Naruto: Zanka No Tachi

Konan, standing atop the giant statue in the center of Amegakure, felt a sudden tightening in her chest as she saw sunlight, an anomaly, pierce the village's perpetually overcast sky. A sense of foreboding washed over her.

"Could something have happened to Nagato?"

Gazing towards the Land of Fire, in the direction of Konohagakure, Konan's face clouded with worry, and she murmured to herself, her voice barely a whisper.

"Did the leader successfully retrieve all the remaining tailed beasts this time?"

At that moment, Hōichi's voice echoed from behind her.

Konan, regaining her usual impassivity, responded in a flat, emotionless tone, "Naturally. Do you believe anyone in the ninja world could stand against Nagato, who possesses the Rinnegan?"

Hōichi nodded, offering no further comment, his focus solely on his desire to eliminate all tailed beasts from the world.

Just then, Konan sensed something: "No good. Someone has infiltrated the statue."

Without hesitation, Konan retreated into the statue, swiftly heading towards the hidden chamber where the jinchuriki were temporarily sealed. Hōichi immediately followed.

Inside a concealed chamber within the statue, Kimimaro, Guren, Jirōbō, and the Four Heavenly Kings had already infiltrated.

"These must be the jinchuriki. I can't believe there's no one guarding them. This is too easy!" Sakon, exclaimed with a laugh, looking at the unconscious jinchuriki—Yagura (Three-Tails), Fū (Seven-Tails), Rōshi (Four-Tails), and Utakata (Six-Tails)—bound within the sealing formation.

Kimimaro, however, remained calm and composed, stating, "It's not unguarded. They are already on their way. If we want to take the jinchuriki, we must eliminate them first."

As Kimimaro finished speaking, a hidden door in the chamber opened, revealing Konan and Hōichi.

Konan's voice, sharp and cold, cut through the silence, "Who are you? And what is the purpose of your intrusion?"

Hōichi, too, drew his biwa, his posture immediately shifting to a defensive stance. The biwa, a legendary instrument passed down from Shukaku's first jinchuriki, the Buddhist monk Fū, possessed immense sealing power, capable of subduing not only tailed beasts but also sealing the chakra of ninjas.

Pain's decision to leave Hōichi alongside Konan to guard the tailed beasts stemmed from Hōichi's exceptional skill in sealing jutsu, his ability to effectively counter tailed beasts, and, importantly, his unwavering honesty and lack of personal ambition beyond his singular goal of eliminating the tailed beasts.

"Just as the intel indicated, Akatsuki's remaining guards are Konan, proficient in Paper Release, and Hōichi, a master of sealing. Follow the plan. Swift and decisive action is key!"

Kimimaro stated calmly, his eyes fixed on Konan and Hōichi.

As he spoke, Kimimaro activated his Earth-style Cursed Seal, a sharp bone spur instantly materializing in his hand and hurtling towards the two. Except for Jirōbō, Guren and the Four Heavenly Kings also unleashed their cursed seals, joining Kimimaro in the assault on Konan and Hōichi.

Upon hearing Kimimaro's words, Konan and Hōichi immediately suspected an inside informant within Akatsuki, exploiting their absence during the attack on Konoha headquarters to seize the tailed beasts.

"I will capture you and then extract the truth about the traitor within our ranks!"

A glint of icy determination filled Konan's eyes as she dissolved into countless paper fragments, launching a fierce counterattack against the incoming assailants.

"Paper Technique: Paper Chakram!"

At Konan's command, a flurry of paper shuriken rained down upon the enemy, a dense barrage of projectiles.

"Crystal Release: Jade Crystal Wall!"

Guren swiftly performed hand seals, erecting a massive red crystal wall before them, effectively deflecting Konan's Paper Rain attack.

The relentless barrage of paper shuriken pounded against the red crystal wall, producing an incessant hammering sound, a clear indication of their tremendous force. The wall began to show signs of stress, with numerous dents and cracks appearing across its surface.

"Paper Shuriken: Explode!"

Seeing her attack thwarted, Konan let out a cold snort, detonating all the paper shuriken embedded in the crystal wall—revealing that the paper itself was explosive tags.

A series of thunderous explosions shattered Guren's crystal wall, and simultaneously, six chakra chains, moving with incredible speed, shot out towards Kimimaro, Guren, and the Four Heavenly Kings. These chains, imbued with powerful sealing jutsu, were unleashed by Hōichi through his biwa, making escape nearly impossible for anyone caught in their grasp.

"Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Seedling Fern."

"Crystal Release: Jade Crystal Mirror."

Kimimaro plunged his bone spur into the ground, causing countless bone spurs to erupt across the room, forcing Konan to evade while simultaneously protecting the immobile Hōichi. Guren responded with her Emerald Crystal Mirror, generating six hexagonal crystal mirrors to deflect the chains back towards their source.

"No!"

Hōichi immediately attempted to regain control of the chains, but the six chains became hopelessly entangled, ensnaring him in their grasp.

The trapped Hōichi found himself unable to break free, effectively removing him from the fight. Konan was taken aback by Hōichi's unexpected incompetence at a critical moment.

"Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Clematis Flower!"

Just then, Konan sensed an overwhelming surge of killing intent.

In a flash, she saw Kimimaro, who had previously been at a distance, instantly appear before her, his body seemingly propelled by the bone spurs embedded in the ground. In his right hand, he held a bone drill-like weapon, its spiral shape menacingly aimed at her.

Quickly shifting her body diagonally backward to evade the attack, Konan simultaneously turned herself into paper.

However, due to Kimimaro's lightning-fast speed, she was unable to completely avoid the attack. Kimimaro's bone drill tore a massive hole in her left shoulder, causing a torrent of blood to erupt. Konan's already pale skin became even whiter, her lips turning a ghastly pale.

Before Konan could catch her breath, the Four Heavenly Kings closed in, launching a relentless barrage of attacks against her and the now-helpless Hōichi.

With Konan severely injured and Hōichi proving to be a significant liability, she recognized the dire situation they faced, their chances of victory dwindling rapidly.

"Where in the world did these experts come from? I've never even heard of them before in all my time in the ninja world!"

Konan's frustration mounted, and she resolved to unleash her full power, aiming for total destruction and the annihilation of everyone present.

"While losing the jinchuriki is a significant setback, it's far better than letting them fall into the hands of these unknown enemies!"

Her mind set, Konan, utilizing the Paper Person Technique to propel herself and the restrained Hōichi into the air, unleashed a torrential downpour of paper from her cloak onto the unsuspecting individuals below.

"No good, all that paper is explosive tags!"

Kimimaro's face contorted in alarm, his voice filled with a desperate cry of warning.

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