Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 446 Cooperative Operations

First, I need to prove my identity. Please open the amulet Naruto gave you; my Flying Thunder God symbol is engraved on the inner walls of the two nailed wooden boards.

It had been so long since she'd felt her heart pounding like this. Tsunade could imagine her adrenaline pumping; otherwise, why would her hand tremble slightly as she took out the wooden amulet?

This is a little trinket that Naruto gave to someone close to him. His mark is openly engraved on the outer layer, a small swirling pattern, perfect as an ornament. However, the rope hanging on the talisman doesn't come out of the hole, but rather passes through the middle of the talisman. This little thing is made of two wooden boards of the same size nailed together.

Against a power-type ninja, the wooden board broke into two pieces with a mere snap. Tsunade finally saw the pattern inside the board; she recognized the symbol that resembled the Senju clan crest.

"If you're willing to trust me, then... Tsuna, follow these hand seals to obtain the sealed item."

The item she received was a small device that resembled a localized communication device, only slightly larger, with a hook that could be hung on the ear. It was different from the type commonly used by the Konoha team. Tsunade eagerly pressed what appeared to be a power button, and a deep male voice quickly came through the earpiece.

"Hey, can you hear me?"

"...Second Grandfather?" Although the mark from earlier was indeed the strongest proof, Tsunade was still somewhat dazed. How many years had it been since she had heard the voice of her relatives?

"Well, as long as you can hear me. Tsuna, we can catch up later. The Six Paths of Pain have already invaded Konoha. They are no ordinary enemies, but don't worry, the eight-person combat team from Dongfeng will cooperate with Konoha's attack."

"Pain has already come in!?" Tsunade doubted the voice in her earpiece for a moment, but the loud noise outside the window immediately struck, and reality left her no time to hesitate.

"Issue an emergency alert immediately!"

"Naruto is currently unable to deal with the Six Paths of Pain. I will explain the specifics later. From now on, I will keep you updated on the exact location and abilities of the Six Paths of Pain..." A burst of static came through the earpiece, sounding like a section of brick wall had collapsed. Before Tsunade could even panic, the other end continued, "The Pain at point C on the East Second Exit is the Animal Path. The Human Path is lurking nearby, cooperating with them. Their target should be the Cipher Department. I will provide support in this direction, so don't worry. The identities of the Pains at the remaining locations are not yet clear. I will contact you later."

Tobirama, dressed in ANBU attire, temporarily suspended communication. He needed to give Tsunade some time to process the information, and besides, it was too much to ask her to talk while simultaneously catching such a nimble reptile.

The entire East Wind Squad, which entered Konoha, consisted entirely of sensory-type members. The moment Number 3 issued the alarm, they began heading southwest. However, the Six Paths of Pain were also on the move, quickly darting to other areas. Tobirama was the fastest, so he chose to intercept Pain, who was also incredibly fast. But this guy's speed wasn't achieved through his own abilities; he relied on the convenience of his summoned beasts to move swiftly.

Although these summoned beasts have limited intelligence, they are all enormous monsters. It's a mystery where Pain found so many rare and exotic creatures; it almost looks like a zoo.

At full speed, Tobirama sliced ​​through the giant centipede's head with a jet of water, then vanished from the spot, reappearing atop the Cipher Department building. A great commotion came from the southwest; a giant rhinoceros was charging straight towards them, trampling over everything in its path.

[Can number 5 hold them off?]

I will do my best!

"Are there any ninjas who know Earth Formation Wall?" Tobirama shouted, calling out to the ninjas on the nearby rooftops. Some of them were patrol personnel, while others were ninjas who were originally on leave but had been dragged into the battlefield. Ordinary ninjas certainly didn't have many good ways to deal with giant summoning beasts, but that didn't mean they were completely helpless.

Many ninjas in the crowd responded; they were currently at a loss and needed someone to give orders.

"Let's use them together!"

Thick earthen walls rose from the ground, blocking the giant beast's path. Although the monster possessed immense strength and easily shattered them each time, its speed eventually slowed down over time. When the rhinoceros suddenly stumbled and sank into the ground, Payne realized that the real killing move was a large pool of mud. Once the summoned beast was trapped, there was no chance of it escaping.

Although there are still a few summoning spells on the ground, it is definitely better to have the advantage of the sky in this situation.

The giant green bird immediately changed direction, switching from flanking cover to a frontal charge. However, it hadn't expected that Konoha had a ninja capable of controlling a water dragon over ten meters long. The water dragon wasn't fast enough to entangle the Yata no Ootori, but Pain underestimated Konoha's ordinary ninjas. The charging speed wasn't enough to break free from the water dragon's restraint, resulting in the loss of two summoned beasts.

Seeing that the rhinoceros was completely welded to death, Payne immediately moved on. This time, he chose the hellhound, that troublesome monster that would grow stronger and split apart if it was attacked.

Tobirama frowned slightly, also finding this thing rather troublesome, and thus summoned off-field support.

"Big brother, build a bucket, then throw my mark in it."

"Huh? Okay, how big is it?"

It can fit that dog.

"Oh, slow down! I'll go somewhere else!"

"Explosive tags to suppress!" Tobirama commanded again. With his older brother as backup, he didn't care if the dog turned into a behemoth; he was only afraid it would split apart at will. The smoke from the explosive tags would affect the vision of ordinary people, but it wouldn't interfere with Tobirama's senses. He mixed his own kunai into the countless kunai bound with explosive tags. Of course, he dared to fly straight over; even if this body exploded to pieces, he wouldn't be hurt.

Pain wasn't in such a comfortable position. With the Konoha ninja under unified command, they could still cause him some trouble. He now had to rely on the Hellhound's ability to withstand the explosion and then seize the opportunity to infiltrate the Chameleon's body, which was guarding the other side.

Animal Path's mission is to attract attention. Now he has been spotted by many Konoha people and has been effectively countered twice. It's better to play it safe.

However, his plan was destined to fail. Amidst the explosions, his feet suddenly gave way, and the Hellhound vanished right before his eyes! This familiar feeling... is it the Flying Thunder God Technique?

Payne immediately assumed a defensive stance and began forming hand seals, attempting to summon a summoned beast to withstand the impact of the explosion. However, his movements were slightly slowed by the kunai that suddenly appeared in his sight. He did manage to dodge the kunai by turning his head slightly, but... the Animal Path's control also suddenly snapped, and his last vision was of something tumbling and flying.

Who could have severed the head of a beast?!