Pushing Through the Limit Chapter 76: Course Correction

Staying in Ame during the height of the Third Shinobi War was a lot more peaceful than I expected. Upon our arrival at the Akatsuki’s first hideout, we’d been met with suspicion and hostility, but, upon Yahiko’s insistence, we were allowed to stay for a few days.

We were still treated cautiously by the other Shinobi and almost constantly watched, but that was to be expected. We were outsiders after all.

However, that didn’t stop Jiraiya from attempting to reconnect with his old students. Ever since we’d arrived, he’d been right by their side, finding out what they’d been up to after he left.

Konan on the other hand took to staying out of everyone’s way. She still interacted with the group, but only when prompted. I could somewhat understand her awkwardness. I’d probably act in a similar way if I had to spend any amount of time around the Tsunade of this time... Or worse yet, Kushina.

As for me, I’d taken to staying in the background, not exactly avoiding interactions to the same degree as Konan, but not actively seeking them out either.

“Hungry?” Nagato asked, holding a bowl of hot, watery soup towards me. “It’s not much, but it’ll keep you going in this weather.”

Eyeing the soup for a moment, I nodded, accepting it. “Thank you.”

That was another thing that I was struggling with. Nagato, the man that wanted to bring pain and death to the world was just so... Kind. He was a completely different person to the one I’d briefly met in my time. As he was now, he’d sooner die than harm any of his friends.

“You’re welcome,” Nagato hummed. “So, you’re from Konoha, right? What do you think of Ame?”

“It’s... A lot muddier than I thought it’d be,” I answered honestly. “And pretty dark too.”

“Heh, yeah. It’s probably a lot different from what you’re used to,” Nagato chuckled. “Jiraiya-sensei told me a bit about Konoha. How it’s sunny there and how your village is filled with trees... I think I’d like to see it someday. Maybe once this war is over.”

Yeah... That might not be such a good idea, especially since Danzo was still alive. Who knows what he’d do if he found out that Nagato has the Rinnegan... My best guess, he’d either try and take it for himself or gain control over him... Likely through blackmail and threats.

Well, since we were already changing the past, it couldn’t hurt to deal with Danzo early. I already knew where his base was, so it’s not like I’d need to look especially hard... And this was prior to him getting that Sharingan arm, so I’d only need to kill him a single time for it to stick.

It’d definitely give this timeline a running start on the whole peace thing.

“Maybe give things a little time to settle down first,” I suggested.

“If they settle down. Sometimes it feels like this damn war will go on forever.” Nagato sighed tiredly, leaning against a nearby wooden post. Settling into a stressed silence, Nagato’s stomach growled loudly. “I think I’m going to go back inside and see if there’s any food left. Thanks for the conversation.”

Yeah, judging by how watery the soup was and the random assortment of ingredients, it probably wouldn’t be much of a guess to say that they didn’t have much, if anything, left.

“Wait,” I said, stopping him. Making a point to look around conspicuously, I motioned for him to come closer. “I think I might be able to help you out on that front... If you can keep a secret.”

Nagato’s eyes narrowed. “So long as it won’t hurt Konan or Yahiko.”

“It won’t,” I swore, doing my best to keep from smirking.

“Then I’ll keep your secret,” Nagato promised.

Nodding, I reached into my mostly empty bowl of soup and grabbed a small chunk of apple, likely from one of the few ingredients they had left. Placing it in my palm, I streamed my Chakra through it and watched as it began to grow, forming a bright red apple.

Forming a branch with a few more apples hanging off it, I picked one and tossed it to Nagato, who, while surprised, still managed to catch it.

“What was that?”

“Mokuton, like the Shodaime Hokage,” I replied. “I’m not quite as good as him, but something like this is pretty simple.” It wasn’t exactly a lie either. I may be able to mimic some of Hashirama’s largest constructs, but I still struggled with the smaller, more complex ones.

Grabbing one for myself, I bit into it, showing Nagato that it wasn’t poisoned.

Following suit, Nagato stared down at his apple, almost surprised that it was real. “Even something of this scale is incredibly useful. How much food do you think you could grow?”

Probably enough to feed the entirety of Ame... More if Kurama decided to help out, but doing that would cause more problems than it would solve.

“Enough to feed everyone here for a few days... Maybe a week or two,” I answered. “But I will need a sample of what I’m growing first.” Maybe I should leave them a vegetable garden before we leave... Plant a few apple trees as well.

“If I brought you some other things, would you be willing to grow more for us?” Nagato asked.

“Sure, but I do want to keep my ability quiet,” I replied.

“Of course,” Nagato nodded. “We can come up with a story about how we found them instead.” Heading inside, he stopped and turned back around. “Thanks for doing this. You have no idea how much this is going to boost morale.”

“It’s no problem,” I hummed. “I just... Had the right ability to help you out, that’s all.”

“I hope that, in time, you’ll come to realize that it’s more than that,” Nagato said, before stepping inside the compound.

That was a little odd. I think I just became friends with the man that, in my time, would try and kill me.

Standing, I stretched lightly, doing my best to not look in the direction that Obito was hiding. I’d laid out some bait and downplayed my abilities. Now all I had to do was wait for him to make his move and when he did... Well, let’s just say that both he and Zetsu were going to have a really short day.

...PTL...

Before I knew it, three days had passed, signaling that our time spent with Yahiko’s Akatsuki was up and that we’d be leaving.

Yahiko had been given a Scroll by an Ame Shinobi. Saying that Hanzo wanted to discuss the future of the Akatsuki and was interested in having them help him bring peace to Ame.

To show that he was sincere, Hanzo even suggested that they meet in a neutral location outside of Ame, so, if negotiations soured, they’d have the chance to leave.

On paper, it seemed that he was being sensible, but in reality it was simply a way for him to let loose without having to worry about accidentally poisoning his own Shinobi.

In other words, it was complete bullshit. His intentions were painfully obvious, especially with the benefit of hindsight, but to someone like Yahiko, who dreamed about having the chance to end all of this violence, it was a chance at changing things... One that he just couldn’t miss.

So, much like in our time, Yahiko chose to meet with Hanzo, which was all well and good. Once they left, we could simply shadow them and wait for Hanzo’s ambush. There was, however, a small problem.

Prostrating himself in front of Jiraiya, Konan and myself, Yahiko refused to raise his head. “Please stay a while longer. Only a few hours, that’s all I ask. The base will be defenseless while we are gone and it’ll leave me with a sense of comfort knowing that the three of you are here, looking after everyone in our absence.”

Yahiko was insistent that we stay. I could understand why too. Whether conscious or subconscious, he knew there was a chance that Hanzo would double cross him and the trio’s absence would be the perfect time for Hanzo or, well, anyone else to strike. Destroying everything that the trio were working towards.

That, however, wouldn’t come to pass if the base was under the protection of someone equally as renown as Hanzo, say... Jiraiya.

“Look,” Jiraiya hummed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. “Yahiko... The three of us have places to be. We could probably leave a few clones to make sure everything’s all right, but we just can’t stay.” Seeing that Yahiko wasn’t moving, he sighed. “C’mon kid. Get off the floor.”

Wordlessly sitting up, Yahiko stared dead ahead, before a smirk slowly came to his face. Launching himself forward, he wrapped his arms around Jiraiya’s legs. “I won’t let go until you agree to stay.”

“Yeah, sorry to say, but that’s not going to convince me,” Jiraiya said. “We both know that you can’t keep this up for long.”

“Then I’ll bite you.”

“Again, don’t make empty threa–AH!“ Letting out a surprised yelp, Jiraiya kicked his leg, trying to dislodge Yahiko. “Get the hell off, you little shit!”

“Yahiko!” Konan gasped. “What’s gotten into you?!”

“Uh... Sensei’s pants,” Came Yahiko’s muffled reply.

Choosing to stay out of this alongside the Konan from my time and Nagato, I shot him a dull look, getting an apologetic smile in return.

“He’s not normally like this, I swear,” Nagato muttered, sounding a little embarrassed. “it’s just... It’s normally really stressful here, but between the good food and Sensei being back...” He trailed off, struggling to find the right words.

I nodded, getting what he was trying to say. Yahiko was always the one everyone looked up to and, now that Jiraiya was here and things were seemingly turning around, he was reverting to how he’d been when he was younger... Back before Jiraiya left.

If the situation called for it, he’d snap back into his serious self, but as for right now, he felt comfortable goofing off with Jiraiya.

“Do you really have to go so soon?” Nagato asked softly. “It’s only been a few short days.”

“Yeah,” I sighed. “Yeah, we do. It’s been fun, hanging out here and I’d love to stay for a little while longer, but we came here for a purpose... One that we can’t afford to put off any longer.”

“Then, if it’s that time sensitive, why have you put it off until now?”

“Because...” I began, looking for a reason.

“Because it concerns the Akatsuki’s meeting with Hanzo,” Konan announced.

And just like that the room became quiet. Yahiko froze, the past Konan stopped scolding him, Jiraiya stilled and Nagato’s eyes widened

“Hanzo...” Nagato muttered softly.

Detaching himself from Jiraiya, Yahiko’s whole demeanor changed, taking on a far more serious stance. “Sensei, what’s she talking about?” He asked, locking eyes with Jiraiya.

“Well, the thing is...” Jiraiya trailed off, looking for an excuse.

If there was ever a time to tell the truth, it was now. Unfortunately, the truth of the matter was so outlandish that it needed to be wrapped in a body of lies in order for it to be believable.

“It’s the reason we’re here,” I said, stepping forward. “We heard that there was a group that was working to bring an end to the war in the Land of Rain and we also heard that Hanzo took an interest in you... For all the wrong reasons.”

“I’m not sure I like where this is going,” Yahiko muttered. “Why are you here, Sensei?”

Jiraiya squared his shoulders. “To keep my students alive,” He answered simply. “I know how Hanzo thinks. If he’s taken an interest in you, it’s because he views you as a threat, one that he needs to personally deal with. Now that I’m here, I can’t... No, I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

“Sensei...” Sighing, Yahiko brushed his hand through his hair. “You should have told me about this sooner... Not a few hours before the meeting. If I’d known, I would have told Hanzo exactly where he could stick his invitation.”

I blinked, a little shocked by the turn of events. The amount of trust Yahiko had in Jiraiya was a little insane. Pretty much everyone would expect some form of proof in order to show that he wasn’t lying... And that includes me. Yahiko on the other hand... He just straight up believed him.

It was honestly a little refreshing.

“So, what’s the plan?” Yahiko asked. “You did have something planned, right?”

“Of course we have a plan? Who do you take us for?” Jiraiya asked, sounding a little affronted. “We were going to follow you, wait for Hanzo to attempt his ambush and ambush him in turn.”

“...Sensei, not to steal your thunder, but that’s not a plan,” Nagato commented. “It’s more of a vague idea on what to do.”

“That’s the plan.” Jiraiya smirked, tapping the side of his head.

Letting out a pained sigh, I found that every member of the room had joined me. In that moment, I truly realized, deep down in my bones, how we’d all been taught by the same idiot, making us family in a strange kind of way.

...PTL...

Stepping over a puddle of muddy water, I adjusted the thatch hat and raincoat I’d been given to help blend with the trio... Well, it couldn’t exactly be called a trio anymore since there were now six of us.

Since Jiraiya and, to a lesser extent, Konan had more or less told them that, regardless of how they felt about it, we were going to be following, Yahiko decided to just invite us, making things far simpler.

Now that we were travelling with them, we wouldn’t have to be stealthy. There was, however, one small downside. We wouldn’t be able to take Hanzo by surprise.

It wasn’t exactly that big of a problem. Compared to Jiraiya, Konan and myself, Hanzo wasn’t exactly that big of a threat. He’d been able to fight the Sannin on his own, that much was true, but that was when they were still fresh to the battlefield... Not as hardened or as refined as they were in my time.

I couldn’t say for certain, since I’d never actually met Hanzo, but from what I’d heard about him, Jiraiya would likely be able to, at the very least, fight Hanzo to a standstill and that was without Sage mode. With Sage Mode... Well, I couldn’t see Hanzo surviving longer than a minute.

Sensing several Chakra signatures approaching our area, I let out a sigh. “Man, this rain really never ends, does it? How much further do we have to travel?”

It was a simple phrase... One we’d come up with back at the hideout for if one of us sensed Hanzo’s arrival.

“That’s Ame for you,” Yahiko chuckled. “It shouldn’t be too long before we reach the appointed spot. Definitely less than an hour.”

“Good... I’ll be glad to get out of this rain,” I hummed. The next time one of us spoke, it would be to alert the others that Hanzo was near.

We continued walking for what felt like another ten minutes, passing through a small canyon, only to slow to a halt when Hanzo made his appearance.

Standing on the rim of the canyon, Hanzo stared down with his Kusarigama in hand. Standing a little further back, just out of sight were the Shinobi he’d brought with to help take us down.

“Hanzo–“ Yahiko called out, only to be interrupted when he made his move.

Forming a single hand seal, Hanzo tugged his respirator down and exhaled a cloud of poison that descended into the canyon.

Falling back, we evaded the brunt of the incoming cloud and quickly began to scale the canyon walls, only for Hanzo to detonate several well placed explosive tags, causing the walls of the canyon to cave in, hindering our ability to escape, something that he took advantage of.

“This is it... The moment that set Nagato on the path to becoming Pain,” Kurama commented.

‘I know,’ I thought back, focusing my full attention on this fight. I couldn’t afford to screw up here.

It would be so easy to just use one of my Truth Seeking Orbs and kill him instantly, but I had to be patient. Obito was here and I needed him to confront me while thinking that I was weak.

Having his men launch Kunai in our direction, he, instead, focused his attention on Yahiko. Rushing forward, he aimed to cut through the young Akatsuki leader using his Kusarigama.

Catching the scythes blade with his hands, Jiraiya let out a soft grunt. Exerting himself, he forced the blade back, giving Yahiko a clear shot to Hanzo’s chest.

Seeing this Hanzo fell back, putting some space between himself and Yahiko. Landing a little further back, he stabbed his Kusarigama into the ground and began molding his Chakra.

“The six of you fight fairly well together,” He announced, drawing the fighting to a sudden halt. “It’s a pity that we have to meet as enemies.”

“We didn’t have to,” Yahiko yelled back. “We came here with the intention of bringing peace. You’re the one that met us with violence.”

“Don’t lie to me, boy,” Hanzo scolded. “You were far too ready for a fight for your intentions to be peaceful.”

“Only out of necessity.”

Right, this was going nowhere. Hanzo was only using this as a means to buy himself some time. Once he was ready, he’d throw himself right back into fighting, making our job all the harder.

From the looks of it, Jiraiya realized it as well. Glancing over to Konan who was keeping her younger self away from Hanzo. It looked like she was struggling with herself, physically and metaphorically. If she failed here, history would repeat itself.

Seeing all of this, an idea slowly began to form. “Hey, Nagato. Do me a favor and keep those guys occupied for a bit. I’ve got a plan.”

“So long as it’s better than Sensei’s ‘plan,’ I’m in,” Nagato muttered, ready to handle the platoon of Ame Shinobi Hanzo brought with him.

Nodding, I crouched down and slowly began to slip through the earth. Shifting through the ground, I took a brief moment to plant an explosive tag several meters behind him before repositioning myself.

Taking a moment to prepare myself, I broke through the earth and lunged upward at a speed just a little slower than him. Bringing my fist up, I managed to smash his respirator, only to be caught a moment later.

“Wrong move,” Hanzo muttered, poisonous mist leaking from his mouth.

“Whoa, damn. That has to be the worst case of morning breath I’ve ever smelled,” I said, pinching my nose shut, only for Hanzo to grab my other arm.

Twisting my arms around my back, he kicked out my legs, making me kneel in front of him.

“Do you see now what happens when you oppose me,” Hanzo called out. Grabbing his Kusarigama with one hand, he brought the blade to my neck. “Surrender now or I will make an example of your trusted ally.”

Seeing the varying looks of shock on everyone’s faces and the exasperated look Jiraiya was shooting me, I smirked.

“I wouldn’t listen to him. He’s planning on killing me anyway,” I yelled towards the trio, coughing a little as the poisonous mist irritated my throat. “There’s something I want to ask you before you kill me,” I said softly, looking over my shoulder.

“...Go ahead,” Hanzo muttered.

“Do you think I’m an idiot?” I asked, meeting his eyes.

Detonating the explosive tag I planted earlier, a spray of fast moving gravel struck Hanzo’s back, causing him to stumble forward.

Extending my index finger, a sharp piece of wood grew from it. Stabbing into his body, it pierced through the poison sack he’d implanted years ago before finally exiting out the back.

Freezing on the spot, Hanzo stared down in disbelief as a poisonous mist began to seep from his body. “How,” He muttered, his body locked up. “...Did... You... Know?”

“It was simple, really. I–“ I began, only to be interrupted by Konan who cut his head off using his own weapon. “Did you really have to–“

“You were taking too long,” Konan, still in her Naruko disguise, replied, dropping Hanzo’s weapon on the floor. “He wouldn’t have stayed like that forever.” Spotting the others heading this way, she held out her hand. “Stay back, the air’s still toxic here.”

Well... There goes my monologue... And the Ame Shinobi who were fleeing now that their leader had been killed.

Sighing, I began to pat Hanzo down, before finding the antidote that I knew he kept on his body. “Here, drink this,” I muttered, holding it out towards her.

“And you? Are there two doses?” Konan asked.

I shook my head. “Poison doesn’t exactly work on me... You should know. At most, I’ll be light headed for a few hours. You on the other hand...” I trailed off.

Eyeing me and the vial, Konan nodded and drained its contents.

Getting ready to leave the cloud of poison, I glanced down at Hanzo’s weapon before shrugging. May as well, it’s not like he was using it anymore and it was still a really high quality weapon. I didn’t really need it thanks to my Truth Seeking Orbs, but maybe Sasuke or Itachi would be interested in using it.

Grabbing the weapon, I lugged it over my shoulder before following Konan out of the poison cloud. Taking a brief moment to see where everyone was, I found them waiting some distance away, far outside of the poisons range and headed towards them.

“What the hell was all of that?” Yahiko asked, upon our arrival. “You just... And then... I can’t even... What?! Sensei!”

Jiraiya coughed. “Yes, well. I think Yahiko is asking why you acted so recklessly.”

“I saw an opportunity and took it,” I shrugged. “Mifune mentioned that he once fought Hanzo and that he carried an antidote on him, so I figured that, if I could get close, I could kill him and take it.”

“By intentionally getting yourself caught and then blowing yourself up,” Nagato let out an exasperated sigh. “You truly are one of Sensei’s pupils.”

That seemed a little like an insult at the moment, but I’d take it as a compliment. “Thank you.” Besides, it wasn’t exactly like I was in any real danger to begin with. I still had my Regeneration, Truth Seeking Orbs and Kurama to fall back on if things truly got out of hand.

“I didn’t.” Nagato pinched the bridge of his nose. “Never mind. Let’s just get back to the base. We need to figure out what to do now that Hanzo’s dead.”

I could see how that would be a problem. As much of an asshole as he was, Hanzo was still a major deterrent against invaders. Now that he was dead, there was a chance that the other nations might try and invade to get a foothold.

It was a power vacuum, but the Akatsuki might be able to fill that. They’d already made a name for themselves by stopping a few battles. They just needed a little push in the right direction.

“Yeah, let’s go back,” Jiraiya hummed, helping guide Yahiko. “With Hanzo dead, we could probably afford to stay for another day... Maybe two.”

“Really?”

And just like that, Yahiko had snapped out of his funk.

“Heh, sure thing, kid,” Jiraiya smirked.

“Then what are we waiting for, let’s go get some hot vegetable soup to celebrate our still being alive,” Yahiko cheered. “Maybe we can make a stop at that spot where Nagato and Naruto said they found all those extra vegetables... See if there’s any more we could use.”

“Y...Yeah,” Nagato agreed awkwardly.

Leading the way back to the base, we all followed him. Slowing my pace, I quickly fell to the back of the line. Seeing Konan shoot me a concerned look, I held my finger to my lips and formed a clone that began to follow them.

Giving her a thumbs up, I turned and headed back towards Hanzo’s body, where Obito was waiting for me.

“So, you managed to sense my presence?” Obito asked in his usual deep tone. “Impressive.”

“Not really,” I said, smirking. “You’re not exactly great at hiding your presence.”

“Perhaps to you,” He hummed. “But that is a problem easily solved.”

“Yeah,” I muttered.

Throwing several Shuriken that simply passed through his body, I rushed forward and threw a punch that he caught easily enough.

“I win,” He said, sounding amused more than anything.

Feeling an intense tugging sensation on my body, I was beginning to be sucked into his dimension, only for that sensation to suddenly disappear when he was flung backwards by a clone I’d formed back when I was underground.

Capitalizing on the opportunity my clone had created, I rushed after him and slammed my palm into his gut, sending him hurtling backward into the mud of the canyon below.

Watching as he slowly got to his feet, I formed a seal, detonating the explosive tag I’d planted on him the moment that I struck him.

A wave of pressure washed over the canyon as rain and mud splattered on the walls. At the center of it all stood Obito, appearing no worse for wear... Except for the mud coating his pants and the cloak he’d torn in his attempt to get away from the explosive tag.

“You’re a tricky opponent, I’ll give you that,” Obito said. “But I’ve got ways of beating people like you. This won’t be the last you see of me.” His form rippled before fading from view.

“I know,” I said.

And just like that, I’d won. Obito wasn’t aware of it, but he was going to give me everything that I wanted. Our entire fight had been nothing but one big trick. I was never counting on beating him here. What I had been counting on was having my clone apply one of my Hiraishin markers to his leg.

Now all I needed to do was wait for him to retreat to his base and then teleport to it, letting me know exactly where he was hiding... In this timeline and my own.

As for right now, I should probably meet up with the group before they realize that I’d left them with a clone. I’d kill Obito in the morning while everyone slept. Firstly, however, I had a vegetable stir-fry to look forward to.