Nagato spoke, and in an instant, chakra coalesced at Zaraki Kita's feet. A tremendous gravitational force swept toward her. She remained unmoved. Nagato's brows furrowed slightly as he noticed the chakra attached to her feet.
Escaping without hurting a single one of them… almost impossible.
Kita's hands hovered over the weapons hidden beneath her cloak. She touched them briefly, then withdrew.
The weapon was the "Throne," reforged by Kyūbei. Pure white, its hilt wrapped in special white silk, and the blade bound with ribbons woven by Konan. There was only one—using it here would immediately expose her identity. Her unique body-ninja technique would also be recognized if she used it in front of them.
Facing them with a weapon? Kita immediately discarded the idea. As for escape—using Deidara's clay birds for high-speed flight was impossible. Akatsuki's expertise in aerial combat wasn't limited to him alone.
Her gaze fell on the cold-faced Konan. First thought: slim as ever. Second: still as beautiful as before. Third: she's truly grown stronger.
Most of Konan's paper shurikens attacked from behind. Previously, she could do this, but never with such silent precision.
Dodging them with a slight tilt, Kita refused to lift her feet off the ground—the gravitational force remained strong. But soon, she had no choice but to leap, as Kakuzu's attacks erupted from below. In midair, Nagato's Universal Pull drew her in uncontrollably. With no leverage, her body was hurled toward him. She grabbed one of the black rods created by Yin-Yang Release just in time, preventing it from impaling her.
But… the distance was dangerously close. Close enough to smell Nagato's hair. Close enough for him to sense a familiar aura on her.
If this continues, I'll be recognized…
Kita clenched her hands together, summoning a lightning armor that spread electrical currents in all directions.
"Wind Release: Gale Palm."
Only Nagato could amplify a C-rank ninjutsu to an S-rank effect. The gusts blew away Kita's lightning currents in an instant.
"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Song."
Four fire dragons erupted. Nagato's wind release fueled their intensity. The dragons swept outward, turning the battlefield into scorched earth. Alone, this might have been manageable—but there were nine opponents.
"Water Release: Water Array Wall!"
Kisame cast. The fire dragons collided with a strong water barrier, producing plumes of white smoke. Behind Kita, Lightning Release: False Darkness struck. Standing on water, she dodged most attacks but still suffered partial paralysis from conduction.
Iron sand approached, scraping her mask. If not for Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall, it might have been destroyed. Gasping for breath, having just used Twin Rising Dragons and engaged Akatsuki in battle, her chakra and stamina were nearly exhausted. When the smoke cleared, they saw her crouched on the water, mask slightly cracked, clothes intact.
From start to now, she had faced lightning, earth, and fire ninjutsu—all high-quality. Clearly, she wasn't merely a lightning expert.
Hidan's flying scythe struck as he rushed in. Kita dodged it but was caught by Kisame's body strike. A long gash ran down her shoulder, blood dripping. Her movement slowed slightly, and that hesitation allowed Itachi's ghostly throwing techniques to strike her leg.
She instinctively reached for her sword—realizing too late she couldn't use it. In that hesitation, Hidan's flying kick hit her abdomen. A glance revealed her crimson mark on his blood-soaked scythe.
Just the ritual left…
No more hesitation. She summoned two lightning swords. Left hand gripped a three-foot blade backward, right hand normally. Left arm extended, right arm relaxed. Body slightly forward, legs bent—a stance declaring war.
Strange, yet even Nagato, Konan, and Kakuzu squinted slightly at it.
Kita struck first, her eerie steps charging Hidan. Itachi's blocks were useless. Even the overwhelming paper shurikens fell harmlessly. Kakuzu, seeing only flashes of white light, could barely track her movements—the Human Reaper, he thought.
CLANG.
Both lightning swords struck Hidan, embedding electricity that coursed through him, rendering even finger movement agonizing. Kita stood amidst the completed ritual. Stamping her foot sent water surging, destroying the ritual's progression.
Facing the others' impending moves, she raised her hand.
"Stop."
Her voice was hoarse, smoky, distinctly female despite the roughness.
They halted, concealed intent lingering.
"I—I surrender," she stammered.
"Who are you?" Nagato demanded, face cold.
Luckily, she had never used her improved Second Hokage Sword Style before. Hidan's curse attacks had been deadly—she thought carefully, reaching for her mask. At that moment, both Nagato and Deidara were tense. Her slow movement drew attention, and just as success seemed near, a paper shuriken struck her left wrist, dropping the object.
"Don't even think about escaping."
Itachi's Sharingan left her no evasion. Her hand stiffened on the mask, yet a faint smile appeared beneath. Indeed, she had judged Itachi's skill correctly—it was extraordinary.
But… reinforcements had arrived.
"Ah, what a coincidence! Everyone's here to watch the moon~"
Uchiha Obito's voice descended. He appeared between Kita and Akatsuki, his half-masked face split between grotesque and handsome, grinning. In the blink of an eye, he vanished. Itachi leapt, shouting, "This way! He's injured, can't go far!"
Several figures dashed forward. Obito exhaled heavily after watching them, ensuring Hidan was truly incapacitated before turning toward the hidden figure in the trees.
"Seriously… I don't even know what to say! It's dangerous, you know!"
Kita emerged, retracting the dissipated lightning swords and entered the Time-Space with Obito.
A left shoulder wound, one on her leg, one on her left wrist—Kita removed her mask. First task wasn't treating the wounds, but retrieving a medicine bottle from her pocket.
"L-luckily… I wore the mask… why… why did they… come?"
"I don't know. I've been up there this whole time." Obito frowned as she swallowed two pills. "Such a commotion—why didn't you call me? This isn't an ordinary relic."
"S-sorry… didn't expect to… run into them."
"I'll get you up there first. Let's lay low for now."
Kita nodded. With Kamui activated, she was already on the moon.
━━━━ ❖ ━━━
If you're enjoying the journey so far and want to read ahead, you can check out 50+ advance chapters on Patreon: Patreon.com/Crimson_Lore
Every 100 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter
Add to Library!