Chapter 246: Have You Felt Pain?
Kaito Shirogane's figure was as fast as the wind as he pressed a palm toward Orochimaru's chest.
Vmm~
The air grew thick, as if it were liquid. In an instant, the force from Kaito's palm compressed it, letting out a dull roar.
Boom!
Kaito's palm struck, and fragments of a white vapor cloud appeared in the air.
Orochimaru's body was crushed and distorted by the immense pressure before poofing open. Dozens of vipers erupted from the smoke, slithering toward Kaito Shirogane.
If Orochimaru fought Uchiha Shisui one-on-one, he would undoubtedly lose. But the veteran experience he displayed when facing a powerful foe like Kaito was something Uchiha Shisui couldn't hope to match.
The ground exploded open, wet earth churning. Kaito let the vipers coil around his body. He turned impassively, only to see that Orochimaru had once again put several dozen meters between them.
Pfft, pfft, pfft.
One by one, the vipers that bit Kaito's body were ignited by the transcendent trait of his [Scales of the Flame Dragon]. The brilliant flame was incredibly hot and sticky. The snakes died instantly, falling from his body.
"Orochimaru, didn't you want to know how I caught Uchiha Shisui? Watch closely. It's..."
As he spoke, Kaito stepped forward. His feet blurred, like phantoms stomping dozens of times in an instant, and then his figure vanished.
In the river valley, now clear of mist, a fierce wind began to blow. Orochimaru's pupils trembled. He realized his enemy likely possessed some high-speed movement, or even an invisibility, ability.
Clones appeared one after another. Orochimaru himself also broke into a run, his lower body sprinting without interfering with his upper body's hand seals. Each clone ran in a different direction.
A shinobi's battle is a battle of intelligence. He was using this to try and force Mercenary Tao to attack more, allowing him to gather data.
The next moment, a gale erupted.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The clones running in all directions shattered, one by one. Orochimaru's pupils continued to scan his surroundings. He couldn't track his opponent.
Vmm~
The air in front of him thickened. Orochimaru was still turning his head to check another angle. The next moment, a hand suddenly emerged from the wind and clamped onto his face.
Only when he felt the contact did Orochimaru realize his opponent had appeared.
So fast! He's hiding in the wind!
The two thoughts flashed through Orochimaru's mind, and then a monstrous force struck. He was completely unable to resist. His running body was redirected, slamming violently into the ground.
The force from that hand was so great it smashed Orochimaru's upper body completely into the earth. The angle of contortion was something no normal human could survive.
Kaito stood up, watching indifferently as Orochimaru's body twisted like a slippery snake and righted itself. This was likely Orochimaru's [Soft Physique Modification], making his body unnaturally pliable.
"Tsk. What a disgusting jutsu, Orochimaru."
Orochimaru's face was contorted. In order to move like a human, some parts, like his skull, couldn't be fully softened. It had been damaged in that last blow.
But he seemed to feel no pain at all. Licking his lips, Orochimaru was now feeling an intense desire for Mercenary Tao's body.
This kind of body... if it were in my hands, its potential for modification would be even greater. I could...
Pfft!
Orochimaru's pupils shrank. The afterimage in his vision slowly faded. He looked down and saw a hand had pierced his body. His opponent's spear-hand was far sharper than any blade.
Kaito pulled his arm out. Watching Orochimaru slowly collapse, he smiled cruelly. "Did you see it clearly this time, Orochimaru? This is the power that defeated the Uchiha."
Behind them, Konan's figure twitched, but she ultimately did nothing. Tendo Pain just watched this scene coolly. Farthest back, the red-haired youth (Sasori) let out a mocking smile.
Orochimaru crumpled to the ground, blood pouring from his chest, but Kaito didn't see a kill notification. His ears twitched. The next moment, his figure vanished into the wind again.
Bang!
A massive snake erupted from underground. This snake, which seemed to have been hiding there all along, was over twenty meters long with a head over two meters in diameter, covered in purple-black scales. The snake opened its giant maw, and a figure covered in slime, wearing white robes, was spat out from its gullet.
After landing, Orochimaru slowly walked over to his own corpse, stripped the Akatsuki cloak off it, and put it on himself.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Kaito stood several meters away, watching this scene and applauding. He wore a smile of genuine appreciation.
This Orochimaru... he really had a special talent for combat. No wonder he was a commoner who could make it to the very top, surrounded by ninjas from powerful clans.
"Orochimaru, you... you're very interesting."
Kaito started to walk toward him again, but Orochimaru frowned. The giant snake instantly slithered back, creating distance.
"It seems this is the capital you rely on."
Tendo Pain moved to block Kaito's path. He could already see that Orochimaru was no match for this Mercenary Tao.
No, it wasn't just Orochimaru. [Sasori] and [Zetsu] were probably no match for him either. This man, who wanted to inflict pain on the world, undeniably possessed outstanding strength.
Normally, he would have already agreed to recruit him into the Akatsuki.
But ever since the man said, "want to make this world feel pain," Pain... no, Nagato... had changed his mind.
He couldn't stand someone who had clearly never felt pain himself, so indifferently using pure violence to make the world feel pain. It was as if his own ideals were being trampled.
"Feel pain."
"Contemplate pain."
"Accept pain."
"Understand pain."
"Those who do not know pain... can never understand true peace."
With every sentence, Pain took a step forward. By the time he finished, he was in front of Kaito. At the same time, the other Paths of Pain emerged from the shadows behind him, fanning out like phantoms.
"Mercenary Tao... have you ever felt pain?"
Swoosh.
A figure appeared in front of Kaito. The Asura Path thrust its hands out, and countless serrated blades shot from its sleeves.
Clang! Clang!
Kaito stood his ground, activating [Tekkai] instantly.
Amidst the sound of clashing metal, the Asura Path was instantly enveloped in the brilliant flame, but it didn't react. Instead, it opened its hands. Its fingers turned into micro-missiles, spraying at point-blank range, while larger missiles launched from its arms.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The explosion was instantaneous. Tendo Pain's eyelids were low. Without turning, he reached a hand out behind him.
Kaito's figure burst through the smoke, appearing exactly behind Tendo Pain. Tendo Pain said coolly: "Shinra Tensei."
A terrifying repulsive force exploded. Kaito felt the invisible, immense force and was instantly blasted away. The giant, multi-headed Summoning Beast leaped, catching him in its jaws. The beast ignored the flames erupting on its body, biting down crazily as more giant Summoning Beasts piled on, as if to tear him apart.
Hana Hiranaka covered her mouth. This terrifying scene was far worse than any ninja battle she had ever witnessed.
Catherine also took a step back. But she knew... Mercenary Tao would not die like this. She carefully maintained her barrier, protecting herself and Hana, her nerves stretched taut. It looks like Pain isn't planning on recruiting him...
Vmmm~
A sharp whistle of condensed ki rang out. The next moment, a golden beam of light shot through all the Summoning Beasts and pierced the head of the Animal Path Pain, who had been doing the summoning. He tilted back and fell, his head shattered.
Kaito casually tossed aside the massive Summoning Beasts, his body completely unharmed.
He tapped his toe, leaping lightly to land on the branch of a fallen tree. He swayed there, defying physics, his hands clasped behind his back.
"Your 'pain'... is only at this level, Pain?"
"Just by making shinobi feel pain, the world can achieve peace?"
"Ha... Hahaha... HAHAHAHA!"
Tendo Pain re-evaluated Mercenary Tao's strength. In his estimation, the man was above Kage-level. He might have a weakness somewhere, but in terms of pure combat, he was extremely formidable.
Most importantly, from start to finish, he hadn't used a single jutsu, nor was there any trace of Chakra flow.
"Your 'capacity'... is lacking, Nagato."
Konan's face changed instantly.
(End of Chapter)
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