Konoha's Genius is a bit Ordinary?

Of course, the only one gravely injured was Itachi. Hidan, that guy, didn't count; no matter how serious his injuries were, once stitched back together, he would likely be jumping around as lively as ever...

With the situation at hand, the barrier's purpose had become obsolete. After all, the barrier was maintained to kill Natsuro, but now killing him had become a distant dream.

Natsuro also noticed the disappearance of the barrier and once again reconnected to the Flying Thunder God markings outside.

And sure enough, that familiar figure appeared before his eyes again, the person with orange hair and the imposing Rinnegan was none other than Deva Path Pain!

Seeing Pain as he expected, Natsuro sneered slightly and asked, "Not maintaining the barrier anymore?"

Pain didn't know how to respond for a moment. He looked at the scene before him, his eye twitching involuntarily. This situation was far different from what he had envisioned.

Even though they had anticipated Natsuro's strength and had sent four members to cooperate, for the first time, it proved of Akatsuki's high regard for him it still wasn't enough.

But clearly, they had underestimated Natsuro's power.

Especially...

Pain turned his gaze to Kisame Hoshigaki. His voice, devoid of any emotion, rang out, "Kisame Hoshigaki, I thought you wouldn't betray the organization."

Cough, cough. Itachi, leaning against the wall, spoke weakly to correct him, "Kisame's body was taken over by Natsuro Shindōkawa. He hasn't betrayed the organization."

Pain fell silent instantly. He looked at Natsuro, then at Kisame. Why did this man have two bodies moving independently? And what's more, another person's soul was occupying one of them!

"Natsuro Shindōkawa, I admit you're strong, but don't think that gives you the right to defy God's will!" Pain's gaze locked onto Natsuro's true body as he spoke.

"God? You, with just the Rinnegan, are far from worthy of being called a god." Natsuro retorted with a touch of mockery. Simultaneously, he retracted the soul from Kisame's body. There was no longer any point in continuing.

Sensing the Flying Thunder God markings he had left outside, Natsuro immediately used the technique to leave. Who knew what traps might still be waiting? It was better to leave early.

Even without traps, staying had no meaning and might even bring danger.

Natsuro wasn't entirely confident he could avoid getting hurt against Pain, especially with Kakuzu and Kisame ready to assist.

The Spirit Transformation Technique wasn't omnipotent. He couldn't maintain control over Kisame indefinitely, nor would switching to a different target work.

Pain was out of the question. As a reanimated corpse remotely controlled by Nagato, it couldn't be taken over by the Spirit Transformation Technique.

Itachi was gravely injured, but Natsuro wouldn't dare use the Spirit Transformation Technique on him. After all, you can mess around, but don't mess with the weasel (Itachi's name sounds like "weasel" in Japanese).

Although Itachi's body was frail, his spirit wasn't. A direct clash between their souls would give Natsuro the upper hand, but a battle of equals would defeat the purpose of taking control in the first place. So, he had to pass on Itachi.

As for Kakuzu, he was even harder to control than Kisame. With his five hearts, Natsuro might only manage to control one, while Kakuzu could still act with the other four, rendering it meaningless.

Lastly, there was Hidan. While he might seem like an ideal candidate due to his weak soul, his battered state made him a poor choice. Taking over his body would be self-torture.

Leaving Hidan unchecked was also dangerous. If he got injured, his abilities would become the biggest threat.

Moreover, Natsuro couldn't be sure there weren't other Akatsuki members nearby like Konan or the ever-present Zetsu.

Under such uncertain circumstances, his best choice was to leave this place of trouble immediately.

After Natsuro left, Kisame hesitated momentarily, then looked at Pain, then at Itachi, who had been gravely injured by "him." For a moment, he didn't know what to say.

"Sorry..."

That single word was obviously directed at Itachi, but Itachi, too weak to respond, remained silent. His severe injuries, compounded by overuse of the Mangekyo Sharingan, had left him in dire straits. At this rate, he might not last until that day...

"Kakuzu, help Itachi with the stitching," Pain ordered.

Kakuzu glanced at Pain's Rinnegan and chose not to argue. He obediently retrieved Itachi's severed arm and began his stitching work.

For a moment, Kakuzu felt that this entire mission had amounted to nothing but stitching...

He wasn't a tailor!

....

"Kisame, at the next meeting, explain in detail how you were controlled to prevent other members from being taken over in the future," Pain said as he looked at Kisame Hoshigaki.

"Understood." Kisame paused before responding. He truly felt embarrassed. Not only had he failed to help, but he had also become a liability. Even with his shark-like face, this was a tough pill to swallow.

"Shindōkawa... Natsuro." After making all the necessary arrangements, Pain murmured the name.

Even for him, swiftly defeating those four individuals wouldn't have been easy, yet Natsuro seemed to have done it effortlessly.

Pain had a foreboding feeling, this person might become the greatest obstacle in Akatsuki's mission to collect all the Tailed Beasts!

"Once you've recovered, return to your respective missions. As for capturing the Nine-Tails, we'll put that on hold for now. I will personally go to the Land of Fire to capture the Nine-Tails later," Pain ordered again.

The four others agreed, understanding the situation. If they went to the Land of Fire in pairs as before and encountered Natsuro again, death might be their only outcome.

At that moment, they felt a bit disoriented. When had they ever been in such a situation? Normally, whichever country they entered would be trembling in fear. But now, the Leaf Village in the Land of Fire had produced a bug-level existence.

"Then, what about the One-Tail?" Kisame asked. "We haven't been able to buy much time. The other side might already be heading to the sealing site."

"The sealing ceremony has been interrupted by another group, but it's not a significant issue. Most of the One-Tail's chakra has already been extracted, which is enough for our purposes," Pain replied. "I've already instructed Deidara and Sasori to leave the battlefield as soon as possible."

"Leave the battlefield? And how am I supposed to do that?!" Deidara cursed under his breath, clutching his severed arm. Was this a joke? The other mission failed too?

Deidara glanced at the four people in front of him: Naruto, Kakashi, Ino, and Karin. Escaping from them seemed nearly impossible.

Especially the red-haired one, no matter where he tried to hide, she would find him. How was he supposed to escape?

Deidara clutched his severed arm, which had been lost to a jutsu similar to Itachi's Sharingan techniques. This one, however, was even more terrifying, seeming capable of twisting space itself. It left Deidara deeply wary.

Then there was the pale-gold-haired individual. Deidara didn't even know what kind of ninjutsu they were using, but every time they attacked, it felt like his mind was being hammered. His mental state was now dazed and sluggish.

At this rate, forget about escaping safely, he'd be lucky to avoid dying here.

"Hey, what are you still doing here? Shouldn't you be heading back to collect your comrade's body? That first guy who showed up—Natsuro, was it?" Deidara taunted, knowing Natsuro had likely escaped. But what was the point of letting them know he was fine?

However, as soon as he said that, something felt off... A sudden, oppressive atmosphere filled the air.

"Don't listen to him. Natsuro will be fine," Kakashi said, sensing the shift in mood and speaking to calm the situation.

"Natsuro..." Ino also believed Natsuro wouldn't be in trouble, but hearing Deidara's words still planted seeds of fear in her heart.

She began debating whether to use her unfamiliar Spirit Transformation Technique or cooperate with her teammates to employ her more reliable Mind Body Switch Technique.

The enemy had endured multiple mental attacks from her already, so Ino was confident that if her Mind Body Switch hit, she could directly read his memories and locate Natsuro.

But as she hesitated, a sudden wave of dread swept over her, its source alarmingly close.

"Natsuro won't be in trouble! You're lying!!"

A monstrous roar rang out, shaking everyone's ears.

Naruto's teeth had grown unnaturally sharp, his eyes turning a murky blood-red, and a sinister red chakra, different from anything before which began oozing from his body like liquid.

"Step away from Naruto!" Kakashi shouted urgently as he saw the unusual red chakra erupting from Naruto's body.

At the same time, Kakashi sighed inwardly. This was trouble. Clearly, the enemy's words had provoked Naruto into a state of extreme anger, triggering his rampage.

When they arrived earlier and saw Gaara barely clinging to life after having an excessive amount of chakra extracted, Naruto had already been furious. Now, with the enemy's taunting, his rage had completely erupted, and there was no suppressing it!

Karin, meanwhile, was drenched in sweat. She hadn't expected the chakra of that "distant relative," which she had always found so warm and familiar, to hide such a terrifyingly evil power. Even sensing it briefly had almost scared her stiff.

In the end, it was Ino who dragged her away from Naruto.

"Huh? That brat is a Jinchūriki?" Deidara's face lit up with delight at this realization. If the Jinchūriki went on a rampage, his teammates' first priority would undoubtedly be to help him, giving Deidara the perfect chance to escape.

However, in the next moment, Deidara's expression froze. He saw a familiar figure suddenly appear in front of the rampaging Jinchūriki. With just one hand placed on the Jinchūriki's head, the rampage ceased entirely.

At that moment, only one thought filled Deidara's mind: Run!

The person who had just appeared was the very target they had all conspired to kill in their earlier meeting, the same person Deidara had just claimed was dead.

Natsuro!!

For someone to survive an encounter with those four and walk away unscathed was clearly not someone Deidara could handle alone!

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Currently on Chapter 256 - A Path to Change