The next day, before dawn, Nawaki and the others had already positioned themselves for an ambush along the path the bandits would inevitably take.
They had arrived early, unsure of when the bandits would leave the town. Hours of patient waiting left them drenched in dew, but their focus remained unbroken.
As the sun began to rise, they spotted a large group marching towards them in a steady, unbroken line. Their movements were orderly and swift—evidence of their competence, enough to have drawn the attention of the Daimyō.
"Get ready, here they come," Nawaki called out, his voice calm but resolute. His gaze stayed fixed ahead. Even when facing bandits, he approached the mission with the seriousness of a lion hunting prey—no mistakes were acceptable.
The group drew closer.
"Go," Nawaki commanded, leaping from his hiding place. Mid-air, his hands rapidly formed a seal.
"Water Release: Water Colliding Wave."
A massive water tornado materialized around him, spiraling upward before spreading out like a cascading waterfall. The torrent crashed into the center of the bandits with tremendous force.
"Quickly retreat!" the bandits shouted, panicked by the sudden attack. They scattered in all directions, trying to escape the rushing water. Those too slow were either swept away or hurled into the distance. Only a few managed to erect Earth-Style Walls to block the devastating assault.
Minato hurled a handful of kunai and disappeared from sight, the Flying Thunder God Technique leaving chaos in its wake. Each appearance and disappearance claimed another life, his agility making him unstoppable in close combat.
Konan soared above the battlefield, her wings spreading paper Senbon like a deadly rain. Bandits who could evade the Senbon found themselves unable to strike back. Those less skilled were turned into pin-cushions, their bodies exploding into a mist of blood and gore.
The brutality of the scene shocked the members of Nonō's team, who hadn't expected someone as young as Konan to display such ruthless efficiency.
Yahiko's performance, while less striking, was steady. He combined Water Release techniques with Taijutsu, weaving through the bandits and racking up his share of kills.
Nagato, meanwhile, didn't even need to use his Rinnegan. With his mastery of a wide range of techniques, he kept the bandits at bay.
"Pain, you're not bad," Nonō said, taking advantage of a moment to chat with Nagato, as her opponents weren't particularly strong.
"You're not bad either," Nagato replied politely. He had just started to showcase his abilities, while Nonō was already going all out. There was simply no comparison!
"Thank you." Nonō, oblivious to Nagato's modesty, responded with a playful laugh.
Meanwhile, the others each had their own strategies, charging toward the bandits one after another. The bandits were all ninjas, but their strength varied significantly. Some were weak, only at the Genin level, while others were as strong as Jōnin.
After the sudden attack, the bandits quickly regrouped under the direction of their leaders and began fighting back. Judging by their attire, they realized they had been targeted by Konoha's Anbu. This time, they understood there was no escape. Their only chance at survival was to fight with everything they had.
"It's Konoha's Anbu!"
"Let's fight them!"
The bandit leader yelled as he charged toward Nawaki, his bravery commendable. However, not all of the bandits shared his resolve.
Nawaki's Water Release attack quickly caused casualties. Then there was Minato, moving like a grim reaper from hell, cutting down one opponent after another. Faced with this overwhelming force, the bandits began to waver.
While their leader fought courageously, others hesitated. Some thought, If you want to fight, go ahead, but I'm not dying for this.
Once one bandit ran, another followed, then a third. Soon, their numbers thinned as cowardice overtook them. In the end, they were just a bunch of cowards.
"Don't let any of them get away," Nawaki shouted to the others as he exchanged blows with the leader.
"I'll go after them." Nonō sliced through the neck of the bandit before her with a single stroke, then casually returned her sword to its place. Leaping forward, she chased after a fleeing bandit in the distance.
Shishi and Nonō's Captain, had also just finished off their opponents. Without hesitation, they split up and pursued the remaining bandits in two other directions.
"Kid, you're pretty good," the leader said, trading more blows with Nawaki. "No wonder you dared to attack us with such a small group."
Despite his words, he failed to realize that Nawaki had been holding back, focusing more on observing the battle than fighting seriously. His strikes had been casual, and he hadn't even drawn his weapon. While the leader had some skill, he wasn't on Nawaki's level.
"You don't think I'm doing my best, do you?" Nawaki sneered, pulling the Samehada from his back. Without any elaborate moves, he swept the weapon across in a straightforward, powerful strike. Even if it didn't kill, the Samehada would drain his opponent's life force.
"You've got a lot of nerve," the leader blustered, oblivious to his looming fate.
Before Samehada even made contact, the air whistled with its force. Nawaki's strike was swift and devastating.
"Ahhh…" The leader screamed as Samehada struck him. He was flung backward, blood pouring from the jagged holes the weapon's barbs had gouged into his chest and stomach. Only his quick reflexes, blocking with his weapon, saved him from instant death.
Even so, he was in dire condition—pale, his chakra nearly depleted, and barely clinging to consciousness. Samehada, fully revealed, licked its tongue in contentment.
"Pathetic," Nawaki muttered as he exerted a little strength in his feet, rushing forward to deliver a final blow to the leader. Without even glancing back, he grabbed Samehada and charged toward the remaining group of bandits.
With their leader dead, the bandits lost all will to fight. Already outmatched in strength, they now had no way to defend themselves. The battlefield quickly turned into a one-sided slaughter.
Under the relentless assault of Nawaki and his allies, the bandits fell one after another. Nagato used a Fire Release technique to kill several enemies in front of him, then glanced around the battlefield. Seeing the outcome was already decided, he hurried toward Nonō's direction, as though driven by an unseen force.
He didn't understand what was wrong with him. Perhaps it was simply concern for his teammates, so he made that excuse for himself.
Nonō had never left his perception. After navigating a series of ascents and descents, Nagato exited the battlefield and entered a dense forest. Along the way, he occasionally came across the corpses of bandits, each felled by a precise strike to a vital area.
Nonō's methods were ruthless—but as a member of the Anbu, this was nothing unusual. After all, assassination was their primary mission. The full name of the Anbu, after all, was the Special Assassination and Tactical Squad.
"Let's see where you can run to."
Nonō had pursued the last three remaining bandits for a long distance. These three were unusually capable and had avoided engaging in battle from the start. Now far from the battlefield, they found themselves still being chased by Nonō, whose relentless pursuit irritated them endlessly.
"Damn it, kill the woman first."
"Continuing to run like this is no solution."
The bandit with a long beard glanced back and saw Nonō right on their heels.
"It's too risky. We're not far enough away," the bald bandit argued, clearly hesitant. He feared that staying here too long would allow more enemies to catch up. The strength of this female Anbu might not worry him, but the Ninja who used Water Release was someone they couldn't handle.
"If we keep running, they'll all catch up and kill us," the buck-toothed bandit added, agreeing with the plan to eliminate Nonō. As long as they acted quickly, they could escape afterward.
"It's not hard for the three of us to kill her," the bearded bandit said. "What are you hesitating for?"
Finally, the bearded bandit stopped in his tracks, determined to finish Nonō off. The bald bandit hesitated but realized he had no choice but to follow. If he tried to run alone, his companions wouldn't let him escape unscathed.
"That's more like it. You're acting like a woman," the buck-toothed bandit sneered, a menacing grin on his face as he imagined ending the nuisance behind them.
"Are you ready to die?"
Nonō stopped and faced the three bandits, her stance steady. Her heart pounded, but her voice remained firm. She had already fought them briefly earlier and knew she was no match for all three together.
"I'll send you to hell first, you bitch!"
The bearded bandit took the lead, hurling several shuriken at Nonō with a sharp, whistling sound. Immediately after, the three bandits leaped forward, long knives in hand, all aiming to finish her off quickly.
"You can't get rid of me that easily," Nonō retorted, evading the shuriken and drawing her own long sword.
Despite her skill, her chakra blade alone was not enough against the combined strength of the three bandits. As soon as they closed in, Nonō found herself in a desperate struggle. Their relentless attacks left her barely able to parry, and wounds soon covered her body. If this kept up, she feared she might truly die here.
"I thought you were supposed to be so powerful!"
"Chasing us down all by yourself—you really don't know when to quit, do you?"
"A tiger that doesn't bare its teeth gets mistaken for a weak housecat."
The bearded bandit couldn't resist taunting her, even as he continued his assault. His smug expression only amplified the ugliness of his villainy.
Nonō gritted her teeth, enduring the pain as she clung to her resolve. She believed that if she could just hold on a little longer, someone would come to her rescue.
"Make an effort! She's almost done for," the bald bandit said, his tone serious as he occasionally glanced over Nonō's shoulder. His impatience grew, fueled by the fear that help might arrive soon.
"What's the rush? It's only been a short while," the buck-toothed bandit sneered. His face twisted with glee, each wound he inflicted on Nonō making his excitement grow.
"Let's see how long you can hold out."
The bandit with the bushy beard took advantage of Nonō's lapse in defense, stabbing her in the chest with a blade. Surrounded by three attackers, she had no space to evade, forced to do her best to shield her vital areas.
Puff!
The sickening sound of a blade piercing her body echoed. The sword sank into her abdomen, followed by a brutal kick that sent her flying backward. Blood spewed from her mouth as she hit the ground, the encroaching darkness blurring her vision. Her strength was waning.
Am I going to die here?
The thought surfaced before she even landed. She had finally escaped the clutches of Danzo, breaking free from the suffocating grip of the Root Division. While life in the Anbu wasn't devoid of bloodshed, it was still far better than the ruthless demands of Root. She had dreamed of a future where she could leave it all behind, live a normal life, free of shadowed missions.
She was still young. She hadn't married. She had no children. Her life had so much left to offer.
Bang!
Nonō hit the ground hard, her body trembling as she tried to rise. She didn't want to die here. But her limbs refused to move, her strength drained to its limit.
"Just die already!"
The bandit's voice drew closer, the chill of the blade aimed at her throat growing sharper. She closed her eyes in despair, bracing herself for the end.
It's fine, she thought bitterly. I hope my next life won't be so miserable.
Clang!
A sharp, metallic sound rang out, startling her. The searing pain she had anticipated never came.
Nonō's eyes snapped open. Standing before her was a figure, not very tall, but unshakable.
Fiery red hair gleamed like a beacon.
Relief surged through her. Someone had come to save her.
It's Pain!
At that moment, Nagato was nothing less than a god in Nonō's heart.
"Are you okay?"
"Wait a minute, I'll deal with the three of them first."
Nagato didn't turn around as his words, tinged with a slight killing intent, reached Nonō's ears.
"Okay," Nonō managed to respond before her body gave out. She collapsed to the ground, completely drained, her strength spent. Tears of frustration welled up in her eyes as she lay helpless.
"Here comes another idiot who doesn't know he's already dead," sneered the bearded bandit. "What's this? Haven't even grown all your hair yet, and you're trying to play the hero?"
Nagato knocked him back effortlessly. The two men standing beside the bearded bandit exchanged uneasy glances. They could sense that something was wrong.
"This red-haired kid's quick," one of them muttered. "And he's packing a ton of chakra."
Nagato didn't waste time or words on them. People like this weren't worth the effort. Sending them to their deaths would suffice.
With fluid precision, Nagato threw the kunai he had just used to block the long sword, then extended his palm outward.
"Banshō Ten'in!"
A powerful, invisible gravitational force erupted from him, sweeping outward in an instant.
"Ahhh... What kind of Ninjutsu is this?!"
The three bandits screamed in terror as their bodies were pulled toward Nagato, floating helplessly against their will. Fear overtook them, the kind born of facing the unknown. They struggled wildly, but it was futile.
Under Nagato's control, they looked like mere puppets. Even with only a preliminary mastery of Banshō Ten'in, this unique Rinnegan ability was far beyond what these common bandits could resist.
After all, even Naruto with his Nine-Tails and Sage Mode had struggled against the suction of Banshō Ten'in.
"Die," Nagato said coldly, drawing his hand across the ground in front of him, a Chakra glow illuminating the path.
The three bandits fell to the ground with a thud, their lifeless bodies motionless. Blood flowed from their throats, instantly staining the ground a vivid red. The entire process had taken only a few seconds.
The trash-talking of the unshaven bandit earlier now felt like an insult turned back on him. Not that it mattered—he had already paid for it with his life. Perhaps, in some twisted way, it was even an honor for him to die at the hands of the Rinnegan's power.
If not for the time constraint, Nagato might have avoided revealing his special ability. The concept of suction was difficult to explain using ordinary Ninjutsu theory. And openly exposing the Rinnegan was out of the question; Kawakaze had given strict orders to keep it hidden.
Nagato could only hope that Nonō wouldn't become too curious. Otherwise, it could place him in an awkward situation as well.
Nonō lay motionless on the ground, dumbfounded, her thoughts too scattered to delve into anything deeply. She had expected Nagato to win, but she had never imagined it would be so effortless.
The three bandits, who had cornered her moments before, had been as helpless as infants before him. No—worse than infants. They were like ants before an elephant.
What kind of strength does Pain possess?
Her thoughts drifted, wondering about the face beneath the mask. Her curiosity about Nagato grew even stronger. This red-haired young man seemed like a treasure trove of mysteries waiting to be unraveled.