In the Land of Rain, deep within the hidden valleys of Maple Leaf Canyon, the scale of the village continued to steadily expand.
Across the entire Ninja World, the major conflicts weren't just limited to the Sand, Leaf, Cloud, and Mist. Skirmishes and proxy wars were constantly breaking out in the smaller, hidden villages.
Inevitably, the turmoil of the Ninja World began to bleed into the Land of Rain.
Numerous unfamiliar shinobi infiltrated the borders with various malicious motives, wantonly destroying civilian residential areas and looting supplies.
During this period, the Rain Ninjas were stretched incredibly thin, constantly on the move to expel these invaders and maintain the country's fragile stability.
Facing severe manpower shortages, Hanzo of the Salamander handed over a section of the defensive line to the Akatsuki Organization, officially utilizing their strength and manpower.
Ooka Shin was swept up in the draft. Assigned to periodic border patrols, his personal training time was heavily squeezed, leaving him in a rather foul mood.
On this particular day, Shin completed his exhausting patrol mission. As soon as he returned home, he found Nagato waiting for him.
"Nagato, seeing that smile on your face, you must have made a new discovery with the Rinnegan," Shin noted, his exhaustion fading slightly.
Nagato nodded, a bright smile crossing his face. "That's right. A while ago, information about two specific Ninjutsu appeared in my mind. After continuous practice, I've finally mastered them, so I came to share them with you."
Ooka Shin's curiosity spiked immediately. "Oh? Let's head to the training ground. I want to see exactly what kind of Ninjutsu they are. Masao, keep a good eye on the house."
The two arrived at the desolate training ground just outside the village, and Nagato began his introduction.
"Of these two Ninjutsu, the first is called Universal Pull. It can generate an absolute attractive force to violently pull a target to one's side. The other is called Shinra Tensei, which generates an outward repulsive force to repel physical objects and various attacks."
Hearing Nagato's words, Ooka Shin's eyes lit up with sheer greed. He even provided a cheerful sound effect in his own mind.
Ding-dong! Your new cheat codes have been dispatched. Please check and accept!
So it's these two Ninjutsu. Not bad at all; they're extremely practical, Shin thought. It hasn't been that long, yet he's already mastered two Rinnegan paths. At this rate, within a few years, Nagato will unlock the full power of the eyes.
Mhm. This way, the day Nagato's strength surpasses Hanzo's will come much earlier than it did in the anime. All the heart and soul I poured into helping him wasn't in vain!
"Quickly, let me see their power," Shin urged.
Seeing Shin's excitement, Nagato smiled. He casually threw a Kunai into the distance, then extended his right hand toward the flying blade.
"Universal Pull!"
An invisible, undeniable gravitational force manifested instantly. The flying Kunai violently reversed its trajectory, flying backward directly into Nagato's waiting grip.
"Universal Pull changes the strength of the attraction based on the amount of Chakra consumed, allowing it to handle different situations and weights," Nagato explained calmly.
At that moment, the Kunai had reached striking distance of Nagato's face. Without flinching, Nagato flicked his right index finger.
"Shinra Tensei!"
With Nagato at the epicenter, an invisible wall of repulsive force erupted outward. Dust, fallen leaves, and the heavy Kunai were violently blasted away as if hit by a hurricane.
"Just like Universal Pull, by altering the amount of Chakra consumed, the destructive power of Shinra Tensei will also vary. Moreover, this Ninjutsu has some strict drawbacks."
Nagato paused, his tone turning serious. "It cannot be used consecutively in rapid succession. Furthermore, if it encounters an object that is too heavy or anchored to be pushed away, the repulsive force will rebound and send the user flying instead."
Nagato's explanation was incredibly detailed and step-by-step, as if he genuinely intended to teach Ooka Shin the mechanics of a bloodline limit he didn't possess.
Listening carefully to Nagato's warnings, Shin asked a pointed question.
"Nagato, how exactly do you know you can be sent flying? Where did you test Shinra Tensei?"
Hearing this question, Nagato felt a deep surge of embarrassment. He purposefully ignored Shin's question, instead quickly pivoting to explain the flow of Chakra required for the techniques.
Just yesterday, to test the absolute limits of Shinra Tensei, Nagato had fired a blast directly at the massive cliffs on both sides of the canyon. The cliff didn't move. Nagato, however, had been violently launched backward, falling into the river—face-first.
Thinking of that deeply uncool moment, Nagato unconsciously reached up and touched his cheek. It seemed his face was starting to ache all over again.
Ooka Shin listened intently, engraving every word into his memory, fully intending to pass the mechanics onto his alt accounts in the dream world tonight.
When Nagato finally finished his lecture, Shin spoke up.
"After hearing all that, I want to experience it firsthand. Come on, Nagato. Hit me!"
Shin stood squarely in front of Nagato, genuinely curious to experience the physics of the legendary Rinnegan paths.
Nagato considered it for a moment. As long as he strictly controlled the output, it shouldn't actually hurt Shin. He nodded in agreement, extending his right hand toward his friend.
"Universal Pull!"
Even though Shin was completely mentally prepared, the moment the invisible gravity grabbed him, he felt totally helpless.
At this moment, Shin truly understood the absolute despair of that Kunai. Setting aside the fact that the gravity was entirely invisible, there was simply no physical way to brace against it.
Even with his muscles tensed and his guard fully raised, it was useless. Once his feet left the ground and he lost his leverage, all his physical strength was completely nullified.
Flying helplessly through the air, Shin made a quick mental summary: When facing Universal Pull, unless you can literally nail yourself to the ground and become one with the earth, resisting is impossible.
Just as he finished summarizing the first technique, he felt a violent, overwhelming pressure slam into him.
"Shinra Tensei!"
Damn! Shinra Tensei is way more violent than Universal Pull!
If Universal Pull was like a giant, invisible hand grabbing your collar, then Shinra Tensei was like a solid wall of steel slamming into your chest at sixty miles an hour.
Even though Nagato had drastically held back the force, Shin still felt his entire body ache, his internal organs trembling from the sheer concussive impact.
After being thrown several meters backward, Shin landed in a half-kneeling position, wincing as he rubbed his dullly aching chest.
Nagato rushed over immediately, his face etched with concern. "Shin, how do you feel? Do you need medical treatment?"
Shin stood up slowly, shaking his head. "I'm fine. Only by experiencing it firsthand can I truly understand the terrifying value of this Ninjutsu. Nagato, you're getting more and more amazing."
Seeing that Shin was uninjured, Nagato breathed a sigh of relief. He then looked at Shin, his expression turning thoughtful.
"Shin... do you want to practice these two Ninjutsu? I feel like you might need to use them in the future."
Hearing Nagato's words, Ooka Shin froze.
He looked at the gentle, yet profoundly meaningful smile on Nagato's face and felt a drop of cold sweat roll down his back.
"Nagato," Shin asked tentatively, "What exactly do you mean by that?"
Could it be that Nagato discovered something?! Shin panicked internally.
It's entirely possible. After all, the Rinnegan is practically a divine artifact; perhaps it has perceptive abilities that were never shown in the anime.
Nagato was silent for two agonizing seconds before replying. "It's nothing. I just feel that your cultivation method is very special. In the past, you needed the help of my Rinnegan to progress, and you probably will in the future as well."
'It's nothing'?! Then what were you thinking about during those two seconds of terrifying silence?!
Shin cursed his teammates. It's all the fault of those four alt accounts! Whenever they encounter a roadblock, they want me to use Nagato's Rinnegan to cheat! Nagato and the others aren't fools; of course they would eventually get suspicious!
What should I do? Should I make up a lie?
Shin hesitated, then shook his head slightly.
No. From the moment I met them, I haven't told a single lie. Only by helping them with pure sincerity from start to finish can I genuinely earn their absolute trust.
To tell one lie means you have to use countless more to cover it up. Sooner or later, it all collapses.
Besides, based on the character settings of Yahiko and Nagato in the anime, the raw truth is far more likely to move them.
A gentleman could be deceived by righteous means. Therefore, Ooka Shin chose to tell the truth.
"Nagato," Shin started, his voice steady. "There are many things I still can't tell you right now."
Like your grim future, the psychic connection between the five of us, our desire to become gods like the Ōtsutsuki, and so on...
"I indeed need the help of your Rinnegan to improve my strength," Shin admitted clearly. "But I will absolutely never covet your eyes, nor try to take them from you."
This was entirely true. After all, these were Madara Uchiha's Rinnegan. Who knew what hidden dangers or backdoors were programmed into them? Even if there weren't any, the syndicate didn't want someone else's hand-me-down eyes; it was much better to awaken their own.
Saying this, Shin took a deep breath, his expression relaxing into absolute sincerity.
"I truly care about you guys. I am sincerely helping you, and I also hope to build a peaceful world. If you ever find that I've harmed you... you can kill me at any time."
Of course I like 'partners of justice' like you guys, Shin thought logically. When we stand at the absolute peak of the Ninja World and conveniently unify it, won't the world be peaceful then? Our goals don't conflict at all; we can perfectly cooperate. Of course I won't harm you.
Besides, even if I die, as long as one of the other four alt accounts survives and grows strong enough, I'll have a chance to be resurrected.
Mhm. Maybe after I die, my soul can even meet some famous historical figures in the Pure Land.