Chapter 111: Pain Under Attack

Atop the tallest tower in Rain Ninja Village, there lay a dimly lit chamber filled with an assortment of bizarre and intricate machines. Within the cold, complex apparatus, a solitary figure was quietly trapped.

It was Nagato—his body gaunt and frail, as if a mere gust of wind might topple him.

Suddenly, Nagato broke into a violent cough, the sound wrenching and raw, as though his lungs would be torn from his chest. Nearby, a woman with short, violet-blue hair—Konan—heard the commotion and immediately looked over.

Concern was etched across her face. Hastily, she fetched a cup of water and some pills, then hurried to Nagato’s side.

Gently helping him upright, Konan fed him the medicine and urged him to drink a few sips of water.

Once Nagato had calmed somewhat, Konan asked anxiously, “Nagato, what’s wrong? Why such an intense emotional upheaval?”

His chest heaved as he struggled to catch his breath, then he managed to utter two words:

“Prepare to fight.”

After a brief pause, he added with urgency, “Enemies are attacking. We must respond.”

Seeing the anguish on Nagato’s face, Konan refrained from pressing further. She understood the gravity of the moment. Without hesitation, she formed a series of hand seals, and a paper crane imbued with her chakra took flight, speeding away to deliver the urgent message.

In the next instant, the entire Rain Ninja Village seemed to surge with renewed vigor. Alarms blared, their piercing cries echoing through the air.

Nagato’s eyes snapped open, revealing the pale blue of the Rinnegan. The ethereal glow pulsed rhythmically, betraying the unrest within his soul.

He spoke with urgency: “No, when I say prepare to fight, I don’t mean send others from the village! Konan, you must hurry—go and repair the Six Paths of Pain! Send them all into battle! Alone, Yahiko cannot hold them off!”

Anxiety weighed heavily on Nagato’s heart. He knew the enemy was fierce and relentless—far beyond ordinary strength. He could not allow Yahiko to face such peril alone; only by unleashing all Six Paths together could they stand a chance of victory.

Events unfolded exactly as Nagato had feared. The towering iron behemoth advanced with an efficiency and ruthlessness Nagato had never witnessed before, mercilessly annihilating his comrades and relentlessly pressing toward the central tower of Rain Ninja Village.

Amid the misty drizzle, the towers rose like silent sentinels. On the cobblestone streets, the colossal iron giant strode forward with deliberate, measured steps.

Countless ninja, roused by the alarms, sprang forth from every corner of the towers. Without hesitation, they unleashed a relentless barrage of ninja tools upon the iron foe, like a torrential downpour.

By all accounts, the ninja of Rain Village were no mere novices. Situated at the crossroads of the Earth, Fire, and Wind nations, endless conflict had forged every survivor—especially the ninja—into warriors who pushed their abilities to the utmost limits.

From the shadows, these assassins emerged, their covert techniques brought to bear with deadly precision. Some specialized in toxins: their poisonous mists drifted silently like ghosts, spreading unseen and unheard.

Others excelled in stealth and ambush, melding seamlessly with their surroundings as they patiently awaited the perfect moment to strike a lethal blow.

Still others wielded exquisitely crafted ninja tools, their gleaming hidden weapons raining down like a dense curtain of deadly raindrops.

Steel needles, kunai, shuriken, explosive tags—these weapons converged into a relentless “rain of ninja tools” capable of obliterating a hundred-strong squad in an instant.

Yet, despite the ferocity of the assault, the iron giant did not flinch. It strode through the barrage as if taking a leisurely stroll in its own courtyard, utterly unfazed.

Then, four massive arms extended from its back. Each grasped a weapon known in the ninja world as an “iron cannon” to ordinary eyes.

With thunderous roars, the weapons fired, shrouding the battlefield in smoke and flame. Fallen ninja were shredded to pieces, tumbling like raindrops from great heights, as if plummeting into an abyss without end.

At that moment, elite ninja arrived, unleashing powerful ninjutsu in relentless waves like surging tides.

Some unleashed fiery dragons roaring forth—ferocious fire-style techniques.

Others rent the earth itself—unyielding earth-style jutsu.

Still others summoned furious storms—violent wind-style attacks.

Yet the iron giant’s observational and calculative faculties were astonishingly precise.

Like a master strategist calm amid crisis, it strolled with casual grace to a safe vantage point. Beneath the shadows of the tower and the crisscrossing rail tracks, it nimbly leapt and climbed. In its grasp, a two-meter-long greatsword swung with lethal arcs.

The humming blade’s slightest sweep was enough to cleave any ninja daring to approach. When the sword’s edge glowed blue, its destructive power multiplied geometrically, scorching everything in its path to blackened ash.

Before long, the iron giant reached the base of the central tower in Rain Ninja Village. Under the hood’s shadow, a crimson light flickered—a radiant crimson display slowly unfurled before it.

[Mission log record: [SSE-analysis-007]]

[Mission receipt: Unit [SSE-analysis-007] arrived at destination Rain Ninja Village, hiding place of Rinnegan bearer, at standard time 23:15 STC. Mission briefing code [ΩΔΓ-4] received from Combat Intelligence Center (CIC).]

[Command comprehension and confirmation: Unit [SSE-analysis-007] fully decoded and deeply analyzed mission instructions [β-λ-ε]. Logic core confirms command compliance and sent execution acknowledgment [ACK-θ-1] to CIC at standard time 23:18 STC.]

[Overall mission objective: Unit [SSE-analysis-007] assigned broad eradication task targeting clan “Otsutsuki,” ensuring the clan cannot regroup or revive.]

[Mission allocation: Unit [SSE-analysis-007] deployed to Sector Five Star: Ninja World, to perform specific combat operations.]

[Execution strategy: Through internal differential processing unit and psychic AI program [Dialectos-ξ], optimal action plan [Sphere-ν] determined. Plan objective: preempt enemy organization “Kara” and its leader Otsutsuki Isshiki by eliminating Rinnegan and reincarnation eyes, maximizing cost-efficiency and minimizing ecological impact.]

[Current mission status: Rinnegan located, coordinates locked. Unit [SSE-analysis-007] initiated destruction protocol [Corruption-k]. Auxiliary unit SSM monitoring and tracking potential reincarnation eye evolution targets, prepared to execute destruction command [Safeguard-λ].]

Commands streamed like a waterfall. The iron giant once again sprang into action.