Chapter 23: Divine Power
Konan couldn't help frowning, reminded of those like-minded comrades from years past, and... the already deceased Yahiko.
"What a treacherous bunch."
She muttered under her breath, silently withdrawing to yield her position to Pain.
By now, the Nine-Tails' second Tailed Beast Ball had already shot toward them. But Pain's expression remained unchanged. He simply extended one hand, speaking with casual understatement.
"Shinra Tensei."
As his words fell, massive repulsive force released from his eyes, striking directly against the incoming Tailed Beast Ball.
The black sphere radiating terrifying presence resisted for only a second or two before thunderously rebounding, hurtling back along its original trajectory straight toward the Nine-Tails' head.
This sudden turn of events shocked even the Nine-Tails considerably.
Even the Uchiha who regularly controlled it could only dominate through Sharingan genjutsu, never directly catching its Tailed Beast Ball like this—much less deflecting it back.
"ROOOAAAR..."
The Nine-Tails roared in shock and fury. But its massive body had no time to evade. It could only watch helplessly as the black sphere enlarged before its eyes. After one roar, the Tailed Beast Ball it had fired slammed into its own head.
BOOM!
The Tailed Beast Ball exploded thunderously. Even the Nine-Tails couldn't withstand the massive shockwave. That fire-red massive head was violently pressed down by the impact, smashing brutally into the ground.
A mushroom cloud from the explosion shot skyward. The shockwave leveled everything nearby, forming a crater a hundred meters in diameter.
"ROOAAAR..." The Nine-Tails howled in agony, yet panic began rising in its heart.
Those eyes... why do they resemble the old man's so much?
Pain intended to establish his authority. He didn't plan to drag this out. Bringing both hands together, the space between his palms began distorting. A black sphere resembling a Tailed Beast Ball manifested in his grasp.
As his palms opened, the black sphere drifted unsteadily toward the sky.
"Chibaku Tensei!"
As Pain's indifferent voice rang out, the black sphere suspended itself high in the sky like an eerie black sun, forming a massive gravitational field that enveloped the Nine-Tails below.
Under this enormous gravitational field, the ground tore as though grasped by invisible giant hands. Massive quantities of stones began defying earth's gravity, slowly rising and gradually coalescing around the black sphere as their core.
The world suddenly fell into eerie silence. Only the rustling sounds of floating, grinding, colliding stones echoed above the battlefield.
"No!"
The Nine-Tails screamed in terror. Its beast eyes reflected the black sphere in the sky, pupils contracting to pinpoints. Fear unprecedented in a thousand years surged through it.
Its four limbs dug forcefully into the ground, body sinking as low as possible. Nine tails coiled desperately around nearby rock pillars, attempting to resist the gravitational pull from above.
Though it hadn't witnessed the Sage of Six Paths sealing Kaguya Otsutsuki back then, it had itself been carved from the Ten-Tails. Memories inherited through bloodline made it instinctively fear that black sphere in the sky.
The numerous ninja on the ground, though not the Chibaku Tensei's primary targets, were still pulled by that massive suction until they couldn't maintain their footing. They frantically grabbed anything fixed nearby to prevent being sucked skyward.
Those with slightly weaker abilities were directly swept into the air, releasing piteous screams.
The Ino-Shika-Cho trio could barely protect themselves, completely powerless to rescue others. They could only watch helplessly as their comrades were absorbed into the black sphere, all sound and life extinguished.
Within moments, the chaotic and brutal battlefield became spotlessly clean. Corpses, blood, severed limbs, stones and shattered wood—everything was absorbed into that black sphere, as though they'd never existed.
The Nine-Tails held out slightly longer but ultimately couldn't resist this sealing technique's power.
The stones beneath it gave way first, quickly cracking and shattering. Its massive body was yanked skyward like a doll. Nine tails flailed futilely, but ultimately couldn't alter its sealed fate. It could only be absorbed along with the massive boulder beneath it.
After the Nine-Tails entered, the gradually coalescing rubble completely sealed over. Only a massive stone sphere remained, floating in midair as though weightless, casting a suffocating shadow over the ground.
The scene immediately fell deathly silent. The air filled with suffocating oppression as everyone stared slack-jawed at the orange-haired figure standing in the void beneath the stone sphere.
The blazing sun hung high. Pain stood backlit in midair, appearing incomparably small beneath the massive rock sphere's backdrop, yet radiating divine majesty. The scorching sun behind him blazed blindingly, impossible to look at directly.
The Akatsuki group observing from behind felt equally shocked.
When initially subjugated, they'd witnessed Shinra Tensei's power. But this Chibaku Tensei was truly their first time seeing it.
They'd originally thought the Nine-Tails would at least make Pain exert some effort. Who knew it would end so casually?
"Woooow, how exaggerated!" White Zetsu's body twisted dramatically, speaking in a strange tone.
"That's the Nine-Tails, you know!"
"Sealed away so easily!"
Everyone fell silent. No one spoke, each with their own thoughts.
Especially Uchiha Itachi. Seeing the village suffer such heavy losses, even losing the tailed beast, made him deeply anxious. But he firmly remembered his mission, knowing his current identity was also a rogue ninja. So he maintained an expressionless face, saying nothing.
Seeing everyone remain silent, White Zetsu grinned again.
"Say, Itachi, do you have a twin brother?"
"I've never heard about this!"
Itachi glanced toward the battlefield, meeting Yasushi's gaze looking back at him.
Even separated by the entire battlefield, Itachi could still feel the overwhelming hatred and killing intent in those eyes.
"Well, just a fraud," Itachi calmly withdrew his gaze, speaking dismissively. "Perhaps someone who luckily survived that night."
"No need to concern ourselves."
"Alright, enough nonsense." Biwa Juzo removed the Executioner's Blade from his back, licking his lips eagerly. "Now that the leader has sealed the tailed beast, it's our turn to take the stage and completely slaughter these Konoha ninja, right?"
"No need." Itachi shook his head. "Nara Shikaku is a smart man. Seeing the battle turn unfavorable, he'll retreat immediately."
"Konoha still believes the Land of Rain is under Hanzo the Salamander's control. They'll attempt diplomatic means to reclaim the tailed beast."
"Is that so?" Biwa Juzo instinctively turned his gaze toward Orochimaru, the other rogue ninja from Konoha.
"That is indeed what Nara Shikaku would do!" Orochimaru nodded, eyes burning as he stared at Pain above, growing increasingly interested in the Rinnegan.
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