Chapter 396: 374. Naruto vs Pain Part-2
The gigantic chunks of earth turn into massive earth spears. The Deva Path manipulates the gravity around the spear and adds rotation to them.
Swoosh… swoosh…
He launches them toward Naruto at an incredible speed.
Shiing…
Naruto undergoes the second transformation of the Sage Mode.
Whoosh…
He swiftly dodges the gigantic earth spear and uses them as a pedestal to close the distance toward the Deva Path.
Haah…
The Deva Path claps his palms and encloses the earth's spear at Naruto's position.
"Sage Art: Chō-Ōdama Rasenshuriken,"
Naruto throws a gigantic rasenshuriken toward the incoming projectiles. The rasenshuriken blasts through the rock spears and engulfs the Deva Path.
"Shinra Tensei,"
Deva Path pushes away the rasenshuriken with the repulsive manipulation of gravity.
Haah…
Naruto jumps through the repulsive force field.
"Sage Art: Chō-Ōdama Rasengan,"
Naruto slams a gigantic orange Rasengan on the Deva Path's body.
Guffaw…
The Deva Path spits out a mouthful of saliva and is sent flying across multiple mountains. The Rasengan grinds its body and breaks the protective barrier around it.
'Explode'
Naruto crosses his arms and the Rasengan explodes into a spiral vortex of chakra.
Huff… Huff…
Naruto pants slightly and releases the sage mode transformation.
Crackle… crackle…
The lightning chains around Konoha snap one after another. The giant Tai-Chi Fuinjutsu formation dissipates and the rocks encasing around Konoha crumble into dust.
Rumble… Rumble…
The village slowly descends into a massive crater formed beneath its previous location.
RUMBLE…
An intensive earthquake spreads across the surrounding regions.
"Naruto boy, you did it!" Fukasaku appears beside him.
Mm…
Naruto nods his head.
"Where is the pervy sage?"
"Baa took him to Mount Myoboku to heal his wounds." Fukasaku jumps on top of Naruto's shoulder. Naruto walks towards the giant crater with the Deva Path's body.
He jumps down the crater and approaches the body of the Deva Path.
Slick…
Naruto pricks out a black receiver rod from it.
"So, this thing is used to control this body."
Stab…
He pierces the black receiver in his palm to sense Nagato's location.
"Found you!"
Naruto senses Nagato's location at a distance from Konoha.
"NARUTO!"
Sasuke, Itachi, Kakashi, and Shisui appear beside Naruto. Kakashi is carrying an unconscious Guy on his back.
"You did it, Naruto!" Kakashi nods his head as he adjusts Guy's position on his back.
"It's not over yet. The real pain is still hiding and I am about to go beat some sense into him."
Naruto clenches his fist.
"I will go with you!"
Sasuke interrupts Naruto.
"But…"
"There is no but. I can't leave you alone to fall into a trap." Sasuke refutes Naruto's words.
"Alright!" Naruto nods and flickers toward Nagato's location. Sasuke closely follows after him.
"All of this has been such a mess!"
Kakashi sighs and stares at the hellish landscape around him.
"Looks like Yamato has to work overtime again." Kakashi silently prays for Yamato.
A few minutes later,
Swoosh… swoosh…
Several Konoha anbus gather around the group.
"Tally the number of casualties and the extent of damage to Konoha's surroundings." Itachi issues a command to the Anbus. After the Anbus disperses, Tsunade, Minato, the members of the elder council and the clan leaders arrive at the spot with other guards.
"Recover the body of the culprit!"
Tsunade issues a command to the shinobi guards.
Hmm…
She glances at the corpse of the Deva Path and recognizes him as the previous student of Jiraiya.
'A reanimation using the powers of the Rinnegan!'
"Well done!" The clan leaders and the members of the elder council praise Kakashi and the rest for their hard work.
Srrrr…
Multiple clan leaders suck a breath of cold air as they survey the surroundings. The aftermath of such an intense battle has brutally devastated the surroundings. The surrounding terrains and the routes have been altered beyond recognition.
"Such… such a destructive battle! If not for the protective barrier around Konoha, the village would have been…"
"Akatsuki's claim to start a Fourth Shinobi War wasn't baseless rumors. With such powers, they can easily obliterate any shinobi village on a whim."
The clan leaders banter among themselves.
Minato glances at the surroundings and ponders.
"Obito! Just what do you want to achieve? I have a strong premonition that things aren't over yet."
--------------------------
At a hidden place in the Land of Fire,
Swirl… Swoosh…
Obito's figure walks out of a spiral portal.
'So much for being Madara's replacement. You can't even handle the Fourth Hokage. Kuku…"
A mocking laughter echoes in the hidden underground base. A white-spectacled figure in a red cloak walks out of the shadows.
"Enough banter! How did the task I assigned you undergo?" Obito turns his attention to Kabuto's figure.
Kuku…
"Failure wasn't an option to begin with!"
Swoosh…
A black-robed figure suddenly appears out of thin air beside Kabuto. The cloaked figure passes a sealing jar to Kabuto.
"I have secured the one-tails. As for the nine-tails…"
Swoosh…
Zetsu pops out of the ground beside Obito.
"Nagato has failed to capture the Nine-tails." He narrates the battle between Nagato and Naruto.
"So, the nine-tails jinchuruki have grown to such an extent. It's no surprise since he has the assistance of the Fourth Hokage."
Obito narrows his eyes. He turns to Black Zetsu and remarks.
"It's time to initiate the third phase of the 'Eye of the Moon Plan'. Prepare for the war and recover the…"
Swirl…
Obito disappears in a spiraling portal.
"Kuku… the pieces are all set. Now it's time to set up the chessboard." Kabuto setups a Shogi board.
---------------------
Outside Konoha,
"Minato, bad news!"
Kushina's distressed voice sounds in Minato's head.
"What's the matter, Kushina?"
"Minato… the one-tail… it's gone!"
"WHAT?"
Minato raises his voice.
"What's the matter Minato?" Tsunade notices his grim expression.
"Tsunade-san, the one-tails… it's gone!" He reports to Tsunade.
"WHAT? How? Let's go and check the Uzumaki shrine."
Minato and Tsunade hurriedly dash inside the village. They arrive inside the Uzumaki compounds and Minato and Tsunade use the authorization seal to enter the compounds.
Uzumaki compounds have been off-limits since the previous incident with Kushina and Minato. The duo walks deeper into the forest and arrives outside a temple-like building. Kushina is waiting outside the building.
"Kushina, can you explain everything in detail?" Tsunade enquires.
"I am not sure… how it happened? But someone infiltrated the village during the chaos and bypassed the security barrier around Konoha. Breached the Uzumaki compound barrier and broke through the defenses of the Uzumaki shrine without alerting a single soul. If not for my inspection, this theft would have been left unnoticed by us." Kushina responds to Tsunade.
"But to be able to do something like this… is there a traitor among us?" Tsunade frowns.
"I can't deny the possibility, but the chances for it are very low. I can count the number of people who have the access to this place on my hand." Minato shakes his head.
"But still… who could possibly sneak through the barrier of Konoha. It has to be a Konoha citizen." Minato enters in a deep thought.
'Though the kitsune statue of Nine-tails is completely fine since it was stored in the headquarters and thus was isolated from the rest of the world. Which means that the enemy wasn't aware of their position prior to the infiltration.'
Minato recalls the strange device in Obito's hands.
'Was Obito a distraction to let someone infiltrate the village? If it wasn't him, then who could it be.' Minato contemplates.
-------------------------
Outside the border of Konoha,
Step… step…
Naruto and Sasuke walk toward a gigantic tree. Sasuke looks around but finds nothing noteworthy.
"Are you sure this is the place?"
Mm…
Naruto nods his head and touches the trunk of the giant tree.
Hmm… Riip…
He rips apart the trunk with his hands to reveal a stack of origami papers.
"As expected, this is a fake tree!"
Sasuke swings his blade and cuts an opening in the trunk.
"Don't lower your guard, Naruto. Even if you are here to talk, we can't be sure of the enemy's intentions."
"I will keep that in mind."
He enters the trunk with Sasuke. Naruto confronts Nagato and Konan. Nagato's sickly, emaciated body is held on a mechanical walker. Multiple black rods protrude from his back and extend into an eerie statue.
"So, you are the real form of Pain, huh?"
"You are here for revenge, aren't you?" Nagato coldly stares into Naruto's eyes.
"The winner takes it all. That's how it always has been. Now fulfill your goal and grant me death." Nagato yells at Naruto.
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Chapter 397: 375. Repent
After a brief bout of Talk-no-jutsu,
"No matter what the pain and suffering may come on, I will move forward. That's who Naruto is!" Naruto tosses Jiraiya's first book toward Nagato.
Nagato stares at Jiraiya's novel and recalls his days spent with Jiraiya. Konan passes him the book as he gently touches its pages.
"You are a mysterious guy, Naruto. You remind me of my past self. Perhaps if I had believed and endured a bit further, I might be like the protagonist of this novel, like you! I think I shall try to believe in you…" Nagato closes his eyes. His tears stain the cover of the book.
He passes the book to Naruto.
"I have a message for Jiraiya-Sensei.
I might not have lived up to his expectations and easily gave up on myself. But… at last Jiraiya Sensei's teaching made it to my heart. In my final moments, I will repent for my mistakes."
Nagato slowly lifts his hands and makes a ram hand sign.
"Gedou: Rinne Tensei no jutsu,"
Nagato uses the outer path- samsara of heavenly life technique to revive the dead shinobis of Konoha.
"But Nagato… you…" Tears flow from Konan's eyes.
"It's fine, Konan. Even without this technique, I don't have much time to live. The Gedo statue has drained most of my vitality and at most I would have lived another five years. This battle shortened that duration to a year. However, this is the choice I made for myself."
Nagato's hairs turn white. His sickly body turns more emaciated.
"WHAT? What did you do?"
Naruto stares at Nagato with wide eyes as he senses the rapid drain of vitality from Nagato.
"He used his life force as a catalyst to cast a powerful technique. It's a sort of Forbidden jutsu." Sasuke explains to him as he inspects Nagato's body with his Mangekyo Sharingan.
'The power of the Rinnegan is out of this realm. What a powerful ability to manipulate life and death!"
The hue in Nagato's eyes dims down as his body limply falls on the mechanical walker.
"Nagato!"
Konan burst out in tears.
Suddenly,
Fwoosh… Fwoosh… Fwoosh…
Multiple white Zetsu clones pop out of Nagato's body.
"Seems like it was earlier than planned. But we have to complete the task nonetheless. One of the Zetsu clones rips out Nagato's eyes."
"Recovery complete!"
"YOU BASTARDS! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" An enraged Naruto jumps at the Zetsu clone with a Rasengan.
Swoosh…
"Chidori Raikiri,"
Sasuke also appears beside the Zetsu clone with lightning chakra in his palm.
Tch…
The Zetsu clone clicks his tongue. A sealing Fuinjutsu formation erupts from the mechanical walker of Nagato. The Fuinjutsu formation restricts Naruto and Sasuke's movements. The Zetsu clone enters the ground to escape.
Argh…
"I won't let you. KURAMA!"
Naruto releases a burst of red chakra and instantly destroys the sealing Fuinjutsu formation by overloading it with the chakra.
Whoosh…
Naruto and Sasuke break through the paralysis of the seal and immediately appear beside the Zetsu clone. They slice the body of the Zetsu clone in half.
Heh…
The Zetsu clone smirks before its death as another Zetsu clone escape with the Rinnegan.
"He used a substitution technique to swap his position with another clone." Sasuke dismembers the remaining Zetsu clones.
"DAMNIT!" Naruto punches the ground. A gigantic crater appears beneath him. Everything happened in the blink of an eye.
"Konan recovers from her shock. It's him. It must be him- The Madara Uchiha!"
Konan grits her teeth in rage.
---------------------
Back at Konoha,
"Thirty-three casualties! The Akatsuki members wiped the entire patrol platoon."
One of the Anbu members passes a report to Itachi.
Sigh…
Itachi sighs and stares at the corpses of the patrol teams lined outside the remains of the patrol platoon headquarters.
Rumble… Rumble…
Suddenly, a gigantic figure of the Underworld King appears at the outer perimeter of Konoha.
"WHAT… what's this?"
The Anbu members quickly enter into a combat stance.
"An enemy attack!" They warily stare at the gigantic face of the Underworld King. The purple hell flames around its body send chills down their spines. None of the anbu members dare to stare into Underworld King's eyes.
"Wait!"
Itachi stops them as he warily inspects the Underworld king with his Mangekyo Sharingan.
'My gut feelings that tell me to not attack it. If I might attack him, I might provoke something dangerous.' Numerous alarms go off in Itachi's head as the threat of death looms over him.
'It's… it's like this thing can control the life and death of every living being.'
Itachi enters in a combat stance, ready to make a move the moment the Underworld King attacks.
'I thought Naruto went to talk with the leader of the Akatsuki. Did he fail?' Several questions appear in Itachi's mind.
Crack… crack…
Suddenly, the gigantic figure of the Underworld King cracks opens his mouth. It opens its gigantic mouth and releases multiple cyan orbs from it."
"That is…"
Itachi inspects the cyan orbs.
"Could these be… Souls?"
Itachi recalls his encounter with the strange girl in the HOLE. That girl had the ability to ferry souls to the afterlife. The appearance and aura of the souls were similar.
Fwish… Fwish… Fwish…
One by one, the cyan orbs enter the dead bodies of the Konoha shinobis lying outside the remains of the patrol platoon headquarters. A cyan aura surrounds the bodies. The wounds on the corpses rapidly regenerate. Even the lost limbs and torn-off heads reattach to the body.
Aaaah…
The anbus gasps in shock as they notice the unusual phenomenon.
"He is moving!"
One of the Anbus points towards a particular body with visible movement in hands.
"No, all of them are moving!"
Itachi points towards other bodies as all of them make some movements.
"But… but… how could this be? I personally checked their body and there was life in it." One of the medic-nin falls on his knees.
"What… what's this miracle? Could… could this be the act of a GOD?"
The medic-nin zones out as the patrol team members slowly stand up and look around in confusion. One of the shinobi, with a distinct outfit, quickly regains his wits and turns to Itachi.
"Enemy attack! It's an enemy attack. The Akatsuki are attacking the village." He reports to Itachi.
"It's alright! The situation is already under control. You did well." He praises the patrol team captain for his wits and soothes him.
"All of you… return to the village and continue to tally the damage. I want a report as soon as possible." Itachi dismisses them and waits for Naruto and Sasuke to return.
Kakashi had departed for the infirmary to treat Guy's wounds. Shisui has returned to the Police Headquarters to fulfill his duties.
----------------------
Back at the Uzumaki compound,
"About this incident, inform the Kazekage. I will tell Mei myself. We can't reveal the loss of one-tails for the time being. It will create unnecessary panic." Tsunade reaches a decision.
"That's my exact thoughts!" Minato nods his head.
Tsunade turns to Minato and questions him.
"So, now Minato. I would like to hear more about this student of yours. We have confirmed that he was the one responsible for the release of Nine-tails fifteen years ago. He was also responsible for both of your near-death states, and perhaps he was the person who orchestrated the Uchiha clan massacre with Danzo and manipulates the Third Mizukage." Tsunade throws down a bunch of accusations at Obito.
Sigh…
Minato sighs helplessly and explains everything in detail to Tsunade.
"Hmm… so this kid broke down after the death of his only love." Tsunade feels in a dilemma.
She reminisces about the death of her brother Nawaki and her former lover Dan.
'Huh… it was the same for me. Instead of blaming others, I fell into a self-reproach, bottled and channeled all my hatred towards myself. Instead of relieving my hatred of others, I drowned it in alcohol and gambling.'
Tsunade closes her eyes and recalls her previous state.
'Pathetic… isn't it? We shinobis strive forward to another day, just to protect our loved ones. If our only sense of purpose was taken away from us, then what's even the use of living? That's what I used to think before.'
Tsunade opens her eyes as Izuna's smiling face appears in front of her eyes.
'It was you who pulled me out of that self-reproach and blew away the fog blocking my vision. I learned to move forward from you.'
Tsunade recalls her first meeting with Izuna.
'Perhaps you were the first person to treat a beautiful woman with such bitter words. But back then, you were still a kid, so I pardoned your offense.' Tsunade chuckles to herself.
'Now, after showing me the path forward, you shielded others from the impending darkness.'
Tsunade recalls the final smiling moment of Izuna before the space rift engulfed him. A drop of tears leaks from her eyes.
Kushina and Minato silently vacate the place, leaving Tsunade to herself.
"She misses him a lot!" Kushina remarks.
"We all miss him, but…" Minato shakes her head.
'I am not sure about the feelings in Lady Tsunade's heart… No! I am aware of it. It's just that I don't want to voice them.'
"Let's go!" Minato walks out of the Uzumaki compound.
"Next time he comes, I will make him take responsibility for making Tsunade Nee-san shed tears." Kushina grits her teeth.
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