Naruto: Uchiha Survivor Forced to Save the Shinobi World

"It's him!?"

Uchiha Shinji froze, his face betraying a mix of shock and uncertainty.

Through his earlier observations, he had confirmed the mysterious figure's identity: the 'Lampbearer' orchestrating the invasion of the shinobi world from behind the demon horde.

This was his sole target for this mission!

However, he hadn't planned to confront them so soon. The strength they had displayed in their previous actions made him deeply wary.

In his strategy, he intended to leverage the shinobi world's forces to exhaust the opponent as much as possible before stepping in to deliver the decisive blow.

As Shinji stared at the mysterious figure in astonishment, the figure's gaze swept over him.

"A Hidden Leaf shinobi…"

Noticing the forehead protector on Shinji's head, the mysterious figure identified him.

Ordinarily, Shinji, still a student yet to graduate from the ninja academy, wouldn't be qualified to wear the Hidden Leaf headband. But since he was representing the village on this mission to the Grass Country, he had been granted special permission to wear it as proof of his status as a Hidden Leaf shinobi.

The mysterious figure then withdrew their gaze, their movement uninterrupted.

A mere Hidden Leaf shinobi wasn't worth stopping for. Their sole target was the Akatsuki leader hiding in the shadows.

The appearance of the Six Paths of Pain hadn't dispelled their suspicions but rather reinforced their belief that the Akatsuki leader was the 'Lampbearer' guarding the shinobi world.

The Six Paths' formidable strength and Nagato's habit of concealing his true body perfectly matched the profile of a 'Lampbearer.'

Whoosh!

In an instant, the two passed each other.

By the time Shinji stopped and turned around, the mysterious figure had vanished at the end of the street, nowhere to be seen.

"He…!?"

Shinji was still dazed.

The figure's aggressive demeanor clearly indicated they were hunting a target. For a fleeting moment, Shinji had nearly activated his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan to engage in a life-or-death battle.

Yet, to his surprise, the figure hadn't even acknowledged him, simply moving on.

"Though he can suppress my 'lamp,' he can't pinpoint my location! And even when we met face-to-face, he didn't seem to recognize my identity!"

Shinji quickly realized this.

Of course, he misunderstood one thing. The reason the mysterious figure hadn't detected his identity, even in person, was because Shinji had never used his 'lamp's' abilities.

This absence of the 'lamp's' trace had, by a stroke of luck, allowed him to avoid this confrontation.

In a grand residence within the 'Infinity Castle,' Nagato sat in his wooden chair, remotely controlling the Five Paths of Pain as they battled the six demonized Hashiras.

Having used the Hell Path's abilities to test and exhaust the Hashiras' capabilities, even without the Deva Path, the remaining Five Paths had the strength to overwhelmingly suppress the six Hashiras.

As the battle wore on, the Five Paths had fully dominated, with the Hashiras only able to hold their ground by relying on their demonic immortality.

Rustle rustle.

At that moment, a swarm of paper scraps flew into the residence, coalescing in midair into Konan's form. She spoke to Nagato, "There are traces of demons nearby. This is clearly a trap!"

Nagato replied calmly, "It doesn't matter. I can win."

Konan hesitated before suggesting, "Itachi and Kisame are likely in this strange space as well. Should we rendezvous with them first?"

Nagato dismissed the idea. "No need."

Konan didn't press further.

In her eyes, Itachi was aligned with Obito, and their relationship with Obito was currently strained. In this peculiar environment, she didn't fully trust Itachi.

At that moment, both Nagato and Konan suddenly turned their gazes toward the window.

Boom!

With a thunderous crash, a figure smashed through the courtyard wall, bursting into the residence. They locked eyes with Nagato in his wooden chair and declared, "Found you!"

Undoubtedly, the intruder was the mysterious figure!

Upon seeing the Rinnegan in Nagato's eyes and the vibrant life force emanating from him—unique to a living person—they instantly concluded that this was the shinobi world's 'Lampbearer' they sought!

Nagato remained composed, but Konan was far from calm.

Seeing the intruder discover Nagato's true body, she reacted with alarm, launching an attack without hesitation.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh.

In an instant, countless paper scraps surged toward the mysterious figure like a blizzard!

The mysterious figure swung their sword, flames leaping from the blade, incinerating every last paper scrap in a single sweep!

"What!?"

Konan, hovering in midair, was stunned.

But before she could recover, the mysterious figure appeared before her with a whoosh, their longsword slashing down!

Konan's pupils constricted.

As Jiraiya's disciple and the Akatsuki's personnel manager, her strength, while not on par with Nagato's, was far from mediocre.

Yet, in this brief exchange, she realized the opponent's strength far exceeded her expectations.

Their speed, in particular, was astonishingly fast!

Just as the flaming longsword was about to strike her, Nagato, seated in his wooden chair, raised a hand. "Shinra Tensei!"

Boom.

The mysterious figure, along with the house and courtyard behind them, was hurled backward by a tremendous repulsive force!

Moments later, as the dust settled, the mysterious figure's silhouette emerged, leaning on their sword. They looked at Nagato. "Those eyes of yours… I'll take them!"

"Hmph!"

Nagato merely let out a dismissive snort.

Zheng.

At that moment, a sharp biwa note rang out within the residence!

The space shifted abruptly, and the mysterious figure, Nagato, and Konan vanished from the spot, reappearing in an unfamiliar room.

Nagato and Konan were caught off guard, but the mysterious figure was prepared, instantly launching an attack. Their longsword thrust toward Nagato, who was immobilized in his wooden chair.

Konan cried out, "Nagato, watch out!"

Nagato sensed something was wrong, but as he turned, the mysterious figure's longsword was already inches away, unavoidable!

Whoosh!

At that critical moment, a swirling vortex appeared, dragging Nagato and his wooden chair into the Kamui dimension.

Landing in the dimension, Obito, wearing his spiral mask, said, "That guy's strong!"

Seeing it was Obito, Nagato relaxed slightly, though his face took on a rare grimness.

The opponent's strength was already outrageous, and the existence of the 'Infinity Castle' as a strange dimension made the situation even thornier, even for him!

Obito said, "I'll go check the situation—"

Before he could finish, a dim lamplight pierced through the space, penetrating his Kamui dimension and opening a narrow passage in the dimensional barrier.

Following the lamplight, the mysterious figure's form flickered into view, appearing before Nagato and Obito.