Every gray-black thunderbolt crackled with violent energy, and Kaito could feel its pulsing intensity in his palm.
"Advanced again," he whispered, his voice low but filled with awe.
As his thoughts sharpened, the lightning in his hand converged into a single beam, molding itself into a thumb-thick spear nearly a meter long. With a flick of his wrist, the arc descended to the ground.
There was no sound. The moment the gray-black bolt struck, the moon swallowed it like a black hole. A jagged crack, just as wide as the lightning itself, stretched open, bottomless and charred. Waves of heat blasted out, searing the air.
The soil on both sides glowed dark red, as though molten lava had been unearthed.
Kaito didn't waste time staring. He spread his electromagnetic perception through the fissure to gauge its depth.
One meter, two meters… ten meters deep, and still it continued.
"About ten meters? That's enough," he muttered.
The power of that single strike—at least one and a half billion volts. And the most dangerous part? He could produce thousands of them, with barely a drain on his chakra.
Each bolt rivaled an S-rank jutsu. No—stronger. A forbidden technique beyond S-rank, eclipsing even Sasuke's Lightning Release: Kirin.
"The Thunder Fruit… its power has evolved again." Kaito clenched his fist. His mind churned with possibilities—merging it with Yin and Yang Release, even shaping space-time ninjutsu one day.
Without hesitation, he formed hand seals, splitting into five hundred Shadow Clones. Half began training with his new lightning, mastering its destructive potential. Another portion practiced Yin and Yang techniques. The rest focused on refining space-time jutsu.
Meanwhile, the original Kaito sat cross-legged in the depths of the Shikkotsu Forest, quietly feeling the changes within his body.
His chakra reserves had multiplied fivefold, coursing through him like endless waves. His physical body radiated strength, tested constantly through his clones. But his spiritual energy—the most shocking change of all—had transformed.
Inside his mindscape, a vast forest had sprouted, stretching for kilometers. Towering trees reached into the heavens, each trunk thick and overflowing with vitality. All of it was born from his spiritual energy.
He thought. "It's several times stronger than before. The Eight Gates played a part in pushing me to this point."
Closing his eyes, Kaito whispered, "System, open my task panel."
[ Ayanami Kaito ]
Bloodline: Sage Body
Devil Fruit: Thunder Fruit (Awakened)
Kekkei Genkai: Wood Style
Taijutsu: Six Paths (Intermediate)
Chakra: Six Paths (Advanced)
Ninjutsu: Clone Technique, Fireball Technique, Chidori...
Overall Strength: Six Paths (Advanced)
Kaito frowned, muttering to himself. "Six Paths… advanced level? No wonder my strength spiked so much."
In his mind, a ranking of realms appeared: primary, intermediate, advanced, and peak. Naruto and Sasuke, after receiving power from the Sage of Six Paths, had only reached the intermediate stage. Obito as the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki had reached the elementary level, as had Madara before his final transformation. Only Kaguya had touched the pinnacle.
And now he himself had advanced beyond most of them.
But strength alone wasn't enough. At this level, elemental jutsu held little weight. What mattered was mastery of Yin-Yang Release, taijutsu, and bloodline limits. To truly wield power on par with gods, he would have to push further, until even creating life from nothing became possible.
...
The skies above the Hidden Rain roared with thunder, dark clouds swirling endlessly. Thin sheets of rain draped over the village, though its people moved on as if nothing was strange.
In the tallest tower at the village's center, shadows flickered with each lightning strike. Inside, the dim hall was silent but oppressive.
At its heart sat a frail man in a strange chair, his back pierced with black receivers. His body seemed lifeless, yet his eyes glowed with terrifying strength—rippling purple circles, the Rinnegan of the Sage of Six Paths.
This was Nagato, the true leader of Akatsuki, with Konan standing faithfully at his side. Opposite them, Uchiha Obito lingered, his mask gleaming under flashes of lightning.
"There's news," Obito said flatly. "Ayanami Kaito has left Konoha. His whereabouts are unknown."
Nagato coughed harshly, his thin frame trembling. "How long has he been gone?"
"Nearly a week."
"Good," Nagato rasped. "We'll move on Konoha immediately. The Nine-Tails will be ours before he returns."
"Are you certain?" Obito's voice grew sharper. "I won't assist you this time. I have other business."
Nagato's lips curled faintly. "Without Kaito, no one in Konoha can stop me. I am invincible."
Obito only shook his head. Ripples spread around his body, and in the next moment, he vanished into a vortex of space-time.
Konan frowned, unease clouding her expression. "Nagato, are you sure? That man may not have told us the whole truth."
"Don't worry," Nagato replied coldly, his Rinnegan gleaming. "With these eyes, no one can resist me."
"When do we leave?"
"Now. Delay only invites trouble."
Boom. Thunder split the heavens, illuminating six figures standing behind Nagato—his Six Paths of Pain, clad in Akatsuki cloaks, expressionless and waiting.
...
Back in the Shikkotsu Forest, the ground trembled faintly as Kaito rose into the air. His entire body glowed with gray flames, his clothing overlaid by a robe of pure lightning. Black tomoe symbols rotated slowly around his collar, marking the transformation of his power.
_____
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