Chapter 252 — Chibaku Tensei
Pain stared at Naruto with a deep frown. He understood clearly—if this battle continued as it was, the situation would only grow more unfavorable for him.
"Just as I expected… the Nine-Tails' power is truly extraordinary," the Deva Path said.
He turned and sprinted into the distance. At the same time, far away, a gaunt man slowly opened his eyes. His eyes were exactly the same as Pain's—
That man was Nagato.
"He's close enough to the Deva Path," Nagato murmured.
"Chibaku Tensei."
Nagato gathered chakra and sent it directly into the Deva Path. On the battlefield, Pain pressed his hands together; chakra rapidly condensed between his palms.
"Nagato, you don't need to go this far. Even though Yusuke restored your body considerably, using such a technique for the Nine-Tails… and with everyone on alert around us…" Konan said, unable to hide her concern.
"Konan, enough. I need to concentrate," Nagato said, glancing at her briefly before falling silent again.
Pain released a small spinning black sphere from between his hands. The orb floated upward as he gently let it go.
Right then, Naruto reached him, shattering the trees in his path.
"Chibaku Tensei."
The small black sphere emitted a tremendous gravitational pull. Stones, dirt, and debris all around tore free from the ground and rose into the sky.
Naruto was also dragged upward, pulled helplessly into the growing mass until eventually a massive sphere formed in the heavens.
"That's… Naruto!" Sakura cried anxiously as she watched him trapped inside the floating prison of stone.
Meanwhile, Toneri activated his Tenseigan and observed Naruto's condition. Naruto's chakra continued to surge dramatically.
A feral, thunderous roar erupted from within the stone prison.
Naruto's chakra burst outward. Gigantic tails extended one after another through the cracks.
"Eight tails…" Sakura whispered, stunned beyond words.
Pain watched, eyes wide with shock as Naruto nearly shattered the rocky seal. He had never imagined the Nine-Tails' power could reach such an overwhelming level.
But when Naruto's form grew into that of the Eight-Tails, his body suddenly shifted back—revealing Naruto's human form again.
"No… impossible. Did he actually gain full control over the Kyuubi!? That can't be!" Pain trembled with disbelief.
After all, the strength of a Perfect Jinchūriki wasn't simply the sum of human and beast. It was far more complicated than one plus one equals two.
"He returned to being Naruto…" Toneri murmured, eyes narrowing.
"Correct. Looks like Minato-nii appeared. The Nine-Tails has been resealed," Yusuke said with a faint smile.
"Sensei… then won't Naruto struggle to fight Pain again? If that's the case, allow me to go," Toneri said.
"Relax. Pain is already exhausted. Watch carefully. Naruto may be simple, but in battle he possesses incredible instinctual intelligence," Yusuke replied.
Naruto and Son Goku of Dragon Ball shared one trait in common—battle genius born from pure instinct, wisdom hidden in simplicity.
Both sides had used considerable energy, but Naruto's condition was still better. In addition to his own chakra, his body remained filled with remnants of the Nine-Tails' power.
Meanwhile, even though Nagato inherited the immense vitality of the Uzumaki clan, the Rinnegan drained his body endlessly. He could not recover what he had lost. Given the circumstances, Naruto clearly had the advantage.
The battle resumed, and in the end, Naruto emerged victorious. Using the Black Receiver he had seized, he traced the flow of chakra to locate Nagato.
Sakura and Toneri hurried after him. After exchanging a few words with the team, Naruto immediately set off to confront Nagato.
"He wants to suppress the hatred within Nagato. He intends to speak with his senior," one of the team members explained.
"Naruto, be careful," Yamato said.
"I know, Captain Yamato," Naruto answered, then sprinted toward Nagato's location.
"The Deva Path… lost…" Nagato whispered, shock filling his gaze.
"What?" Konan stiffened, unable to believe it.
She acknowledged Nagato wasn't as strong as Hatake Yusuke, but she still believed that aside from Yusuke, no one alive could defeat him. And yet today, the Nagato she considered invincible had actually been beaten.
Elsewhere, Hatake Yusuke watched Naruto's victory and nodded lightly.
"Let's go, Toneri. I'll introduce you to Pain's real body," Yusuke said.
Toneri nodded eagerly. He wanted to see for himself the difference between his own Tenseigan and the true Rinnegan. Artificial strength like Pain's held no fear for him.
Yusuke placed a hand on Toneri's shoulder, and together they vanished from the area.
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"I didn't expect this, Nagato. I always thought that if anyone were to come out victorious, it would be you," Yusuke said.
Clearly, the Rinnegan's drain on Nagato was far greater than Yusuke had predicted. This also explained why none of the great shinobi ever attempted to transplant Madara's Rinnegan after he died.
It wasn't because no one wanted the eyes—it was because almost no one could withstand the backlash.
Only those with Uzumaki or Senju vitality had any hope.
Obito could endure it because he possessed both Uchiha blood and Hashirama's cells. Later generations saw both Uzumaki and Senju bloodlines nearly extinct; only Naruto and Karin could truly be considered inheritors.
Even Tsunade's blood wasn't enough to handle the Rinnegan.
Ironically, Naruto could have, as the reincarnation of Asura—but for unknown reasons, he never chose transplant surgery.
"I haven't lost…" Nagato growled, staring at Hatake Yusuke with sharp, hateful eyes. He still refused to accept his defeat.
Toneri felt the pressure from the Rinnegan and instantly activated his Tenseigan.
Two pairs of eyes clashed—pupil power colliding invisibly in the air.
Nagato frowned in confusion. How could those eyes withstand the Rinnegan's aura? Meanwhile, Toneri was equally surprised that a "borrowed" user could push back against him.
Although Toneri always acted polite, his pride was never inferior to Sasuke's.
"Enough. Your eyes aren't fully awakened. There's still a gap between them and the Rinnegan," Yusuke said.
Toneri's ocular power currently rivaled Madara's Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan at its peak. Advancing to the next stage was no easy task.
Even the genius Uchiha Madara only awakened the Rinnegan late in life. Although the Tenseigan followed a different system, its difficulty was comparable.
"Anyway, Nagato, drop the tough act. The reason you haven't escaped yet is because you're waiting for Naruto, aren't you?" Yusuke asked casually.
Konan blinked in confusion.
"Nagato?"
Nagato steadied himself.
"Yes. I'm waiting for him," he admitted without hesitation.
"You threw that fight on purpose, didn't you?" Yusuke asked, his tone full of implication.
Nagato didn't respond—
But Konan's expression said everything.
"Why, Nagato?"
"Hah… In that boy, I see Yahiko. Too much of him. That gaze that never gives up… that optimistic, fiery smile…"
Nagato's eyes softened with nostalgia and grief.
"You and your teacher always talk the same way. But there is something you weren't wrong about—Naruto really is different from either of you," Yusuke said.
"After Yahiko died, I lost faith in the peace Jiraiya-sensei spoke of. But seeing that child… the heart I thought long dead feels as though it's beating again," Nagato whispered.
"You really believe in him?" Konan asked softly.
"Perhaps. Let's see if he can surpass my trial. If he does… then as his senior, it's only right that I support him," Nagato said.
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