“What’s going on? Why do I have this constant feeling of unease today?”

Inside Kusagakure, Karin couldn’t shake the sense that something was about to happen—though she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what.

Yet that feeling was crystal clear… and it made her all the more anxious.

“Hey, Karin! Get over here!”

Just as she was deep in thought, a Kusagakure shinobi suddenly shouted.

“It’s time to draw blood—move it!”

“Oh…”

Karin nodded. She had gone through this countless times before.

Her blood possessed miraculous properties, able to heal the injured and even bring someone back from the brink of death.

Because of that, her blood was constantly taken for study. And with her mother already dead, these people had even less reason to spare her.

[Boom—]

But just then, the ground gave a slight tremor, causing the Kusagakure shinobi nearby to exchange puzzled looks.

“An earthquake? That’s strange… whatever, hey—hurry up!”

“…”

This time, however, Karin didn’t move. The feeling had become sharper than ever.

This wasn’t an earthquake.

It was the aftershock of a battle.

And the ones fighting…

…were getting closer.

“Watch out!”

Karin blurted the warning instinctively, dropping into a crouch at once.

“Huh?”

The others had no idea what was going on.

[Boom—]

In the next instant, a deafening crash erupted!

A massive, beast-like figure seemed to appear out of nowhere, slamming into Kusagakure’s outer wall.

In less than a second, the wall crumbled entirely, and the monster—apparently struck by a tremendous force—kept smashing its way inward.

“W–What the hell is happening?!”

The other shinobi of Kusagakure were frozen in shock, but Karin lifted her head to look into the distance.

In her sensory perception, she could feel two vast chakras clashing.

One of them radiated a natural harmony… and shone as brilliantly as the sun.

“What… is that?”

...

"Nagato, what’s wrong? You don’t look so good."

In the dense forests of the Land of Grass, Konan had been watching Nagato closely. The moment she noticed his expression change, she lowered her voice and asked.

"It’s nothing."

Nagato shook his head. There were some things he couldn’t bring himself to say.

Whether it was Jiraiya asking Kitagawa Gen to bring flowers to Yahiko, or Kitagawa Gen’s words—“Would Jiraiya mourn for you?”—

Both had struck deep into his heart!

Especially the fact that Kitagawa Gen, after just their last battle, had already gathered far too much intel on him—

Even analyzing his true condition. That sent a chill through Nagato’s chest.

'I have to find a way to get rid of you!'

Nagato roared inwardly. Far away, the Animal Path pressed both hands to the ground.

[Boom—]

[Boom—]

[Boom—]

In an instant, three plumes of white smoke erupted at once, and from them, three massive figures lunged forth!

One was the screeching Yatagarasu, soaring into the sky. Another was a snarling, three-headed Hellhound. The last was a colossal ox whose very stance cracked and collapsed the earth beneath it.

'Animal Path, huh?'

Seeing those enormous summoned beasts, Kitagawa Gen raised a brow.

He had to admit—they were troublesome. After all, he didn’t have any summoned beasts of his own to counter them.

But—

[Bzzt—]

Purple lightning surged across Kitagawa Gen’s entire body, and in the next instant, he had already shot forward!

In Sage Mode, even Jiraiya and Naruto could take on the Six Paths of Pain.

'More importantly, I’m the meta answer!'

"Moo—"

With a bellow, the giant ox charged at Kitagawa Gen, each thunderous step shaking the ground.

Gen waited for the perfect moment, then sprang lightly into the air. At the same time, his White Fang Short Blade swept out in a dazzling arc of lightning.

[Slash—]

In that instant, the ox’s massive head was cleanly severed.

Planting one foot on the ox’s head, he vaulted upward before it could dissolve into smoke, leaping high with force. His free hand rose vertically.

"Sage Art: Yin Release: Water Severing Wave!"

Ōtsutsuki Genshiki’s style favored tangible black rods or blades, but in this moment, Gen naturally chose to manifest it through jutsu.

[Clang—]

The surging column of water smashed against the Yatagarasu’s razor-sharp beak, ringing out with a piercing metallic crash!

"Screee!"

The impact made the massive bird cry out in pain. In the next breath, its beak was shattered clean off.

Beak and bird tumbled down together, slamming into the earth, while Gen used the momentum to step onto its wing and launch himself forward once more.

The giant bird’s crash shook the ground, sending up billowing dust and a spray of shattered stone.

But within that swirling haze, the three-headed Hellhound sprang high, the fleshy wings at its back beating furiously as it lunged for Kitagawa Gen.

Raising his left hand vertically once again, the violent purple lightning twisted instantly into a sharp spear of thunder, and under his chakra’s guidance, it roared forth.

The three-headed Hellhound was almost torn apart in mid-air. It didn’t even have time to split before it crashed into the ground, pinning the massive ox and giant bird beneath it.

[Boom—]

The collision of the three summoned beasts made the earth shake violently.

At that very moment, Kitagawa Gen was already standing before the Six Paths of Pain, his blade leveled directly at Pain and Raiga.

"What kind of monster is this?"

Raiga’s eyes widened. Those three massive beasts had been dispatched so effortlessly?

And this kind of Lightning Release and Water Release—he had truly never seen before.

"Hmph!"

Even Pain seemed momentarily stunned by how quickly Kitagawa Gen had broken through, but he quickly grew serious, all Paths taking up a guarded stance.

The instant Gen landed, Pain had the Animal Path act again.

"Summoning Technique!"

[Boom—]

A petrified panda appeared abruptly in front of them, blocking the way. At the same time, under Pain’s control, the Hellhound instantly split and charged forward.

"Not a bad combination… but—"

Gen let out a quiet chuckle. His short blade, wreathed in purple lightning, flashed sharply. In the distance, the stone panda’s body began to crumble in an instant.

But in that same moment, the Hellhounds had already leapt at him from behind—only for his left hand to form seals in a blur.

"Did you forget what kind of jutsu I specialize in?"

[Bzzzt—]

Behind him, a space rippled into existence, inscribed with markings like ancient script.

As the seals spread outward, the massive beasts plunged headlong into it—

And in an instant, the Hellhounds vanished without a trace, the gust of their charge cut short.

When they reappeared, two of them were already behind Pain… the third’s whereabouts completely unknown.

"A… barrier?"

The Six Paths of Pain’s expressions shifted. They scattered at once, while Raiga cursed under his breath and flickered away.

At that moment, countless kunai erupted from Gen’s hands. Guided by chakra mid-flight, they split into even more blades, falling like a torrential rain over the battlefield.

"Shinra Tensei!"

The Deva Path reacted instantly, raising a hand. An overwhelming repulsive force burst outward, scattering the storm of kunai.

But then his face suddenly changed—Kitagawa Gen had already appeared behind them.

"Damn it… the kunai were just a distraction. The summoned beasts already have markers on them… When?"

The only time Gen had closed in directly was against the rhino. The rest had been dealt with using jutsu, or by making the summons block each other.

"Was it during that barrier-like thing earlier? Did he place the marks then?"

There was no time to think. Through the shared vision of the Rinnegan, he could already see Kitagawa Gen flash-step to stand right before the Animal Path.

"All those summoned beasts… you called them, right?"

There was no need to say more. His short blade slid from its sheath in a blur!

Facing the force of that strike, the Animal Path’s body stiffened slightly—but then, in a flash, it seemed to perceive the trajectory of Gen’s blade, twisting just enough to leave openings from every angle.

Only—

[Bzzt—]

Suddenly, ice spread rapidly across the ground, swirling around to bind the Animal Path in place. In an instant, its body froze solid, unable to move at all.

"Ice Release?"

The remaining Paths of Pain stared in disbelief, and in that instant, Kitagawa Gen’s blade fell.

[Whoosh—]

The Animal Path’s head was cleanly severed, blood splattering across the ground. Even as the corpse fell, Gen’s hand swept swiftly across it—

Right before the eyes of all the Paths, he planted a glaringly obvious Flying Thunder God mark on the Animal Path’s body.

With the Animal Path’s death, all the summoned beasts vanished without a trace. Only then did he turn his gaze toward the remaining Paths.

"Just as I thought—corpse puppets. Looks like their vision is linked."

"And Yahiko’s body—I’ve already smashed it once before. Seems you can repair it… but now—"

"Do you dare repair this one’s body?"

His words plunged all the Paths into silence. That Flying Thunder God mark might as well have been a taunt.

"Maybe I don’t know your full abilities, but here’s a friendly tip—"

Gen flicked the blood from his blade, his eyes locking onto them.

"Concentrated force can pierce solid rock. Scattered force isn’t worth a thing."

The power within him swelled even further, his overwhelming presence making Kurosuki Raiga feel as if he couldn’t breathe.

He hadn’t had a single chance to act, and he couldn’t figure it out—this kid was barely fourteen or fifteen, yet fought like a monster.

"This guy…"

Nagato’s expression had grown grim. For Gen to break through in the blink of an eye… that only deepened his unease.

But a glance at Konan beside him made him draw a deep breath. His mind was already set.

Even if I have to use that jutsu… I must protect Konan!

Even as he thought it, Kitagawa Gen moved—

---

I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. /TitoVillar

---