With a flip of the hand, clouds gather…
with another, rain pours…
For true powerhouses, that sort of thing isn't difficult at all.
Just like Nagato at this very moment… he merely raised both hands, and in an instant, twelve elite puppeteers were dealt with.
However…
Nagato was not that kind of powerhouse.
Although he was proficient in all six Nature Transformations, and had mastered over a thousand Ninjutsu, his mindset had not yet been tempered into that of a true powerhouse.
And the pull and push techniques he had just used were not even Ninjutsu he had learned.
They were latent abilities.
As for his eyes, he had heard Jiraiya speak of them before. He knew they were the Rinnegan once possessed by the legendary Shinobi progenitor… the Sage of Six Paths.
Within them slept an unmatched power.
But he still couldn't perfectly control it. It was only when he saw his enemies chasing after his comrades, when the desperate urge to protect them surged up, that he unconsciously unleashed it.
Even now, staring at the enemies writhing and groaning on the ground, he still couldn't come back to his senses.
'…Did I do that?'
Nagato panicked.
Most people would rejoice upon discovering such overwhelming strength.
But Nagato wouldn't.
Because he was a kind-hearted child.
The first time he used this power was when his parents were mistakenly killed by Konoha's Shinobi. He had unleashed it without realizing.
By the time he snapped back, the Konoha's Shinobi who had killed his parents were already dead before him.
The second time was when he, Yahiko, and Konan were searching for the Sannin to become their teacher, and they encountered a collapse. To save Yahiko and Konan, he instinctively used it again.
That time, he was fully conscious.
He could feel just how terrifyingly strong his power was.
And that only made him more afraid.
He feared that, just like when he killed his parents' enemies, he might unconsciously unleash it again… and kill Yahiko and Konan too.
That was why he had always resisted this power.
He understood now that power itself was neither good nor evil… it depended on how it was used.
But he was still afraid.
Because he could feel how immense it was.
He couldn't control it at all.
He couldn't know when it might go berserk, or what disastrous consequences it might bring.
So he buried it deep inside, avoiding its use as much as possible.
Yet now… he had used it again.
"Of all places… to run into you here!"
The voice ahead jolted Nagato awake. He snapped his head up and saw dozens of Shinobi standing only three meters away.
He stumbled backward in panic.
"Don't come closer… don't come closer…" Nagato's eyes were filled with terror, even hidden beneath his bangs.
'This child was afraid.'
Naturally, the elite members of the elite puppeteer corps assumed they were the ones frightening him.
Only Ryuji sighed and shook his head.
Aka seemed to sense something as well, closing her eyes softly.
"This is such a pure child…"
"Don't come closer… don't come closer! I'll kill you!" Nagato cried out in fear, terrified that they might rush him and be slaughtered by his own hands.
He understood too well what slept inside him.
No matter how much he resisted, no matter how desperately he tried not to use it, in moments of danger it would erupt on its own.
Even if they were enemies… he didn't want them to die.
But in the eyes of these elite puppeteers, Nagato's kindness looked like arrogance.
"Brat, there's a limit to how much you can insult people!" One puppeteer roared.
He was around forty, with a vicious face that was genuinely terrifying.
And he was loud.
That sudden shout, paired with that intimidating face, struck Nagato like a shock.
His ripple-patterned eyes widened sharply…
and invisible power exploded outward.
Boom!
The ground shattered violently as a savage shockwave, mixed with crushed stone and rainwater, came crashing forward.
Aka stepped forward, standing at the very front. She clapped her hands together, then spread them apart and pushed forward.
Boom!
The invisible impact slammed into her palms, forcing her entire body to sink.
The earth beneath her feet exploded.
But the shockwave was stopped.
Two enormous forces collided in midair. Cracks spread outward, the land trembling as if it might collapse.
"Scatter."
Ryuji issued the order, leaping away first.
His subordinates were already fleeing before he even spoke.
After all, they were members of the elite puppeteer corps… battle-hardened veterans. They didn't need reminders of what to do.
As everyone retreated, the ground caved in with a roar, mud and debris splashing everywhere.
In the deep pit over ten meters wide, Aka maintained her forward-pushing stance, steam rising from her palms.
Aside from being splattered with grime, she was completely unharmed.
Nagato's eyes widened.
This was the first time he had ever seen someone resist the power of the Rinnegan.
But then, as if remembering something, he turned and ran.
If the enemy was someone who could contend with the Rinnegan, then someone like him, who couldn't even control it properly, had no chance.
Yet the moment he turned, he saw the leader… a reddish-brown-haired boy standing before him.
"Where do you think you're going?" Ryuji asked calmly.
Nagato didn't answer. He stared at him, backing away cautiously.
"Do you want to keep fighting me?"
The teasing voice behind him made Nagato freeze stiff.
A wolf in front, a tiger behind.
What could he do?
"Go after the ones who escaped. We can't let our information leak out," Ryuji commanded, then added, "Do not harm them. Bring them back alive."
"Yes."
A few puppeteers stayed behind to tend the wounded, while the rest chased after Konan and the others.
Nagato's heart clenched with anxiety.
He glanced at Aka behind him, smiling softly, then turned his gaze back to Ryuji.
His eyes hesitated for a second, then hardened with resolve.
A kunai slid from his sleeve into his hand.
With unstoppable momentum, Nagato charged straight at Ryuji.
"My target is you!"
Ryuji remained calm. The powered arm on his hand automatically extended a blade.
Clang!
Nagato's kunai struck, only to be blocked, sparks flying.
The two pressed their weapons together, straining against each other. After gauging the other's strength, they withdrew and stepped back.
Then charged again.
Clang clang clang clang…
The two boys traded blows in the rain, blades flashing, sparks bursting through the misty downpour.
They collided, separated, and collided again… fierce and relentless.
Aka folded her arms, watching with amused interest.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, Nagato forced Ryuji back and seized the chance to throw his kunai.
Then he clapped his hands together.
Wind Release: Gale Palm!
A violent gust roared forth, accelerating the kunai midair.
Ryuji casually raised his left index finger and flicked out a Chakra Thread.
The thread wrapped around the hollow ring at the kunai's handle.
Then it snapped taut…
A pull, a whip…
and the kunai spun in the air, turning back toward its owner.
Nagato's heart jolted. He rolled desperately to avoid it.
But under the Chakra Thread's control, the kunai curved again, shooting back at him.
Nagato hadn't even stood up yet. Dodging was impossible.
He could only raise his left hand, aiming at the kunai, and at Ryuji behind it, instinctively rejecting it.
Then…
Boom!
Terrifying force erupted from his palm, hurling the spinning kunai backward like a projectile toward the one behind.
The arm-blade retracted instantly.
Ryuji wore an unhurried smile, raising both hands, palms forward… the same stance Aka had used earlier.
Nagato's eyes widened.
'Could this person also withstand the Rinnegan head-on?'
No one understood the power of this force more than Nagato himself.
That was why it was so unbelievable.
In his short life, the strongest people he had ever seen were Hanzo, the Third Kazekage, Rasa, and the Sannin.
But even they, in his understanding, could not confront this power directly.
One Aka was already shocking enough.
Now another…
He didn't even know how to describe what he felt.
If both of them were monsters like this… could he even escape?
His mind raced through countless thoughts in an instant.
But Ryuji did not resist head-on.
At the last moment before the repulsive wave struck, he leapt backward, letting his hands meet the shockwave.
The instant the force transferred, he borrowed its momentum, flipping smoothly through the air as if the wave had merely pushed him away.
A perfect backflip.
He landed neatly at the very edge of its reach.
Nagato was stunned.
This wasn't as overwhelming as Aka's direct resistance, but it was effortless, precise, textbook-perfect force redirection.
"Is that all you've got?"
The disappointed tone snapped Nagato back.
He looked at the regretful boy, then at the gentle-smiling woman behind him.
Grinding his teeth, he clasped his hands together.
"No matter what… I have to make it back alive."
A shocking aura burst forth, even the rainwater around him trembling away.
But Aka and Ryuji only shook their heads lightly.
After probing him, they already understood Nagato's level.
He possessed extraordinary Chakra Reserve, countless techniques, and formidable Taijutsu.
If his mindset matched his talent, then even without the Rinnegan, he would already be Kage-level.
But he was too kind.
He had no heart for battle.
Even facing enemies like Ryuji and Aka, who pressured him immensely, he still instinctively held back, unable to display his true strength.
"If we don't count the Rinnegan's outbursts… your usual level is only about that of an average Jonin," Ryuji evaluated.
And even with the Rinnegan, Nagato's power still wouldn't surpass Kage level.
His control was almost nonexistent, relying only on instinct in moments of crisis.
The force he could unleash was limited.
Unless…
He burned his life away as the price.