"Senra… Heart Chains."
In a daze, a low, hoarse voice seemed to echo through the ruins.
It wasn't loud—yet it carried an eerie rhythm, the kind that branded itself into the deepest part of the soul.
"So… something went wrong after all?"
A flicker of hesitation crossed Black Zetsu's face.
But he was already mid-lunge. There was no room to change course.
He could only grit his teeth and push harder—faster—deeper.
0.5 meters.
0.1 meters.
So close.
Close enough that Black Zetsu could see his fingers brushing Kai's hair.
Done.
He exhaled in relief—then surged forward, wrapping himself around Kai like a black chain, coiling tighter and tighter until Kai was fully bound.
"Did he… succeed?"
The Deva Path's Rinnegan flickered twice, almost involuntarily.
"Was I… overestimating him?"
"Hah… finally."
Itachi—still upright through sheer stubbornness—let out a breath like his organs were being ripped apart.
But the result was good.
As for Jiraiya, his brows only drew together slightly. He didn't rush in.
That chain sound… that muttered whisper…
He heard it too.
And he trusted it wasn't an illusion.
Sure enough—right as the thought formed, the sound grew louder.
RATTLE—!
RATTLE-RATTLE—!!
All around them—above, below—space itself rang with the collision of metal chains.
Yet there were no visible chains.
"Haa…"
Kai released a slow breath.
His eyes, unmoving for far too long, finally lifted—just a slit.
The black chakra leaking from the corners of his eyes—cold Yin Release threaded with crackling arcs—condensed instantly.
And then—
Six nearly transparent black chain-phantoms appeared out of nothing.
They weren't truly solid.
Instead, their edges violently warped the light, like reality was bending away from them.
Each chain radiated a bone-deep chill that made hearts seize.
The moment they took shape, they snapped onto the thing clinging to Kai—
Black Zetsu.
"No—no—NO—!"
Black Zetsu shrieked so hard he sounded like White Zetsu.
He felt it—pure, lethal danger.
Those chains weren't targeting his body.
They were targeting the core of his existence—
his consciousness.
The very thing that made him him.
Run.
He had to run.
The moment that thought appeared, Black Zetsu forced the Mayfly technique to its limit—his body liquefying, pouring downward, trying to merge into the ground.
But—
Senra Heart Chains ignored physical barriers.
Ignored distortion.
Ignored even the idea of "distance."
Like living vipers, the chains pierced straight through the black puddle as if matter didn't exist.
"AAAAA—!!"
This scream was no longer comedic.
It was horrifying.
The chains didn't shred his liquid body.
They stabbed with terrifying precision—straight into his core.
Yin Release?!
And with sealing power mixed into it?!
This time… Black Zetsu was genuinely afraid.
If his consciousness was seized, he could be forced into sleep… or broken… or warped.
And if that happened, reviving Mother would become a joke.
But—
right when the chains were about to touch the deepest part of him…
RATTLE—
They suddenly scattered—dissolving into nothing.
Run.
With zero hesitation, Black Zetsu dove into the earth and vanished.
Above, Kai forced his eyes open a little wider. The agony in his skull had eased slightly.
He glanced at the system notification, and understanding flashed across his expression.
So that was it.
The power of Reincarnation Force had awakened Yin Release early.
[Ding! Fusion successful. Yin Release unlocked. It can be attached to other traits to generate new traits.]
[Detected: Trait available for attachment — Adamantine Sealing. Attaching…]
[Adamantine Sealing (Purple) → Senra Heart Chains (Gold). After attachment: Chain range greatly increased. Contact can disrupt chakra circulation.]
The black chains from earlier…
were Adamantine Sealing, fused with Yin Release.
Kai's gaze sharpened slightly.
"Sounds a lot like… Truth-Seeking Rod stuff."
The black rods formed through Yin–Yang Release in Six Paths mode—sealing and disrupting chakra points.
The scary part was how they appeared out of nowhere.
Now his chains had gained something similar.
But the cost was brutal.
From the start of this fight until now, his chakra was basically empty.
So when he watched the shadow of Black Zetsu slip away…
he only paused for a heartbeat, then retracted the chains.
"Whatever. Live a little longer."
Six Paths Obito. Six Paths Madara. Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
He needed Black Zetsu alive to stir that whole mess into existence.
If Kai wanted to truly transcend, the real "traits" he wanted were on those monsters.
In other words—
those were the real harvest.
Everything he'd taken so far had been… small crops.
That included any Ōtsutsuki who might show up later.
Who knew?
They were either future threats… or future harvest.
"Ugh…"
But then Kai realized something was wrong.
Not just the empty chakra.
The stabbing pain in his head still hadn't gone away.
His body swayed.
Splash.
The fading phantom of Senra Heart Chains trembled violently—and snapped apart like smoke.
Weakness.
A weakness so obvious even civilians could see it.
"Now! We move!"
Jiraiya, who had been watching like a hawk, reacted the instant Kai faltered.
No hesitation—he exploded forward.
Secret Technique: Needle Jizō — Thousand-Needle Rain!
SHHHK—SHHHK—SHHHK!
Jiraiya's long white hair hardened and extended in an instant, turning into countless sharp senbon that blasted outward in every direction.
He didn't need to hurt anyone.
He only needed one second.
At the same time, he surged to Kai's side with shocking speed, grabbed him, and swung him onto his back.
"Hold on!"
Jiraiya bit his thumb and formed seals like lightning.
Summoning Technique — Reverse Summoning!
BOOOOM—!!!
A huge cloud of smoke detonated across the ruins, swallowing both Jiraiya and Kai whole.
"You think you're leaving?!"
The Deva Path's Rinnegan flashed. A wave of repulsion burst outward, blasting the hair-senbon away—
but Jiraiya had bought the instant he needed.
When the smoke cleared, only a scorched summoning circle remained.
Jiraiya and Kai were gone.
The Deva Path lowered his gaze, voice quiet.
"As expected of Jiraiya-sensei…"
"Your escape techniques really are something."
He lifted a hand and gathered what remained of the Paths—bits and pieces, scattered everywhere.
Then, nearby, Black Zetsu lay on the ground like a real puddle of filth.
The terrifying black chains had vanished, yet his body still twitched uncontrollably.
Death had been one step away.
"Hah…"
Konan's face was pale. Her paper wings trembled faintly.
But in her eyes, something else was rising—something bright, almost feverish.
"That chain… it looked like Nagato's black rods."
If Kai could do that…
Could he help restore Nagato's vitality?
The thought bloomed instantly.
And as Kai disappeared, Konan's heart drifted after him.
Deep within the Rain Village—inside the hidden cave.
"Hah… what an unpredictable kid."
Nagato wiped blood from the corner of his mouth.
His Rinnegan had dulled—no shine, only pain.
"But those eyes…"
"And those black chains…"
He murmured, turning his gaze toward the black rods behind him.
His expression turned unreadable.
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