"What's wrong with you, Jiraiya?" Fukasaku asked as he noticed the uneasy look on the Sage's face.
"That… that black thunderbolt," Jiraiya muttered, his voice unsteady.
"Black Lightning? Isn't that supposed to be a unique kekkei genkai?" Fukasaku asked, still confused.
"It's him… it's him!" Jiraiya whispered, his face pale.
The memory hit him like a kunai to the chest. That black lightning wasn't just another ninjutsu—it was a nightmare seared into his heart. Years ago, he had seen it destroy everything in its path, and he had barely survived.
Even Pain tilted his head, suspicious. As a former disciple, he knew Jiraiya rarely lost composure. For him to react this way meant something terrifying.
Smack!
Shima brought her hand down on Jiraiya's head with a scowl. "Enough stammering! Who could possibly scare you like this?"
"Don't you see it?" Jiraiya pressed, forcing his voice steady. "That black lightning… doesn't it look familiar to you?"
"Familiar? Hah! Stop being dramatic!" Shima barked back, unimpressed.
Jiraiya clenched his jaw. "That lightning belongs to a Senju man. His bloodline's Black Lightning…"
Fukasaku's eyes widened. "Are you certain, Jiraiya? He vanished over a decade ago. That boy over there looks barely in his teens. Do you really think they could be the same person? Use your head!"
He slapped Jiraiya in irritation, snapping him out of his daze.
"Y-yeah… maybe I'm overthinking it," Jiraiya muttered, scratching his head. "Perhaps this boy, Kaito, just inherited his Lightning Style bloodline."
Even so, Jiraiya's gaze never left the youth standing before them. Ayanami Kaito. That black lightning wrapped around his body was unmistakable. He could deny it aloud, but deep inside he knew—it wasn't coincidence.
Kaito, meanwhile, ignored the heavy stares. He had no intention of hiding the truth. If anyone came after him for revenge, then so be it. He would gladly send them straight to the Shinigami.
"Senju Kaito… the God of Shinobi who once defeated Uchiha Madara and then disappeared without a trace," Fukasaku murmured in disbelief.
Pain narrowed his Rinnegan eyes. The thought clawed at the back of his mind, and his instincts screamed that the boy before him was indeed that man—or his shadow. His wariness grew sharper.
If Ayanami Kaito truly was Senju Kaito reborn, then today would become a trial of gods.
The rain pattered harder as the tension thickened. From Pain's Rinnegan came a faint flicker of fighting spirit.
Kaito smirked inwardly. So even Madara's lingering will warns him about me? Interesting.
Suddenly, Pain thrust out his palm. A crushing gravitational force surged outward, tearing through the rain like an invisible vortex.
"Universal Pull!"
The air warped, and Kaito's body was instantly dragged forward, gravel and debris spiraling with him.
From the side, Shuradō's arms unfolded into a volley of mechanical cannons, blasting shells straight at Kaito. At the same time, Ningendō extended his hand, ready to rip Kaito's very soul free the instant he touched him.
(Shurado is Asura path, Ningendo is Human path)
"This pull… Nagato, so this is the strength you've gained?" Kaito muttered as his body was dragged toward them.
Pain's voice was cold. "Let's see you escape this one."
"Tch," Kaito clicked his tongue.
Lightning erupted across his body, halting him midair as though he had anchored himself in the storm. The gravitational force shredded against him, but his chakra surged harder, unmoving.
The barrage of shells closed in. With a single sweep of his hand, black thunderbolts shot outward like a thousand spears, colliding midair with the incoming barrage. The explosions echoed across the battlefield.
Boom! Boom!
In the chaos, Kaito's body dissolved into a streak of black lightning.
A flicker—he vanished.
The next moment, a thunderclap cracked behind Pain's bodies.
"Too weak," Kaito's voice whispered, filled with disdain. "These Rinnegan eyes are wasted on you. Even Uchiha Madara's Mangekyō Sharingan was more impressive."
Before Pain could react, Ningendō was blasted away like a ragdoll, his body crumpling against the ground.
Shuradō barely turned before Kaito's raw impact shattered him apart, scattering his puppet frame.
The earth itself trembled as Pain's remaining body stomped down, unleashing Shinra Tensei. The force exploded outward, ripping apart the landscape in a violent wave.
But it was too late. Kaito had already moved outside its reach, his figure reappearing right before Tendo Pain, hand gripping Ningendō's head.
Lightning flashed. In an instant, the entire body disintegrated into nothing but dust and the black receivers that once channeled Nagato's chakra.
Kaito picked one up, inspecting it with narrowed eyes.
"Your trick… black rods infused with yin-yang chakra. They transmit power from afar and suppress tailed beasts. Impressive, but nothing like the Truth-Seeking Orbs."
He pressed his black lightning into the receiver, testing. The rod began to disintegrate at a molecular level, vanishing under the crackling storm. Within seconds, only fragments remained.
A sharp grin tugged at Kaito's lips. "Just as I thought."
On the other end, Nagato's true body trembled. His face twisted in shock.
Those receivers were his lifeline, created through the Rinnegan's own mastery of yin and yang. For them to be erased so easily…
Nagato clenched his fists, a cold shiver crawling up his spine.
This boy was no ordinary shinobi.