"What kind of power is this…?"
Orochimaru stood atop a field of ruins, staring into the distance as a rare look of shock spread across his face.
Throughout his life as a shinobi, it wasn't as if he had never witnessed large-scale destruction. In war, when multiple ninja combined their techniques, the results could be overwhelming beyond imagination.
Even he himself was capable of causing widespread devastation if he truly wanted to.
But what he was seeing now… was completely different.
This level of destruction wasn't created by armies.
It was the result of just two people fighting.
Even their earlier clash—purely taijutsu—had already surpassed the destructive power of most ninjutsu.
And now, as their techniques collided, the intensity had risen even further, bringing with it a suffocating sense of death that lingered in the air.
"That Rinnegan user… his current state is terrifying," Orochimaru muttered as he observed the battlefield. "I'd better stay farther away."
He quickly made his decision.
While he wasn't too worried about his own survival—his ability to stay alive was exceptional—the boy beside him couldn't withstand something like this.
"Hm?"
In the very next moment—
An overwhelming force erupted!
That immense power slammed directly into Natsuhiko's Wood Release, and in an instant, the very world seemed to lose its color. A shockwave beyond comprehension exploded outward, sweeping across everything in its path.
The sheer force was indescribable.
The scale of destruction defied imagination.
Even from Orochimaru's distance, it felt like he wouldn't be spared from the aftermath.
"…Those two…"
In another direction, hidden within the forest, Sasori watched the scene unfold, his expression turning grim.
The moment they began fighting, he had already realized something—
The destructive power these two possessed was far beyond anything he could match.
That was why he hadn't even considered approaching them. He hadn't even bothered going after Orochimaru anymore.
But what he hadn't expected was this—
Even after retreating so far, he was still within the range of their battle.
Perhaps it was because of his past encounters with Natsuhiko's disguised identity, but Sasori now felt something he hadn't experienced in a long time—
The shadow of death looming over him.
Even as a seasoned shinobi who had faced countless life-and-death battles, that overwhelming sense of helplessness was something he never wanted to feel again.
And yet—
Despite the distance he had put between them, the range of their clash was simply too vast.
"This is bad…"
Sasori muttered as he shook his head sharply. Without hesitation, he summoned the puppet of the Third Kazekage.
Right now, survival was his only priority.
He had brushed too close to death once already—he had no intention of repeating that experience.
...
"Rumble… Rumble…!"
The blinding white light expanded from a point into a massive wave, and the moment it fully collided with the Wood Release, a deafening roar took over the entire world.
Cracks spread wildly across the ground, deep fissures tearing through the earth like bottomless abysses, stretching endlessly toward the horizon.
At the center of it all, Natsuhiko stood calmly within the forest he had created.
Even he couldn't help but feel a hint of amazement at the sheer force before him.
Especially when that world-ending shockwave struck his Wood Release—
A heavy pressure pressed against his chest.
This kind of power…
This was what the Rinnegan was truly capable of.
"Boom!"
Under the relentless impact, the outermost layer of Natsuhiko's Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence was instantly reduced to dust.
Natsuhiko frowned slightly at the sight.
"This level of power… is beyond expectations," he murmured to himself.
This time, his Wood Release had been enhanced by both Sage Mode and the chakra of his Jōgan, reaching an entirely new level.
And yet—
Even so, it seemed unable to fully withstand Nagato's attack.
Still, after a brief moment of thought, Natsuhiko didn't seem too concerned.
After all—
This technique hadn't even consumed one-tenth of his chakra.
Strictly speaking, he had already used a decent amount of chakra control, but compared to Nagato—who had practically poured all of his chakra into that attack, even at the cost of his own life—
Natsuhiko's effort was almost negligible.
For Natsuhiko, using even one-tenth of his chakra wasn't a big deal at all. With his incredible recovery ability, that level of consumption could be restored quickly.
Others might have to give everything they had—risking their lives just to reach this level of power—and that would already be considered normal.
But for him?
It was just the beginning.
"Looks like I need to get a bit more serious."
With that thought, Natsuhiko began to mobilize his chakra even more aggressively. The already massive trees around him suddenly grew even larger, transforming into towering giants that pierced straight into the sky.
The earth rumbled violently as those colossal trees stretched upward, completely blocking everything in front of him.
At that moment, Natsuhiko could clearly feel it—
The impact from Pain was beginning to weaken.
Although his trees were still being destroyed—some even snapping under the pressure—the overwhelming sense of danger that had made his heart tense earlier was now fading.
"And this force… this repulsion… it feels familiar somehow."
As he endured the power of Shinra Tensei, a strange realization began to form in his mind.
Back when he first awakened these eyes, he had already suspected that they possessed certain unique abilities.
For example—
Control over attraction and repulsion.
He could sense something like that within his eyes, but he had never been able to activate it.
But now, under the pressure of Nagato's attack, something was changing.
He could clearly feel it—
The power within his eyes was beginning to stir.
And as the force of Shinra Tensei grew stronger, that stirring became more intense. At the same time, a deeper understanding began to take shape within his mind.
"So… that's how it works."
As the destructive force continued to rage, Natsuhiko's insight deepened, and the brilliant blue light in his eyes grew even more dazzling.
At this moment—
His control over his eyes had improved significantly.
More importantly, he realized that he had grasped a new kind of power.
It was something that had always existed within him, tied to his eyes from the very beginning. It had simply remained dormant because his control hadn't been strong enough.
But now, with Nagato unintentionally pushing him—
He had awakened it.
"…Looks like Nagato is actually a pretty good guy after all," Natsuhiko muttered with a faint smile.
And just then—
The world-destroying force finally began to subside.
...
The Deva Path of Pain slowly lowered his outstretched hands.
His expression remained unchanged, but for the first time, a trace of exhaustion appeared in his eyes.
Everything around him had been completely wiped out.
The land had turned into nothingness, and thick dust filled the air, covering everything in sight.
He couldn't see what lay ahead.
But he didn't need to.
He believed that under such overwhelming power, no technique—no matter how terrifying that Wood Release had been—could possibly withstand it.
He had absolute confidence.
After all, his eyes were the Rinnegan of the Sage of Six Paths.
"…Haa…"
A faint breath escaped from Pain's lips.
Or rather—
From Nagato himself.
That attack, gathering nearly all of his chakra into one devastating blow, had pushed his body far beyond its limits.
Even so—
He was certain.
No one could survive that.
Not even that man with those strange blue eyes.
...
Within the smoke-filled ruins, broken debris shifted slightly.
Orochimaru kicked aside a chunk of shattered rock before climbing out from underground, dragging Kabuto Yakushi along with him.
The two of them looked utterly disheveled.
And at that moment, both the young Kabuto and Orochimaru wore expressions of complete disbelief.
They stared at the scene before them, unable to process what they were seeing.
The once vast and thriving forest—
Was gone.
In its place remained nothing but a massive, lifeless crater, stretching out in a perfect circle, devoid of any sign of life.
Inside that massive crater, all traces of life seemed to have been completely erased in an instant.
Everything had happened in the blink of an eye.
"Is this really something humans are capable of?" Orochimaru murmured softly. After speaking, he fell into a long silence.
Yet unlike his outward calm, his inner thoughts were anything but still.
On the contrary, his mind was extremely active—excited, even exhilarated.
He couldn't be sure whether this still counted as human power anymore, but in the face of such overwhelming strength, fear and fascination intertwined within him, igniting an intense desire.
The power of Wood Release was already something worth coveting… but the power of Senju Natsuhiko was on an entirely different level of temptation.
And those eyes…
They were likely not the result of Senju lineage alone. That was something unique to Natsuhiko himself.
Orochimaru slowly licked his lips, his eyes now burning with undisguised greed.
Beside him, Kabuto Yakushi was trembling uncontrollably.
He knew the ANBU commander was strong—terrifyingly strong.
He had witnessed the Nine-Tails incident with his own eyes, seen those towering trees that had rendered the Nine-Tails unable to move.
At that time, he didn't even know the identity of the person responsible.
But after being recruited into ANBU later, he learned the truth—
That night… it had been Natsuhiko.
Strictly speaking, Kabuto had once harbored resentment.
He had been taken from the orphanage almost forcibly. Because of Natsuhiko, he was separated from everything familiar—friends, caretakers, his entire life—dragged into the shadows of ANBU, and placed under Orochimaru's influence, someone the village was actively hunting.
He had once thought about resisting.
But he knew he couldn't do anything yet.
He had even clung to a faint hope that someday, he might change things.
But at this moment—
All thoughts of resistance vanished completely.
Shattered by the overwhelming force he had just witnessed.
There was no chance.
Not now.
Perhaps not ever.
That man… that ANBU commander… that devil wearing the same hair color as him and belonging to the Senju clan—
He was not someone Kabuto could ever oppose.
A silent fear spread through him. Without realizing it, he lowered his head, unable to look forward anymore.
"Damn it…" Sasori pulled himself out of the rubble, his body in a miserable state.
Compared to his condition, his prized creation—the Third Kazekage puppet—was in even worse shape.
It had been completely battered.
This puppet was his masterpiece, his greatest work, the very embodiment of his art and strength.
And now it had been damaged like this.
What made it even worse was that it had only just been repaired.
After it was destroyed previously by that man who controlled the Nine-Tails with a single Tailed Beast Bomb, Sasori had spent nearly half a year painstakingly restoring it, putting nearly all his work on hold just to complete the repairs.
To him, puppets were everything. They were his belief, his identity, and the foundation of his strength.
And yet now, before it had even seen proper combat again, it had been wrecked once more.
The frustration and heartache were real.
But even through that pain, Sasori couldn't help but acknowledge one thing—
The power of those two monsters was beyond reason.
Even from such a distance, the shockwaves of their battle had reduced everything to this state.
It was almost impossible to imagine what would happen if they fought head-on.
"…Still, something's off about that Konoha Nightingale."
Sasori frowned slightly.
He clearly remembered fighting that man before.
But compared to that encounter, the strength Natsuhiko was displaying now…
It was on an entirely different level altogether.
Back then, that guy couldn't even use the Flying Thunder God Technique. Aside from summoning that damn giant lizard, he barely had any means to cause real trouble for Sasori.
But now?
The level of power Natsuhiko displayed left Sasori with only one viable option—keep his distance.
Because Sasori understood very clearly: if he faced that version of Natsuhiko alone, the only possible outcome would be death. Nothing else.
Taking a deep breath, Sasori forced himself to calm down. There was no point thinking about it anymore.
The battle in the distance had not yet ended, but he had already made his decision. He needed to withdraw.
His puppet had been destroyed. Staying here served no purpose anymore.
Leaving now, finding a way to repair his puppet, and restoring his combat strength—that was the real priority.
After casting one last deep look toward the battlefield, he saw the smoke slowly thinning. The terrifying forest of towering trees finally revealed its full, brutal form.
That sight alone was enough to eliminate any remaining hesitation.
Because it said everything.
...
"This... this can't be possible..."
As the smoke dispersed under the wind, rows of grotesque, intertwined giant trees came into view—scarred, battered, yet still standing tall.
When they appeared before Pain, even he—who had always been emotionless and confident—could no longer maintain his composure.
He couldn't accept it.
He truly couldn't accept what he was seeing.
He had already gone all out. That last Shinra Tensei had been unleashed with everything he had.
In his estimation, that level of power could easily wipe out any of the Five Great Ninja Villages in an instant.
And yet—
The brutal truth stood right in front of him.
Everything he had done… had been completely useless against that so-called "Konoha Nightingale."
How?
How could this be happening?
He couldn't understand it, nor could he accept it.
Why was that Wood Release able to block his strongest attack?
"Woom!"
Before he could process it any further, a sharp tearing sound sliced through the air beside him.
The next instant—
His entire body was violently sent flying.
He didn't even know how far he had been thrown, nor how many things he had crashed through along the way. His mind was completely blank.
And worse—
Because of his reckless overuse of chakra earlier, he was now unable to properly utilize the power of the Rinnegan.
"Honestly… you're disappointing me."
When Pain finally came to a stop, that calm voice echoed in his ear.
He slowly turned his head.
There—
A figure stood not far away, its body surrounded by flowing, radiant blue chakra. It looked almost unreal, like a ghost drifting between worlds.
It was him.
The Konoha Nightingale.
Through Pain's vision, Nagato saw it clearly. Even without seeing him directly, he was already certain.
That voice.
That impossible speed.
That almost divine presence.
For a fleeting moment—
Nagato truly felt it.
Maybe… this man was the real god.
He was the one who should possess the title. He was the one who should stand as the proxy of the Sage of Six Paths. He was the one born to wield the Rinnegan.
"No… I refuse to accept it! I refuse!"
At that moment, both Nagato hidden within the tree hollow and the Deva Path of Pain let out a furious roar in unison.
He still had strength left—his life force was still there.
He could force the Rinnegan to move again by burning his own life if necessary.
But Natsuhiko was faster.
Through his Jōgan, he had already seen it—
Pain's chakra was beginning to surge once more.
Especially at this moment, the power he was driving already included his own life force, which made it clear that Nagato had truly begun to lose control and go mad.
So Natsuhiko decided to act first.
He had just obtained some very interesting abilities, and now was the perfect time to test exactly what they could do.
He raised his hand quickly, and in an instant, Sage chakra fused with his Jōgan chakra began to surge and resonate.
A powerful gravitational force manifested in his palm without the slightest delay, and in that instant, it felt as if the very rules of the world had been rewritten.
Countless shattered rocks and broken branches responded as if they had been summoned, violently rushing toward Natsuhiko's position.
Even Pain could not control his own body anymore. He had no time to react before he was suddenly pulled forward like a cannonball, shooting straight toward Natsuhiko's palm.
Even Natsuhiko himself was slightly stunned by this.
This was the first time he had ever used the ability of the Jōgan in actual combat.
Or rather, this kind of ability to manipulate attraction and repulsion was something common among high-level dōjutsu—it was essentially a universal skill.
But even so, the sheer power he had unleashed was honestly a bit terrifying.
Not only Natsuhiko, but Nagato hidden inside the tree hollow also changed expression, his already pale face turning even more grim.
Why can he use Banshō Ten'in?!
But Nagato immediately dismissed the thought. This was not the time to question anything. He needed to break free from this control as fast as possible.
"Shinra Tensei!"
He gritted his teeth hard. His chakra suddenly shifted direction, and both hands spread outward violently as a massive surge of chakra erupted.
A powerful repulsive force expanded outward in all directions once again—Shinra Tensei was unleashed once more.
In fact, just moments ago, he had originally intended to use Banshō Ten'in himself. But Natsuhiko had acted faster, forcing him to change his technique at the last second.
That sudden switch was extremely dangerous. At this point, Nagato could no longer even suppress the blood spilling from his mouth and nose.
"Nagato…"
Konan's heart tightened when she saw this, her expression filled with worry. But Nagato did not respond. He remained fully focused on controlling the Deva Path.
Under the invisible force of repulsion, Pain finally stopped being dragged toward Natsuhiko.
A transparent shockwave ring formed around his body, and the ground beneath his feet caved slightly under the immense pressure.
However, Natsuhiko showed no intention of stopping.
Because he had realized something—controlling this power did not consume nearly as much of his chakra as he had expected.
More importantly, the power in his hands felt incredibly obedient, almost like a flock of sheep. He could guide it with complete ease.
"In that case…"
A faint smile appeared on Natsuhiko's face.
His figure flickered forward, and before Nagato could react in any way, he began to alter the trajectory of the gravitational force he was controlling.
Gravity was not something that had to be strictly upward or downward. With proper control, it could be shaped and adjusted according to his will.
Of course, doing so would normally be extremely difficult.
But at this moment, Natsuhiko felt that with the combination of his eye and his control over chakra, he could absolutely make it happen.
Without the slightest hesitation, the blue glow in his eyes became even more radiant, and his chakra surged even more violently.
In an instant, the very rules of gravity seemed to be rewritten.
Up, down, left, right—all directions of force were altered simultaneously. At that moment, the world itself felt as if it had descended into chaotic disorder.
Pain's body trembled slightly.
From afar, Nagato could clearly sense something strange happening to the very fabric of space and gravity.
Even though his Rinnegan allowed him to see the truth—that everything was being manipulated by Natsuhiko, that this chaotic inversion was nothing more than a distortion of gravity—
Understanding it did not make it any less terrifying.
But Pain's body had already begun to react.
The strange gravitational force instantly distorted his form, and the repulsive force he had just unleashed also began to spiral into chaos.
The shifting gravity tore violently at his body. His head was pulled upward unnaturally, while the space around him twisted in multiple directions at once. It felt as if the entire world had been turned upside down.
"Agh!"
At that moment, Nagato let out another furious roar. His chakra, mixed with his life force, surged wildly.
He had to change this. He had to overwrite it. Otherwise, his best friend's body would be destroyed right here.
Blood began to leak from his eyes, and his already gaunt body grew even thinner. At this point, he truly looked like someone whose oil had nearly run dry.
And yet—he still had not given up. Not even once had he considered it.
But then, just as suddenly, the strange and distorted gravitational force vanished.
Everything snapped back to normal.
"Damn it…"
Natsuhiko leapt backward in haste, one hand covering his eyes.
But between his fingers, a faint trace of blood slowly seeped out. Clearly, his eyes were also showing signs of strain.
"I overestimated myself," he thought quietly, letting out a silent sigh.
He understood his condition very clearly.
His body was fine, and his eyes themselves were not damaged. The issue was that the chakra within his eyes had begun to violently surge out of control.
He had believed he could manipulate gravity more precisely, more delicately, shaping it in more complex ways.
And in truth, he had succeeded.
Using his imagination, he had twisted gravity into something strange, unpredictable, and far more dangerous than before.
But that level of control was clearly beyond what his current state could handle.
He had only just grasped this power less than a minute ago. Even though he could perform it, the level of his eyes simply could not sustain such fine manipulation for long.
It was a silent backlash from his own eyes—a form of self-protection. If he pushed any further, it would no longer be as simple as bleeding.
"I guess I treated this power too lightly," he muttered inwardly. "After all, this is one of the fundamental forces that forms a planet. Even if it's been infinitely weakened, its true power is still beyond imagination."
Gravity might seem insignificant at first glance, but without such a terrifying force, a planet would have long since collapsed within the flow of the universe.
To think further—without gravity, celestial systems could not even form. And without those systems, life itself would never have existed.
A power like this… mastering it completely was far more difficult than he had expected.
"It looks like if I want to push this power further, my eyes will need to continue evolving."
Natsuhiko gently wiped away the blood at the corner of his eye, then raised his gaze toward Pain in the distance.
At this point, Pain had already forced himself back onto his feet, but his condition had clearly fallen to rock bottom.
The chakra threads connected to his body had thinned to the point of near invisibility, making his movements appear stiff and unnatural.
It was almost like a case of severe signal interference in the ninja world.
Natsuhiko slowly shook his head.
The results of this test were already more than enough. There was no need to continue.
Overall, he was extremely satisfied with this experiment. Through this battle with Nagato, he had unexpectedly "unlocked" the activation conditions for both gravity and repulsion.
Even though his eyes had suffered a slight issue at the very end, the results still counted as a success.
"I've tested gravity… so next, I should try repulsion as well. Hopefully, there won't be any more problems this time."
With that thought in mind, Natsuhiko began to consciously control his eyes. In an instant, a powerful repulsive force formed around his body.
Most importantly, he could clearly feel that this repulsive force was also under his control.
"In that case…"
Now that he had obtained a satisfactory answer, Natsuhiko no longer hesitated. Unlike the chaotic way he had experimented with gravity earlier, he had no intention of copying Nagato's method step by step—but he also wouldn't recklessly improvise again.
He quickly wrapped all the repulsive force beneath his body, and in the next moment, his entire body began to float upward with effortless ease.
The ability to fly was something he had long looked forward to, but he never expected it would come to him in this way.
"Alright… it's time to end this game."
Natsuhiko hovered in the air, not too high—though he could have gone higher if he wanted, he did not dare to take unnecessary risks.
He looked calmly at the battered and disheveled Pain, and then a suffocating surge of chakra erupted from within his body.
Even after fighting this long, Natsuhiko's chakra reserves remained absurdly abundant. Although the time limit of his Jōgan chakra mode was approaching its end, it did not affect his ability to still use a wide range of techniques.
"I can only say… I'm disappointed."
He spoke slowly. At the same time, he raised one hand, extending his index and middle fingers side by side to form a hand seal.
"The wielder of the Rinnegan is only at this level… or rather, is the Rinnegan itself only at this level? I've suddenly lost all interest in you."
"Your eyes… what exactly are they?" Just as Natsuhiko finished speaking, Pain slowly raised his head.
He looked up at the figure floating in the air. His voice remained as cold as ever—like frozen ice—but it was now extremely weak.
At this moment, he truly wanted to know.
He wanted to know what those eyes were.
He wanted to know exactly what kind of eyes he had lost to.
And more than anything, he wanted to understand the existence of this man.
He had never known him.
He had never even imagined that someone like this existed in the ninja world—especially in Konoha.
"You can take the answer with you to your grave."
A faint smile appeared on Natsuhiko's face.
The earth beneath them began to tremble violently once more, and his voice slowly fell like a final verdict.
"These eyes are called the Jōgan."
"Now… goodbye."
"Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique!"
With a surge of chakra, a massive dragon over a hundred meters long burst forth from the ground, tearing through the earth as it roared toward Pain!
...
"Jōgan…"
Inside the tree hollow, Nagato closed his eyes. He had already lost his connection to the Deva Path.
This time, he had lost.
A complete, crushing defeat with no resistance whatsoever.
But he remembered it clearly now.
The ANBU captain of Konoha… the so-called "Konoha Nightingale" of the Senju clan… and those eyes known as the Jōgan.
...
"Jōgan…"
Not far away, Orochimaru stood with Kabuto, lightly licking his lips, his expression unreadable.
Yet in his mind, those brilliant blue eyes kept replaying again and again.
And in that moment, his gaze burned with an almost feverish intensity.