Even for shinobi, although theirs was a profession of killing, most of them did not consider slaughter to be something enjoyable. Killing their own kind was work and duty to them, not a hobby.
It was not Hagoromo's hobby either. Strength had no connection whatsoever to whether one liked killing.
But right now, things were a little different. Even Hagoromo himself did not know exactly what emotion he was feeling. Taking that brief exchange just now as an example, he felt as though his body had acted first, while his brain's control and thought had followed afterward.
Hagoromo glanced at the long blade he had withdrawn in an instant. It was stained with crimson blood.
Although Nagato had performed a thorough magical modification on himself, he was still a body of flesh and blood. To Hagoromo, that was the best possible situation.
Although he had forcibly interrupted Nagato's Shinra Tensei through a direct assault and slammed him hard, Hagoromo did not think that such an appetizer would cause any substantial damage.
Even with Big Sister Tsunade's strength, she might not necessarily be able to do much to Nagato with a throw like that…
If Nagato really died from that one slam, then all his years as the big boss would have been for nothing.
Sure enough, as clear footsteps gradually approached, Nagato's figure appeared again once the dust dispersed. He really did not seem to have any major problems.
He stood in the hole he had smashed into the tower, both feet planted on the edge. From that angle, he was looking down at Hagoromo.
"The form of the technique formula on your body has changed somewhat, and your speed is even faster than before."
That single strike allowed Nagato to reach this conclusion.
It was only natural that Hagoromo was faster than he had been more than ten years ago. The formula for Chidori Current, third stage, had also been adjusted and altered in order to function more efficiently. Therefore, it was not completely identical to what Nagato had seen before. But Hagoromo had not expected the other party to remember that matter so clearly, to the point of noticing even the changes in the positions of the lightning patterns.
…In order to deal with Shinra Tensei, Hagoromo had naturally entered the fastest Chidori Current, third stage, directly.
"So, is the interval for your technique still five seconds?"
Hagoromo's counterquestion made Nagato fall silent. That phrasing was rather painful to hear. After all, for Nagato, five seconds was already an insurmountable limit.
Five seconds was definitely not a long time, but that much time was enough for Hagoromo to dash back and forth several times. Moreover, he also liked using this move to interrupt skills.
As though the positions of attack and defense were about to reverse, Nagato leapt directly down from above. Instead of retreating, he advanced, charging straight toward Hagoromo.
With a swing of Nagato's right arm, a black receiver protruded from his sleeve. Immediately afterward, he stabbed it toward Hagoromo's left chest.
Hagoromo blocked one-handed with the chakra blade in his hand, but to his surprise, the force of the impact was exceptionally powerful. It nearly knocked the long blade out of his grip.
His footsteps quickly shifted backward. In that instant, Hagoromo pressed his other hand against the back of the blade as well, barely managing to withstand the attack.
Such a frail body should not have contained that kind of explosive power. This situation showed that although Nagato had not mechanically modified himself, he had no problem using the power of the Asura Path.
Nagato's strength continued to increase, while the lightning patterns on Hagoromo's body also grew brighter and brighter.
But this kind of deadlock was unfavorable to Hagoromo, because right afterward, he felt his chakra begin to drain away.
While Nagato was using the power of the Asura Path, he was also using the Preta Path's Blocking Technique Absorption Seal to absorb Hagoromo's chakra.
After noticing this, Hagoromo no longer maintained the stalemate. He quickly dodged Nagato's attack, then once again opened up distance between them.
"Although your speed has improved compared to before, your level of Lightning Release has dropped greatly. Or have you simply not entered that stronger mode yet?"
The "stronger mode" Nagato referred to was naturally the power of the Lightning Release. He felt that Hagoromo's Lightning Release had weakened compared to before because Hagoromo was currently only using ninjutsu, not his electricity-generating ability.
"And you haven't used that technique again either…"
"That technique" naturally referred to the Railgun. After all, he had once been dragged all over the ground by it for quite some time, so Nagato remembered that technique vividly.
Up until now, Hagoromo had not fired either the big cannon or the little cannon.
In truth, the stalemate just now had merely been one of Nagato's probes. Compared to Hagoromo's Raien Jūkoku, what he was more concerned about was that move that had suddenly pulled all the black receivers out of his body. Once something like that happened, Nagato would be like someone who had lost all his nerve endings, instantly losing the ability to move.
Yet Hagoromo had not done that, nor did he seem to intend to. That made things a little strange. Since he had stronger moves available, why hide them in this kind of life-and-death battle? It did not make sense.
Had Hagoromo's strength seemingly weakened? But Nagato not only did not feel happy about it, he instead became weighed down by misgivings. If Hagoromo was keeping such powerful techniques unused, one could not help but suspect that some scheme was afoot.
"Stronger Lightning Release and that technique, huh… For the time being, I have no way to use them."
Unexpectedly, Hagoromo actually said this outright. Was he exposing his own weakness? Was it a trap?
But the actual situation was that in the battle currently taking place, Hagoromo truly had no intention of using his Lightning Release ability. Due to various reasons, it was also true that he could not use that ability right now.
However, the real situation was still a little different. It was not that Hagoromo objectively could not use that move, but rather that he subjectively "would not" use it.
But even if Hagoromo was telling the truth, Nagato would have to be a fool to believe him. Lying to the enemy was an obligation every shinobi ought to fulfill.
"Although I won't use that move, to be honest, your technique that absorbs ninjutsu really is troublesome. So…"
So, in order to prevent the other party from absorbing his chakra every now and then, Hagoromo decided to adopt a more proactive strategy.
He quickly formed hand seals with both hands, then directly released the Strength of a Hundred Seal and entered Sage Mode.
Given the high-risk nature of senjutsu chakra, if someone had never had any foundation in senjutsu, absorbing this kind of chakra would without a doubt be an act of suicide.
"Senjutsu?" Nagato clearly knew some information about senjutsu, and also knew the risks of this technique.
Therefore, after Hagoromo used senjutsu, the Blocking Technique Absorption Seal could no longer be used. Otherwise, it would be equivalent to "walking right into the trap."
After absorbing a considerable amount of senjutsu chakra, the large amount of natural energy would directly turn Nagato into a tree. Originally, the Blocking Technique Absorption Seal had been a very good way to restrict Hagoromo, but unfortunately, it could no longer be used now.
After all, those who absorb chakra live.
Those who absorb natural energy die.
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