Hearing Payne's words, Itachi felt a strange sense of unease.
Is this really the Payne he knew...?
Wasn't he supposed to make him feel pain... why is he letting him go so easily?
Just like that?
Itachi's mind suddenly became lively.
He couldn't quite understand Payne anymore...
Seeing Konan's hesitation, Payne gently shook his head.
Itachi clicked his tongue, finding the situation rather uninteresting.
He was currently curious to test the power of his Rinnegan.
After all, if he couldn't win, he could always escape, no big deal.
As he watched Itachi turn and leave, Payne narrowed his eyes slightly, while Konan looked somewhat frustrated.
She had messed up again...
Who was she supposed to complain to? She kept running into situations like this.
She must be cursed.
"He's left Amegakure, let's go. Let him understand that ignorance sometimes leads to death."
Payne said, looking at Konan's gloomy expression.
He waited a moment, and just as Konan was about to speak, Payne softly added,
"Hmm? Him? Are you planning to take action against Blood Moon?"
Hearing Payne's words, Konan subconsciously asked.
Wasn't Payne just about to let him go? Why was he now preparing to act?
She couldn't quite follow Payne's line of thinking...
This was the difference in their way of thinking.
If a fight broke out in Amegakure, what if they accidentally harmed one of their own? Konan hadn't considered this issue.
However, Payne, as the leader, always thought about such matters.
Of course, if the situation was urgent, these concerns would be minor.
"He dared to bully Konan. I will never forgive him. Let him use his thirty-million-yen head to apologize…"
Payne said softly, noticing Konan's confusion.
Just like before...
Looking at Payne walking ahead, Konan's eyes softened.
"He's back? This damned sense of familiarity?"
Konan thought to herself, her mind filled with thoughts. In that moment, it was as if she saw the past, everything had been so wonderful…
She wished this moment could last forever…
Payne controlled the force field around him, flying toward the village's outskirts.
Konan, with a pair of paper wings sprouting from her back, closely followed Payne.
The feeling made her feel like she had returned to the past.
Her heart seemed to melt...
"Payne, no… Nagato, you've changed… this isn't quite the you I knew…"
After leaving Amegakure, Itachi, who had been planning to wander around for a bit, suddenly paused, speaking softly.
He had been practicing the Flying Thunder God Technique recently, so his senses were constantly active, sharpening his perception.
After all, his natural talent for perception wasn't great, so he had to rely on this method to practice.
Through his senses, he detected Konan and Payne quickly approaching.
Itachi calmly made his way toward a less populated area, looking for a more spacious battlefield.
"It seems he's noticed us, but he doesn't seem to want to run. I can't tell if he's confident in his strength or if he's just blindly arrogant,"
Payne, flying ahead, slowed down and spoke quietly.
It was as if they shared an unspoken understanding.
"Sometimes ignorance leads to fearlessness,"
Konan replied in a faint tone, her heart carrying a slight sense of disappointment.
But she didn't show any childlike attitude, instead responding to Payne's words with calm indifference.
"He's not bad. He purposely walked toward a less populated area. He must be worried about hurting innocent people. This respect for life is commendable,"
Payne said softly.
At this moment, Itachi had already arrived in a mountain range. Sensing that the surrounding environment was ideal for a fight, he stopped and waited quietly for Pain to arrive.
Pain's Deva Path didn't have many techniques, but the ones it did possess were extremely powerful.
This was exactly why Itachi wanted to test the waters, to understand the gap between them.
Better to know now than to suffer a massive loss due to overconfidence later.
...
"Finally, you're here. Took you long enough," Itachi muttered calmly as he spotted two figures flying in from the sky.
"Commendable courage, but unfortunately, it seems you don't know your limits. A mere mortal daring to face a god," Pain remarked coolly as he hovered in the air, exuding an aura of confidence.
Konan, however, frowned deeply. She hated Blood Moon's (Itachi's alias) demeanor—this misplaced, ignorant confidence was truly irritating.
...
"A god, huh? Sure, flying is pretty cool, but calling yourself a god? That's a bit much," Itachi replied, his expression blank as he casually turned his cup in hand.
"Konan, step back. Let me see what makes this self-important man so bold," Pain said softly, glancing at Konan.
Initially, he had been somewhat intrigued, interested in seeing Blood Moon's capabilities. But Blood Moon's provocative words killed any desire for conversation.
At Pain's instruction, Konan withdrew, retreating to a safe distance to observe the battle.
...
"Obito, Pain's about to make his move. That guy looks familiar—wasn't he the one from last time?"
In the shadows, two figures stood on a tree branch. Zetsu spoke with some excitement, while Obito remained silent, quietly observing Blood Moon.
He seemed more mature now. The ripples in his memory from their previous encounter had caused him not just pain but also growth.
"Blood Moon..." Obito muttered the name softly.
...
"Your sensory abilities are impressive. Can't you sense the vast difference between us, Blood Moon?" Pain said as Konan moved away, glancing briefly toward Obito and Zetsu's location before addressing Itachi.
"Oh, so you're the one picking a fight with me? I thought we agreed that no hard feelings would follow failed negotiations. Yet here you are, spouting these cold remarks. What's the point?" Itachi replied dismissively, interrupting Pain's dramatic rhetoric.
"If you know the gap between us, why didn't you run?" Pain asked, curious. He couldn't understand what gave Blood Moon the confidence to stay and wait.
"The gap may be significant, but are you truly certain you can stop me?" Itachi countered without flinching.
...
"Heh..."
Pain laughed, baring his pristine white teeth. If he had burst into loud laughter, the scene would have been even more absurd.
Seeing Pain so dismissive of him, Itachi shook his head, finding it rather dull.
As someone who had transmigrated into this world, he had never underestimated anyone. Yet here was Pain, clearly inflated with self-importance.
Such arrogance. Did he truly think himself invincible?
After all, this was merely one of Pain's avatars. What was there to be so smug about?
Itachi's chakra began to surge, silver light spreading out from him.
Seeing this, Pain didn't hesitate. Extending his right hand, his fingers curled slightly as if grasping something.
"Universal Pull!"
Pain didn't believe in holding back. Faced with someone as bold as Blood Moon, he naturally responded with full force, unleashing Universal Pull.
In his left hand, a black rod materialized, ready to impale Itachi.
He intended to show Itachi the true meaning of the word "gap."
I'm allowed to act superior—you're not.
...
The moment Pain raised his hand, Itachi knew no good would come of it. He had been waiting for this.
"Bang!"
Itachi's body flew toward Pain, pulled by an invisible force.
The black rod in Pain's hand struck Itachi square in the chest, driving into his heart.
But in a flash, Itachi's body transformed with a faint sound—into a mere log.
"So scary," Itachi remarked mockingly, stepping out from behind a tree and patting his chest in feigned fear.
This was the essence of his "Blood Moon" persona: endless taunts.
...
Pain frowned slightly. In that brief moment, he had only detected a slight fluctuation in Itachi's chakra.
It shouldn't have been enough time for him to react, let alone use a Substitution Jutsu. When had he prepared it? Before Pain even arrived?
Pain's expression darkened as he slowly withdrew the black rod.
...
Itachi simply stared at Pain, silently gathering information.
From his perspective, Pain's techniques, though powerful, likely had cooldown intervals.
This was the perfect time to observe and identify weaknesses.
He silently counted in his mind, tracking the time between Pain's uses of Universal Pull.
...