---
"Rinnegan?"
Shisui Uchiha's heart sank as he observed the man floating in the air. With short, spiked orange hair and a stoic demeanor, the newcomer appeared far more human than the monstrous figure with multiple mechanical arms. Yet, what drew Shisui's attention most were the man's eyes—the unmistakable ripple pattern of the Rinnegan.
"What's going on?" Shisui muttered, his Sharingan narrowing. Two wielders of the Rinnegan—the legendary dōjutsu said to belong only to the Sage of Six Paths—had suddenly appeared before him. His disbelief was palpable.
Which one of them is Pain, the leader of the Akatsuki?
The orange-haired man regarded him with a cold, detached expression, his Akatsuki cloak billowing in the breeze. "As expected of Shunshin no Shisui," he said calmly. "Your speed lives up to its reputation."
Despite the compliment, his tone was devoid of emotion, and his next words carried a chilling weight.
"But no matter how fast you are, you won't leave here alive."
Without warning, he launched himself toward Shisui, closing the distance in an instant. Meanwhile, the other Rinnegan user—the one with mechanical arms—released a volley of missiles that rained down toward the Konoha Anbu accompanying Shisui.
Shisui inhaled sharply, steeling himself. His mind cleared despite the chaos. If I panic now, it's over for all of us.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire!"
He spat a rapid series of fireballs shaped like blazing flowers, which engulfed the kunai he'd hurled earlier. The combined assault tore through the air, converging on the orange-haired man.
But the enemy didn't even flinch. He neither dodged nor countered.
Why isn't he moving?
The fire-cloaked kunai were just about to strike when, without warning, they halted midair. A moment later, the air rippled, and the kunai and flames were repelled violently.
Shisui's eyes widened in shock. The man's ability was eerily familiar—first, he had manipulated gravity to float, and now, he had repelled an attack without moving a muscle.
Attraction and repulsion... Could it be some form of gravity manipulation?
Shisui resolved to test his theory further, but his focus was momentarily broken by the sound of explosions behind him. The mechanical-armed figure's missiles had reached the Anbu unit.
"Scatter!" one of the Anbu shouted. Their movements were sharp, their reflexes honed, but the missiles weren't ordinary. As the ninjas dodged, one missile curved mid-flight, homing in on a target.
"Watch out!" one of the Anbu yelled, deflecting the missile with a kunai. The explosion sent shockwaves through the air. One Anbu wasn't quick enough to escape and lost an arm to the blast, but he gritted his teeth, still standing. Lightning flickered around his remaining hand as he prepared a counterattack.
Shisui turned his attention back to the orange-haired man. His Sharingan tracked every movement as his body blurred, splitting into five identical afterimages. Each flickered unpredictably, leaving no opening for the enemy.
Speed is my greatest weapon. Let's see how you handle this.
The afterimages surged forward, each wielding a blade wreathed in flames. Shisui's attacks closed in from multiple angles, forcing his opponent to react.
"So fast..." the orange-haired man muttered. Despite possessing the Rinnegan, even he struggled to pinpoint Shisui's true position.
But his expression remained calm. Raising his hand, he uttered a chilling phrase.
"Shinra Tensei."
A violent pulse of energy erupted from his body, radiating outward. The sheer force shattered the terrain, sending rocks and debris flying. Shisui's flaming sword strikes were snuffed out mid-swing, and all five afterimages were dispersed.
The blast hurled Shisui backward, slamming him into a boulder. He staggered to his feet, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. His Sharingan spun furiously as he glared through the swirling dust at the orange-haired figure, who now stood motionless.
"Do you still intend to struggle?" the man asked coldly, his voice cutting through the chaos.
---
"Just as I thought..."
Shisui wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his Sharingan spinning faintly as he focused on the orange-haired man. His breath was heavy, but his resolve was steady.
Such overwhelming power...
He chuckled bitterly under his breath. The sheer force of the repulsion earlier had been so intense that even his Body Flicker Technique couldn't allow him to escape unscathed. Shisui had gleaned some understanding of his enemy's abilities, but mere knowledge was far from enough to overcome such power.
His injuries throbbed as he tried to steady his blade, his brow furrowing in thought. Just as he began to assess his next move, a shadow darted through the lingering dust and smoke, launching an offensive against the orange-haired man.
Shisui's eyes widened. The Anbu?
Two Konoha Anbu closed in on the Rinnegan wielder, attacking from opposite sides in perfect coordination. Another pair had already intercepted the mechanical-armed enemy, keeping him occupied.
"You…" Shisui's voice tightened, his gaze snapping toward his comrades. "Didn't I order you to retreat?"
The Anbu closest to him barely spared a glance, parrying an attack with fluid precision. "Captain," one of them murmured, their voice calm but firm, "you know as well as we do—if you don't stop him, none of us will make it out alive."
The other Anbu, whose arm had been severed earlier, shouted over the chaos, "And among us, the only one fast enough to have any chance of surviving is you, Captain!"
Shisui's grip on his tanto tightened, his knuckles turning white. His heart warred with his mind, the weight of their words sinking in.
"You fools..." he muttered, a storm of emotions swirling within him. Shisui had never once left his comrades to die, and his instincts screamed at him to fight alongside them. Yet, deep down, he knew they were right.
One Anbu broke through his thoughts, lunging at the orange-haired man. Lightning crackled along the blade in his remaining hand as he swung with everything he had. The other unleashed a flurry of hand seals, releasing a torrent of water.
"Water Style: Raging Torrent!"
"Trying to buy time for an escape?" The orange-haired man scoffed, raising his hand. "Futile."
With a pulse of repulsive force, both attacks were deflected, the water dispersing and the lightning dissipating harmlessly against an invisible barrier. The two Anbu staggered back, coughing blood but refusing to fall.
"Go now!" one of them barked at Shisui, his voice raw with desperation.
For the first time in his life, Shisui felt truly helpless. He could escape—his speed made it possible—but abandoning his comrades went against every fiber of his being. His body trembled, torn between loyalty and duty.
His Sharingan spun wildly as his mind raced. He could feel his resolve hardening, his heart growing colder. If he faltered any longer, it would mean the end for all of them.
"...I won't waste your sacrifice," he murmured.
Shisui's eyes locked onto the orange-haired man. His breathing steadied, and his body tensed, readying for one last desperate gamble.
The enemy raised his hand again, gathering another pulse of repulsion. The two Anbu braced themselves but knew they couldn't withstand another blow like the last.
"Swish!"
Shisui vanished. A blur of motion, he appeared directly in front of the Rinnegan wielder, his blade igniting with flames as he swung.
The orange-haired man's gaze sharpened. "Not running? Foolish."
Shisui's attacks were met with the same invisible barrier, his flames scattering harmlessly. He darted to the left, then the right, creating afterimages as his Body Flicker Technique blurred him into motion.
But the orange-haired man remained unfazed. "You're slower than before," he remarked coldly. "Your injuries betray you."
As Shisui closed the distance, the man extended his palm. A sudden gravitational pull seized Shisui, yanking him forward with brutal force.
Shisui gritted his teeth as his body was immobilized midair. This is what I was waiting for.
"Matsumoto! Takashima!"
"On it!"
The two Anbu sprang into action. The one-armed Anbu swung his blade, now glowing with a dense layer of lightning chakra.
"Lightning Style: Piercing Fang!"
The other completed his seals, releasing another wave of water that surged toward the orange-haired man like a tidal wave.
"Water Style and Lightning Style? You think this will work?" The orange-haired man sneered, effortlessly repelling both techniques with another wave of repulsion.
But Shisui's focus never wavered. He allowed himself to be pulled closer, his gaze locking onto the Rinnegan wielder's eyes.
Now.
The three tomoe in his Sharingan spun rapidly, converging into a hypnotic pattern.
"Sharingan: Genjutsu!"
The orange-haired man's body tensed as Shisui's illusion invaded his mind.
But his response was immediate.
"You dare use Sharingan genjutsu against the power of the Rinnegan?" His voice dripped with disdain as the illusion shattered like glass. A sharp pain lanced through Shisui's skull, forcing him to stumble.
The man sneered, his tone laced with mockery. "Foolish. Your illusions are nothing before my eyes."
Shisui gasped for breath, his Sharingan flickering as he struggled to remain standing. Even so, his resolve remained unbroken.
---
p@treon.com/Siam_37 up to 15 advance chapter.