The moment Kaito and Pain stepped through the Secret Realm's gate, they found themselves in a dense forest.

Everywhere they looked were novel things they'd never seen before. With limited knowledge of herbs and their belief that everything in the Secret Realm was valuable, they practically wanted to dig up the entire ground and take it all back.

The result...

Pain began fantasizing that every different plant he saw could resurrect the dead.

Or at least have some other miraculous effect.

Kaito was slightly better, not lingering too long on roadside weeds and wildflowers, focusing mainly on wild fruits.

One side of his backpack was filled with variously colored fruits of different sizes he'd collected.

Because the fruits looked too brightly colored, Kaito didn't dare eat them randomly. Forcing the sunflowers on his shoulders to taste them, he unexpectedly discovered their miraculous ability to roughly discern herbal properties.

"Ptooey—"

"This tastes worse than an old granny's dentures!!"

"It'll kill you!"

The sunflower spat out fruit fragments, freely offering its evaluation. Were it not afraid of getting slapped, it might have mocked Kaito too.

"Poisonous herb then."

After a moment's thought, Kaito quickly placed that fruit in the outer pocket of his bag. Then he pulled out another wild fruit that looked suspiciously like a malteser and tossed it into the sunflower's mouth.

"Gag—"

The moment it went in, the sunflower started retching violently, vomiting up everything it had swallowed earlier.

"This is feces!!!"The oppressed sunflowers finally lost their temper, raising their necks to scold a certain inhuman fellow.

"Sorry, sorry..."

"Must have picked it up by accident while gathering flowers earlier."

Kaito gave an awkward laugh. Facing the two working sunflowers, he didn't dare say much. After all, they were doing such dangerous work—if these two went on strike, he really wouldn't have any good way to handle it.

Could he... have Pain eat them instead?

No sooner had Kaito thought this than he turned to see Pain clutching a handful of glowing flowers, shoving them straight into his mouth.

Startled, he reflexively used the Body Flicker Technique, swiftly grabbing Pain's hand to stop this reckless act of using puppets to test for poison.

"Are you insane?!"

"Didn't I just say not to eat anything here carelessly?!"

Pain pressed his lips together, silent. He figured that relying solely on Kaito's two flowers would take who knows how long to test. If he used puppets instead, there was a chance Yahiko might come back to life sooner.

Unbeknownst to the two of them, their gathering actions in the Secret Realm appeared utterly bizarre to the four outsiders. In their eyes, the two were crouched by a well, plucking strange plants and occasionally scooping water from the well, drinking it while exclaiming how sweet and delicious the Secret Realm's water was.

Their behavior was completely incomprehensible.

Though the four outside couldn't see each other's expressions beneath their masks, Konan and Hikari's faces nearly twisted into a 'JoJo'-esque style.

Kakuzu scratched his head but didn't dare utter a word.

Because he suspected this was some kind of special game between the leader and Konan.

Perhaps...

They were under a Genjutsu?

Even Sasori, inside Hiruko, showed a hint of disgust on his puppet-like face.

"You two carry on..."

"I remember I still have a mission to do."

Sensing the murderous intent radiating from Konan and the new member, the shrewd old-timer Kakuzu quickly made an excuse and swiftly left the scene.

Sasori didn't linger either, manipulating Hiruko to follow closely behind Kakuzu as they both departed.

"This... idiot!!"

Once she confirmed no one else was around, Hikari completely lost it. With a running start, she charged at Kaito, leaping into the air to deliver a flying kick.

Konan, standing in place, flicked her right wrist a few times, sending paper fluttering from her sleeves toward Pain's direction.

Right now, Konan and Hikari just wanted to teach these two lunatics a proper lesson—not only had they hidden in a villager's house, but they'd also made the others stand outside foolishly shouting for ages.

They must have been out of their minds to believe in that so-called Secret Realm!!!

Whoosh—

However, in the next moment, their attacks didn't land on the two patients as expected. Instead, they passed right through them without resistance.

This sight made Konan and Hikari's eyes widen instantly.

No way!

They weren't physically present!

Hikari steadied her shock and hurried to Kaito's side, waving her hand through him a few times.

Each time, her hand phased right through. Even calling his name failed to draw his attention.

It was as if the Kaito before her existed only as a projection—visible but untouchable, uncommunicative.

"What in the world is happening...?"

Konan, too, was encountering this for the first time. She had watched the two pass through the gate with her own eyes and saw them appear in the village, yet she couldn't make sense of any of it.

"Wait for me a moment."Hikari pondered for a moment before leaving a remark and vanishing from the spot. When she reappeared, she had brought Runtu to the scene.

"It's a Secret Realm!!!"

Runtu, who had just arrived, didn't even assess the situation before excitedly shouting at the gates of Amegakure.

"???"

Wait...

What kind of Secret Realm is this supposed to be??

At this point, even the two who had been clueless began to realize that Kaito and Pain might have truly entered another dimension.

Hikari and Konan only froze for a few seconds before immediately crouching in front of Runtu and pointing at the two figures who seemed abnormal but were actually crawling on the rooftop inside.

"Take us in."

Hikari spoke in a commanding tone, completely disregarding the dog's feelings. Faced with a centuries-old monster, Runtu, as a Soul pet, naturally dared not protest. Shaking his head to signal the two behind him to follow, he then strode toward the gate.

The moment they crossed, Hikari and Konan, under Runtu's lead, did not enter the so-called Secret Realm.

Instead, they watched helplessly as Runtu disappeared before their eyes.

At this moment, the ancient relic of the Warring States era and the Angel of the Akatsuki Organization stood dumbfounded, neither uttering a word.

"Runtu??"

Kaito, who had been studying with Pain how to dig up the Spirit Tree, sensed a familiar presence and immediately shouted toward Runtu's location.

"Great-grandma, you can't come in!"

"You're gonna get it!"

Hearing this, Kaito suddenly remembered that he hadn't actually informed Hikari before entering. Glancing at the hundred-meter-tall tree and feeling the immense Spiritual Energy radiating from it, he turned to Pain.

"This tree aids cultivation..."

"Should we dig it out first?"

The Spirit Tree was estimated to be over three hundred meters tall, with faint blue patterns shimmering on its trunk. Just standing beneath it brought a sense of tranquility.

Though it seemed difficult to dig up, Kaito was a hundred percent certain this thing was a treasure. Maybe even brewing tea with its leaves could enhance his cultivation.

Pain frowned at the suggestion.

"Can't we dig up a couple more?"

As he spoke, he pointed at several other trees over a hundred meters tall nearby. If conditions allowed, Nagato would have wanted to take everything here.

"Let's just dig..."

"Your Samsara Eye might not even have much effect on it."

Kaito smirked, pointing at the intricate roots beneath the tree, some of which extended as deep as two or three kilometers underground.

To Nagato, these words sounded like a challenge to his pride.

"Don't underestimate the power of a god."

Pain slowly rose into the air, raising his hands high and shouting.

"Almighty Pull!!"

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