"How much of the Rinnegan's power can you use now?" Kaito asked, his sharp gaze fixed on the panting Nagato.
"That's none of your concern!" Nagato rasped, his breath uneven, sweat dripping down his face.
"You're just stalling for Konan to escape," Kaito said, shaking his head with a faint smile. "Don't worry, I'm not interested in Konan's life. What I want… are your eyes."
"Rinnegan?" Nagato's purple irises trembled in shock. "You want a transplant?"
"No," Kaito answered calmly. In the next instant, his figure flickered, vanishing and reappearing directly in front of Nagato. His voice was cold and certain. "The Rinnegan isn't something you can keep."
Two fingers stretched toward Nagato's face.
Fear flickered in Nagato's expression. His chakra surged wildly as he extended his arms, shouting, "Super Shinra Tensei!"
A devastating wave of repulsion burst outward. The air twisted violently, clouds ripped apart and scattered across the horizon, leaving a vast hollow in the sky. Space itself warped, the violent pressure collapsing everything around it.
But even as the overwhelming force engulfed him, Kaito stood calmly. His figure was unmoving, like a lone cliff weathering the storm.
"This force… it matches the gravity Ōtsutsuki Toneri used at first. But even so—it's still far weaker." His flat, steady tone made Nagato's gaunt face contort in disbelief.
Nagato's heart pounded. His strongest technique—besides Chibaku Tensei—had been brushed aside as if it were nothing. Only a short time ago, he had fought Kaito without witnessing such overwhelming might. How? How could his strength increase so much in just a few days?!
Before Nagato could regain his composure, Kaito's fingers reached forward, ignoring the storm of force.
Puff!
In one swift motion, Kaito dug deep, withdrawing both of Nagato's lavender eyes. They gleamed faintly in his palm, dripping with power.
"These are indeed divine eyes," Kaito murmured, studying them intently. "Their energy rivals the Tenseigan itself." A flicker of excitement crossed his face. "I wonder what will happen once I absorb them."
Without the Rinnegan, Nagato's strength collapsed instantly. His body, already fragile, plummeted from the sky like a withered leaf.
Kaito glanced down at him, his expression unreadable. He felt a fleeting sympathy for Nagato's suffering, but that sympathy was smothered by the simple truth—they were enemies. He chose not to kill him, but sparing his life was mercy enough.
With a thought, Kaito waved his hand. Space rippled before him. He reached in and retrieved two glass containers filled with nutrient solution, a small storage space he had forged with his mastery over spatial chakra. It resembled Obito's Kamui dimension, though uniquely his own.
Placing the Rinnegan carefully inside, he sealed them away and released a long breath. His task was complete.
Whoosh!
A flutter of paper wings cut through the air. Konan swooped down, catching Nagato in her arms, then carried him swiftly into the distance.
Kaito watched them fade into the horizon. He frowned briefly, then exhaled. "Forget it. For Jiraiya's sake, I'll let you both live."
Nagato without the Rinnegan was no threat. In fact, leaving him alive might even hasten his end—Uchiha Obito would surely seek to eliminate him, now that Madara's eyes were no longer under his control.
Shaking away the thought, Kaito's body flickered and vanished.
Moments later, he reappeared above Konoha.
Below, shinobi and villagers were already working to repair the devastation. Some rebuilt homes, others cleared debris from the streets. Despite the destruction, life surged forward with determination.
Thanks to Kaito's intervention, all six Paths of Pain had been destroyed. But even so, half of Konoha lay in ruins from the battle's aftermath. The damage was significant, though far less than it could have been.
Inside the Hokage's office, Shikaku Nara stood before Tsunade, reporting the village's losses. Clan leaders gathered around, listening solemnly.
Suddenly, the space above Shikaku rippled. He stopped mid-sentence, and everyone's eyes darted upward.
Chakra flared as the elders tensed, ready for combat. Konoha had just been attacked, and according to Jiraiya-sama's intelligence, the Akatsuki had members skilled in space-time ninjutsu. The sudden distortion could only mean danger.
A slender arm extended from the rift, followed by a figure stepping gracefully into the room.
When the leaders recognized who it was, their killing intent evaporated instantly.
"Kaito?" Tsunade's eyes narrowed, though her body relaxed slightly.
"What's with all the tension?" Kaito asked, raising a brow at their guarded expressions.
"What do you think!" Tsunade snapped. Her chakra had already been coiled, ready to strike moments earlier.
"When did you learn space-time ninjutsu?" she demanded.
"Just now," Kaito said casually, brushing it off. He glanced at the papers on Shikaku's desk. "Are you in the middle of something?"
Shikaku adjusted his notes. "We were—"
"Never mind," Kaito cut him off. "Whatever it is, it doesn't involve me. I only came to tell you this—don't worry about the Akatsuki's leader. He won't be troubling Konoha anymore."
Before anyone could respond, his form blurred and disappeared, leaving silence in his wake.
For a long moment, the room was still. Then whispers rose, rippling through the gathered clan heads.
They understood Kaito's words clearly. He had defeated the Akatsuki's leader.
The realization shocked them to their core.
The power of Pain had been overwhelming. Even with their knowledge of his abilities and the village's full defense, Konoha had been torn apart. That very same enemy—who had devastated half the village—was now gone, defeated by a single man.
And that man… was standing among them.
---
Milestone,
100 Power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter