The massive stone sphere hanging in the sky trembled violently, as if invisible hands were kneading a giant meatball, twisting and warping its surface. Suddenly, a brilliant beam of light tore through the sphere, followed by an explosion that thundered across the battlefield. The blast sent the stone ball lurching sideways, as if someone had set off a controlled demolition.
From the heart of the flames and smoke, a savage fox—snarling, claws outstretched—burst free like a newborn eagle breaking from its shell, fighting tooth and nail to escape.
Pain's eyes narrowed, and he unleashed an even more crushing force, bearing down on the stone sphere. The shattered fragments, blasted apart by the Tailed Beast Bomb, shot skyward and regrouped, reforming the crumbling "false moon" into a stone prison once more, burying the Nine-Tails just as he clawed his way out.
Then Nine-Tails broke free again. Pain buried him again. Break free, bury, break free, bury—on and on, a brutal cycle.
After dozens of rounds, the Nine-Tails had nothing left. The stone sphere hung quietly in the air, unmoving.
"That should about do it." Jinghang set down the watermelon rind he'd gnawed clean, wiping his mouth with his sleeve.
"Alright, time for the next step. Anyone know how that blond kid is holding up?"
Rosa shook his head. Guren did the same. Neither had a clue.
"Man, this is taking forever for something so simple. Who knows what kind of mess the front lines are in—can't afford to drag this out. You two, get the jinchūriki to the cave when you're ready. I'm going to check things out."
With a flicker, Jinghang vanished, Flying Thunder God whisking him away.
Up above, the stone sphere suddenly collapsed in on itself.
Pain strode closer, the sphere crackling as chunks broke away—crumbling, falling, shrinking, until scattered stones hammered the earth and kicked up clouds of dust.
When the last stones fell, all that remained at the core was an unconscious red-haired girl.
"So this is the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki? Amazing—a body so fragile, yet able to contain such monstrous power." Pain hovered in midair, gently levitating Uzumaki Kushina as he descended, looking every bit the god he claimed to be.
"Let go of her!" Minato Namikaze appeared out of nowhere, battered and ghostly pale, hurling a kunai at Pain with a desperate, backhanded throw.
Pain's eyes narrowed, about to counter, but Jinghang flashed beside him, tossing a Rasen Shuriken that smashed Minato's kunai aside.
"Damn, you're fast. Made me chase you all over the place!" Jinghang and Pain touched down, Kushina unconscious between them.
Minato fought through the stabbing pain in his lungs, sweat dripping down his pale face.
He'd battled Tsukigami Kōichi for two days and nights, then tangled with Aotu Tailuo and Kazama Xu for half the night. He hadn't eaten a single grain of rice, just downed two chakra pills. His lungs were still wrecked from Jinghang's earlier attack, and he hadn't had a moment to heal or rest. His chakra reserves were scraping bottom.
The moment he saw Nine-Tails trapped by Pain, Minato knew things had gone off the rails. The beast couldn't hold out.
He'd dropped everything—abandoning the fight with Aotu Tailuo and Kazama Xu, ignoring his feeble chakra, and used Flying Thunder God to appear midair, risking it all to rescue Kushina. But Jinghang's arrival shattered his plans completely.
In his current state, beating Jinghang—who was even stronger than him—was a pipe dream. And Pain, whose power was unfathomable, stood right beside them.
Not to mention Rosa, Konan, and Guren, who were quietly munching melon seeds nearby, content to spectate rather than interfere.
Minato glanced at the unconscious Kushina, and a look of grim resolve flashed in his eyes.
He created a shadow clone—both began racing through hand seals.
Snake—Boar—Ram—Rabbit—Dog—Rat—Bird—Horse—Snake.
Jinghang watched Minato's movements, brow furrowing. That sequence looked familiar… What jutsu was that?
He couldn't place it—until Minato pressed his palms together.
In a flash, Minato and his clone used Body Flicker to appear before Jinghang and Pain, each grabbing a shoulder, hands locked tight. Instantly, Jinghang felt his body freeze—unable to move a muscle.
That's when it hit Jinghang. Damn, how could he forget such a legendary sealing jutsu?
This kid was going all in.
Reaper Death Seal!
But Jinghang's panic lasted only a heartbeat. The manga had explained this technique in detail, and Orochimaru had found a loophole. Jinghang, an expert in breaking seals, had an even better solution.
Just run. If you're fast enough, even the Grim Reaper can't catch you.
Behind Minato, a towering specter appeared—white robes, flowing white hair, two massive horns, a mournful face twisted in a snarl, a short blade clenched in its teeth, prayer beads gripped tight in its hands.
"Lord Kazekage, sorry, but you're coming to hell with me." Minato's voice was harsh, desperate.
Jinghang couldn't reply, but his face remained perfectly calm.
Go to hell? Not my problem. Whoever wants to go, let them go—I'm not going.
Instantly, iron sand formed two mechanical arms beneath Jinghang's ribs. He flashed through a hand seal and vanished with a sharp "poof."
Even the Grim Reaper was stunned! Its rigid face twitched, brows furrowing even deeper. Where'd he go?
Minato was dumbstruck too. You could do that? Well… one out of two isn't bad.
"Shit, that scared me half to death! Thank god I've practiced. Got any more melon? I need something to calm my nerves." Jinghang raised a hand, reaching out to Rosa for another slice.
Rosa handed him a piece and asked, "What were you guys doing?"
Jinghang took a bite, casual as ever. "Nothing much. Minato was just being an idiot."
"An idiot?" Konan frowned, concern flickering across her face. "Pain won't be hurt, will he?"
"Nah, nah." Jinghang waved her off, grinning.
"Big bro, aren't you going to help?" Rosa asked.
"No need, no need. He'll drop on his own soon enough. Get ready for the next sealing step."
Seriously, what does Reaper Death Seal target? The soul. And what's Pain? Just a corpse! Trying to seal a corpse's soul? That's like a monkey trying to fish the moon out of a pond. When the backlash from this jutsu hits, Minato'll be lucky to survive at all.
"So this is the Grim Reaper? Ugly as hell." Pain looked up at the looming specter.
"Sorry, friend, but I have to drag you down to hell with me," Minato said, voice grim.
Pain answered with icy calm. "Hell? I've already been there."
(Question: In this situation, would the caster die? Please give me a definitive answer—this is important for the plot going forward.)
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