Chapter 126: Training Match with Nagato
The army assembling in the Land of Earth went unnoticed by any other nation,
save for the Land of Rain, which had been informed by a dispatched envoy.
Iwagakure issued its final ultimatum: the Uchiha clan members were to converge with their forces
three days before their ten thousand ninja engaged the Kumogakure army.
Compared to their previous forceful demeanor, this envoy's threats were now overt. Yahiko's
fists clenched repeatedly, but in the end, he remained silent, unable to refuse.
Faced with this reality, the yellow-haired young man felt increasingly powerless. He felt
more and more that he was unsuited for this position, and that someone else should succeed him
to advance Akatsuki's ideals. Perhaps a more radical approach was needed.
Two days later, Kakashi arrived at the Uchiha clan's compound and brought Itachi Uchiha, who
had rested for a day, back to the training ground.
Although ninjas recover quickly, and Yakushi Nonou's topical medicine accelerated wound
recovery even more, a single day was insufficient to fully restore Itachi's stamina. At the very
least, the little guy was still a bit unsteady on his feet, and the soreness in his limbs was considerable.
However, he wouldn't be training today. His teacher had brought him here to observe a battle.
The fastest way for a ninja to enhance their strength is through combat, followed by training.
But for the Uchiha clan, with their astonishing comprehension, observing battles between
powerful individuals to learn techniques was also one of the quickest ways to improve their strength.
Coincidentally, Kakashi also needed this opportunity to gauge his own strength
and the power of the Rinnegan, laying the groundwork for potential future battles.
Slowly, they walked into the training ground, where the terrain had been repaired by Iwagakure
ninja. There, a man with red hair obscuring his eyes, clad in an Akatsuki robe over his Rain Village
combat attire, had been waiting for some time. Leading Itachi Uchiha to Nagato, the little guy greeted him first.
"Lord Nagato."
Revealing one eye, Nagato silently scanned the two of them from left to right. The taciturn man
didn't immediately make a move. Instead, he relayed the news from the Land of Earth
that Yahiko had received that morning to Kakashi.
"Is Iwagakure already so impatient?"
"Iwagakure's envoy is currently in the village. He said that once we select the ninja, we
are to meet directly with him and join the Iwagakure ninja army."
"Those bastards are truly shameless; for a great nation to do something like this is appalling."
"The Uchiha clan head said he has already decided on the personnel. Has he spoken with you about it?"
"No."
"Itachi, do you know who it is?"
"I don't know."
Shaking his head, Itachi Uchiha moved aside and walked into the distance. Ninja
duels were extremely dangerous; if he stayed too close, he could easily be caught in the crossfire.
He didn't yet possess the ability to protect himself from AoE ninjutsu.
After their mundane conversation ended, Nagato and Kakashi walked directly to the center of the training ground.
The red-haired man lifted his head, fully revealing the eyes that drove the world mad—
the strongest dōjutsu in the ninja world, those strange eyes with concentric ripple patterns: the Rinnegan.
The oppressive aura was so palpable that Kakashi couldn't help but feel a little lost in thought.
Unlike Pain in the original story, whose legs were crippled and whose life force was severely
drained, the current Nagato was in his absolute peak condition. His Six Paths abilities were
unified, and his chakra was abundant.
Aside from combat experience and taijutsu, which were inferior to Kakashi's, all other
attributes gave him an overwhelming advantage. Especially his chakra reserves: in the silver-
haired young man's perception, this guy's chakra was like a bright beacon in the dark night,
exceeding 100 K-points and more than five times his own.
In a prolonged battle, he would definitely be inferior to Nagato. Furthermore, due to his
ability to absorb chakra and his Shinra Tensei, which could be unleashed at will, most
ninjutsu couldn't pose a threat to him. And in a spar, he also couldn't use his truly lethal killing techniques.
Although the spar was meant to be non-lethal, no one liked to lose, not even a training match.
Moreover, a little guy was watching from the sidelines. Kakashi's advantage was knowing the Rinnegan's
abilities, while Nagato was unaware of most of Kakashi's own.
Kakashi calmly analyzed the pros and cons, ultimately concluding that a fight was possible.
A low win rate didn't mean it was impossible. As long as he could seize the five-second window
after Shinra Tensei, there was hope for victory.
Could he absorb Dragon Vein chakra? This would also be a crucial factor in the battle.
Thumb pressing against ring finger, index and middle fingers extended forward. The red-
haired young man and the silver-
haired young man simultaneously brought the "Confrontation Seal" to their chests.
This universal ninja hand sign symbolized the start of combat.
"Here I come!"
"Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall!"
An earthen wall, carved with three dog heads, rose from the ground beneath Kakashi. As for why
it was carved with dog heads, even he didn't know. He just felt that without carving those three
things, it was as if something was missing, lacking a soul.
Perhaps the dog heads somehow made the Earth-Style Wall's defense stronger?
The ten-meter-high earthen wall immediately gave the silver-
haired young man the high ground
and also provided him with a three to four-second visual blind spot against Nagato.
His hand seals shifted, and he split half his chakra to create a Lightning Clone.
Kakashi planned to use a tactic he had employed in the original story: his Lightning Clone,
carrying a chain, used Earth Style to hide beneath the ground, while his main body stood atop
the Earth-Style Wall, looking down at the Rinnegan wielder, who remained completely unperturbed.
Purple lightning flickered in his hand, and he rapidly plunged straight down the ninety-degree vertical
wall face, launching his signature lightning-cutting technique, Raikiri, at his opponent.
Judging by its momentum, this was undoubtedly an A-rank or higher close-range ninjutsu.
Combined with the speed of the young man, who had activated the first stage of his bodily vitality,
he arrived before Nagato in just the blink of an eye.
Although his body, which didn't frequently use taijutsu, couldn't keep up with Kakashi's movements,
this did not escape Nagato's eyes. The Rinnegan possessed even stronger predictive and perceptive abilities than the Mangekyo Sharingan.
"Shinra Tensei!"
He softly uttered the name of the ninjutsu. A powerful repulsive force caused the silver-
haired young man, who was practically upon him, to freeze as if a pause button had been pressed.
A tenth of a second later, as if a rewind button had been pressed, he was forcefully slammed
back into the previously summoned Earth-Style Wall by the oncoming repulsion, creating a human-shaped crater in the thick wall.
Small stones and debris crumbled from the top of the Earth-Style Wall due to the impact,
but the wall's defensive power was astonishing; it did not shatter.
Of course, this was also the result of Nagato holding back.
This was precisely what Kakashi had hoped for. With this single Shinra Tensei, he quickly
figured out the upper limit of the repulsive force he could withstand. The young man, his entire
body enveloped in a defensive armor of purple lightning, walked out of the crater in the wall.
His expression held a hint of excitement.
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