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Clang.
A silver blade clashed against Pain's black staff, producing a crisp metallic ring.
"Uchiha Shisui?"
Pain took a few steps back, his pale purple eyes landing on the young ninja wielding a sword. His expression remained indifferent. "You think you can stop a god?"
Even though he said that, he actually felt pretty tense inside. That slash just now was way stronger than he expected. Fighting this guy head-on would be a real hassle.
*Swoosh.*
Shisui didn't respond. He swung his sword sideways, aiming at Pain's right arm. At the same time, he glanced at Kakashi, who had just broken free, and said, "Take Naruto and get out of here!"
*Clang.*
Pain blocked with a black rod in his left hand, then turned his right palm toward Kakashi, who was trying to retreat. He parted his lips slightly—
"Bansho—"
Before he could finish, Shisui's blade stabbed toward him again, forcing him to stop mid-attack.
"Just an Uchiha," Pain muttered, annoyed, his cold eyes locking onto Shisui. "If you're that eager for divine punishment, then so be it."
Clang!
The black rod slipped from his hand and fell to the ground.
It looked like Pain had abandoned his weapon, and Shisui wasn't about to waste such an opportunity. He moved in quickly.
But the moment he got close, Pain suddenly raised both hands toward him.
Shinra Tensei!
Boom!
Shisui's pupils shrank as he felt a massive repelling force slam into him, launching him backward. He crashed hard into the wall behind him. The intense pain made him grit his teeth, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Before he could catch his breath, two black rods shot toward him at high speed.
Thud!
He couldn't dodge in time. His right arm and left leg were pierced, making his face twitch in pain. Even worse, he could feel the chakra flow in his wounded areas slowing down.
"So this is the so-called genius of the Uchiha? This is all you've got?" Pain looked down at Shisui from above, his expression indifferent.
In truth, he had used a trick to gain the upper hand. Shisui had no intel on him, which was why he suffered such a big loss.
"Damn it!"
Shisui struggled to break free, but the black rods held him firmly in place. He couldn't move an inch. He could only watch helplessly as Pain turned and slowly approached Kakashi, who was holding Naruto.
Konan took a picture of the scene and sent it to the group chat.
Doujin Artist: Is it over?
Skirt-Flipping Maniac: That was way too fast!
They originally thought that even if Shisui couldn't beat Tendo Pain, he'd at least be able to hold him off for a while. But what just happened was completely unexpected. He got crushed in just a few moves!
Curly-haired Guy: Tch, what happened to that special ability? I demand a refund from Aizen!
Shark-Faced Guy: Actually, this seems pretty normal to me. Shisui had no idea what Pain was capable of, and on top of that, he hasn't fully developed his own ability yet. All he can do is use his spiritual pressure to enhance his body. He doesn't even know how to merge his spiritual energy with chakra.
Doujin Artist: Ah, so that's why… Maybe that's the reason Aizen gave up on training him.
Amegakure Village's Angel: To be honest, I don't really understand it either. Something about converting mental energy into spirit particles and forming spiritual pressure… It's confusing. But for some reason, my spiritual pressure keeps increasing on its own. I have no idea why.
This is an Actor: Yeah, that is strange.
Even Aizen thought it was weird? No way, right?
Kisame first looked confused, then suddenly had a realization.
He had been around Aizen long enough to know—there was no way Aizen didn't understand why Konan's spiritual pressure was growing. That was just nonsense! The only explanation was that Aizen was secretly boosting her power. And now he was acting clueless about it? What an actor!
Scarlet Lotus Fairy: Wait, was Pain taking Naruto part of Aizen's plan too?
Amegakure Village's Angel: No. So, Naruto won't be taken.
As Konan sent this message, she felt a bit conflicted inside.
Her friend was being used as a pawn, and she knew it. But she couldn't warn him. She understood very well that if she did, both she and her friend would end up in an even worse situation.
Doujin Artist: Naruto won't be taken? Then who's going to stop Pain? Don't tell me it's you?
Curly-haired Guy: Whoa, are we about to see a tragic battle between close friends? Is the story finally going back to feeling like Naruto?
Amegakure Village's Angel: Wrong guess. It's not me.
At that moment, Konan suddenly felt like a battle between close friends might actually be kind of interesting… What was wrong with her?
Skirt-Flipping Maniac: If it's not Konan, then it's probably not Aizen either.
Curly-haired Guy: Hmph, obviously! If that guy was getting involved himself, Konan wouldn't be so relaxed right now.
Am I acting too relaxed?
Konan blinked at the screen. It didn't seem like it. But they were right about one thing—the one who made a move wasn't Aizen. It was…
Itachi?!
Kakashi stared at the young man who had suddenly appeared in front of him, looking surprised. But he quickly came to his senses. "Why are you here? The enemy is too strong for you! Get out of the way!"
"Another Uchiha?" Pain frowned as he looked at Uchiha Itachi standing before him. "Your clan is really annoying."
He raised his right arm, and the black rod in his hand shot forward like a bolt of lightning, aiming straight at his opponent.
But his supposedly fatal strike hit nothing but air.
What?!
Pain's eyes widened as he quickly turned his head, only to find that the young man had somehow moved to his side like a ghost.
Impossible.
For Pain, this was unbelievable. With the power of his Rinnegan, he should have been able to track his opponent's movements. Yet, he couldn't see a thing.
And what shocked him even more was that the young man calmly extended a single finger toward him.
"Bakudo #4: Hainawa."
A golden rope shot out from Itachi's fingertip, wrapping around Pain like a snake.
What is this?
Pain struggled, but to his surprise, he couldn't break free right away. He also noticed that this restraint wasn't made of chakra.
Itachi didn't waste time. His lips moved quickly as he chanted, "Carriage of thunder, gap of spinning wheel, this thing gathers light and splits into six! Bakudo #61: Rikujokoro!"
With a loud crack, six glowing rods of light appeared, locking Pain in place like blooming flowers.
Only then did Itachi turn to Kakashi. Without paying any attention to Kakashi's confused expression, he reached into his sleeve and pulled out a long bandage.
?
Holding Naruto in his arms, Kakashi was stunned, unsure of what was happening. But as the bandage wrapped around them, he suddenly felt a dizzying sensation, as if the whole world was spinning.
When he regained his focus, he was met with a familiar sight.
Kakashi realized that he had somehow returned to the Hokage Rock.
"Welcome back, Kakashi."
As he stood there in shock, a voice that was both familiar and utterly surreal rang in his ears.
"Put Naruto down. You can leave now."
Kakashi stiffly lifted his head, his whole body frozen in disbelief.
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