Chapter 87: Honored Throughout Heaven and Earth
"Sensei, don't you dare bluff me now!"
The token in his hand was something his teacher had personally given him. Mibu Shinobu still remembered the shock he felt when his teacher described its effects.
"Mibu, my boy, I made this during my time as a spy in the Hidden Rain. I didn't have much space to practice loud or flashy ninjutsu, so I cooked this up instead."
"It's a one-time-use ninja tool called the 'Proxy.' It took me half a month of sleepless work just to craft a single one—it was a real pain in the neck."
"Its ability is simple: if you ever run into an opponent you absolutely can't beat, and you have a spare second to use it, give it a go."
"Sealed within is a lifetime of my combat experience. Once you activate it and accept it, you'll temporarily gain my combat instincts, and your reaction speed will get a short, massive boost."
"Don't go using it for fun. The difficulty of making this thing is no less than creating an S-rank ninjutsu."
Heaven knows how stunned Mibu had been at the time, especially given how casually his teacher had said it. A ninja tool that could seal a lifetime of combat experience—even if it was a one-time use—was unimaginably powerful. Combat experience was the very essence of a ninja's strength, and the idea that it could be "borrowed" was mind-blowing.
Furthermore, if the difficulty of crafting it rivaled the creation of an S-rank jutsu, one could only imagine how hard it was to invent the technique in the first place.
Watching the enemy continuing his assault, Mibu Shinobu activated the tool without a moment's hesitation.
Flash!
The moment chakra was funneled into it, the large characters on the token shimmered with a brilliant blue light. A surge of chakra that didn't belong to him spread rapidly, following his own chakra pathways until it connected with his brain. It formed a Genjutsu space that interfaced with Mibu 's consciousness.
Instantly, a wave of absolute confidence washed over him. This guy... I can take him.
"Hmm? A significant change seems to have occurred." The spiral-faced man keenly sensed the shift in his opponent.
Mibu 's hands blurred into signs as he signaled his teammate: "Enkui, support me!"
Enkui had originally intended to slip away, but seeing Mibu 's transformation and knowing reinforcements were close made him stop. On a blank scroll, he quickly drew several ferocious giant beasts and sent them charging at the enemy.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
At the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain, a dozen figures moved with blurring speed.
"Enkui has gathered a lot of intel, but he's likely being pursued. We must reinforce him immediately!" the leader commanded, urging the squad to accelerate.
The Pain Battlefield.
Whoosh!
Just as Tonbo Tobitake's Great Breakthrough was about to tear through the Six Paths, the eyes of the Deva Path suddenly shifted. He raised a hand slightly, and an invisible force blocked the gust. Then, it pushed back against Tonbo.
Swoosh!
"I'm not falling for the same trick twice." Tonbo activated his Eye of the Creator, and a massive hawk materialized to carry him high into the sky.
He scratched his head while looking down at Deva Path. To think he actually snapped out of that emotional state so quickly—as expected of the man who wanted to change the world.
Simultaneously, Tonbo formed a seal to expand his sensory range. Everything within a ten-kilometer radius entered his mind, the chakra signatures of various creatures appearing clearly. He didn't find Nagato's true body. No wonder the Hyuga clan ninjas in the original story hadn't found him; the place where he hid must have been protected by a powerful sensory-shielding barrier.
Mibu and the others weren't within range either, which likely meant they had escaped.
In that case, there's no need to keep fighting. I get paid 500,000 a month—why am I risking my life?
He steered the hawk, preparing to fly away.
"Since you have come, accept God's punishment."
Tonbo wanted to leave, but Pain wouldn't allow it. A massive gravitational pull snagged him, dragging him toward the ground. Beside Pain, only a head and one arm remained of the Naraka Path, but it summoned a giant head that sucked the damaged Six Paths into its mouth.
Crunch! Munch!
A moment later, they were spat back out, completely restored.
"Hey! Stop fighting! I don't want to play anymore. Can we just call it quits?" Tonbo babbled incessantly as his body plummeted.
He reached into his flak jacket and pulled out a scroll. With a poof, it expanded, revealing the character for "Stone" in the center.
"My wife is incredibly rich; watch me crush you to death with money!" Storage scrolls were expensive, but Tonbo had prepared plenty of them filled with all sorts of things.
After casting the spell, a five-meter-tall boulder appeared beneath him, taking the brunt of the gravitational pull in his place. Taking advantage of the distraction, Tonbo commanded the hawk to pull up and climb higher.
He didn't have Naruto's Tailed Beast-enhanced body, so he had come prepared for this specific ninjutsu. With his exceptional neural reflexes, he was fast enough to react even to the Deva Path's speed.
The appearance of the boulder made Pain frown. He had no choice but to use Almighty Push to blast the rock away.
Boom!
"Does he have intel on us, or is he just excessively prepared for every possibility?" Pain wondered.
Since the fight began, he noticed that aside from the move that induced emotional collapse, the man's abilities were rather ordinary. Yet, in this six-on-one fight, every move the man made hit Pain exactly where it hurt most. It was as if he were one step ahead.
The abilities of the Preta Path and Human Path hadn't been useful once. The Animal Path's summons weren't suitable due to Tonbo's proficiency in close quarters and Genjutsu. Now, even his Universal Pull had been countered by a simple rock. Everything suggested the opponent was reading his moves.
Regardless, he couldn't let the man escape.
The Animal Path formed seals: Poof! The Giant Drill-Beaked Bird and the Cerberus appeared. The Six Paths of Pain mounted the giant summons and took to the sky, chasing after Tonbo.
"Hey! I'm already retreating! Why are you chasing me? Where are your manners?!" Tonbo shouted back at his pursuers.
"Join our organization. Your abilities are strong. If you join us, I will let you live," Pain said. He had taken an interest in the man's power. This was no ordinary ninja.
"Pah! Who wants to join you guys? Six against one? You're just bullies! I don't accept this!" Tonbo saw the two giant beasts and realized he was facing even more help. That dog's ability was a bit too ridiculous. He couldn't keep fighting; his chakra was less than half-full. He needed to get out of there.
"Then... you shall die. Universal Pull!"
"Boulder toss!"
"Missile attack!"
"Wind style block!"
"Fighting six-on-one... your organization clearly isn't up to any good! If you keep following me, I'll use my ultimate move and take you down with me!" Tonbo yelled.
It was time.
Tonbo turned around to face them. He stood on one leg, tilted his head back 45 degrees toward the sky, pointed his left hand to the heavens and his right hand to the earth:
"Throughout Heaven and Earth, I alone am the honored one."
The bizarre pose and the nonsensical shouting made Pain hesitate for a moment. Could it really be a suicidal ultimate move?
He had already suspected the man had intel on him; now, Tonbo's dramatic posture gave him pause. Furthermore, that earlier Genjutsu had nearly done him in—if Konan hadn't helped his true body break it, he might have fallen right then and there. Even now, the lingering negative emotions from that technique weighed heavily on him.
It was a technique that could truly threaten his main body.
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