Chapter 102: Stealing the Four-Tails and Five-Tails!
The two extremely familiar chakra signatures Oborotsuki sensed—one belonged to Nagato.
The other came from Kakuzu.
"It seems the ones who came to Iwagakure to capture the tailed beasts are these two. That means the one handling Sunagakure must be Obito himself…"
Oborotsuki looked into the distance and saw two enormous tailed beasts engaged in battle with a lone figure in the sky.
That figure was none other than Pain's Deva Path.
"Taking on two tailed beasts at once… looks like you people are really in a hurry!"
Oborotsuki watched the scene with a meaningful smile.
He didn't rush to intervene. Instead, he continued tracking Nagato's chakra signature and quickly located his exact position.
"Shinra Tensei!"
Facing the combined assault of the Four-Tails and Five-Tails, Pain's Deva Path unleashed his ultimate technique.
The terrifying power of the Rinnegan made suppressing tailed beasts relatively simple.
But such a large-scale technique placed a heavy burden on Nagato.
After using it, his chakra was severely depleted, and he immediately began coughing violently.
Now, without Konan by his side to protect him, the frail, emaciated Nagato—who could barely move—looked utterly lonely and desolate.
The coughing stopped abruptly. Nagato's gaze shifted slightly behind him:
"It's you… Hōzuki Oborotsuki."
"What are you doing here?"
Even without turning around, Nagato knew who had come.
That chakra signature was far too familiar—and one he deeply feared. Who else could it be but Oborotsuki?
"Stop, Nagato."
"If you don't want to die here."
Oborotsuki stood calmly at a moderate distance, speaking indifferently.
"So you're here to stop me from capturing the tailed beasts…"
"If your only goal is to oppose Akatsuki, there's no need for this."
"We currently have no intention of targeting you or Konan."
Nagato knew Oborotsuki was no ordinary opponent.
Right now was a critical moment in dealing with the Four-Tails and Five-Tails. If a conflict broke out with him, the entire operation would fail.
Not only would the Four-Tails and Five-Tails escape—he himself might perish here.
Of course, Nagato wasn't completely relying on convincing Oborotsuki.
After saying this, he controlled the Six Paths of Pain. At the other end of the battlefield, he spoke to Kakuzu—who was currently cleaning up Iwagakure's ANBU:
"Kakuzu, go to the mountain ahead to support Nagato."
"I'll apply the Reverse Summoning Technique formula on you next, so you can get there instantly."
"Nagato?"
Kakuzu looked up in confusion toward the distant mountain ahead.
Even now, he still didn't know the secret of the Six Paths of Pain.
Naturally, he had no idea that behind the Six Paths stood Uzumaki Nagato controlling them.
Of course, Nagato had no intention of exposing his secret.
But against an opponent like Oborotsuki—while being mobility-impaired and having to divide his attention between two tailed beasts—he truly needed assistance.
Hearing Nagato's response, Oborotsuki shook his head:
"If you think I came here because of that matter, then you're too foolish."
"So you insist on becoming our enemy."
Nagato said, clapping his hands together.
"Reverse Summoning Technique!"
Poof!
With a puff of white smoke, a tall figure appeared beside Nagato.
"I see…"
"So you're the one controlling the Six Paths of Pain from behind?"
Kakuzu only needed one glance at the frail, skeletal Uzumaki Nagato sitting in a special wheelchair—looking as though he could die at any moment—to immediately deduce everything.
"Kakuzu, your job now is to hold back Hōzuki Oborotsuki!"
"I will focus all my power to finish off both the Four-Tails and Five-Tails!"
Without wasting any more words, Nagato began pouring even more chakra into the technique.
But now, he abandoned control of the other five Paths, channeling every ounce of chakra into Pain's Deva Path alone.
"Kid… how did you find this place?"
Kakuzu gave Nagato a deep look, realizing the situation was indeed grim. Then he lifted his gaze toward Oborotsuki across from him.
"Oh, it's you, old man Kakuzu."
"You came at the perfect time. Let's settle our old grudge right now."
Oborotsuki smiled as he loosened his joints.
He hadn't forgotten: the reason he was able to transmigrate into this body was because of Kakuzu.
This guy had killed the previous owner of this body in cold blood.
That was how Oborotsuki had gotten the chance to take over.
As soon as Oborotsuki finished speaking, with a sharp clang, he kicked the blade of his Decapitation Greatsword upward, then vanished from his spot.
"Earth Release: Earth Spear!!"
Facing Oborotsuki's assault, Kakuzu immediately used Earth Release to reinforce his entire body's defense.
His whole body turned pitch black.
The next second, a resounding metallic clash rang out as Oborotsuki's greatsword struck Kakuzu.
Immediately after, Kakuzu was sent flying like a cannonball.
Oborotsuki's figure reappeared, shouldering the greatsword as he looked in surprise at Kakuzu, who had been blasted hundreds of meters away:
"You're tougher than I thought, old man…"
The Decapitation Greatsword—enhanced to +2—was no joke.
Under normal circumstances, anyone hit head-on by that strike would have been cleaved in two.
The fact that Kakuzu could reinforce himself with Earth Release and withstand the attack was already quite impressive.
"But this ends here!"
Oborotsuki moved first and struck next, chasing after Kakuzu and unleashing a storm of ferocious attacks.
At the same time, after concentrating all his chakra into one body, Pain's Deva Path unleashed another massive sealing technique against the Four-Tails and Five-Tails.
"Chibaku Tensei!"
A colossal black sphere of chakra was created.
In an instant, the earth cracked and mountains collapsed.
The Four-Tails and Five-Tails—who had been gathering Tailed Beast Bombs—had their techniques forcibly interrupted by the terrifying gravitational pull.
Both massive figures, along with the jinchūriki inside them, were violently dragged into the sky by the force and firmly pinned in place, unable to move.
Rumble rumble rumble…
The collapse of the earth continued.
More and more soil, rocks, trees, and all sorts of debris were drawn upward toward the two immobilized tailed beasts.
Soon, the Four-Tails and Five-Tails were completely sealed.
But sealing two tailed beasts at once had taken a heavy toll—Pain's Deva Path was now breathing heavily.
This battle had consumed far too much of his chakra.
The commotion had alerted Kirigakure. More elite reinforcements were rushing to the scene.
If they didn't retreat now, escape might become impossible.
But what was even more dangerous was that Hōzuki Oborotsuki had now arrived here.
Nagato glanced back at the fight between Kakuzu and Oborotsuki.
He saw Kakuzu being utterly dominated—one-sidedly beaten with no power to fight back.
"Cough… cough cough…"
Anxious, Nagato coughed violently and spat out two mouthfuls of blood.
"In that case… I'll have to seal you along with them…"
Nagato controlled Pain's Deva Path and flew straight toward Oborotsuki.
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