Overdrafting the Future, Starting in Naruto

Hanzō personally inspected the bodies.

Danzō continued, "The Akatsuki organization has gathered many Rain Country ninja under the banner of peace and has gained a very large reputation here. Iwagakure needs their concept of peace to deceive us. And do you know who the teacher of the Akatsuki's leader is?"

"Who?" Hanzō looked up.

"The very same Jiraiya upon whom you bestowed the title of 'Sannin'," Danzō said.

"It's him!" Hanzō was shocked. He remembered that young man. And Jiraiya was the student of the current Third Hokage.

At that moment, Hanzō was completely convinced. He felt his own power was being threatened. As for why he trusted Danzō, a high-ranking official from Konoha? Because Danzō was a hardliner.

"What do you want to do?" Hanzō asked.

"Eliminate the Akatsuki," Danzō said, "and then use this as a pretext to go to war with Iwagakure. This is the best time. Iwa has been defeated by the Sand, and their own country has been invaded by the Cloud. Their forces are insufficient. Peace cannot be obtained through peaceful means!"

"Once Iwagakure has dealt with their Cloud problem," Danzō said coldly, "do you think that guy the Third Tsuchikage won't retaliate against us, your excellency? The so-called peace talks are nothing more than an excuse to temporarily stop the war and gain a moment of respite."

"Indeed," Hanzō nodded. "In that case, let's begin preparations. First, we'll eliminate the Akatsuki."

A smile flickered in the depths of Danzō's eyes. "I and my Root will provide our full assistance."

Mountain's Graveyard.

Aloe White Zetsu chattered excitedly, "It's starting! It's starting! Lord Madara, Hanzō of the Rain and Danzō of the Leaf are about to make their move on the Akatsuki. Speaking of which, will there be any problems? After all, he is the 'demigod'!"

Madara Uchiha slowly opened his eyes. "Demigod… heh." His tone was full of indifference and contempt.

"Speaking of which," Spiral Zetsu said, "isn't it a bit too early for this? Who will be responsible for guiding Nagato? Is Lord Madara planning to act himself?"

Madara turned his head slightly. "What, I can't?"

"Of course I didn't mean that," Spiral Zetsu quickly waved its hands. "It's just that your current condition seems a bit inconvenient, doesn't it?"

"It seems that after not moving for so long, you have forgotten your master's power and have started to look down on me," Madara huffed.

"I think now is the perfect time," Aloe White Zetsu chimed in. "Hanzō and Danzō have solved a problem for us and have become the targets that will push Nagato. When Nagato is in despair, and Lord Madara appears to bring them hope, it should be easy to win him over."

Madara was noncommittal. "Keep an eye on them."

"Absolutely no problem," Aloe White Zetsu nodded.

Two days later.

Konan, who was out, was abducted. Upon hearing the news, Yahiko and Nagato immediately set out. When they arrived, the bound Konan immediately shouted, "Yahiko, Nagato, get out of here!"

"Konan!" Yahiko yelled, looking at Hanzō and the numerous ninja surrounding them, unable to understand. "Lord Hanzō, why?"

"Because the Land of Rain only allows one voice," Hanzō said, looking down at him. He turned his gaze to Nagato and threw a kunai down. "You with the red hair. Kill him, and I will let this woman go."

Nagato stared blankly at the kunai, then looked up at Yahiko.

"Stop, Nagato! Don't worry about me! You two, just run!" Konan cried out loudly.

Nagato looked at her, at a complete loss.

Yahiko looked at Konan, then turned back to Nagato. A sudden smile appeared on his face. He walked over, picked up the kunai, and pressed it into Nagato's hand.

"Nagato, kill me. From now on, the Akatsuki is in your hands."

Nagato's mouth opened, about to speak, but Yahiko suddenly embraced him, and the kunai plunged into his body.

"Nagato, I'm entrusting my dream to you. And Konan, take good care of her, and our other comrades… You are the core of the Akatsuki. I believe in you, because you are the savior of this world." Yahiko rested his head on Nagato's shoulder, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "I'm sorry… you and Konan, you have to live on, no matter what. Carry my hope with you…"

"Hah… hah…" Nagato gasped for breath, as if he were suffocating. "Yahiko…"

Yahiko's eyes slowly closed.

Nagato suddenly staggered back a few steps, watching Yahiko fall into the mud.

"Yahiko!" Konan's cries were heart-wrenching.

Nagato looked up at Hanzō and the others above, an unbearable pain and hatred surging in his chest.

"Those eyes…" Hanzō's gaze hardened. He immediately ordered, "Do it!"

The numerous Rain-nin attacked, throwing a volley of shuriken at Nagato below. Nagato watched them fly toward him, his pupils suddenly constricting, then dilating. He raised his left hand, palm open.

An invisible repulsive force exploded outward, and all the shuriken were sent flying back. Nagato then leaped into the air, rushing toward Hanzō at extreme speed. Hanzō immediately released Konan and retreated, pressing one hand to the ground.

Just as Nagato grabbed Konan, the ground around them, which had been disguised, erupted with explosive tags that surged toward them. Nagato immediately lifted Konan, but his own legs were entangled and wrapped by the tags.

BOOM!

Flames shot into the sky, and the gorge collapsed.

"Did we get them?" Hanzō stared.

However, when the smoke cleared, there were no bodies. Next to Yahiko's corpse, Nagato, his legs badly injured, untied the ropes binding Konan. "Konan, take care of Yahiko."

At that moment, Danzō gave the order to attack, and the numerous Root ninja leaped into action.

Nagato looked up, then pressed both hands to the ground.

Summoning Jutsu!

With a roar, the upper body of the Gedo Mazō erupted from the earth. Its giant hands swept across the area, sending the Root ninja flying. Standing behind Nagato, the statue struck the ground, and then a black rod grew from its body. The rod sprouted branches, which pierced into Nagato's back with a squelch. More black rods plunged into his body, drawing out his chakra.

The Gedo Mazō opened its mouth, and a transparent chakra dragon roared out. The dragon slithered through the air, and one by one, the Root ninja it passed through had their souls ripped out, their bodies falling from the sky like dumplings. Next were the Rain-nin on the gorge, their souls also taken.

Finally, the dragon arrived before Hanzō, its head raised, looking down at him. Hanzō's heart pounded. He immediately formed a one-handed seal. Body Flicker Technique!

CRASH!

The chakra dragon smashed down, causing the ground to collapse. But Hanzō had already escaped. On the other side, Danzō, seeing that the power of the Rinnegan was even more terrifying than he had witnessed before, also immediately retreated with his men. That last attack was too bizarre. Not even his Sharingan could see through it.

At this moment, having dealt with his enemies, Nagato was gasping for breath, his body emaciated. The black rods on his back broke off, and the Gedo Mazō vanished with a poof.

He looked up at the gloomy sky, at the incessant drizzle. His lifeless eyes moved. He took off his headband and, with a kunai, scratched a line through the symbol of the Hidden Rain. A rogue ninja.

In the distance, on a hilltop, Aloe White Zetsu poked his head out, watching from afar. "How pitiful…"

At the same time, on another battlefield, Root ninja were encircling and killing the other members of the Akatsuki. These members had been rushing to help after learning that Yahiko and Nagato had gone alone to rescue Konan, but they had been ambushed and intercepted by Root on the way. Danzō didn't want Hanzō to absorb these members and grow stronger. As for the pretext? He would just blame it on Iwagakure.

Several miles away, Kinoshita Genichi and Uzumaki Ina were on the move. After a two-day rest, their mission had resumed. This time, they were heading to the Land of Birds to investigate the movements of the Sand and Stone, and then to the Land of Earth to gather intelligence on the war between the Stone and the Cloud. If they could obtain intelligence in advance and predict Iwa's movements, Konoha would have more time to prepare. This was the difficulty of being surrounded by enemies on all sides. No matter which one Konoha fought, they couldn't go all out at the beginning, for fear of being stabbed in the back.

Currently, besides Minato, only Genichi had the ability to quickly bring intelligence back to Konoha. And with his infiltration skills, he was the most suitable candidate for such a mission.

Since Suna and Iwa were still in a standoff, even if they were to hold peace talks and form an alliance, it wouldn't happen quickly. There would be a lot of back and forth. So Genichi wasn't just rushing with the Flying Thunder God. Besides, he was planning to stop by the Land of Rain on the way and meet with Nagato and the others again.

He never expected Danzō to give him such a surprise.

Smelling the scent of blood, by the time he arrived, the battle was already in its final stages.

"Genichi, it's Iwa-nin!" Ina said in alarm.

"No," Genichi shook his head. "They're Root members."

"Why are Root members disguised as Iwa-nin?" Ina asked, puzzled.

Genichi frowned. It wasn't strange for Root to disguise themselves; it was a common tactic used by all factions in the Land of Rain. But the other side, he recognized them. They were members of the Akatsuki.

Has that guy Danzō already made a move on the Akatsuki? Is he after the Rinnegan?

Genichi thought carefully. Danzō was deployed to the Land of Rain. He had previously allied with Amegakure and had waged war against Iwa together. Yahiko and the others had been very active during the war, and their calls for peace were the opposite of what Danzō wanted. It was normal for them to be targeted.

And the Rinnegan… was it possible Danzō didn't recognize it? That was even more impossible.

As expected, Danzō always brings surprises to Konoha.

Genichi silently watched as the members of the Akatsuki were slaughtered, their bodies taken away. He then rapidly spread out his perception.

"Found them. Ina, let's go!"

He vanished with Ina.

A quarter of an hour later, the two of them appeared on another battlefield.

"These are all Root ninja, and Rain-nin. So many of them. Who killed them?" Ina was very surprised. After examining the bodies, she was even more shocked. "Genichi, these people have no wounds."

Without thinking, Genichi knew it was the work of the Rinnegan. When did Yahiko die in the original timeline? It definitely wasn't now. It should have been at least another two years.

Without Obito, who was there to guide Nagato?

"It seems Madara Uchiha is about to make his move," Genichi thought, remembering the battle he had had with him in the future. With Danzō deployed to the Land of Rain, the fate of the Akatsuki was sealed.

"Ina, it looks like we need to speed up," Genichi said. Such a turn of events in the Land of Rain must have deeper causes. That guy Danzō would definitely use this to make a move against Iwagakure.

(End of Chapter)

❃❃❃

⤑ Show your support with Power Stones!

⤑ Unlock a Bonus Chapter every time we hit 400 Power Stones!

❃❃❃

♕ Get early access to 30+ advanced chapters on Patreon!

🔗 https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn

(Just remove the hyphen (-) to open the link!)

💬 Enjoying the story? Drop a review!

Your support really helps the series grow—thank you!