Pain's hand fell away from his throat.
The wound was there. Three inches long. Deep enough to see muscle tissue beneath.
But the flesh was pale. Bloodless. Like wax.
Nothing dripped. Nothing oozed.
Miyamoto stared.
Pain's voice came out wrong—wheezing, gurgling, air hissing through the cut with every syllable.
"You're... Miyamoto. Correct?"
The sound was wet. Unnatural.
Miyamoto's throat worked. He nodded. Couldn't speak.
"I heard your philosophy." Pain's ruined voice somehow made the words worse. "Avoid war. Evade death. Survive at any cost. Yes?"
Another nod. Mechanical.
"Tell me something." Pain's ringed eyes didn't blink. "Have you watched your brothers die? Your family? Seen their blood on your hands while they begged you to save them?"
Miyamoto shook his head.
"Have you seen your people enslaved? Forced into mines, worked until they collapsed? Whipped with barbed lashes—the kind that tear away strips of flesh with every strike?" Pain's voice grew quieter. Colder. "Hanged if they resist. Worked to death if they don't."
Head shake. Slower this time.
"Have you watched a city burn?" The gurgling intensified. "Adults. Children. Infants. Nowhere to run. Just... huddled in corners. Crying. Waiting for the flames."
Miyamoto's face was chalk-white.
"I have." Pain stepped closer. "My family. My comrades. My people. They wanted to survive too. They would've accepted poverty. Hardship. Suffering. Anything. Just... life."
The ringed eyes bore into Miyamoto's soul.
"They're dead now. All of them. And they're never coming back."
"Then..." Miyamoto's voice cracked. "Then we should... we should try harder to live. For them. We—"
"You're right." Pain's tone didn't change. "We should fight to survive. But survival isn't hiding, Miyamoto. Because there are always people—monsters—who won't let you live. Who'll hunt you. Break you. Kill you."
His hand shot out. Gripped Miyamoto's collar.
"The only way forward is resistance. Kill the monsters. Or become one yourself."
"No!" Miyamoto's voice rose. "That just creates more death! More—"
"Every peace requires sacrifice." Pain's grip tightened. "You understand that, don't you? Villain."
"Takigakure is Konoha's ally. You serve them. Fight for them." The gurgling voice was almost gentle now. "Those atrocities I described? The mines. The whips. The burning cities. Konoha did that. And you help them."
"I don't—let go—"
"I thought you were a pacifist." Pain's free hand produced a black receiver rod. "But you're just another hypocrite. Peace on your lips. Blood on your hands. You talk about survival while enabling genocide."
The rod's tip pressed against Miyamoto's temple.
"So prove me wrong. Use your technique. Kill me."
"I'll—I'll do it! I swear I'll—"
"I'm counting to three." Pain's expression was empty. "If you don't act, I'll put this through your skull. No bluffs. No mercy."
The rod pressed harder.
Miyamoto's hand trembled on Pain's head. The "Soul Extraction" grip. His trump card.
Do it. Just do it. Pull. PULL—
"Secret Technique: Soul Extraction!"
Miyamoto's palm flared. Chakra surged—suction force building, designed to rip souls from bodies, a Takigakure forbidden art that had never failed—
Pain didn't move.
Didn't even flinch.
"...Impossible." Miyamoto's eyes went wide. "How—this technique is—it's never—"
"I know." Pain's voice was soft. Almost kind. "It's very effective. On people with souls."
The rod shifted. Angled downward.
"I'm done playing."
The receiver rod punched through Miyamoto's chest.
Through his sternum. Between his ribs. Straight into his heart.
Miyamoto's breath stopped.
His eyes locked on Pain's face. Those eyes—ringed, layered, spiraling inward like they could swallow the world—
The rod sank deeper. Miyamoto felt it scrape against his spine.
"You still don't understand." Pain's tone was almost gentle now. "Life. Pain. Suffering. They're all connected. You can't escape one without embracing the others."
"...chance..." Miyamoto's lips barely moved. Blood bubbled at the corners of his mouth.
"Yes. A chance." Pain's expression softened—barely. "You'll die. But you'll live on. Through these eyes, you'll witness the old world's destruction. The new world's birth. You'll see everything."
The light in Miyamoto's eyes dimmed.
Pain held the body upright for another moment. Then carefully lowered it to the ground.
"Completely dead." He reached for Miyamoto's forehead protector. Removed it. Drew the receiver rod across the metal—screech—leaving a deep scratch through the Takigakure symbol.
He replaced it on Miyamoto's head. Adjusted the angle.
A scroll appeared in his hands. Long. Covered in sealing formulae.
"Welcome to the new world, friend. You'll make an excellent Pain."
The body vanished into the scroll in a puff of smoke.
Pain stood. Turned toward the distant battlefield.
Danzō was losing.
The realization hit like a kunai to the gut.
Sasori—this child—was destroying him. Every attack came faster than the last. Every counter was predicted. Blocked. Punished.
This wasn't like fighting Sunagakure's other puppet masters. This was different.
The last one Danzō had killed was the Second Kazekage himself. Shamon. A legend. Master of puppets and sand manipulation—basically Kankurō and Gaara combined into one terrifying package.
And Danzō had won.
By having Uchiha Kagami distract Shamon from the front while Danzō hit him with a Vacuum Sphere from behind. Straight through the kidney.
Backstabbing. The Shimura clan specialty.
No Kagami. No backup. No opening.
Just Sasori. And that thing he controlled—Zhong Kui, the hooked monstrosity made of some material that shrugged off Danzō's wind techniques like they were nothing.
Another hook lashed out.
Danzō dodged—barely.
The tip caught his shoulder. Tore away a strip of flesh.
He was covered in wounds now. Dozens of them. Each one shallow enough to avoid vital organs but deep enough to hurt.
Sasori was playing with him.
And they both knew it.
[Horror Note: Pain's conversion of Miyamoto = body horror + philosophical corruption. The "you'll live on through these eyes" is nightmare fuel. Danzō's desperation without his usual advantages = karmic justice building.]
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
📚 BOOK COMPLETED ON PATREON!📚
This story has reached its conclusion on my Patreon!
🔥 Full story available now
💎 Exclusive bonus content & early access to new books
👉 Join my Patreon community today!
[✨patreon.com/DarkGolds]
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━