Chapter 86: Top-Tier Proxy
"Yahiko is dead... is there really any point in me living?
"Even if I defeat the world, so what? I can never return to a world that has Yahiko in it.
"I might as well go to the Pure Land to be with him.
"Let him go. Killing him, hurting him... wouldn't that just make me the evil of this world?
"I should just die. This world no longer has meaning.
"War... I don't want to experience war anymore. I'd rather just die..."
Where Nagato sat, the light in his eyes gradually dimmed. Auras of death began to emanate from the Rinnegan. Konan immediately noticed something was wrong.
"Nagato! Nagato, what's happened to you?"
"I want to die, Konan. Kill me... let me go be with Yahiko..." Nagato spoke hollowly.
Konan's heart skipped a beat. What is going on? How did the perfectly fine Nagato suddenly turn into this? Something is wrong!
"Yo, it hit. Then it's my turn."
Seeing the six bodies filled with a lifeless, bleak aura, Tonbo Tobitake's lips curled into a smile. This technique— Psycho Mind Transmission: Depression—had an A+ difficulty level in his mind, but its power was extraordinary.
Why use Depression instead of Pain or Sorrow? Simply because it was the most practical. Pain and sorrow often caused people to erupt with massive energy—just like the protagonists in novels. At this stage, Nagato was undoubtedly a "protagonist" type.
Depression forced a person's emotions into an unprecedented low. In this state, they didn't just fail to break the Genjutsu—they didn't even want to move. This was why the Third Hokage had warned him never to use it on allies; if a comrade got caught in this spiral of despair and couldn't claw their way out, they were finished. Without a will of steel, escaping this emotional abyss was nearly impossible. The longer one stayed in it, the deeper the roots of despair sank into the spirit. Even if the Genjutsu was eventually broken, the mood would linger, making a full recovery incredibly difficult.
"The Six Paths of Pain sharing all sensory data isn't always a good thing," he smirked.
His hands moved in a blur of signs; he didn't dare waste a second.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
Whoosh!
The ground was torn up, and trees were uprooted. Crack! Trunks and branches snapped into jagged shards.
The debris slammed into the Six Paths of Pain. First to go were the clothes; in an instant, the black cloaks with red clouds were shredded to pieces. Their hair was shorn off as if by a razor, and their skin began to crack inch by inch. The Asura Path's mechanical body saw parts being flung away. The Deva Path's body was notably tougher—under this assault, its skin merely twisted and warped. Even the long objects hanging below... swung back and forth without breaking.
"It's over."
Tonbo exhaled a sigh of relief. He only had half his chakra left. In just that short exchange, heaven only knew how many ninjutsu and Genjutsus he had burned through. Fortunately, he wasn't Kakashi; he didn't have a Sharingan draining him dry.
On the edge of the battlefield, a blurred face shaped like a pitcher plant appeared on a large tree.
What was that jutsu just now? A Genjutsu? To actually cause all Six Paths of Pain to lose control in an instant? Zetsu was filled with suspicion. The strength of the Six Paths was unquestionable, yet they were currently like lambs to the slaughter. I need to investigate this man more to prevent the plan from going off track.
Zip! Zip!
Bang! Bang!
Clang!
Shuriken and kunai littered the ground. The forest was charred. Mibu Shinobu's trio was panting heavily, facing their enemy with unprecedented gravity.
"What was that? Physical attacks don't have the slightest effect?" Mibu muttered.
Facing this new foe, the three had cooperated continuously. With their somewhat unpolished teamwork, they had managed to find an opening, allowing Mibu to strike the enemy with a Windmill Shuriken. However, the attack passed right through the enemy's body as if they were in another dimension.
Enkui spoke: "It must be a Space-Time ninjutsu. Be careful. And those eyes... they are the Uchiha's Sharingan."
This fact alone made them tense. Why was an Uchiha here, seemingly connected to the Hidden Rain?
"You've got some skill. But next, I'm getting serious," the Swirl-masked man said. He wove signs and spat a massive torrent of fire from his mouth.
"So strong!" The three retreated rapidly, narrowly avoiding the blast. Where the flames passed, explosions erupted.
"Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes!"
Instantly, the three were pulled into an illusionary space, pinned down by massive wedges.
"Goodbye. Actually, let's make it 'no see you again.'" The masked man looked at the paralyzed trio. A wooden branch extended from his palm as he stepped toward Enkui.
Puchi!
The chest was pierced. The heart was crushed. With the pressure gone, blood surged from the exit wound in Enkui's chest. His eyes slowly closed.
"One."
The masked man moved toward Mibu Shinobu, thrusting the wooden spike down. At the critical moment, Mibu's eyes snapped open. He summoned a specialized blade-like ninja tool and slashed at the man's neck—a suicidal counterattack.
The masked man, holding all the cards, naturally wouldn't trade lives. He activated his ability. Mibu's blade passed through his neck. Simultaneously, the masked man's wooden spike passed through Mibu's chest. Both remained unharmed.
Mibu retreated instantly, summoning and throwing two massive Windmill Shuriken. As they passed through the enemy, he used the distraction to reach Murakumo and break his Genjutsu.
"Damn it, Enkui is dead. When is that 'reinforcement' you mentioned arriving?" Mibu asked grimly.
Luckily, his teacher had once told him that when facing a Sharingan or a Genjutsu master, standard chakra disruption wouldn't work. He had been taught specific ways to break Sharingan illusions. But this enemy was too strong, and his abilities were broken. Strong Fire Style, strong Genjutsu, and an ability to ignore attacks. Which Uchiha was this?
Murakumo remained expressionless. "A few more minutes. They should be here."
"Crap, I'm not sure we can last one minute!" Mibu complained.
"Quite capable, to be able to break my Sharingan Genjutsu," the masked man praised.
"Well, my teacher is a Genjutsu master. It would be weirder if I couldn't break it," Mibu replied, trying to buy every second possible.
"True. Anyone who can pull the 'God' of the Hidden Rain into a Genjutsu deserves the title of master," the masked man admitted. He was impressed; for a commoner without a Bloodline Limit to pull that off was remarkable. But it ended here. He saw through their stalling and stopped chatting.
Whoosh! He wove signs. A deluge of wooden spikes rained down on them.
"So much for honor!" Mibu and Murakumo dodged frantically while summoning countless specialized shuriken to return fire.
"Wind Style: Air Current Wild Dance!" Mibu released the jutsu, and the shuriken in the air gained a massive boost in cutting power, flying in unique, guided trajectories to intercept the wooden spikes.
He then reached into his vest pocket and pulled out something Tonbo had given him back in the Rain Village: a pentagonal token, half the size of a palm.
On it was written: "Tonbo Tobitake: Top-Tier Proxy."
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