yellow flames of the bonfire occasionally let out a few soft crackling sounds.

"You're awake." Seeing Yahiko slowly regain consciousness, Naruto returned his gaze to the campfire.

"Naruto?" Yahiko, seeing who it was, felt his tense body abruptly relax. "How did the battle go?"

Sensing the chakra signatures converging and heading their way, Naruto gestured for him to come warm himself by the fire.

"It's not like you don't know Nagato's strength."

Remembering the scenes before he lost consciousness, Yahiko slammed his fist hard onto the ground.

"Did I… Did I hold Nagato back?"

"…No, don't worry."

Naruto tossed the firewood in his hand into the fire and shook his head slightly.

"That's good, that's good…" Hearing this, Yahiko managed to force a curve onto his lips that might or might not have been a smile.

"They're here."

Yahiko paused, then, ignoring his injuries, quickly got up and walked towards the cave entrance.

Naruto glanced at his retreating figure, wondering if he could withstand the blow that was to come.

"Everyone…" He trailed off. Seeing the handful of people remaining, Yahiko felt a lump in his throat, unable to utter another word.

"I've failed you all…" Yahiko's knees slammed heavily onto the ground.

"Get up, Yahiko." Nagato, carrying a wounded member, forcibly pulled him up with one hand and shook his head. "You did nothing wrong."

Having teetered on the brink of life and death, the Akatsuki members present had long since abandoned any thought of blaming each other.

After all, compared to their fallen comrades, they, the survivors, were undoubtedly fortunate.

Besides, the decision to meet had been made by all of them. Amegakure's betrayal was something none of them had foreseen.

Blaming each other would only be a desecration of their dead comrades.

Inside the cave, the warm bonfire offered a few wisps of solace to everyone shrouded in cold.

Feeling the warmth of life, everyone's gaze was downcast, their thoughts unknown.

"Naruto." Nagato was the first to break the silence, looking at the blond youth across the campfire.

"Hm?" Naruto looked at him, puzzled.

"I want to ask you for something." Nagato seemed to have made up his mind. "Please, help me overthrow Amegakure!"

Naruto: "???"

Yahiko: "?!!"

Everyone: "!!!"

His words were like a sharp sword, cleaving through layers of dark clouds, allowing sunlight to shine upon everyone present. An aura of vitality filled the narrow space.

"Can you tell me your thoughts?" Naruto asked.

"No problem." Nagato nodded. He couldn't take on an entire village alone yet; he needed help—the help of a strong individual.

And Naruto was the only person he could find who could offer that help.

"Perhaps, as you said, our past ideals and methods for seeking peace were too idealistic."

"Like this time, from beginning to end, our intention was to contribute our strength to Amegakure, to the Land of Rain. But what was the result?"

"But if Amegakure were replaced by Akatsuki, would something like this happen?"

"No." Nagato shook his head. "We would accept any individual or group willing to strive and work for peace."

"Therefore, to prevent the next tragedy and to usher in peace more quickly, Amegakure can no longer be controlled by that man."

After speaking, Nagato looked at him nervously, awaiting his answer. The Akatsuki members beside him did the same.

They had all witnessed the strength of their leader and Naruto.

If one leader was already so powerful, if the two of them could join forces…

"…" Naruto tossed sticks of firewood into the bonfire one by one. Watching the flames burn ever brighter, he pondered for a long time, then nodded slightly.

"When?"

"When my chakra recovers." At this moment, Nagato appeared exceptionally decisive, possessing a unique kind of charisma.

"Hanzo of the Salamander is also injured. If we wait for him to recover and prepare, we will lose."

Battles between ninja, in the end, were wars of intelligence. Though it looked like he had Hanzo pinned down earlier, that was only because the Amegakure ninja knew nothing about the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

Once a village was prepared, the Demonic Statue would find it difficult to play a significant role.

Its large size was both an advantage and a disadvantage.

Yahiko listened to their conversation, wanting to speak but hesitating. He knew that doing this went against Akatsuki's original purpose.

Yet, he also hoped their plan would succeed.

He was no saint.

The seed of hatred had been planted in the hearts of others, and it had been planted in his heart too.

He thought of those comrades who had believed in him, who had believed in Akatsuki's ideals. Just yesterday, they had been dreaming of the future together, and now, they were separated by life and death.

Hatred,

Often needs blood to be ended.