Chapter 94: A Clash of Two "Geniuses"
"You're not wrong, but your words hurt Yahiko, and that I will not allow!"
Before he even finished speaking, a sharp, oppressive aura erupted from the previously unremarkable boy, like a tiger ready to devour its prey.
"So, you think I'm not qualified to say those things?" Kael asked calmly.
"Yes!" the red-haired boy replied bluntly.
"Then why don't you test me and see just how much I'm worth?"
Kael stared at him with dark eyes, revealing the sharp edge unique to youth.
The next moment, both figures vanished from the dilapidated shelter.
"Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu!"
Before he even landed, Kael had already completed the hand seals for the Summoning Jutsu. Against a Rinnegan user, he couldn't be too cautious.
Poof! Poof! Poof! Poof! Poof! Poof! Poof!
Seven bursts of white smoke, varying in size, exploded in the rain. The largest plume obscured almost all of Nagato's vision.
A grotesque, gigantic serpentine creature appeared before Nagato. Immediately after, a terrifying eagle cry echoed from the sky. He frowned slightly and looked up.
A super-sized goshawk with a wingspan of nearly fifty meters tore through the heavy rain and landed beside Kael.
"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight!"
Nagato's expression grew serious.
Eight Summoning Beasts, and most of them radiated significant chakra fluctuations—even by Nagato's standards.
He had initially thought Kael was just an arrogant kid who didn't know his place. After all, the aura emanating from Kael himself was only that of an ordinary Jonin. But he hadn't expected that the summons were Kael's true trump card.
Especially one summon that emitted no chakra at all, yet gave him an intense sense of danger.
It was a human-sized, green-backed mantis standing on two legs!
"Is this the source of your confidence? If so, you are indeed barely qualified to say those words!"
Nagato looked at Kael indifferently, seemingly unimpressed by the summons.
Kael narrowed his eyes, staring intently through the misty gloom at Nagato's strange, rippled pupils.
"Let's see just how well you've mastered the Rinnegan!"
Nagato's expression suddenly twisted into a sinister grin. "So, you did come for these eyes!"
Kun Kun had already started dancing, and Goldie activated Inferiority Glare. The next moment, a gray petrification beam shot from the Earth Dragon's mouth, aimed straight at the ground beneath Nagato.
In that instant, even the gray sky seemed to pale in comparison to the beam.
Over the past few years of ANBU missions, Kael's summons had worked together so seamlessly that they no longer needed his commands. Except for the encounter with Danzo, they had never failed.
Under the influence of three crowd-control skills, no ninja could resist. They would inevitably end up as an artistic statue under the Earth Dragon's petrification ray.
But the Rinnegan was an exception!
The Earth Dragon's petrification ray flashed briefly in the air before being completely absorbed by Nagato's eyes.
Nagato remained standing quietly. Goldie and Kun Kun's taunts seemed to have absolutely no effect on him.
"Ninjutsu immunity..."
Kael's face darkened slightly. He had originally assumed that Nagato at this stage couldn't fully utilize the Rinnegan's power. The Nagato in the original story always gave off an impression of frailty in his main body.
This impression was deeply ingrained in Kael's mind, leading him to underestimate Nagato.
But he forgot: Nagato wasn't "sick" right now!
And Kael certainly had designs on Nagato's Rinnegan.
Although he didn't have Otsutsuki blood and couldn't bear or use the Rinnegan himself, his System could!
But now that Nagato was displaying ninjutsu immunity—perfectly matching the Preta Path's ability from the Six Paths of Pain—Kael felt a headache coming on.
Most of his summons possessed chakra, so their abilities consumed their own chakra and were essentially no different from ninjutsu.
The Earth Dragon's petrification ray was fundamentally a form of Earth-nature transformation. Goldie's Inferiority Glare and Kun Kun's Iron Mountain Shoulder were also manifestations of Yin Release.
"Is that it?"
Nagato smirked, looking at Kael with a half-smile.
"Goldie! Mantis!"
Kael remained unmoved and shouted grimly.
The two summons beside him instantly understood. Goldie immediately activated Lightning Style Chakra Mode, its body flickering with lightning as it turned into a blue phantom and lunged at Nagato.
But even faster was the Void Mantis, with its spatial teleportation!
Before Kael's voice had even faded, the Void Mantis appeared behind Nagato, its two scythes slashing viciously toward his head.
"Space-time ninjutsu!"
Nagato's expression finally changed. Without any visible movement, an invisible force suddenly exploded from his body in all directions, blasting the Void Mantis away.
Goldie, who had already reached him, was also blown back without any resistance.
A large empty space instantly cleared around Nagato. The invisible force was made visible by the repelled raindrops, forming a faint, massive circle with him at the center. Nearby trees were uprooted and shattered into countless pieces in mid-air.
RUMBLE!
"Shinra Tensei!"
Now Kael was in a bind. Ninjutsu immunity, and he couldn't get close for melee. How was he supposed to fight this?
Looks like I have to use Goldie to distract him, while Mantis and Mouse work together to find an opening!
Kael quickly made a decision.
Just then, a black shadow shot through the flying debris of the shattered trees, unharmed, and rushed toward Kael at high speed. Nagato's kunai was coated in sharp wind-nature chakra, forming a two-meter-long blade that slashed straight down at Kael's head.
Possessed by the Tabby Cat, Kael didn't fear a taijutsu clash. His right hand reached into the tool pouch on his leg and pulled out a kunai.
A fierce glint flashed in his eyes as he infused his own wind-nature chakra into the weapon.
Hummm! A wind blade extended from it.
Kael met the attack head-on.
CLANG!
The two chakra wind blades collided with a crisp sound, but Kael was sent flying backward.
Even with Tabby's physical enhancement, I'm still no match for him in taijutsu?
Kael was shocked.
At seventeen, his body had matured, and with his constant training, his taijutsu was no worse than an average Jonin. Added to that was the Tabby Cat's possession, which significantly boosted his physical strength. While it didn't make him an elite taijutsu Jonin instantly, it should have been more than enough to double his physical capabilities.
Yet even so, he was completely overpowered in the clash with Nagato.
I guess that's the Rinnegan for you...
The possessor of the Rinnegan naturally mastered all nature transformations, including Yin Release (spiritual energy) and Yang Release (physical energy).
Meanwhile, the Void Mantis and Goldie didn't stay idle. They attacked Nagato again from both sides.