Footsteps scraped softly against broken stone.
Nearby, Itachi steadied himself after Kisame had been blasted away by the residual shockwave. Rainwater streamed down his face as his Sharingan finally adjusted, capturing the full scene that had just unfolded.
"That… was an ocular technique?"
His eyes lingered on Uchiha Kai.
"So the power Kai used earlier… came purely from his eyes?"
The realization struck him harder than any genjutsu.
It was the kind of shock that shattered common sense itself—on the level of discovering someone could eat using their backside.
"Oh-ho, shouldn't have stayed to watch this~"
Zetsu screeched as his body liquefied, sinking into the mud, leaving only the Venus flytrap head wobbling above ground. With his chakra nearly drained, resistance was pointless. Might as well act as a battlefield commentator.
Not far away, Jiraiya was forced to break his Sage Mode hand seal prematurely just to withstand the lingering pressure.
Hiss—
His feet carved two deep grooves through the soaked ground, and even the toad oil markings on his face flickered unstably.
"So this… is the power of the Rinnegan?"
For the first time, genuine awe surfaced in his eyes.
And immediately after it—worry.
Can that Uchiha kid really handle this?
If Kai fell here…
Jiraiya drew in a deep breath, already preparing to summon the two Great Sage Toads. This was no longer a fight that allowed hesitation.
At the center of the devastation, violent winds howled.
Dust spiraled upward.
And within it, a small figure slowly straightened his body.
Uchiha Kai stood once more.
The faint glow of his three-foot domain flickered unsteadily around him. Matching the Rinnegan with only a Mangekyō clearly carried a cost—his eyes burned faintly, a dull ache pulsing behind his skull.
Yet—
Kai was smiling.
"So this is Shinra Tensei…"
The '666' pattern in his eyes rotated faster.
Above him, the crushing pressure continued unabated.
Then Pain moved again.
"A mere human enduring the power of a god?"
His voice was emotionless, distant.
"But you are still far from worthy."
He raised another hand.
Beside him, the Animal Path clasped seals.
"Summoning Jutsu."
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The earth erupted as hellhounds, giant birds, and massive centipedes burst forth, more than a dozen grotesque summons roaring as they charged toward Kai.
"Watch out!" Jiraiya shouted. "Those summons aren't ordinary!"
But the warning wasn't even finished when Kai scoffed.
"Don't act like you're the only one who knows summoning."
He didn't form seals.
Didn't hesitate.
The toad contract glyph ignited beneath his feet.
Far away, on Mount Myōboku, Fukasaku froze.
"That chakra… it's him again."
His expression sharpened instantly.
"Then there's no choice."
He turned without hesitation.
"Bring out Gamabunta."
White smoke exploded across the battlefield.
A massive toad slammed down with earth-shaking force, a pipe clenched between its teeth.
Gamabunta blinked.
Kai blinked.
Jiraiya turned around—
And his soul nearly left his body.
"…Where's my Gamabunta?!"
Behind him, the three-headed hellhound had already closed in, its massive jaws snapping shut—
Crunch.
Jiraiya screamed.
Kai silently turned his head away.
Some things were better left unseen.
Gamabunta sighed, pulled his blade from his back, and went to work like a professional. Steel rang as the massive summons collided, mud and water spraying in every direction as the battlefield descended into absolute chaos.
Kai watched for a moment.
Then his patience ran out.
"Summoned beasts really are annoying."
His left hand shot forward.
"Adamantine Sealing."
Golden chains burst into existence—six of them this time—each one wrapped in blazing sealing chakra. Like divine serpents, they tore through the battlefield, piercing skulls, snapping wings, and binding massive bodies in an instant.
Hellhounds were pinned.
Birds fell screaming.
The battlefield went silent.
And in Kai's mind, a new notification appeared.
[Defeated Animal Path — Acquired Epic Trait: Summoned Beast · Multi-Division]
Kai paused.
"…That counts as a defeat?"
Then he smiled faintly.
"If this works with spore techniques…"
Ten thousand troops wouldn't be a dream.
He lifted his gaze.
Above him, the Rinnegan finally stirred with genuine emotion.
Pain looked down.
And for the first time—
He was no longer indifferent.
Read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon -> patreon.com/SorenSwiftTL