bookbashuk Chapter 146 The Battle Ends Abruptly!
Chapter 146 The Battle Ends Abruptly!
Chapter 146 The Battle Ends Abruptly!
Meanwhile, on the distant coast, Obito and Black Zetsu watched the battle unfold.
"He still has a trump card he hasn't used yet." Black Zetsu's voice was extremely low, so low that only Obito could hear it. "I can sense that there is an even stronger power hidden within him."
Obito remained silent, his Sharingan, visible only outside his mask, fixed intently on Izumi's figure.
He could see the Sharingan in Izumi's left eye—it was his eye, yet it radiated an unfamiliar light within that person's eye socket.
"Let him fight," Obito finally spoke, his voice calm as still water. "Only after he's fought will we know his true trump card."
Black Zetsu didn't say anything more, but just stared intently at the battlefield.
Pain withdrew his gaze from the Preta Path, which had been blasted into a rag doll, and stared at Izumi on the ground, his brows furrowing slightly.
He was somewhat surprised that the other party would target the Hungry Ghost Realm, which gave him the feeling that the other party seemed to know him very well.
Even Yecang over there has a clear way of dealing with the summoned beasts summoned by the Animal Path.
"Alright, the event is almost over, it's time to move on to the final stage."
-
Izumi's voice came from below, carrying a casual and nonchalant tone.
He moved his body, twisting his neck from side to side, making a slight cracking sound.
The cracks on the bone armor had all healed, and the white bone surface was even denser and smoother than before the battle.
He raised his head, his heterochromatic eyes looking at Pain in mid-air, a slight smile playing on his lips.
After these few exchanges, he had roughly figured out his current level of strength.
With an intelligence advantage, his overall combat strength has far surpassed that of ordinary Kage-level powerhouses.
Taijutsu, Shikotsumyaku, Byakugan, Sharingan—the combination of these abilities makes him virtually unbeatable in close combat.
With the amplification of superhuman strength and the Nine-Tails' chakra, even an opponent like Pain could be fought on equal terms, and he could even gain the upper hand.
But this is based on Payne's lack of understanding of him.
Nagato was somewhat careless towards him and underestimated him.
After all, in Nagato's memory, Izumi was just a former Kirigakure rogue ninja with the Shikotsumyaku and Byakugan.
He's quite capable, but not to the point where he needs to go all out.
In the battle just now, Izumikawa used his physical skills and combat wisdom to deliver a resounding slap to this judgment.
But now, the situation is different.
After these few rounds of combat, Payne had basically figured out his fighting style.
Speed, strength, bone hardness, the predictive accuracy of the Sharingan, and the field of vision of the Byakugan.
In their next encounter, Payne will not give him another chance to get close.
The timing and power of Shinra Tensei will be more precise, leaving him no room to force a breakthrough using Shave.
To defeat Pain, we would need to employ more methods, such as Kamui, Wood Release, and the complete release of the Nine-Tails' chakra.
But he doesn't plan to reveal those cards yet.
Izumi's peripheral vision swept across the distance, where Obito and Black Zetsu were still watching the battle unfold.
Obito's Sharingan was probably always watching his left eye; and Black Zetsu, that old schemer, had been secretly gathering all sorts of intelligence.
Now is not the time to reveal all our cards.
Using the talents of the Immortal Clan was already the maximum measure he could employ without revealing his core trump cards.
"Your taijutsu is indeed troublesome, and your recovery ability is beyond my expectations." Pain's voice came from mid-air, carrying a hint of caution, which was significantly different from his previous cold indifference as if looking down on ants.
"When you fought the Three-Tails, you didn't even show one-tenth of your current strength."
"If you had used the same level of Corpse Bone Pulse and physical techniques from the beginning, the Three-Tailed Beast would probably have fallen long ago."
His Rinnegan was fixed on Izumi, and something seemed to be subtly shifting within his pupils.
"And you just said the event is almost over, and it's time to enter the final stage." Do you mean you still have untapped tactics?
This was not a test, but a statement, and Payne had already read that meaning from Izumi's tone and expression.
Izumikawa neither denied nor admitted it; he simply maintained the faint smile on his lips.
The bone wings slowly retracted behind him, and his body shifted from a fighting stance to a more relaxed standing posture.
What do you think?
Pain remained silent for a moment.
His Rinnegan lingered on Izumikawa for a long time, seemingly reassessing the danger level of this person.
After a moment, he spoke, his voice still calm, but with a hint of recognition from one strong person for the strength of another.
That's all for today.
A hint of surprise flashed in Izumi's eyes.
He raised an eyebrow slightly, his smile freezing for a moment, not expecting Nagato to give up on his own initiative.
In his mind, three of the Six Paths of Pain were still intact, and although the Preta Path was knocked away, it was not completely destroyed. If the fight continued, the outcome would be uncertain.
Nagato has no reason to stop, unless—
"You are strong, but you seem to be holding back," Pain continued. "And this battle has dragged on for far too long."
His gaze shifted from Izumi River to the distant coastline—a group of reefs shrouded in thick fog.
Obito and Black Zetsu were hiding there. Although Nagato couldn't see them, he knew they had been watching him all along.
He didn't care about the damage to the Hungry Ghost Realm. The Six Paths Puppet was a consumable item; it could be replaced when it was damaged, and it wouldn't be long before it was put back into battle.
But what he cared about was Izumi's performance in the battle—this man was always watching the distance, always on guard against something, not against him, but against the other side.
At first, Nagato thought it was out of fear, worrying that Obito would intervene in the battle.
But now it seems that's not the case. Izumi's vigilance is more like a kind of caution.
Nagato was all too familiar with that wary look in his eyes, because he had it himself.
This stirred a subtle feeling within Nagato.
He never truly trusted Obito. That masked man.
They concealed their true identities and true purposes, only using the common goal of "Project Eye of the Moon" to bind him to the same boat.
They are not partners, but collaborators with aligned interests.
As for Taketori Izumi, the person who unintentionally helped him in the Land of Rain, perhaps he is on another boat.
Even if the recruitment fails, there may still be a possibility of cooperation in the future.
After careful consideration, Nagato chose to stop, not because he couldn't win, but because he needed time to reassess the situation.
Moreover, he never truly trusted the masked man, nor did he want to fully reveal his strength, which was not a wise move.
"If given the chance, I hope we won't be enemies." Pain looked at him, slowly landing, his tone carrying a profound meaning.
Then he turned around and walked into the depths of the fog, showing no trace of the fierce battle they had just fought and their mutual adversaries.
On the other side, the Animal Path canceled the summoning spell, and the remaining summoned beasts turned into smoke and dissipated. The roars of those giant beasts stopped abruptly, leaving only silence.
Asura Path returned to normal from its three-headed, six-armed state, its mechanical arms retracting under its cloak, and the blades and cannon muzzles disappeared into the darkness.
The Asura Path went directly to the Hungry Ghost Path, picked it up, carried it on its back, and disappeared into the thick fog along with the Animal Path.
As a result, the battle on Yekura's side came to an abrupt end.
The disappearance of the animal-path spirit beast caused her opponent to instantly turn into smoke, leaving her standing there somewhat bewildered.
The fireball from the Scorching Release technique extinguished in his palm, and he gasped for breath.
Her robes were covered in dust, her forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat, and a few strands of hair clung to her cheeks, but her eyes remained bright.
Her gaze quickly swept towards Quanchuan, and she found him standing there unharmed. She breathed a sigh of relief, as if a weight had finally been lifted from her shoulders.
She quickly went to Quanchuan's side, looked him up and down to make sure he wasn't seriously injured, and then asked, "What happened? Why did they suddenly stop?"
Her voice still carried the urgency of battle, her breathing had not yet fully calmed down, and her chest was heaving.
Izumikawa did not answer immediately. He stood there, looking in the direction where Payne had disappeared, his self-glow flickering slightly, as if he was savoring every word and every glance from just now.
He was pondering the meaning of Nagato's last words; the profound implications of those words made things seem more interesting.
Nagato was testing him, and also implying that the Akatsuki organization was not a monolithic entity.
Nagato seemed to be intentionally making this ceasefire, and he sensed something was amiss.
As expected, despite being limited by information, Nagato remained very wary of Obito, who claimed to be "Uchiha Madara".
Obito was spying in the dark, Black Zetsu was spying in the dark, and wasn't Nagato also being spyed on?
Everyone is scheming, everyone is hiding, and everyone is waiting for the right opportunity.
Izumi's lips slowly curled up, revealing a playful smile.
Despite being seemingly consumed by hatred and pain, Nagato still retains the shadow of the idealist he once was.
He was simply using the most extreme methods to achieve that ideal; it doesn't mean he lost his judgment or vigilance.
Although blinded by hatred, it also made him more ruthless and rational.
"It's nothing." Izumikawa withdrew his gaze, looked at Yekura, and said in a calm tone, but with a reassuring power, "Let's go, we'll talk about it when we get back."
Although Yecang still had doubts, he understood that this was not the place to talk.
This is the Land of Water, the territory of Kirigakure. With such a commotion, the Kirigakure ninja will react in no time. Every minute we stay here increases the danger.
She nodded, asked no further questions, and simply stood silently beside Izumi.
Izumi formed hand seals, and as chakra surged, a massive skeletal dragon descended from the mist. The two stepped into the abdominal room.
The dragon spread its wings, and the thin membranes on its bone wings trembled slightly in the wind, emitting a low hum, like the breath of some ancient creature.
It took off, its wings stirring up the mist, drawing a graceful arc in the air before disappearing into the depths of the clouds, leaving only a trail that gradually faded away.
On the sea, the fog closed in again, swallowing up the broken reefs, the blood-stained seawater, and the traces left by the battle.
In the distance, Obito stood on a towering reef, watching Pain emerge from the mist, his brows furrowed slightly.
Beneath his mask, his Sharingan gleamed with discontent.
"The recruitment failed?" Pain said calmly, his tone devoid of any emotion, as if he were simply stating a fact that had nothing to do with him.
"We've been here too long; the Mist Ninja should be realizing what's going on by now."
"The disappearance of the Anbu and the loss of contact with the Mizukage—such a huge commotion cannot be ignored by the higher-ups of Kirigakure."
"We cannot let recruitment delay our main plans. Controlling the Fourth Mizukage and taking control of Kirigakure is our top priority right now."
Obito's lips twitched slightly; he had essentially shot himself in the foot.
These reasons—too much time, priority given to the plan—were exactly the kinds of arguments he usually used to persuade Nagato.
Now Nagato has returned it to him exactly as it was, leaving him speechless.
He couldn't refute Nagato's words at all, after all, this was what he had said to Nagato, a logical framework he had constructed himself.
Now that Nagato has stopped, he has no choice but to comply. He cannot reveal his true intentions—that would arouse Nagato's suspicion and ruin his years of hard work.
He could only give a cold reply, his voice coming from beneath the mask, carrying a hint of suppressed resentment: "Yes, plan first."
Q
"As for Taketori Izumikawa and Yokura, let's talk about them another time."
His gaze fell on the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, who was already under control.
Yagura stood there blankly, his eyes vacant and his face expressionless, like a soulless puppet awaiting its master's next command.
His robes were stained with blood and dust, but the wounds were slowly healing. The tailed beast's regenerative abilities were still there, but his will was gone.
Obito glanced again at the nearby battlefield: shattered rocks, scorched ground, scattered bone fragments, and missile shrapnel.
These traces silently tell the story of a fierce battle that once took place here.
"The next step is to fabricate some traces." Obito's voice returned to calm, carrying a cold calculation.
"Put the blame on Taketori Izumigawa. The Kirigakure needs an explanation, an excuse to anger them and make them hunt us down."
"The reason that the traitorous ninja Taketori Izumigawa attacked the Mizukage and colluded with foreign enemies is sufficient."
Pain did not respond. How to use the Fourth Mizukage to control Kirigakure was Obito's own business, and he would not interfere.
They simply removed the ability to communicate with spirits from the animal realm and sent the Asura and hungry ghost realms back.
Only Obito stood there, taking one last look in the direction where Izumi River had disappeared.
Within that Sharingan eye, the three tomoe slowly rotated, reflecting endless gloom.
He will get his left eye back sooner or later, but for now, he'll just leave it with you—Taketori Izumi!
Although this failure annoyed him, it also gave him a better understanding of the other party's situation.
This guy who stole Kakashi's left eye is quite powerful and very troublesome.
However, if they are hindered from collecting the Tailed Beasts, they will face more than just Nagato.