area51novel Chapter 226 is the Box-Opening Monster!
Chapter 226 is the Box-Opening Monster!
Chapter 227 is the Box-Opening Monster!
"Who gave you permission to—touch my people?"
The sound echoed clearly across the battlefield through the dark red chakra flames.
Uchiha Shisui, suspended in the air, was now enveloped in dense dark red chakra, as if he were wearing a burning tailed beast cloak.
The terrible wound on his left shoulder had long since healed completely, without even leaving a scar.
He slowly lowered his head, and in his eyes, which had temporarily turned dark red, the engraving pattern of "Eight Thousand Spears" flashed by, coldly locking onto Pain below.
Shisui remained conscious. He could clearly feel an unimaginably powerful will surging into his body through the scorching mark on the back of his hand, taking over his chakra flow and limb movements. His own consciousness, however, was like an observer, isolated from the power.
He wondered to himself, when was this mark planted?
Was it that trip to the moon?
Or even earlier?
Shura's methods are indeed unfathomable—
"Summer, take them and retreat back to Bensong City immediately." The cold voice rang out again, this time issuing the order to Summer and the other three below, its tone brooking no argument.
"The battle here is no longer something you can interfere with."
Without the slightest hesitation, Xia Ri immediately bowed and replied, "Yes, Lord Shura!"
She knew very well that although she had received powerful chakra from Lord Shura through remote transmission and temporarily possessed the power of an elite Jonin, she would only become a burden if she stayed behind to face these four unpredictable enemies, especially the guy who seemed to be the leader of this group.
With that kind of bizarre ability, if the opponent got serious, it wouldn't be difficult for them to kill any one of them instantly.
"Teacher." Chino glanced somewhat unwillingly at Shisui, who looked like a god or demon in the air, and then at the four figures with black backgrounds and red clouds opposite her.
"Let's go!" Natsumi said resolutely, grabbing Chino and beckoning Morishita Toshihito and Murahashi Hazuki, quickly retreating towards Motomatsu Castle.
Surprisingly, the four members of the Pain group did not stop Natsumi and the others from leaving.
Pain's Rinnegan merely glanced indifferently at the four retreating individuals before refocusing all his attention on Uchiha Shisui, whose aura was undergoing a dramatic shift in the air.
Nagato, through the perspective of the Deva Path, carefully "observed" the boiling dark red chakra on Shisui's body, his heart filled with astonishment and curiosity.
This method of remotely controlling and transmitting massive amounts of chakra is strikingly similar to the way his Pain Six Paths used human bodies and black rods as chakra receivers. Moreover, the other party was able to keep the controlled person conscious while simultaneously infusing such a huge amount of chakra.
What alarmed him even more was that this chakra was filled with a cold, violent, yet incredibly powerful aura. "The chakra of a tailed beast," Pain slowly spoke, his voice still indifferent, questioning, "and it's not an ordinary tailed beast."
"You, 'Shura,' are you a Jinchuriki from some ninja village? Is this the source of your power?"
Menma, who was controlling Shisui's body, let out a soft chuckle, the laughter emanating from his chakra, tinged with mockery: "The source of power? You can think that way. But that's not the point. Now, tell me, what brings you into my realm?"
Pain's Rinnegan rippled slightly: "That old man from Iwagakure, Onoki, hired our Akatsuki organization to cause some destruction in the Land of Stars."
Payne directly revealed his employer, which did not surprise Menma; their relationship was merely one of monetary employment.
"But I'm very interested in you." Pain raised his hand, pointing to the vibrant land around him, and said coldly, "A guy who calls himself the 'Shura of the Shinobi World' is here with some ninjas, playing some kind of nation-building game with some civilians. But seeing this so-called 'New Order' you've established, you are indeed different from those mediocre ninja village leaders."
He paused, a hint of interest flashing in his Rinnegan: "Your ideals have many similarities with mine. Breaking the old order, using pain to force the world to think—are you interested in joining Akatsuki?"
"Our goal is to combine the power of all the tailed beasts to create the ultimate weapon, so that this world can feel true pain. Only through pain will humanity stop fighting and begin to understand each other."
"Is it time to start the talk-no-jutsu segment?" Menma, far away in the Land of Stars, raised an eyebrow upon hearing Pain's words.
He then manipulated Shisui to shake his head, his voice coming through chakra: "Let the world feel pain? And then what? The peace brought by fear is nothing more than a short ceasefire before the start of the next, even bigger war. Your ideology is far too extreme and naive."
"Naive?" For the first time, Pain's voice carried a hint of emotion, the displeasure of having his beliefs questioned: "You slaughtered the daimyo and nobles of the Land of Bears, the Land of Demons, the Land of Swamps, the Land of Darkness, and the Land of Snow, your hands stained with the blood of no fewer than ten thousand. Isn't the order you established based on slaughter and the suppression of dissenting voices?"
"You can kill, but we, the Akatsuki, can't? What you've done is no different from what I've done. Why pretend to be so virtuous!"
"It seems you haven't truly understood anything along the way," Menma said calmly.
"What we are eliminating is 'class'."
"Those self-righteous, born to ride on the backs of the people and bully them, treating ordinary people like dirt, and easily starting wars for their own selfish interests, are all exploitative classes. Including those old-era ninjas, who only know how to kill for money and missions, and don't know what they are fighting for, are also old-era katsuki that need to be destroyed."
"What the Star Kingdom needs to do is completely eradicate the breeding ground for injustice and war, and build a new world without exploitation or oppression, where everyone can achieve happiness through hard work. Killing is merely a necessary means to eliminate deep-seated problems, not the end itself. Look at this land,"
Menma manipulated Shisui's arm as it swept across the fields and villages below that were being rebuilt. Miroku was leading the Star Kingdom's administrative personnel to evacuate civilians from the villages surrounding the battlefield.
Even though this mysterious enemy was so powerful that it changed the terrain of the area, and even Xia Ri and others returned injured, the Star Kingdom's administrators were still nervously organizing the surrounding people to evacuate to the big city.
Menma asked, "After the old locks were broken, did the people here show more despair or more hope on their faces?"
Nagato remained silent.
Through Payne's perspective, he indeed saw a scene completely different from the Land of Rain and other war-torn countries.
Without the exploitation of nobles and landlords, and without the endless labor wars between ninja villages, the common people here, though still living a hard life, have eyes full of hope and drive for the future.
That vibrant vitality cannot be faked.
"Class," Pain repeated the unfamiliar word, a hint of confusion flashing in his Rinnegan, but it was quickly covered by a cold conviction.
"Eloquent words and a flattering demeanor. The establishment of any new order is inevitably accompanied by bloodshed and suffering! You cannot deny that!"
"No matter how beautiful your vision is, it cannot erase the fact that your hands are stained with blood! And this is precisely the necessary path to understanding!"
"An inevitable path?" Menma chuckled. "Then, what kind of 'inevitable path' did that guy you're cooperating with, who calls himself 'Uchiha Madara,' depict for you? Does he genuinely want to help you achieve your ambitions? He's just using the power of your Rinnegan to achieve his ulterior motives."
Nagato, hidden among the paper trees in the distance, suddenly narrowed his eyes!
The other party not only knew about his Rinnegan, but also about 'Uchiha Madara'!
Nagato remembered that when Madara Uchiha came to find Shura last time, the Akatsuki organization shouldn't have been exposed, right?
"Just how much do you know?" Tiandao's voice turned completely cold, filled with intense killing intent and vigilance.
"I know far more than you can imagine. Immersed in false dreams and driven by the hatred of others, you will never see true peace." Menma's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible pity.
"Shut up!" Pain, seemingly provoked, his voice wavered for the first time, a fury born of a wavering conviction: "The will of God is beyond question! Since you refuse to understand, then I will use the power of God to subdue you!"
"Let me show you firsthand what true suffering is!"
Negotiations broke down, and the fighting resumed!
The Asura Path, which had been poised to attack, was the first to strike. The skin on its shoulders split open, revealing a dense array of missile launch holes!
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Dozens of small chakra missiles, trailing flames, shot towards Shisui in the air like a swarm of bees!
At the same time, the Human Path of Pain moved swiftly across the ground like a ghost, searching for an opportunity to launch a surprise attack.
Meanwhile, Pain, the Animal Path, once again formed hand seals, pressing the wolf fiercely to the ground:
"Spiritual communication!"
Bang bang bang!
White smoke burst open one after another!
The enormous, winged chameleon has reappeared!
A roaring, three-headed hellhound covered in spikes!
A hell crab covered in a hard shell and wielding giant pincers!
And the ferocious eight-crying bird and the raging bullfighting bull!
Five different and ferocious spirit beasts were summoned, letting out deafening roars as they simultaneously pounced on the suspended still water from the ground and the air!
Faced with this overwhelming attack, Shisui, controlled by Menma, remained unusually calm.
"A summoning beast? That's interesting," the cold voice commented indifferently.
"Shisui, relax your body. Leave the rest of the battle to me."
Shisui's consciousness could only passively sense that an even larger chakra surged from the mark on the back of his hand, flowing through his limbs and even briefly suppressing his own chakra.
His hands involuntarily began to form a mudra, a simple mudra consisting of only the Yin (寅) symbol.
"Nine-faced Suvaha!"
As the printing was completed, Mianma let out a low shout.
Buzz!
Nine enormous arrays gleaming with a dark red light appeared out of thin air in the sky behind Zhishui, like nine eerie blood moons!
Green, white, vermilion, black, void, south, north, three jades—each formation flashes with different characters.
Immediately afterwards, nine enormous figures of different shapes and wearing different masks roared and leaped out of the formation!
The roaring azure dragon was crackling with lightning!
The shrieking Vermilion Bird burns with dark red flames!
The massive Black Tortoise commands the flow of water!
The roaring white tiger whipped up a fierce whirlwind!
The ferocious golden serpent controls the earth!
The Southern Divine Immortal deploys a barrier!
The immortals of the Big Dipper protect you from all sides!
The celestial maiden wielded her ribbon-like soft sword and floated into the air!
The Grim Reaper wields a massive chakra scythe, radiating an aura of reaping life!
Menma developed nine unique summoning beasts using the Dark Nine-Tails' chakra. Each of them possesses powerful special abilities and strength approaching that of a Kage!
"Go, Nine-Faced Beast!" Menma ordered calmly.
The Nine-Faced Beast instantly confronted the five spirit beasts of the Animal Realm!
The Azure Dragon's Lightning Release clashes with the Eight Crying Birds' Wind Release!
The Vermilion Bird's flames engulfed the Cerberus's flames!
Xuanwu's hundred-ton body clashed head-on with the bull's charge!
The White Tiger's whirlwind clashes with the Hell Crab's water cannon!
The golden snake burrows underground and launches a surprise attack!
The Southern Dipper and the Northern Dipper then set up a barrier to interfere with and restrict the movements of the summoned beasts!
The celestial maiden and the god of death floated in the air, moving around and covering the enemy. Every swing of their ribbons and scythes caused great trouble for the summoned beasts!
The scene instantly became incredibly chaotic and spectacular!
Nine against five!
The combined advantage of quantity and quality allowed the Nine-Faced Beast with the pockmarked face to suppress the summoned beast of the Animal Path almost instantly upon contact!
The two heads of the hellhound were severed by the white tiger's wind blades, but new ones quickly grew back, making it even more ferocious, but it was firmly blocked by the protective barrier of the Northern Dipper Immortal.
The Hell Crab's six legs were hit by the White Tiger's whirlwind, slowing its movements. Then, the Golden Serpent launched a surprise attack from underground and locked it firmly with earth and stones.
The eight-foot bird tried to dodge the Azure Dragon's lightning strike by flying at high speed, but was entangled by the Heavenly Maiden's soft ribbons like maggots on bones, greatly reducing its speed. Then it was struck by a bolt of lightning and fell with a thud.
The bull was knocked into a nearby cliff by Xuanwu and was temporarily trapped.
The chameleon attempted to stealthily attack, but was precisely located by the Grim Reaper's scythe, which sensed chakra, and was slashed open, causing the wolf-fox to flee.
"How is this possible?!" Nagato's main body, far away in the dense forest, coughed violently again, his face filled with shock.
His summoned beast was completely suppressed in a direct confrontation?!
What exactly are these masked spirit beasts?
Each one possesses distinct and powerful abilities, and their chakra also carries that unsettling dark red tailed beast aura!
Seeing the summoned beasts defeated, Human Path Pain suddenly seized an opening, bypassing the chaotic battle of the beasts like a ghost, and rushed in front of the Grim Reaper who was fighting the chameleon. His right hand grabbed the Grim Reaper's mask with lightning speed!
Rinnegan: Soul Absorption Technique!
The Human Path's ability allows them to directly extract the souls of others!
However, the moment his hand touched the Grim Reaper mask, a huge, violent, and resistant chakra suddenly surged back!
"Ugh!" Human Path groaned. The scene of easily separating his soul, which he had expected, did not occur. Instead, he felt as if his hand had grabbed a violent chakra tail!
Not only could it not be extracted, but it was also violently flung away by the brute force of the tail!
In the instant of their soul-level clash, he even vaguely "saw" a huge, frantically dancing phantom of a fox tail made of pure dark red chakra!
puff!
Human Path Pain was struck as if by an invisible giant hammer, his entire body flying backward and crashing heavily into the rock wall in the distance, with even tiny cracks appearing on the surface of his body!
"It's no use," came the cold, stern voice.
"Their essence is chakra creation, more akin to clones."
Nagato was horrified; the opponent's techniques and power system were completely beyond his comprehension!
"Since that's the case," Pain finally moved. He slowly rose into the air, meeting Menma's gaze, who was controlling Shisui's body. A cold and resolute light flashed in his Rinnegan: "Then let me let you personally experience the power of a god!"
He suddenly raised his hands and aimed them at the still water!
"Universal Guidance!"
The powerful suction force erupted once again, several times stronger than when it dealt with Shisui!
Clearly, Nagato has gotten serious and is trying to capture the 'core' of the enemy in this battlefield!
However, faced with this terrifying suction force that was enough to pull the tailed beasts apart, Shisui, controlled by Menma, curled his lips slightly and raised his right hand.
"Shinra Tensei"
A detached voice came from the still water mouth.
Buzz!
A terrifying repulsive force, no less powerful than the All-Encompassing Heavenly Attraction and even more violent, suddenly erupted from the center of Zhi Shui!
Rumble!!!
Two enormous forces, opposite in nature yet equally terrifying, collided violently in mid-air, squeezing and annihilating each other!
The air crackled under the strain!
The ground below was as if it had been brutally plowed by an invisible giant hand, the soil was overturned, trees were broken, and rivers stopped flowing!
Even the spirit beasts that were engaged in fierce battle in the distance were thrown off their feet by the aftershocks of the collision!
Pain was the first to be hit, and he never expected that his opponent could also use a technique similar to "Shinra Tensei"!
Moreover, this force is so similar, yet even more sinister and violent!
boom!
Pain's figure was blasted away like a cannonball by the huge shockwave generated by the collision of his own Universal Pull and Pain's Shinra Tensei!
After crashing into several huge rocks, he barely managed to stabilize himself and hover in mid-air. His black trench coat with red clouds was already badly damaged.
"How is this possible?! How do you possess divine power?! Do you also have the Rinnegan?!" For the first time, Pain's voice was filled with undisguised shock and disbelief!
Through Pain's vision, Nagato's true form almost stood up from the tree hole!
This overturned his unique understanding of the Rinnegan!
Menma, controlling Shisui, slowly floated higher into the air. Dark red chakra, like a throne, supported him as he looked down at the somewhat wolfish Pain. His cold voice carried a hint of mockery:
"The power of God? It's nothing more than a rudimentary application of repulsion and attraction. How dare you call it the power of God? You and your so-called 'Eye of God' are nothing but pathetic worms hiding in the shadows, manipulating a few corpse puppets."
"Not to mention your eyes, they're just something someone else placed here to nurture."
"A true god would never hide like you."
"Insolence!" Pain roared in fury, his Rinnegan flashing with terrifying killing intent and icy light: "Blasphemy against the gods, a crime deserving death!"
He raised his hands, as if ready to launch an even more powerful attack regardless of the consequences.
However, Menma simply manipulated Shisui, slowly raised his right hand, pointed his index finger to the sky, and then gently waved it downwards.
A simple action, yet it carried a judgmental tone.
"I say, divine punishment."
Pain was taken aback, then flew into a rage: "Playing tricks!"
But the instant he finished speaking—
Metaphor!
An indescribable, terrifying pressure suddenly descended!
It was not an impact of chakra, but a purer, more vast, destructive will that seemed to come from beyond the heavens!
Immediately afterwards, in all of Payne's perception, the clouds high in the sky seemed to be violently stirred up by an invisible giant hand, wildly spreading out in all directions to form a huge, circular hole!
Through that hole, it was as if you could see directly into the dark and cold universe!
Then, a massive beam of light, over ten meters in diameter and composed entirely of extremely compressed golden chakra, crashed down from the cloud hole at a speed beyond visual perception, like a divine spear of judgment thrown down by a god!
The target was the Asura Path Pain below and the Human Path Pain who had just broken free from the rock wall!
"What?!" Nagato saw this childish scene through all of Pain's perspectives, and alarm bells rang wildly in his mind!
He couldn't even comprehend where the attack was coming from! It was beyond his entire range of perception!
boom!!
A deafening roar resounded!
The earth trembled violently!
It felt like a magnitude 10 earthquake!
The dazzling golden light instantly engulfed everything!
As the destructive light subsided, a huge, charred crater nearly a hundred meters in diameter appeared on the spot, with the rocks and soil around the edges exhibiting a vitrified crystalline state!
Asura Path Pain and Human Path Pain, who were at the core of the attack, have vanished without a trace, leaving not even a trace behind!
It's as if they've been completely erased from this world!
Only the spirit beasts summoned by the animal realm, being a little further away, were only thrown back by the shockwave of the explosion. The wolf was badly injured, but was not directly hit.
The holes in the clouds in the sky slowly closed, and the destructive pressure dissipated as if it had never existed.
The battlefield fell into a deathly silence.
Animal Path Pain stood frozen in place, while the remaining summoned beasts let out uneasy growls.
Pain, the Deva Path, hovered in mid-air, gazing up at the disappearing cloud hole in the sky and then at the terrifying crater on the ground. For the first time, emotions called "disbelief" and "horror" appeared in his Rinnegan.
This type of attack is unheard of!
It transcends the realm of ninjutsu!
They couldn't even sense where the enemy's attack was coming from!
There's absolutely no way to dodge it, no way to defend against it!
What kind of power is this?!
Menma manipulated Shisui, slowly lowering the altitude until it hovered at the edge of the huge crater, its dark red chakra still burning around it.
He looked at the remaining Deva Path and Animal Path Pain, and that cold voice rang out again, this time clearly and directly pointing out the name hidden in the deepest recesses:
"Now, do you still think I'm faking it?"
"Nagato...—"
The name was pronounced clearly, like a thunderclap exploding across the battlefield!
Pain's body stiffened abruptly. He slowly turned his head, his Rinnegan staring intently at Shisui, who was enveloped in dark red chakra, filled with incomprehensible shock.
Even the long gate, deep in the forest, was struck as if by lightning!
For the first time, an emotion of near terror appeared in the eyes of Rinnegan!
How did he know my name?!
"Who—are you?"