Chapter 31: Chains
…
The next morning I found Konan in the tower room pouring a cup of tea. It was well before dawn, but Nagato was noticeably absent.
"Is Pein-sama still angry with me?" I asked.
I was hoping for a chance to apologize for my indiscretion last night. I was not Naruto. Even if I shared the same message of peace and understanding, it would be meaningless. Naruto was well known for his ability to talk others into peace, but he always performed a bit of 'percussive therapy' first by beating them into the ground. Calls for peace always seemed more credible when they came from a position of power. As for me, well, my current position was the exact opposite.
"He was never angry with you," said Konan. "Your words simply reminded him of someone precious to us, and those memories opened old wounds."
Ah, right. Yahiko held the same beliefs. Nagato had confirmed as much. Of course it would hurt to hear the words of his long-lost friend. I frowned.
"What do you think about…what I said?" I asked cautiously. Now that I thought about it, I didn't recall Konan speaking a single word last night. She'd been conspicuously silent during the entire discussion.
"I think that I will follow God on whatever path to peace he chooses to take," she said evenly. And wasn't that interesting. Did that mean that she didn't actually agree with Nagato but was following him out of loyalty alone? I opened my mouth to ask, but Konan cut me off. "He has requested that you take the day off and I've already sent word to the hospital to reschedule your procedures."
"Oh, uh, okay," I said, startled. "Why?"
"He wishes to spar with you," said Konan.
I blanched.
"I-I thought you said that he wasn't angry," I said. That sounded pretty angry to me.
"He merely wishes to gauge your abilities," she said softly. Sure, the timing was purely coincidental and totally not a reminder that he didn't need to kill me to make me suffer. "I'll take you to him now."
Konan led me deeper into the base to a massive, rectangular arena. When we arrived, she handed me a pouch with an assortment of standard ninja tools like kunai, shuriken, exploding notes, and the like. I fastened it to my thigh, and she gestured me toward the lower level where Pein stood waiting for me. Then she retreated to an upper balcony where Nagato observed us from his walker.
"Those who do not share your ideals will crush you for possessing them," said Pein as I approached. "If you wish to see the world you desire, then show me your resolve."
My what?
I stared, wide-eyed.
Pein seemed to understand my hesitation.
"My intention is not to harm you," he said. "Nor will I move from this position. Attack me with all of your power so that I may see the extent of your abilities. Now come."
It wasn't like I could tell him 'no'.
I activated my Sharingan and started with basic taijutsu boosted with chakra-enhanced speed. Pein simply brushed me aside with an Almighty Push. Okay, that was probably about what I could expect for any physical attacks. While he pushed me away, I met his gaze, trying to land a genjutsu. But using Sharingan-based genjutsu against a Rinnegan went about as well as expected with him snapping out of it before it could even take hold.
By the time his Almighty Push ended, I was on the other side of the arena. I blitzed forward, counting the seconds until Pein activated the technique again. I decided to take the opportunity to try out Shisui's body-flicker clones in the real world. I'd only used them inside Itachi's genjutsu, and I discovered to my dismay that all I could manage were a few embarrassingly fuzzy afterimages. Still, it was almost enough for me to set an exploding note on Pein.
Almost.
Because my five-second window of opportunity ended with him pushing me back again, and the exploding note detonated harmlessly away from both of us. When he let up a second time, I raced forward once again. If I only had five seconds, I didn't have time for distractions or tricks. I created two shadow clones and sharpened my chakra into a chakra scalpel. Then I went for a direct attack. He blocked my arm with a basic strike and threw me down before punching my two shadow clones out of existence. The impact with the ground wasn't enough to injure me, but I was dazed long enough for him to push me away again.
This time I hesitated. That was…basically everything I had. Except the Hiraishin, which I couldn't use thanks to the manacle on my wrist. Despite my earlier fears, Nagato didn't actually seem particularly mad, just…focused. But his lack of ire didn't actually help much. I wasn't a heavy hitter. I didn't have a one-hit takedown technique like Rasengan or Chidori. My main skills focused on evasion and concealment, things that were decidedly limited in a training room. Unfortunately, I simply didn't have anything that would work against him.
Pein seemed to sense my dilemma.
"That's enough," he said with no hint of inflection to reveal his thoughts.
Still, he didn't exactly look pleased.
"Um, sorry, I'm not strong like my brothers," I said, feeling guilty for wasting his time. Which wasn't fair because I hadn't asked for this.
Even so, I was ashamed at how much our 'fight' had turned into a total walk-over. I mean, even if this was only a single path of Pein, I hadn't expected to do well against him. But nothing worked. I couldn't even touch him.
"Perhaps," said Nagato, descending from the upper levels to stand beside his Pein body. "Your genjutsu is passable, but your physical abilities are insufficient for combat. You were a student of the legendary Kakashi of the Sharingan, correct?"
"Yes…" I said, though if I was perfectly honest, I'd actually learned more from Genma and Guy. It felt wrong to think that, but it was true.
"Kakashi did well to teach you the Sharingan," said Nagato. He hadn't, actually. Pretty much everything I knew about the Sharingan came from Itachi, but I wasn't about to divulge that little tidbit to Nagato. "But there is more to your potential. You told Konan that you are part Uzumaki. I too am descended from that broken clan, and there is something I wish to show you. Watch carefully."
Confused, I activated my Sharingan and focused my chakra sense on his hand as he held it out in front of him. He compressed his chakra, and a barbed, purple chain appeared from his palm. He took the end of the chain and pulled it out, stretching it between his hands.
"These are known as the Demonic Statue Chains," said Nagato, holding them up for me to examine. I leaned in close to take a better look, noting the structure and flow of chakra. Huh, it wasn't just chakra. The chains were infused with seals. "They are formed using the Outer Path of the Rinnegan. However, the Uzumaki clan has chakra that is uniquely suited to create similar chains called Adamantine Sealing Chains."
I hadn't realized that the Uzumaki chains were derived from a Rinnegan technique, though now that he mentioned it, it seemed obvious. The Uzumaki were descendants of Asura, so clearly some of Hagoromo's abilities had been passed on in some limited capacity. Just like how Indra had passed on the Sharingan to the Uchiha. But unlike the Sharingan, chakra chains were a Hiden jutsu, which was a bit like a trade secret for clans. Technically anyone could learn a Hiden jutsu, but some were more suited to it than others.
"You want me to learn how to make the Adamantine Sealing Chains?" I asked, guessing at the reason behind this sudden demonstration.
Nagato nodded.
"I wish to see the extent of your potential," he said.
Okay, but…why?
I mean, I wasn't about to turn down training from Nagato, quite possibly the only person who could teach me this jutsu. But…why? I opened my mouth to ask, but I stopped. No. Nagato's motives didn't matter. Not really. I'd been with the Akatsuki for a year and a half, but between working at the hospital and healing Nagato, I hadn't had time to grow much stronger. My only real training was one month with Itachi and whatever kata I could squeeze into my schedule before bed. I wanted to help people, I really did. But if I continued like this, I would only be a burden to the ones I cared about. I couldn't afford to waste time with pointless questions.
"May I?" I asked, holding up a hand.
Nagato nodded, and I touched the chain. Ouch! My Sharingan instantly deactivated as my chakra was cut off and a searing pain radiated from my hand. My eyes watered, but I didn't release the chain immediately. Instead I studied the flow of chakra from the chain, how it solidified my chakra and prevented it from being molded. The structure of the chain was interesting. I'd seen solidified chakra before in the form of Neji's chakra plugs. But while those were crystalline in nature, this was more…metallic. Solid but malleable.
Once I was sure how it worked, I released the chain, and my chakra flowed once more. I flexed my aching fingers and numbed my pain receptors before touching the chain again. Ah, that was better. My chakra was still cut off, but at least it didn't hurt.
"It's layered with chakra suppression seals similar to the one on the manacle," I said aloud. "But it's tied to the energy of the chakra rather than something physical like ink."
It wasn't too different from when I placed my Hiraishin formula using only chakra, but instead of being a single point on a surface, it was a continuous thread, a repeating pattern that occupied three dimensional space. Actually it was rather similar in shape to a barrier, but it didn't have termination points, instead able to continue infinitely, or at least as far as the chakra chain could extend.
I released the chain and focused on my own chakra, compressing it into a point at the center of my palm and attempting to mimic the metallic feel of Nagato's chain. I then molded it into the same chain-like shape and infused it with the repeating seal pattern.
Then I pulled.
A delicate golden chain as thin as ninja wire appeared in my palm. I pulled it out about two feet, dismayed at the small size. I glanced up at Nagato, expecting a look of disappointment. But to my surprise, his expression was soft.
Pein stepped forward and held out his hand. I draped the chakra chain over his palm, and his chakra cut out. It was not, I noticed, enough to completely remove Nagato's control of the Pein body.
"Good," he murmured. "Let us try this again."
Nagato retreated back to the upper balcony and Pein stepped back, releasing my chain.
"Come," he said.
I stared, wide-eyed and open-mouthed. He wanted a rematch? But what difference was my dainty little chain supposed to make? I looked down at it and took a steadying breath. Well, after that disastrous first round, my performance couldn't get much worse. I closed my eyes for a moment, planning out a potential attack.
Yeah.
Okay, that was worth a try.
I opened my eyes and drew chakra into my legs, launching forward and closing the distance in a fraction of a second. It was a straightforward attack with zero chance of making contact, so I was completely unsurprised when Pein used Almighty Push to send me flying back. But that was expected. My real chance would come during the counterattack.
When the Almighty Push cut out, I rushed forward again. I had only a few seconds to work with before the cooldown ended, but with my speed that was more than enough. I dropped a smoke bomb on top of Pein, obscuring his vision. I then used the fraction of a second I had left to toss a loop of my chains around him before the cooldown ended and he used Almighty Push to shove me back. This time he flung me to the far end of the training room and crushed me against the wall for a second before letting up. The force was enough to steal the breath from my lungs, but that didn't matter because I pulled on the chain. It snapped around Pein, catching his legs and cutting off his chakra.
He took a moment to consider his situation as I leaned against the far wall and took deep, gasping breaths.
"I concede," he said. I barely had a moment to feel the tiniest bit of pride before he spoke again. "I no longer see the need to hold back quite as much."
Then he flared his chakra, and my chain exploded like superheated glass.
"Come."
And then he proceeded to walk all over me.
Again.
I'd hoped that the sparring would be a one-time thing, but for whatever reason Pein decided to turn it into a weekly occurrence. I warned him that the extra exertion would extend the length of his healing by several months, but he didn't seem to mind. I wasn't sure exactly what Pein was hoping to accomplish. I couldn't imagine ever being strong enough to challenge him, but I would be a fool to turn down the opportunity to train.
And train I did.
I couldn't claim that our fights were realistic. Pein was always very careful to never hurt me. It was a little bizarre when I thought about it. 'Gentle' wasn't a word I would normally associate with someone like Pein, certainly not during a fight. But I couldn't think of a better way to describe the mindful care he used with me.
It was a word I made sure to use the next time Itachi returned for healing, though if Itachi's troubled frown was any indication, he was not particularly comforted by this fact.
"Onii-chan, do you know why Pein-sama would want me to become stronger?" I asked within our usual genjutsu. "Do you think he…wants to use me against you?"
After weeks of training it was the only theory I could come up with. Nagato, Obito, and Itachi were not allies. In fact, their goals made them enemies, though they were currently operating under an uneasy alliance. Nagato wasn't foolish enough to think that it would last forever.
Itachi closed his eyes in consideration as he thought.
"…His motives are unclear to me," he admitted. "But if Leader-sama wishes to teach you, you should learn all that you can."
I grimaced, but, yeah. I doubted that Nagato would ever get into a direct confrontation with Itachi, mostly because Itachi was being very careful to play the part of obedient subordinate. And getting stronger aligned with my goals as well.
By now I had enough chakra to make dozens of clones, so even spending a few hours a day working on the Adamantine Sealing Chains was enough to make startling strides of progress. After several more weeks of training, my chains were as thick as my wrist and strong enough to prevent Pein from shattering them.
Far from being satisfied with my progress, Pein took this as a sign to invite the Asura path into the fight. If I thought that one Path of Pein was difficult to deal with, it was nothing compared to two. Worse, Pein was no longer content to stand in one location while using Almighty Push to keep me at bay. Instead the two paths were free to move around the arena, and the Asura path could fire missiles at me from anywhere in the room. Thankfully the missiles were effectively 'blanks', producing only a small explosion and flash of light, but they were enough to let me know that if they were real, I would be dead.
Once it became obvious that my chains alone would not be enough to handle both of them, Pein took me aside.
"When you stand for your ideals, you must be prepared to stand alone," he said. "You cannot always rely on simply capturing an adversary or allowing another to deal the finishing blow. When outnumbered by superior opponents, you must be able to remove them from the battle permanently."
I winced.
"I don't really have any big attack jutsu," I muttered.
While on Team 7 I'd never really needed any. Between Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke, direct attack power was more than covered.
"Then we will make you one," said Pein. "Do you know your elemental affinity?"
"Wind, though I've never trained with it," I said immediately. "And I think I have a secondary affinity for lightning."
I'd mimicked a lightning ninjutsu with ease while healing Hinata during the preliminaries. That would only be possible with at least a partial affinity.
"Impressive," said Pein.
It wasn't, really. Secondary affinities weren't exactly rare. Haku had equally powerful wind and water affinities. And while Sasuke was a lightning type, he had a strong secondary affinity for fire, which was how he was able to master the fireball jutsu after a week of training when he was only six years old.
"The Rinnegan grants me mastery of all elemental nature transformations," Pein continued. "Wind and lightning are complementary natures. Wind has the strongest natural cutting properties and lightning has the greatest piercing power. Lightning also has a variety of secondary abilities such as numbing and paralyzing targets. For now, we'll begin with generating pure elemental chakra. Konan?"
Konan, who was standing on the balcony with Nagato, leaped gracefully over the rail to land beside us.
"My elemental affinity is also for wind," she said. She held up her hand, and a small piece of paper appeared in her palm. She placed it between both of her hands and flared her chakra. When she opened them again, the paper was cut cleanly in two. "The cutting power of wind chakra is derived from the chakra grinding against itself like a whetstone sharpening a blade. When pure wind chakra is shaped properly, it can cut through almost anything."
"As for lightning, its power comes from exciting chakra to the point that it dissolves the chakra bonds in whatever it touches," said Pein, taking one of Konan's papers and placing it between his palms. He too flared his chakra, and when he opened his hands, the paper had turned to confetti. "Now it's your turn."
Konan handed me a piece of paper. I placed it between my palms and flared my chakra. When I opened my hands the paper was still mostly intact with only a small nick in one side.
That…wasn't great. But Pein seemed unbothered.
"Raw elemental transformations take time to master," he said. "Continue to train like this until you are ready for the next step."
I nodded and got to work.
With Pein's words in mind, I expected that I would need several weeks of training to reach the next stage. But with the help of dozens of shadow clones, I was able to cut the pieces of paper with both wind and lightning chakra by our very next sparring session.
Even Pein seemed impressed.
I expected the next step to be him teaching me an attack ninjutsu, but to my surprise he instead decided to focus on mobility. I couldn't say that I was complaining. I didn't particularly want to hurt anyone, not even Pein. Maybe he sensed some of my reluctance or maybe he was still considering the best type of attack for my fighting style. Either way, I was happy when Konan demonstrated a technique for creating a cloak of wind chakra around my body which would allow me to slide right through the air, reducing friction and increasing speed. It could also be used as a cushion to prevent injuries from long falls and could even generate enough lift to glide for short distances, though I didn't have the paper wings that Konan used to keep herself aloft.
Pein also taught me a similar technique for lightning which not only increased my speed but helped to shield me from physical attacks. I could only do one technique at a time, though, so I had to choose which one worked better for a particular situation and be able to switch between them if needed.
Unfortunately, speed training with Pein was both invigorating and utterly terrifying. Prior to this I'd been stagnating in terms of speed. It wasn't until I trained with the Asura path that I realized I'd simply been lacking proper motivation. There was nothing quite like having the Asura path carpet-bombing the entire training arena to inspire new levels of haste.
On the plus side, I fully mastered Shisui's body-flicker clones in record time.
The training never got any easier, either. After two more months, Pein brought in the Animal Path as well, which once again turned our matches into a total walk-over. Even if I managed to wrap the summons in chains and cut off their chakra, they were large enough to just step on me. And that was before I considered the actual Paths of Pein. No matter how fast I was, I couldn't handle three of them at the same time. Shadow Clones made it easier to fight multiple opponents, but it divided my chakra, and I already wasn't about to win any battles of attrition against Pein.
I had to get creative, and that led to another extracurricular activity: weaving barrier seals between my chains. I had a bit of practice with this already since I'd done something similar with ninja wire during the invasion to evacuate the stadium. But instead of using the barrier for the Hiraishin, I needed to create something strong enough to stop the Animal Path summons and keep them from squashing me into the floor. This was no easy task since it required creating dozens of chains at once, weaving barriers into the gaps, and infusing them with enough chakra to stop the super-massive summons. Nagato once again had advice to offer. He showed me how to strengthen my barriers by tying them into the suppression seals so that I was creating one seal with multiple functions rather than two seals on top of one another. Not only did this make the barriers easier to form, but they were massively reinforced by the power of the chains themselves.
I was a little shocked by Nagato's depth of knowledge regarding seals but I probably shouldn't be. After all, he was a Rinnegan-wielding Uzumaki trained by Jiraiya and whose life-goal included sealing giant chakra beasts. I just didn't think of him like that. It was easy to think of Nagato as simply a Rinnegan-wielder and nothing else. But he had a truly astounding breadth of knowledge. He simply didn't use most of it because he didn't need to. The Rinnegan was always enough, and that just showed how truly, monstrously powerful it really was.
But even with Nagato's help strengthening the barriers to the point where the Animal Path summons were no longer a threat, I still had to fight the actual Paths of Pein. If it weren't for the Sharingan's enhanced levels of perception, I would never have managed it. But still, I eventually hit a 'wall' in my training. No matter what I tried, I couldn't handle three Paths at once.
Itachi had no real advice for me either when he came for his next healing session. He simply suggested that if Pein saw the limits of my abilities, his interest would fade. So I shouldn't push myself too hard. In theory, it was good advice. I didn't want Nagato's undivided attention. But still…it hurt to hear Itachi say that, though I wasn't quite sure why.
Besides, as it turned out, Nagato was not so easily dissuaded. Shortly after Itachi's departure, Nagato relented and actually removed my space-time suppression manacle for the duration of our sparring sessions. I was still strictly barred from using the Hiraishin on myself, but I was now allowed to use it on him. This resulted in an interesting application where I could teleport the Paths of Pein around the battlefield if they touched me or my chains. It also allowed me to deal with the Asura Path by placing dozens of Hiraishin seals on all of the Paths of Pein. If he threw a bomb at me, I'd simply teleport it on top of another Path. He stopped using bombs after that. Mostly
After several more weeks of intense training, I was able to teleport away any physical attack no matter where it touched me. The downside was that teleporting an opponent away didn't actually hurt them, so it had limited benefits. Still, it was enough to keep them off of me, and that allowed me to tip our matches to my favor. Pein took this as a good time to introduce the Preta Path which could absorb all of my chakra techniques including my chakra chains.
And I was summarily steam-rolled again.
There wasn't much I could do against the Preta Path. As soon as it touched any of my chains, my ability to channel techniques through that chain was eliminated. And that was pretty much its job in our matches. The Preta Path never fought directly. It just canceled my abilities. I could kinda-sorta get around it by having multiple networks of chains, but the Paths of Pein were so perfectly coordinated that the Preta Path would simply create a safe spot for the others to destroy the chain networks.
I spent a few weeks struggling to find a strategy that would work against it until I had to admit that I was well and truly out of options. This left me in a bit of a predicament because Nagato showed absolutely no signs of easing up on me. And on top of that, I had another thing to worry about…
"We should go to Obon together!" I said, and not just because I was hoping for a reprieve from the weekly beat downs. I looked between Konan and Nagato, who stared back, nonplussed. "You know, to celebrate! Pein-sama has been cooped up for years, unable to go out and enjoy the festivals. Now he has a chance since he doesn't need the walker anymore. Let's all go together!"
If we went together, there was no reason for Obito to be my escort.
"I do not wish to be seen," said Nagato.
"Oh, but that's the best part, you don't have to go as yourself," I said. "You can be my Ojisan! Just put on some sunglasses and no one will know it's you. Please, Pein-sama. Just for a little bit? Just for an hour?"
Nagato gave me a look before letting out a small sigh.
"I suppose an hour would be fine," he said.
"Yes, and you'll need yukatas too," I said, because it wasn't a summer festival without the proper attire. And if I wanted to drag this out as long as possible, well, that was no one's business but my own.
As it turned out, Nagato and Konan already had yukatas. Konan's was a bright red with a white and black floral pattern while Nagato's was black with a geometric red and white pattern. Konan also changed up her hairstyle, creating an elaborate up-do with dozens of tiny paper flowers in a variety of different colors and designs. At my eager request, she styled my hair the same way.
"Do I look nice, Pein-sama?" I asked, twirling in my own yukata.
"You look fine," he said.
"Konan-sama too?" I asked.
Nagato paused.
"Yes," he said, and I thought I caught the faintest tinge of pink in his cheeks, which was interesting. I never got the impression that Nagato felt that way about Konan. Still, they both needed a bit of positivity in their lives, and casual compliments were an easy way to do that.
"Pein-sama looks nice too," I said. Then I capped my hands. "Okay! Let's go!"
The sky was once again clear and bright as we set out into the late afternoon. This year the main village square was filled with booths and stalls surrounding a large stage where performers were entertaining people.
We started with a few simple games. I couldn't convince them to try the ring toss, but I managed to wheedle a few rounds of katanuki out of them. Konan was the most successful of us while Nagato kept accidentally snapping every single one of his candy pieces.
"Hey, there's a ninjutsu play next," I said. "I see some open seats near the back."
I scampered off with Konan and Nagato trailing behind me. The seats weren't the best, but that's what we got for showing up late. The show was fairly impressive. A group of Ame shinobi used wind and lightning ninjutsu to perform a play, an old legend about a pair of noble warriors attempting to save a captured princess. Pretty standard stuff.
"Have you determined a strategy for our next sparring session?" Nagato asked during the intermission.
I made a noncommittal sound. Nagato merely nodded as if this was what he had been waiting for.
"When all other methods have failed, the only option left is to attack," he said.
"But I have been attacking," I objected.
Nagato gave me a look.
"No, you haven't," he said. "Not truly. You hold back. Tell me, have you ever fought with the intent to kill?"
Well…My last real fight was against Gaara, and although he'd been trying to kill me and my team, could I honestly say that I'd tried to kill him too? No. I'd turned his attack back at him, and I'd hit him with a few exploding notes, but I could just as easily have hit him with a hundred, enough to destroy his sand and end his life.
But I hadn't.
I could say that it was because I knew he would become our ally one day. But that wasn't the whole truth. I hadn't tried to kill him because…I didn't want to kill him.
My silence was all the answer Nagato needed.
"Before our next match, try infusing wind and lightning chakra into your Adamantine Sealing Chains," he said. "This will allow you to injure targets with your chains rather than simply restraining them."
Ah, so that's why he chose to start with mobility techniques instead of jumping straight into a heavy-hitting attack jutsu. He knew that I would be reluctant to truly hurt anyone as long as I felt that there was any possible alternative. By letting me reach my limit on my own terms, even allowing me to use my Hiraishin, he was forcing me to acknowledge that there wasn't always a nonviolent method of resolving a fight.
Despite this, a part of me still wanted to object. I didn't want to hurt anyone. And yet…
I swallowed thickly.
"Channeling lightning chakra through the chains seems fairly intuitive," I said, my voice oddly distant even to my own ears. "But what about wind chakra? It's typically used on blades to extend their reach and increase their cutting power, right? But my chains are smooth."
Nagato hmmed.
"Only if you want them to be," he said.
Right, of course. Nagato's Demonic Statue Chains had little barbs on them, so what was preventing me from creating little bladed protrusions? Nothing really. Except…I didn't want to.
Nagato opened his mouth to speak, but there was a sudden flare of chakra from his ring, and he frowned.
"I'm afraid this is all for tonight," he said. "Konan and I have business we must attend to for the next three days. During that time we cannot be disturbed, so your morning and evening healing rituals will be canceled until we've finished."
Three days?
That could only mean one thing.
One of the Akatsuki members had captured one of the jinchuuriki, and they were going to seal it away. My heart skipped a beat, but I smothered the sudden burst of fear. It couldn't be Gaara. It was too soon. And obviously it wouldn't be Naruto. He had to be sealed last.
I nodded mutely as Konan and Nagato vanished in a burst of body flicker, leaving me alone. I could do something…maybe? For about five seconds before Pein descended on me like an angry god and…then what? Nothing good. Not for me or Itachi. And not for the jinchuuriki who was probably in no position to escape.
It was like Nagato had said. Some enemies simply couldn't be contained or fended off. And those enemies were the type to destroy everything and everyone in their paths. How many people would Pein, Obito, and Madara kill? Too many. Far, far too many. Violence didn't have to be my first option, but it did have to be an option. Not just for me, but for everyone I wanted to protect. That was what it meant to live in this world.
I sat in silence as the festival continued around me, unaware of the life that was slowly being snuffed out even now as I sat powerless to stop it. That night, I began work on redesigning my chains.
I spent a fair bit of time experimenting with different shapes and applications. After quite a bit of trial and error, I decided on a design that looked like a cross between chains and razor wire. Infusing the multitude of small blades with wind chakra produced the best results, but it was also hard. I was already producing the chains, infusing them with seals, and wielding them as a weapon around the battlefield. Adding what amounted to thousands of tiny wind chakra blades was more than I could handle.
That was at least until I took a page out of Naruto's playbook and dedicated the task to a shadow clone. The result was startling. I was able to shred anything that came into contact with my chains. And shred I did. It wasn't like the Pein bodies were people, right? They just looked like people, but they weren't. Nagato was uninjured when I damaged the Pein bodies, and that was the important part, right? Right.
The first time I destroyed a Path of Pein, I still froze in horror, certain that Nagato would be angry. But he simply summoned the Naraka Path to reassemble the broken Path. I breathed a sigh of relief when it emerged from the mouth of the King of Hell looking no worse for wear, and Nagato took that as a sign to add the Naraka Path into the fray, not as a combatant but as a mechanism to repair the other Paths as I destroyed them in battle.
This was also when I tried adding a second clone in addition to the first, this one channeling lightning chakra. The results were even more impressive, mostly due to the fact that lightning chakra actually strengthened wind chakra, so the effects were greater than the sum of their parts. I could now simultaneously seal, paralyze, and obliterate any target my chains could touch. I could no longer describe it as shredding due to the fact that Pein and I now routinely had to sweep up the broken Paths of Pein off the floor with a broom.
I hadn't meant to create the ninjutsu version of a giant blender, and yet here we were…
Nagato also took this as a sign to add the Human Path to the fight, mostly to bolster the number of combatants and to keep me busy while the Naraka Path repaired the other damaged Paths. Unsurprisingly, when faced with the totality of Pein's power I did not do well. Sure, I could counter most of his attacks, but I didn't delude myself into thinking that I was actually a serious threat to him. Despite using every single Path against me at once, Pein never actually put a scratch on me. And it wasn't due to my abilities. That was for sure. He wasn't taking the fight seriously.
He was still being…careful.
It was almost like he wanted to lose, though that thought made no sense at all.
But it made no difference. In the end, he had too many overpowered abilities and too much chakra.
"Ngh," I groaned, flat on my stomach in the middle of the arena. Where once there had been an orderly room lined with pillars, now there were only scattered piles of rubble. The walls were covered in scorch marks and I lay in a nest of broken chakra chains. The Deva Path stood over me with a sharpened rod of metal pressed against the back of my neck.
Defeating Pein was impossible.
"Do you wish to continue?" he asked blandly.
"Ngg," I moaned. The whole room swam as I struggled to remain conscious.
"She is chakra exhausted, Pein," said Konan from the observation balcony. As a sensor, she knew exactly how little chakra I had left. "It would be dangerous to continue."
After a long moment, Pein lowered the sharpened rod. The other Paths of Pein retreated, but I remained where I was, unable to do more than twitch. There was no possible way I was getting back to my room under my own power. Oh well, it wasn't like I'd never slept on stone before…
Pein knelt, easily lifting me up and resting my head against his shoulder. I let out an indistinct sound of objection, but he paid me no mind as he carried me back to my room. I considered protesting more, but there wasn't really much I could do. So I remained limp in his hold and promptly passed out.
…
AN: It's been a while, but Kiyo is finally getting back to training. Although she had a 1.5 year delay compared to Naruto and Sasuke, Pein and Konan are working hard to make up for lost time. This chapter is meant to cover a little less than a year, so we're only a couple of months away from Naruto's return to Konoha.
As an aside, this story will be put on hiatus as I have a very busy schedule for the next few months and won't have much writing time. On a happier note, I'm excited to say that Misstep is now being translated into Arabic on Wattpad by Ray888s!
