In the depths of the dark sewer, Sora's real body slowly came to a halt.
The smile on his face had long vanished, leaving only ice-cold calm.
The shadow clone was escorting the two surviving Anbu along the preset safe route to withdraw. He stayed behind to deal with these annoying tails.
Rainwater dripped from ceiling cracks, mingling with mud and blood.
He closed his eyes.
Perception spread like the most precise sonar through the web-like pipes.
Five, six, seven…
Nine chakra sources total. Three Iwa, six Ame. They hadn't been fully lured away—instead splitting into groups, encircling from different directions.
Truly cautious.
Useless, though.
Sora slowly raised his hands, forming an extremely simple seal.
Boar → Rat → Bird.
[Water Release: Water Stream Whip]
No earth-shaking momentum.
No flashy effects.
Just—with him at the center—the stagnant water at his feet instantly came alive!
Three invisible, chakra-condensed water whips—like living venomous snakes—shot explosively along every pipe and crevice in the sewer at speeds surpassing Wind Release, toward the nine chakra sources!
Three Iwa ninjas racing through a passage suddenly halted.
Before they could react—
Water whips lashed from the water, precisely coiling around their necks—then constricted fiercely!
Splat!
The muffled sound of flesh bursting echoed dully in the narrow passage.
Not even a scream escaped.
Elsewhere, several Ame ninjas clung to the ceiling, stealthily advancing.
One signaled a stop.
Something stirred in the water below.
Next second—
Splash!
The water beneath them came alive!
Three whips leaped like fish, instantly wrapping their legs—then yanked!
"Not good!"
"Water Release!"
The Ame ninjas cried out, but too late to struggle—they were dragged into the icy water, whips binding them immobile.
The last three Ame ninjas were about to signal alarm.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Three kunai whistled from darkness.
Precisely striking their throats.
In an instant—all nine pursuers eliminated.
The sewer returned to dead silence.
[Ding! Recording complete! Obtained disc: Earth Release: Earth Flow River]
[Ding! Recording complete! Obtained disc: Amegakure-Style Assassination Technique]
System prompts rang in his mind, stirring no ripple.
Just useless appetizers.
Sora released the technique; water whips dissipated into the puddles.
He stepped from darkness to the corpses.
Quick search—confirmed no survivors.
Bodies needed disposal.
He formed seals again.
[Earth Release: Subterranean Voyage]
The ground beneath softened instantly.
He "swallowed" the nine corpses—and bloodstains—into the earth.
The sewer restored— as if nothing happened.
He turned, heading opposite the clone's direction.
Pursuers dealt with—mission first half perfectly complete.
Now—his own time.
Amegakure Village.
At this timeline, Nagato and Konan hadn't yet publicized Akatsuki's goals.
They lurked in this cage of steel and rain, silently amassing power.
Finding them—hard.
But Rinnegan's allure was too great.
The "concept code" left by the Sage of Six Paths—pinnacle of all dojutsu.
If he could record it—even a fragment of source energy…
Any price worth paying.
Gotta gamble.
Sora emerged from another sewer exit back to the surface.
Rain fell harder.
Cold drops washed his face, cooling his plan-fevered mind.
He needed a foolproof fallback.
His figure flickered through the rain curtain several times—arriving in an abandoned industrial zone.
Far from village center—rusty massive pipes and derelict factories like a steel graveyard.
He found the deepest sewage pipe plunging underground—leaping in.
Nearly a hundred meters down—confirmed beyond any perception—he stopped.
From his pouch, he drew a special kunai etched with Flying Thunder God mark.
He drove it deep into the hard rock wall.
His coordinate.
His ultimate trump card for stirring heavens in this dragon's den.
Done, he returned to the surface.
Save point set.
Now—meet this world's "god."
Sora headed toward Amegakure's center.
There stood the village's tallest steel tower—top sculpted like several weeping faces.
Truly… fitting for this nation's vibe.
He walked, switching back to energetic, harmless mode.
Amber eyes still shone brilliantly in gray rain.
Passing Ame villagers hurried—faces numb and wary.
Seeing a smiling stranger boy, they stared oddly—like at a madman.
Sora didn't care.
He even waved cheerfully at a passing little girl.
She hid terrified behind her mother.
Finally, he stood beneath the tallest tower.
He looked up at the steel monster piercing clouds.
Nagato should be up there.
Overlooking his sorrowful land in godly pose.
Then let this god witness a grand fireworks show.
Sora inhaled deeply—rain and rust filling his lungs.
Then seals.
[Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!]
Poof! Poof! Poof! Poof!
Ten identical Akashi Soras instantly appeared on the massive plaza before the tower.
The sudden scene panicked nearby Ame villagers.
"Enemy attack!"
"Run!"
Screams and chaos spread rapidly.
The ten Soras ignored the fleeing ants.
In unison, they leaped like agile monkeys onto surrounding rooftops.
Encircling the central tower impenetrably.
Then.
All ten shadow clones simultaneously formed seals.
Each different.
Fire Release: Intelligent Hard Work!
Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!
Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere!
Lightning Release: False Darkness!
Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!
Five natures.
Violent chakra erupted at each point simultaneously!
Air trembled.
Sky wailed.
Endless rain seemed evaporated by invisible force—forming an eerie vacuum zone above the plaza!
Power enough to erase Amegakure's core from the map!
Sora's real body stood plaza center, head tilted up at the tower top.
Face mad, radiant smile.
Come on.
Nagato.
Show me.
Facing such ninjutsu—how will you, this "god," respond!
In the second before the ten techniques unleashed—
At the tower's very top.
From the largest weeping face sculpture's mouth.
A figure appeared silently.
He stood quietly, overlooking below.
Black robe with ominous red clouds.
Rain fell on him—yet repelled by invisible force.
Just standing there—an indescribable divine pressure enveloped heaven and earth.
That figure—like a nail—pinned the raging world in place.
He simply stood.
Then raised a hand.
No seals.
"Shinra Tensei."
Flat, emotionless declaration.
Next instant.
World lost sound.
An invisible, absolute, irresistible repulsive force erupted centered on him!
Fire dragon disintegrated wailing.
Waterfall forcibly reversed skyward.
Wind blades shattered inch by inch.
Lightning annihilated.
Mountains collapsed.
The ten shadow clone-released Five Elements Grand Chain Bullets—capable of flattening Amegakure core—were fragile as child's sandcastles before this repulsion.
They couldn't approach within a hundred meters of the tower—crushed, torn, then hurled back faster than they came!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Violent explosions around the plaza.
Terrifying shockwaves swept the square—ground upheaved layer by layer, debris shooting like cannonballs.
Endless rain evaporated entirely—forming a massive, distorted blank zone.
At the storm's center, Sora's real body remained unmoved.
In the second before repulsion hit—the ground beneath had turned to black mire.
[Earth Release: Subterranean Voyage]
He sank underground, evading the fatal impact.
Almost simultaneously.
Another figure abruptly appeared at the repulsion's edge.
A bloated man in black red-cloud robe.
Arms spread in embrace.
[Sealing Technique Absorption Seal]
Scattered chakra remnants repelled by Shinra Tensei—like birds finding home—all absorbed into him, no waste.
When dust settled.
The plaza before the tower was a massive ring-shaped ruin.
Only Sora's real body slowly rose from the mire—clothes untouched by water.
His mad, radiant smile unchanged.
But inside—tempestuous waves.
[Recording initiated…]
[Ding! Recording failed!]
[Error: Target unit "Deva Path"—no "source energy" core detected.]
[Error: Target unit "Preta Path"—no "source energy" core detected.]
What?
Failed?
Range definitely covered a kilometer.
They used abilities.
Why no recording?
Sora's calculation core spun wildly—replaying everything.
Deva Path… Preta Path…
System designations?
No "source energy" core detected…
He looked at the two figures atop the tower—gazing down imperiously.
They're strong.
A lightning thought.
Monitors!
These six Path puppets are monitors!
No matter how gorgeous the display—the real computation and storage is in the hidden case!
His disc burner aimed at monitors—of course nothing records!
The true host—holding the "Rinnegan" ultimate system disk—isn't here!
But…
Sora's gaze pierced past the two figures—toward the cold, silent steel tower behind.
At the top!
That guy called Nagato must be somewhere in the tower—like a puppeteer, controlling everything.
His kilometer-long "data cable" needs plugging into that host!
"Hahahaha!"
Realizing this, Sora didn't despair—instead burst into laughter.
Echoing madly across the empty ruins—piercing, insane.
"Interesting! Too interesting!"
He pointed at the tower figures, shouting excitedly like discovering a new toy.
"What a huge surprise!"
Atop the tower, Deva Path Pain's emotionless Rinnegan gazed at the seemingly deranged boy below.
A cold voice—like distant thunder—rang across all Amegakure.
"Who art you?"
"Why do you stir meaningless strife here?"
Meaningless?
I crossed borders, came specially to back up your "god" system—and you call it meaningless?
Service attitude sucks.
Bad review! Must bad review!
Sora inwardly raged, but his smile grew brighter.
"Me?"
He spread arms in exaggerated self-introduction.
"Just a passing peace lover! Saw the gloomy weather here, everyone in bad moods—so thought I'd set off grand fireworks to liven things up!"
"What do you think—loud enough?"
Pain didn't reply.
For a god, one verbal warning sufficed.
Against blasphemers—only erasure.
Poof!
Another figure leaped from the tower, crashing heavily into ruins.
Three heads, six arms—covered in bizarre weapons.
Asura Path!
Upon landing—no hesitation—one arm transformed into cannon, aimed at Sora.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several homing missiles streaked with long trails, whistling toward him.
Simultaneously.
Deva Path Pain ghost-like appeared before Sora.
The god descended personally.
He simply threw a punch.
No chakra infused.
Pure, ultimate-condensed taijutsu.
Fast enough air couldn't react.
Facing this front-back pincer certain-kill, Sora's face retained its playful smile.
[Replicate and play: Flying Thunder God Technique]
His figure vanished the instant before fist and missiles arrived.
BOOM!!!!
Pain's fist collided precisely with Asura Path's missiles.
Violent explosion carved a deeper crater.
Next instant, Sora appeared atop rubble a hundred meters away.
"Hey hey, God-sama—don't be so hot-tempered!"
He shouted toward the blast center. "What if you hurt your own people? Bad form!"
Deva Path Pain emerged slowly from smoke—black red-cloud robe untouched by dust.
His Rinnegan locked on Sora.
Then extended a hand.
"Universal Pull."
Irresistible gravity instantly acted on Sora!
His body uncontrollably pulled toward Deva Path Pain!
"Oh ho! Getting serious!"
Sora yelped midair, but hands completed seals in a flash.
[Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!]
BOOM!
Gravity interrupted momentarily by the sudden barrier.
That moment.
Enough.
[Replicate and play: Body Flicker Technique]
Sora vanished again.
This time—not far away.
But behind Asura Path Pain!
In his hand—somehow a kunai crackling with lightning.
[Lightning Release: Chidori]
Lightning surged into a fatal spear, stabbing Asura Path's heart!
Capture the king first.
Since the king's hidden—dismantle his "action figures" one by one!
Yet.
Splat!
The spear pierced Asura Path's body.
No blood.
Felt not like flesh—but piercing intricate machinery.
Asura Path slowly turned its expressionless face.
Its other four arms already grabbed from tricky angles at point-blank Sora.
Simultaneously.
A cold hand pressed Sora's shoulder.
Deva Path Pain.
Somehow appeared behind him.
"Caught you, blasphemer."
Deva Path Pain's voice rang close for the first time.
"Is that so?"
Sora grinned, baring white teeth.
"What you caught—is this."
The "Sora" Pain held softened into a puddle of sticky water.
Water clone!
The real Sora had—upon spear thrust—used Earth Release to dive underground.
BOOM!
Asura Path's four arms and Deva Path Pain's strike hit empty—blasting the water puddle and ground to bits.
"Tch, tough."
Not far away in ruins, Sora's real body emerged, pursing lips.
These "monitors" performed better than imagined.
And their vision was shared!
Deva and Asura's seamless coordination—not possible for independent units.
This strengthened his resolve to breach the central tower.
Just then.
Three more figures appeared on the battlefield.
Human Path—who could summon massive beasts.
Animal Path—who could extract souls.
Naraka Path—who could revive other Paths.
All six Paths assembled!
Six pairs of Rinnegan locked Sora from six directions.
Pressure enough to despair any Kage-level.
"Wow, whole family out to greet me?"
Sora stood from ruins, dusting off, smile unchanged.
"Too polite! But I'm in a hurry—no time for chit-chat!"
He waved vigorously at the six Paths.
Then turned and ran.
No hesitation.
Joking—fighting six vision-shared, nearly unkillable walls in positional warfare?
Only an idiot would.
His goal from start—only one.
Central tower!
"Think you can escape?"
Deva Path Pain's voice—like distant thunder.
"Before god, nowhere to flee."
Animal Path sealed, hands on ground.
Poof! Poof! Poof!
Massive summoned beasts—Hell Cerberus, splitting giant bird, rampaging rhino—emerged from smoke, roaring after Sora, crushing already-ruined buildings.
Asura Path's arm became thruster—shooting like a cannonball.
Human and Preta Paths sealed his retreats from other sides.
Heaven-and-earth net.
But Sora's speed exceeded imagination.
Like a golden lightning bolt darting through ruins—every turn, every leap precisely evading beast pounces and Asura cannon fire.
His figure drew nearer the tallest steel tower!
Fifty meters!
Thirty!
Ten!
About to enter tower range!
Just then—Deva Path Pain ghost-teleported, blocking him.
"It ends here."
He slowly raised his hand.
Familiar repulsion gathered in his palm.
Larger-scale Shinra Tensei!
Yet the charging Sora flashed a triumphant grin.
That "Sora"—poofed into white smoke.
Shadow clone!
The real Sora had—using another clone's cover—circled to the tower's opposite side.
Now!
Data cable—plug into host!
[Ding!]