Black Ops: Anbu Naruto

"What?"

"Lord Pain has come to the battlefield."

Hearing the news, shock rippled through the crowd.

Pain was the one who had led this war against the Five Great Ninja Villages. Was he truly coming to the battlefield in person?

As the murmurs swelled into anxious whispers, Konan, the Angel, descended from the sky into the center of the crowd. Her face unreadable, she scanned the weary soldiers and spoke in a calm, emotionless tone:

"Do not falter. Continue the attack. Lord Pain is coming soon—he will completely crush the enemy. I swear it with my life."

The moment she finished speaking, her body turned into countless pieces of paper that scattered into the air.

Konan's appearance undeniably infused the Rain ninja with renewed determination. Under Lord Pain's leadership, they believed, ultimate victory was assured.

Every soldier burned with determination, returning to their posts full of resolve—hauling supplies to the frontlines, tending to the wounded, and clearing away fallen bodies, preparing to welcome the upcoming triumph.

Each person longed to witness the glory of this great victory.

*****

##Sunagakure Main Gate##

No one could explain where these monsters had come from.

First came a massive centipede, its body striped in orange and black, descending from above, its head riddled with grotesque hollows. Then followed an even larger Giant Ox, also riddled with bizarre holes, charging chaotically and leaving Sand and Leaf ninja struggling to respond.

"How did these monsters break through our defenses?" a Suna ninja shouted, who had barely dodged the centipede's attack, his hands still trembling.

It wasn't just its size—it was shockingly fast, too. Its sharp claws and fangs made it nearly impossible to guard against.

"How should I know!" another ninja yelled back, pointing at the charging Giant Ox heading straight for Sunagakure's barrier. "How do we stop that thing?!"

"Lee!"

"Master Guy, I'm ready!"

[Leaf Whirlwind!]

Two emerald-blurred figures darted forward like a whirlwind, skillfully evading the ox's wild attacks. Timing their moves perfectly, they both kicked its front legs simultaneously.

The enormous beast lost balance and crashed heavily onto the sand dunes. Though it thrashed violently, trying to rise again, numerous Suna ninja quickly surrounded it. Dozens of Restriction Techniques tightly bound it down, rendering it helpless.

Meanwhile, Konoha's most perceptive eyes scanned the battlefield, searching for any sign of enemy presence.

"Tch! How could our frontline get breached?" Neji growled under his breath as he activated his Byakugan, attempting to locate gaps in the defense line that could have allowed those distorted, hole-ridden summoning beasts to slip through.

Although the enemy's main forces hadn't approached the gate, Neji did sense a faint chakra signal—one that somehow bypassed the defensive line without engaging in combat at all.

"Damn it! How did I miss that earlier?! Follow me!"

This chakra might not seem threatening, but Neji didn't dare relax his guard. Leading a squad of Genin, he swiftly pursued the direction where the mysterious chakra was moving.

They passed through the shattered remains of Sunagakure's protective barrier, racing through the ruins of shattered walls and collapsed buildings.

"Hyūga-sama, what exactly did you discover?" one of the Suna ninja couldn't help but ask.

"...I'm not entirely sure myself," Neji replied. But he had a strong feeling—this was definitely nothing good.

Other than injured personnel needing treatment, there shouldn't have been anything returning to the village. And the way that chakra moved clearly didn't belong to an ordinary ninja.

Suddenly, the chakra seemed to sense their pursuit. It abruptly changed direction and launched an attack toward them.

"Dodge it quickly!" Neji shouted.

The Suna ninja reacted swiftly, successfully avoiding the assault—but Neji himself was caught unexpectedly by a surprisingly fast, pink tongue that wrapped tightly around him, suddenly yanking him high into midair. He was bound firmly, unable to move a muscle.

"Hyūga-sama!" the Suna ninja cried out anxiously.

Neji steeled himself to remain calm as he carefully examined the creature holding him. It turned out to be a gigantic chameleon with a tail as flexible as a snake, swaying skillfully.

Just like those previous monsters, its body was pockmarked with hollows, and its eyes bore eerie concentric rings.

What a fascinating summon. Had it not displayed clear hostility, Neji might've actually wanted to study it further.

"Hmph. If I'd known Konoha would send a ninja from the Hyūga clan, especially someone as exceptional as you, I should've chosen another method for sneaking in," a familiar voice echoed from the chameleon's throat.

With one foot planted firmly on the giant chameleon's tongue, a man slowly emerged wearing a black robe embroidered with red clouds.

He possessed the same concentric-ringed eyes and facial voids as the chameleon, along with messy orange short hair. His Amegakure forehead protector, which he once wore across his forehead, had already been slashed apart. But what stood out most about him was the "X"-shaped scar on his chin.

Neji immediately recognized the Rinnegan, understanding that the man before him was Pain.

Neji also knew this was only one of Pain's Six Paths—he had studied the intelligence Jiraiya brought back in great detail.

Yet there was one thing he could never have imagined—the original owner of this body was…

"Danzō-sama?" Neji asked cautiously, still bound tightly by the chameleon's constricting tongue. "Pain has turned your body into one of his Six Paths…" he murmured.

Of course, Danzō—who was already a corpse—couldn't answer his question. But this at least resolved the confusion that had plagued him all along.

"You are familiar with my abilities," Pain said, speaking through Danzō's corpse. "Or rather, you know part of them. Though Jiraiya failed, he wasn't completely empty-handed. I deeply regret not finishing him off myself."

"You previously used this summon to infiltrate Sunagakure, right?" Neji continued asking while trying to break free from his bindings. "How did you bypass our defenses and carry out an attack within the village?"

According to the intelligence they'd received, the one who attacked Sunagakure before was another one of Pain's Six Paths.

"The capabilities of the Animal Path are incredibly versatile and practical," Pain answered. Hearing someone he knew speak in such a cold tone sent a chill through Neji's entire being.

"Let's end this idle conversation."

"That's precisely what I was thinking."

"Neji said, channeling his chakra into a single point before unleashing it.

[Gentle Fist Technique: One Strike Body!]

The immense force instantly sent the chameleon's tongue flying, and Neji seized the opening to break free, landing on the ground.

Pain had no desire to drag out the battle. He controlled the chameleon to keep running deeper into Sunagakure, while Neji and his subordinates chased relentlessly.

They kept pursuit until the chameleon passed through the sabotaged protective barrier and entered the village's interior.

Although Sunagakure had been nearly completely destroyed, reconstruction was already underway at full speed.

As he looked upon the sight before him, Pain couldn't help but feel somewhat emotional—his carefully orchestrated assault had failed to crush the Sand Village ninjas' resolve to rebuild their homes.

But this time, he hadn't come to completely destroy Sunagakure—he had a far more crucial objective to fulfill. He needed greater assistance.

Pain leaped off the chameleon, ordering it to hold off Neji and the others. He then formed a series of hand seals and channeled his chakra into the ground."

<><><><><><><><>

Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!

~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!

<><><><><><><><>

~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!

~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!

patreon.com/Tansnovel

<><><><><><><><>