Chapter 140: Did You Have Fun Just Now?
In the dense forests of the Land of Grass, Konan had been keeping a close eye on Nagato. Noticing the sudden change in his expression, she asked in a low voice,
"Nagato, what's wrong? You don't look so good."
"It's nothing."
Nagato shook his head, though there were things he couldn't bring himself to say out loud.
Whether it was Jiraiya asking Kitagawa Gen to deliver flowers to Yahiko, or Gen's piercing question —
"Will Jiraiya mourn for you too?"
— both struck a deep chord in his heart.
Especially troubling was how much Gen had learned from just a single encounter — probing too deeply into Nagato's secrets. He had even deduced Nagato's true situation.
That sent chills down Nagato's spine.
"I need to eliminate you...!"
He snarled inwardly.
Far ahead, the Animal Path clapped its hands against the ground.
BOOM—
BOOM—
BOOM—
In an instant, three puffs of smoke exploded from the forest floor. From within, three massive figures burst forth:
A screeching Giant Bird flapping into the air,
A snarling Three-Headed Hellhound,
And a Titanic Bull whose very step cracked the ground beneath it.
"Animal Path, huh..."
Seeing the massive beasts appear, Kitagawa Gen raised an eyebrow slightly.
He had to admit, these summons were indeed a bit of a nuisance. After all, he didn't have any summoning beasts of his own.
But—
BZZZZT—
Crackling purple lightning surged from Gen's entire body — and in a flash, he launched himself forward!
In Sage Mode, both Jiraiya and Naruto were capable of fighting against the Six Paths of Pain. But Gen wasn't just using Sage Mode—he was the living embodiment of:
"The Source of Intel,"
"The Source of Healing,"
"The Source of Going Home."
He was the meta answer to everything.
MOOOO—
The giant bull let out a thunderous roar and charged, shaking the earth with each thundering step.
But Gen timed his movement perfectly. With a light leap, he vaulted into the air — his white dagger, White Fang, shimmering with lightning, arced through the air!
SLASH—
In an instant, the bull's massive head was severed cleanly.
Even Kakashi could slice through Nue's tail with Purple Lightning — Gen, naturally, was even faster and more efficient.
Using the dying bull's head as a springboard before it dispersed into smoke, Gen leapt once again. As he soared upward, he raised a single hand:
"Sage Art: Yin Release – Water Severing Wave!"
While the Ōtsutsuki version of Gen once used black rods and blades as physical constructs, he now channeled those abilities through elemental jutsu.
CLANG—
A violent column of water smashed into the razor-sharp beak of the giant bird, creating a harsh metallic clang!
"Screeeech!"
Under the brutal force, the bird screeched in agony. A moment later, its beak shattered and fell to the earth below, taking the rest of the creature with it.
Landing on the bird's wing mid-fall, Gen sprang forward again.
The massive bird slammed into the ground, causing tremors, a plume of smoke, and a hailstorm of broken stone.
From within that chaotic cloud, the three-headed hellhound leapt up, its meaty wings flapping furiously as it lunged toward Gen.
"Sage Art: Yin Release – False Darkness."
Gen raised his left hand again. Violent purple lightning converged into a razor-sharp lightning spear, which then shot out in a flurry guided by his chakra.
Before the beast could even split itself, the spear tore it apart mid-air. It crashed into the ground, landing atop the bull and the bird beneath it.
BOOM—
The collision of three giant beasts shook the earth to its core.
And in that exact moment, Gen arrived right in front of the Six Paths of Pain — his blade gleaming as it faced Pain and Raiga Kurosuki directly.
"What the hell is this monster...?"
Raiga's eyes widened. Three giant summons had been dispatched in mere moments?
And those strange lightning and water jutsu — he had never seen anything like them.
"Tch."
Pain looked equally shaken by Gen's sudden blitz, but quickly composed himself. All six of his bodies tensed, taking combat stances.
As soon as Gen touched down, the Animal Path moved to summon again:
"Summoning Jutsu!"
BOOM—
A petrified panda appeared and blocked their front. Simultaneously, the hellhound, already split into several clones, charged from behind.
"Good coordination... but—"
Gen smirked. With a swift swing of his purple-lightning-coated blade, the stone panda began to crack and collapse.
But the hellhounds were now behind him, about to strike — only for his left hand to form a seal in an instant.
"Did you forget what kind of jutsu I specialize in?"
WHIRRR—
Behind him, space itself warped — intricate sealing glyphs glowing like ancient runes appeared in the air.
With a booming force, the hounds crashed into the seal — and vanished.
A moment later, two of the hounds reappeared behind Pain — and one had completely disappeared!
"A... barrier technique?!"
Pain's expression shifted. The six bodies immediately scattered, Raiga cursing as he vanished into the trees.
Gen, meanwhile, unleashed a flurry of kunai. The spinning blades glittered in the air — until chakra threads split them into dozens more, forming a rainstorm of steel.
"Shinra Tensei!"
Tendō Pain raised his hand just in time. A wave of overwhelming force exploded outward, blasting most of the kunai away.
But his expression suddenly darkened.
Gen — was now behind them.
"Damn it...! The kunai were a feint — he marked the beasts?! When?!"
Pain quickly deduced the trick. Gen had only made physical contact with the rhino; the rest had been taken down with jutsu or indirectly.
"That sealing technique... that's when he tagged them, wasn't it?"
But there was no time to think. Through the Rinnegan's shared vision, Pain saw Gen flash-step to the Animal Path's side.
"You're the one who summoned all the beasts, right?"
Without further words, Gen drew his dagger.
The Animal Path's body twitched — it had seen the strike coming. It began to dodge, twisting its limbs at impossible angles to evade the fatal arc.
But—
WHIRRR—
Ice suddenly spread across the ground. In an instant, frost locked the Animal Path in place.
"Ice Release?!"
The other Pains looked on in disbelief.
And then—
SLASH—
Gen's blade fell like lightning. The Animal Path's head was cleanly severed, blood splattering across the forest floor.
With a swipe of his palm, Gen marked the body with a Flying Thunder God seal — right in front of the other Paths.
With the Animal Path defeated, all the summoned beasts vanished.
Gen finally turned his gaze toward the remaining Pains.
"Just as I thought — puppets made from corpses. Your vision is linked, huh?"
"Yahiko's body — I destroyed it earlier. You managed to fix it… but—"
He smirked.
"You sure you want to repair this one?"
The Flying Thunder God mark on the Animal Path's corpse seemed to glow with mocking intent.
"I might not know your full capabilities, but here's a friendly tip."
Gen twirled his blade, eyes narrowing.
"Concentrated force can shatter stone. Scattered strength is nothing."
Power began to surge from his body, stronger than ever before. The pressure alone made Raiga feel suffocated.
"This kid... what the hell is he?"
Raiga clenched his fists.
"He's just a teenager — fourteen, fifteen at most — so how the hell is he this much of a monster?!"
Nagato's expression darkened. In the blink of an eye, that guy had broken through again, and the situation was becoming more and more unsettling.
But after glancing at Konan beside him, he took a deep breath—his resolve had already been made.
"Even if I have to use that move... I must protect Konan at all costs!"
As these thoughts crossed his mind, Kitagawa Gen moved like lightning.
"Cough, cough… What the hell is going on?!"
Far away in the Hidden Grass Village, all the Grass ninja stared blankly at the massive beast that had just smashed through their wall.
No one could figure out what it was or how it got there, but with just one brutal charge, it had collapsed the village wall.
As for the unlucky ninja stationed there? With that kind of impact, survival seemed impossible.
Immediately, the Hidden Grass shinobi went on high alert. This wasn't a normal situation—they had to stay sharp.
Boom—!
But before they could act, the beast that had just wrecked their wall suddenly dissolved into smoke and vanished without a trace.
It only took a second for someone to realize the truth.
"A summoned beast?"
"Are you kidding? That thing was huge!"
"Is someone fighting nearby? Damn it—just what kind of battle is this?!"
The surrounding ninja broke into frantic chatter, clearly shaken. At that moment, the Grass Village leader stepped forward.
"Karin. What's going on?"
His tone was cold and harsh as he approached the red-haired girl. As the head of the village, he knew a little about her abilities.
Not only did Karin have powerful healing through her bloodline, but her sensory skills were top-notch.
"There's a fight going on," Karin said, her voice trembling. The chakra waves she sensed were already flooding toward them, filling her with dread.
But that vague answer clearly didn't satisfy the Grass leader.
"Be specific. What exactly have you detected?"
"Seven people are fighting. One has already killed someone and is hunting down the others. They're headed this way!"
"Coming here?"
The leader's face twisted in alarm. Just as he opened his mouth to say more, a violent chakra disturbance suddenly washed over him.
And then—
BOOM—!
A deafening roar erupted not far from the village, shaking the ground like an earthquake.
Massive shockwaves swept out in all directions, followed by a blinding cloud of dust and debris.
All the Grass ninja went pale.
Along with the tremor, a devastating shockwave laced with sharp fragments and flying rocks came barreling toward them.
"Run!"
"Get out of the way!"
"What the hell is happening?!"
"Who are these people?!"
With panicked cries and screams, the Grass shinobi scattered, desperately trying to avoid the incoming destruction.
But no matter how fast they ran, some were still caught by the blast—struck by debris or pulverized by stones, their deaths swift and senseless.
"Everyone, evacuate immediately! Await further orders!" the Grass leader roared in fury. He had no idea what was going on, and being blindsided like this left him furious—but for now, all he could do was endure. If given the chance, he would definitely strike back.
"Yes!"
Karin nodded and dashed off, but not before glancing back toward the battlefield, now drawing even closer.
She hadn't told the Grass leader everything—she had sensed something strange.
Some of the chakra signatures… were identical.
"What's going on here?"
"And what's with that chakra… that warm, radiant chakra, like the sun itself…?"
"Are you… leading me away from your true self?"
At the center of the chaos, Kitagawa Gen was relentlessly pursuing his enemies. After eliminating the Animal Path, the remaining Pains had fallen into a drawn-out skirmish with him.
As the battle dragged on, he realized they were getting closer and closer to the Hidden Grass Village—and the realization made him chuckle.
Still, he remained silent until the moment was right.
"Hey… are you sure about this direction? That's Grass Village up ahead, you know."
"Seems you've got a plan. The Grass Village has built good relations with Konoha, but still..."
With a flicker of chakra—
Massive streams of fire erupted, twisting like raging dragons, bearing down on the Pains and Raiga Kurosuki with ferocity.
"Sage Art: Yin Release — Flame Dragon Barrage!"
"Lightning Style: Thunderball!"
Raiga immediately formed hand seals, launching a massive ball of lightning at one of the fire dragons. He was clearly giving it his all.
Meanwhile, the Preta Path leapt forward, raising its hands to absorb the flaming onslaught.
Tendo Pain frowned. The number of fire dragons wasn't small—Preta Path alone wouldn't be enough.
Boom—!
In a flash, the thunderball was overwhelmed. The flames surged onward, straight toward them again.
"Tch."
Tendo Pain grunted. He was also aware they were drawing dangerously close to the Hidden Grass Village, but that hadn't been intentional.
All he wanted was to put distance between himself and the real body—to buy himself time and space.
But even if it meant dragging Grass Village into the mix, he didn't care. In the end, all the villages would become enemies anyway.
"Besides, I can't afford to lose any more of the Paths of Pain."
He raised his hand, and a powerful repulsive force erupted.
Even he agreed with Gen's earlier line: "When power is concentrated, it can break even the hardest stone."
All he could do now was protect the remaining bodies.
"Shinra Tensei!"
The immense repulsion wave exploded outward. The fire dragons attacking from Raiga's direction and the flanks were instantly blown away. The front—he'd leave that to the Preta Path.
"...Huh?"
But slowly, he realized something was wrong.
The Preta Path's body was stiffening, even beginning to turn to stone.
"What… What is this?!"
Nagato had no idea what was happening—but before he could think further, Kitagawa Gen had already charged straight through his Shinra Tensei, appearing right in front of them!
"What?! He broke through Shinra Tensei?!"
"Your repulsion's getting kind of weak. And my chakra isn't so easy to absorb."
Gen's blade flashed.
The Asura Path jumped in front to block.
"HAAAH!"
An explosion of power surged as the Asura Path activated countless mechanisms—missiles, bombs, all primed to detonate.
But in the blink of an eye, the Asura Path shattered, and the payload of explosives detonated mid-air as Gen vanished once more.
BOOM—!
A massive, mushroom-cloud-like explosion filled the sky, its force sweeping backward in a deafening roar.
Gen reappeared on an open plain, his pale white eyes piercing the swirling dust.
"You looked like you were having fun just now..."
"Now it's my turn."