Chapter 383: Fatal Blow
"What a trivial trick."
Itachi Uchiha turned calmly to face an empty corner. His gaze sharp and unyielding, he had seen through the illusion.
Exposed? But how? The Byakugan may have been here, but how could the Sharingan possess such heightened perception?
Itachi's expression remained impassive. "No answer? It doesn't matter."
"Amaterasu!"
With tears of blood, jet black flames erupted where nothing had been moments before, dark and foreboding. The flames seemed weak in intensity but radiated an ominous, inescapable presence.
Nagato's expression darkened. Everything had happened too fast discovered and struck down before he had even had time to react.
"Target secured," Itachi whispered to himself, confirming.
Meanwhile, outside the barrier, in the command center of the Konoha forces, Inoichi Yamanaka wore a strange headpiece and spoke into his communicator.
"Mission complete. Reinforcements are en route to secure the target. Keep the area protected at all costs."
"Understood," Itachi replied quietly, maintaining his vigilance.
The Sharingan's perception couldn't match the Byakugan's in absolute clarity, but Itachi Uchiha wasn't alone. Behind him was the power of the entire Konoha forces, led by elite shinobi. Since the beginning of the operation, Konoha's sensory unit had been monitoring every detail of Amegakure. In a desert of distractions, Konoha had honed in on its true objective.
Nagato's plan to evacuate the civilians had inadvertently left him exposed. This battle was not one of eradication but of capture, and Kakashi had scrutinized every target in this assault. The forward assault was merely a ruse the true power lay behind it.
Inoichi's communicator soon linked with another on the field, Aburame Shibi.
"We have the target, but the enemy is attempting to recover them. Requesting immediate reinforcements."
"Hold your ground, Aburame Shibi. Reinforcements are due in one minute."
"Understood."
Nagato felt an instinctive surge of desperation. Despite everything, there was one person he could not afford to lose Konan, his last remaining connection to his past.
As one of Konoha's most versatile shinobi, Shibi Aburame was a formidable adversary. The parasites of his clan small and seemingly insignificant gathered in swarms, becoming a terrifying force when united.
"Ninjutsu: Insect Sphere!"
Each bug individually posed little threat, but in overwhelming numbers, they amassed an incredible destructive power.
Nagato, controlling the Human Path, fought fiercely to close in on Konan, whom he now saw restrained in the mud, her chakra depleted and bound. It was a scene hauntingly familiar to Nagato, dredging up memories of that fateful day he had awakened his Rinnegan powers.
"Get out of my way!"
At Nagato's command, black tendrils erupted from the Human Path, surging to collide with Shibi's Insect Sphere. In an instant, the bugs fell lifeless, their souls seemingly extinguished.
Despite his typically reserved demeanor, Shibi's anger flared. His kikaichū were not mere tools but his lifelong companions. Though Konan's explosions had done minimal harm to the insects, the Human Path's assault had devastated them.
"You monster!"
Shibi gritted his teeth, but he forced himself to remain calm, shifting to a ranged approach while summoning a shadow clone to cover his escape. As he moved to drag Konan to safety, he remained aware of the time ticking down to the arrival of reinforcements.
To Shibi's frustration, the Human Path had closed in on him with frightening speed, mirroring Nagato's desperation. The sight reminded Nagato of the day his Rinnegan first awoke.
"Leave her! Give Konan back to me, you bastard!"
The Human Path's face twisted with rage. With his desperation pushing him, the Human Path's body began to tremble. In a final gambit, four hideous creatures with black tendrils emerged from its torso, each sporting a ghastly mask. Despite lacking the full power of the Six Paths, the creatures exuded a similarly dreadful energy.
Shibi was forced to concede ground. Even as a seasoned jonin, he struggled against the relentless onslaught, his options dwindling as he awaited backup.
"Damn this creature! If these are only fragments of its strength, what level of power does the true body hold?"
Knowing the difficulty of his mission, Shibi never complained failure was never an option.
"My apologies, little ones," he whispered to the remaining insects.
He glimpsed the Konoha reinforcements approaching in the distance. Only thirty seconds left. He could finish this.
Nagato, too, sensed the reinforcements. Desperation spurred him to press his assault, no longer sparing the Human Path's body.
The puppets were replaceable, as long as he could keep Konan safe.
The fierce barrage of attacks finally brought him close to Konan.
"I made it... I'm finally on time," Nagato whispered, smiling with relief.
POOF
(End of Chapter)
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