Chapter 25: Upper Realm Substitute
With killing intent already decided in his heart, Pain showed no mercy this time. Massive quantities of chakra poured into the Rinnegan.
In an instant, with Pain as the center, an invisible force field expanded like a nuclear blast, power ten times stronger than the simple Tailed Beast Ball deflection before.
Blinding white light nearly seared eyes. Air trembled violently, compressed into visible ripples, producing deafening explosive roars.
The already brutalized earth suffered further devastation. The ground shattered layer by layer like fragile glass. Solid rock turned to powder, stripped of outer layers piece by piece, revealing fresh stone beneath.
Heaven and earth suddenly fell into deathly silence. The entire world seemed to face apocalypse in this moment.
"Ahhhh!"
Akimichi Choza roared explosively. As his body rapidly expanded and enlarged, his form suddenly emaciated. Two blue chakra wings abruptly sprouted from behind his shoulders.
He'd finally activated "Super Expansion: Butterfly Mode"—an ultimate form achieved by burning massive body fat, consuming enormous amounts of his chakra.
But under the tremendous pressure, he had no way to attack Pain above. He could only barely arch his body like a tree in a violent storm, providing shelter for his nearby comrades.
"Run!"
He roared loudly. Each massive palm grabbed one—Nara Shikaku and Yamanaka Inoichi, both pinned immobile by the pressure—and flung them forcefully into the distance.
"No!"
Both men screamed, unwilling to abandon their comrade and flee alone at such a moment.
Nara Shikaku formed rapid seals, manipulating massive shadow whips, attempting to reduce Akimichi Choza's burden.
Yamanaka Inoichi used Mind Derangement Technique on Akimichi Choza, trying to control him into fleeing together.
But methods that usually worked flawlessly completely failed this time.
Yamanaka Inoichi's secret technique rebounded. Akimichi Choza refused Inoichi's control.
This big guy who always smiled gently and constantly obeyed his comrades' instructions now displayed unprecedented stubbornness.
"This person's too strong! No chance!" Akimichi Choza roared hoarsely.
"You guys run!"
"Remember to bring the intelligence back!"
Airborne with nowhere to borrow force, both men could only watch helplessly as Akimichi Choza's familiar gentle face grew more distant, completely powerless to help.
"Hahaha..."
Accompanied by wild laughter, a massive energy face suddenly appeared in both men's vision. Coming at them face-on were also enormous palms.
"Since you don't want to leave your comrade, then just stay!"
Yasushi controlled Susanoo, suddenly intercepting mid-flight. His mad laughter carried cat-toying-with-mouse cruel pleasure.
With both men airborne and unable to dodge, Susanoo immediately caught them perfectly.
"Hahaha... Akimichi Choza, I thank you!"
Yasushi laughed maniacally, both hands gripping forcefully.
"No!"
Yamanaka Inoichi screamed miserably. Disregarding the secret technique's backlash damage, he desperately poured chakra into the jutsu, mental force rushing toward Uchiha Yasushi.
And Yasushi also went all out, pushing the Mangekyo Sharingan to its absolute limit. His left eye again shed bloody tears from overusing ocular techniques. Even with his head dizzy from mental impact, he still didn't release his clenched fists.
Nara Shikaku's shadow whips attempting resistance had absolutely no effect under Susanoo's palms, easily crushed and shattering like spider webs into dispersal.
With a wet splat, two masses of bloody flesh exploded between Susanoo's fingers, scattering through the air, spraying everywhere.
"Hahaha..."
Yasushi's laughter grew increasingly deranged. He slowly opened his palms, displaying the blood pulp and minced meat slowly dripping down his ten fingers to Akimichi Choza, who was pressed to one knee by Shinra Tensei, unable to raise his head.
"Say, Akimichi Choza, your good brothers have become meat paste!"
"What the hell are you still resisting for!"
"Just hurry up and change back, become meat paste together!"
"Hahaha..."
"Damn it!" Akimichi Choza's eyes turned blood-red. Enduring Shinra Tensei's pressure, he tried to stand and attack Uchiha Yasushi.
But his body only swayed before being heavily pressed down again, vomiting blood profusely. His butterfly wings completely shattered, his massive body slowly shrinking.
His body had finally reached its limit, utterly crushed by the heavy pressure.
His final chakra transformed into scattered firefly lights, dissipating in the air. His life flame was like a candle in the wind, ready to extinguish at any moment.
Without his protection, the remaining Konoha ninja couldn't endure even a moment. They were successively pressed flat to the ground by enormous pressure, bones broken and tendons snapped, casualties severe, screams rising one after another.
Pain stood silently suspended in midair, quietly watching their miserable state, experiencing their current suffering, the Rinnegan showing neither sorrow nor joy.
He only waited for Shinra Tensei's cooldown period to pass before delivering another strike to annihilate these people completely.
But he suddenly frowned, raising his head toward the massive sphere above.
Everyone looked along with him. The originally well-sealed stone sphere's surface now trembled violently, revealing cracks. Threads of fire-red chakra leaked out from inside.
The Nine-Tails was breaking the seal?
How was that possible?
Others might not understand, but Yasushi understood very clearly.
The Rinnegan's ocular techniques were among the most powerful in the shinobi world.
After being sealed by Chibaku Tensei, forget the Nine-Tails—even Kaguya Otsutsuki, the Rabbit Goddess, couldn't escape!
Had Pain used insufficient chakra?
Precisely because he understood, he found it even more incredible.
Under everyone's astonished gazes, the sealing stone sphere exploded thunderously. A human figure appeared before everyone, small in stature with blond hair—seemingly the previous Nine-Tails jinchuriki.
But the docile golden-red Nine-Tails chakra cloak currently covering his body, along with those calm and unfamiliar eyes, all declared this person wasn't the original Naruto Uzumaki.
Pain's brow furrowed, but he also didn't pay much attention.
Just a child. Even if he'd tamed the Nine-Tails, so what?
Could he possibly contend against divine power?
He slightly raised his hand, preparing to add another Chibaku Tensei to completely solve the problem.
But who knew that figure would flash in midair, suddenly vanishing from existence. When reappearing, he was already beside the severely wounded Akimichi Choza.
That speed was so fast even the Rinnegan could barely track it, leaving only a golden afterimage in midair.
Akimichi Choza struggled to open his eyes. The moment his gaze met Naruto Uzumaki's, he saw those gentle and familiar eyes in them. That gaze transcended time and space, perfectly overlapping with a certain figure in his memory.
"Fourth Hokage-sama..." he instinctively groaned.
Holy shit!
The Fourth Hokage had come online as a substitute!