Shimizu was no longer the naïve fourteen- or fifteen-year-old boy he once had been.
Yet at this moment—
His blood still burned.
His chakra boiled.
Kill Nagato!
Could he do it?
If a person never gambles everything, they will never know their limits.
The no-seal technique Lightning Release: Thunder Blade Slash erupted once more. The blue lightning seemed to sense its master's will, roaring in fury.
If the earlier Body Flicker had at least left traces—
This time, "Instant Water" was a complete disappearance without warning.
The instant Nagato realized Shimizu had truly vanished, he immediately deployed the barrier.
Crackling lightning exploded behind him.
So close. At the very last second, he blocked it.
Nagato was just about to form seals to counterattack—
When, within the Rinnegan's vision, Shimizu vanished again.
The same technique—used again so quickly?
Was there no limitation?!
Was this some advanced space-time ninjutsu?
Why hadn't this Konoha shinobi used such a powerful move earlier?!
Before he could finish processing the thought—
The cry of a thousand birds shrieked from behind him again.
The Rinnegan spun at full force. Tangible chakra burst outward, forming the pale white barrier once more.
This Konoha ANBU, wreathed in devouring lightning, was attempting yet again to break through it.
Twice he had failed already.
Didn't he know this barrier could easily withstand all A-rank techniques and below—
Then—
The lightning pierced straight through the white barrier.
Effortlessly.
Like tearing through paper.
Within the Rinnegan's sight, the blue-white lightning grew closer—
In the blink of an eye, it penetrated Nagato's chest.
Shock filled his face.
Shimizu did not pause for even a heartbeat after landing the blow. He activated Instant Water again and vanished instantly.
A moment later, the real Nagato burst upward from beneath the water's surface.
The strike had hit nothing.
Nagato felt a chill in his heart. The man had actually predicted his underwater ambush and dodged before he even surfaced!
But how did he know where I was underwater? A regular shinobi with no Dōjutsu... In an instant, Nagato's mind was clouded with suspicion.
He glanced at the other "Nagato" standing on the water's surface. After taking the fatal Chidori, that figure was gradually dissolving into the surrounding flood.
It was just a Water Clone.
I have to force him to show himself and find his weakness!
Nagato began forming seals rapidly again, attempting to reverse the defensive situation.
But the Konoha ANBU appeared behind him like a phantom once more.
A sharp kunai pierced cleanly through his throat—
Then vanished again.
The second "Nagato" on the water's surface began dissolving into ripples as well.
A shadow passed through Nagato's heart.
How long did it take for a water clone to disperse after being destroyed?
An instant.
Just the blink of an eye.
Yet now—
He realized with alarm that both of his water clones were dissolving almost simultaneously, becoming nothing more than faint ripples.
True instantaneous movement!
Why could this Konoha shinobi use Body Flicker without forming seals?
If not for this lake allowing him to create water clones in time to escape the storm-like assault—
The consequences would have been disastrous.
The opponent's extreme speed and high-frequency attacks rendered his proud rapid hand seals nearly useless.
The pressure of death closed in once more.
Nagato had a vague feeling that through these successive movements and strikes, the Konoha Anbu was testing and verifying something... and the next one...
Here it comes!
The ghostlike figure appeared behind Nagato once more—
Accompanied by lethal lightning.
Ever since realizing that this ANBU's Lightning Release could easily break his barrier, Nagato had no choice but to rely on water clones to survive.
At the very last possible moment—
He barely managed to cast Water Clone Technique and escape death again.
That was close! If his speed were just a hair faster...
It wasn't over!
The moment the water clone was destroyed, a kunai suddenly shot toward the spot where Nagato was hiding.
He really knows where I am!
Nagato was shaken by Shimizu's terrifying judgment. Even in such high-intensity, high-frequency combat, he could pinpoint his hiding place so quickly…
Unfortunately, the ANBU's final strike was only a kunai.
Nagato was in the water. Why would he fear a blade thrown from the air?
He easily dodged it and leapt out of the water, hands already forming seals. At last, he had seized the chance to counterattack—
Boom!
An unexpected explosion erupted behind him.
Damn it!
A chill ran down Nagato's spine.
Caught completely off guard, he took the blast head-on. The violent shockwave inflicted severe internal and external injuries, and even the chakra he had been gathering for his next technique suffered backlash.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
In his vision, the Konoha ANBU appeared beside him once again—abruptly, impossibly. That space-time-like movement was simply impossible to guard against.
This time, the enemy's left hand glowed with lethal blue lightning.
With his chakra in disarray, Nagato could only instinctively pour massive chakra into his hands, attempting to block with his own flesh and blood.
A scream of agony followed. The Thunder Blade Slash was desperately held back by Nagato's hands, blood spraying everywhere.
But the opponent had a second hand. A second Thunder Blade Slash descended like the scythe of the Reaper. The blue lightning grew clearer and clearer in Nagato's vision...
Am I going to die?
Is even the Rinnegan not enough?
Yahiko, Konan, everyone...
In his fading consciousness, Nagato seemed to hear Yahiko's voice...
"Nagato, let's bring peace to the world together."
"Before that, don't you dare die. We still have to witness true peace."
I am the inheritor of the Rinnegan!
How could I fall here?!
At the brink of life and death, chakra surged wildly within the Rinnegan. Visible blue chakra burst outward from his eyes!
"Gah!"
Shimizu's Thunder Blade Slash managed only to carve a shallow wound across Nagato's chest before a tremendous force blasted him away, sending him crashing into the lake dozens of meters away.
Shinra Tensei! (Almighty Push)
A bloodline technique that could repel ninjutsu, physical attacks, and all matter.
A narrow escape!!
Nagato gasped heavily, lingering fear in his chest as he stared warily at the spot where his enemy had fallen into the water.
Ripples spread outward.
As if danger still lurked beneath.
But after a long while, there was no further sign of the Konoha shinobi.
"Did he leave…?" Nagato murmured.
He let out a long breath, grateful to have brushed past death.
This had been the closest he had ever come to dying. The heavy shadow of mortality left him with an unsettling intuition—
Even that powerful strike just now might not have been enough to kill that Konoha ninja.
He must still be alive.
"The Konoha ANBU… his name was… Shimizu, wasn't it…"