Starting with Naruto, I'll become stronger through my own efforts.

Chapter 147 A Pair of Rinnegan Isn't Enough to Make You a God (Updated 3/3)

Xia Zuo experienced space travel for the first time.

He felt as if his body was being squeezed by a tremendous force, then dehydrated by a high-speed centrifuge, and finally gently glided past some strange entity.

As the strange sensations faded, Xia Zuo's vision went dark, followed by the roar of a torrential downpour. He had arrived in the Land of Rain, a land perpetually shrouded in rain.

Xia Zuo swayed slightly, thus eliminating the discomfort caused by the first spatial teleportation.

On the contrary, the three-person team that had activated the [Flying Thunder Formation Technique] were all vomiting while holding their knees.

This was their first time crossing such a long distance, and the pressure from the spatial teleportation damaged their internal organs, causing a sensation similar to motion sickness or seasickness.

Xia Zuo gently patted their shoulders, channeling a mixture of Wood Release and Yang Release chakra to alleviate their pain and initially stabilize their internal injuries.

The rain in the Land of Rain was torrential. Xia Zuo almost instinctively activated Magnet Release, using the repulsive force generated by the magnetic field to repel nearby raindrops, preventing the three members of the Genma Squad from getting soaked.

Kakashi Hatake quickly approached and urgently reported, "Hokage-sama, Shisui Uchiha just sent out a distress signal."

Xia Zuo calmly asked, "Where did Shisui's signal come from?"

Kakashi pointed to a towering steel tower: "That tower, the 11th window from the top."

Xia Zuo nodded and ordered, "Kakashi, you protect Genma and the others. I'm going to Amegakure to find them."

After saying that, Xia Zuo used Magnet Release to manipulate electromagnetic repulsion and launched himself like a cannonball towards the steel tower building that Kakashi had described.

When the launch momentum was exhausted, Xia Zuo's magnetic field lines had already connected with the steel building, and the resulting gravity pulled him to continue the second half of his flight, eventually allowing him to accurately enter the building's interior.

With a slight sense of awareness, Xia Zuo immediately felt the aura of battle.

Meanwhile, in a secluded room of a tower, the emaciated Nagato suddenly awoke, raising his head in terror towards the direction where Xia Zuo was, who was completely exposed.

At the same time, the Six Paths of Pain, who were besieging Jiraiya and the Uchiha Technique, also stopped their attack and all looked towards Xia Zuo, who was a thousand meters away.

Xiao Nan, who was flying in mid-air, immediately noticed the abnormality. She had no intention of lingering in the battle and instead flapped her wings to retreat from the battlefield.

The reaction of the Six Paths of Pain proves that an enemy far more powerful than Jiraiya has arrived in Amegakure.

Konan believes that protecting Nagato is more important than fighting powerful enemies. She wants to get to Nagato's side as soon as possible to prevent any accidents.

However, Konan didn't do nothing; she sent out a secret signal, summoning support from the core members of the Akatsuki organization.

Prior to this, Nagato had discovered Jiraiya's identity from the beginning. He and Konan both believed it was a master-disciple reunion, so they did not summon other ninjas for support.

After all, although Jiraiya was powerful, Pain was even stronger and could overwhelm him.

Even if Konan doesn't make a move, there's no need to worry about Jiraiya escaping.

But when Uchiha Shisui suddenly appeared on the battlefield, the so-called teacher-student meeting ceased to exist.

Moreover, Uchiha Shisui's strength far exceeded the rumors, and he was actually no less than Jiraiya. Konan almost sent out a signal for help at that time.

However, Pain was still able to maintain control of the situation, causing Konan to hesitate for a moment.

After all, the core members of Akatsuki are not easy to deal with. If they discover that Pain's power has its limits, there is a high possibility that a second Orochimaru will emerge.

But a third, powerful ninja of unknown identity suddenly appeared just a few hundred meters away, completely shattering Konan's mental defenses.

First of all, facing three such enemies, Pain's Six Paths seemed powerless.

Secondly, with three enemies invading Amegakure in succession, will there be a fourth, or even a fifth?

Finally, given that the third enemy was able to penetrate so deeply into Amegakure, could it be that another enemy could directly reach Nagato's side?

Xiao Nan no longer hesitated and sent out a distress signal.

Compared to the potential rebellious thoughts that might arise among the core members, she and Nagato were even more intolerant of Jiraiya escaping Amegakure.

As the teacher who guided him onto the path of a ninja, Jiraiya knew their background very well. If he returned to Konoha and had time to recall everything, the Akatsuki organization would be completely exposed to Konoha.

At that time, Konoha will launch a more comprehensive investigation into Amegakure and Akatsuki, and will try its best to thwart Akatsuki's actions.

The difficulty of the Tailed Beasts collection plan will increase indefinitely, possibly to the point where it can no longer be carried out.

Although Nagato was as powerful as a god, he was even confident that he could conquer Konoha Village by himself.

But Nagato was ultimately just one person, unable to simultaneously attack Konoha and protect Amegakure.

The biggest problem was his physical condition. He was too weak due to the influence of the Gedo Mazo, and was unable to break through the five great ninja villages in succession.

Therefore, we cannot let Jiraiya leave alive!

Even if Konoha knew that Jiraiya died in Amegakure, it wouldn't matter. Nagato and Konan had enough strength to deal with Konoha's retaliation.

Furthermore, Jiraiya's infiltration of Amegakure was discovered, and he was eventually besieged and killed in Amegakure.

If Konoha were to retaliate on this pretext, all the ninja villages would become hostile towards Konoha, and the pressure on Amegakure would not be particularly severe.

Konan breathed a sigh of relief after returning to Nagato's side through the secret passage and confirming that Nagato was safe and sound.

She asked, "Nagato, who is the third enemy?"

Nagato, head bowed, replied, "Jiraiya-sensei and Uchiha Shisui have great respect for him, and he's even stronger than them. Konan, who do you think he is?"

Konan blurted out, "The only ninja in Konoha stronger than Jiraiya-sensei is their Hokage."

Nagato nodded and said, "Yes, the newly appointed Fifth Hokage, Natsumi, defeated the Fourth Raikage and the army of Kumogakure ninja."

"He's really strong. The moment he appeared, he used Magnet Release to send all six Paths of Pain flying."

"Even the chakra absorption of the Preta Path could not absorb that astonishingly large amount of chakra in time, and it was too late to eliminate the effect of the Magnet Release bloodline limit."

Konan frowned and said, "Shimura Danzo died a long time ago, and Sarutobi Hiruzen died a few days ago. Now, Konoha Village only has four Kage-level ninjas left: Hokage Natsume, Shisui, Jiraiya, and Tsunade."

"Three Kage-level ninjas have arrived today, it's like they've come out in full force, could it be—"

Konan suddenly raised her head: "Could it be that Konoha Village had relatively clear intelligence beforehand?"

"Yes, that's it! They're after our Akatsuki!"

Nagato's expression darkened slightly, and he said in a deep voice, "Very likely."

Konan recalled her guess and said, "If our information was leaked to Konoha, it must have been through someone connected to Konoha. I think there are only two possibilities."

"Either Itachi Uchiha and that guy hiding his face secretly gave Konoha information about our Akatsuki organization."

"Either Konoha Village found Orochimaru and obtained our information from him."

Konan said bitterly, "It must be Itachi Uchiha! Those two are spies from Konoha!"

"They are all from the Uchiha clan, and they are only distant from us, not agreeing with the ideals of Akatsuki."

"I've always felt that we shouldn't have accepted them into Akatsuki; they've really brought trouble!"

Nagato chuckled and said, "Konan, you can't say that anymore."

"The Fifth Hokage of Konoha acts with a ruthless style, which is completely different from the Third Hokage. He may very well overturn the Third Hokage's orders and accept Orochimaru back into Konoha."

"We all know that Orochimaru has a deep affection for Konoha. If the Fifth Hokage were to ask for it, he would probably be unable to refuse."

Nagato looked at Konan and patiently advised, "Konan, I don't like that rat who calls himself Uchiha Madara either, but the ninjas he recommends are all quite good."

"Whether it's Zetsu, Itachi Uchiha, or even Kisame Hoshigaki, they are all rare talents. They have made many contributions to the development of Akatsuki over the past three years."

"The Akatsuki can no longer maintain the absolutely pure ideals of Yahiko's era. Our first consideration should be how to increase our strength."

"The most important thing is power, the power to complete the world-destroying weapon deterrence plan."

Nagato's smile vanished, and he said coldly, "Once the world-destroying weapon is complete and a peaceful era arrives, I will eliminate that cowardly fellow."

Suddenly, Nagato's eyes widened: "Huh? The Fifth Hokage—he wants to challenge Pain alone?"

Nagato's surprise was so intense that even Konan was affected by his emotions.

She exclaimed in disbelief, "Has the Hokage gone mad?"

Nagato sneered, "Maybe, and he's not going to fight Pain's Deva Path alone, but rather all six paths of Pain."

Xiao Nan also sneered: "He really has gone mad."

Although Nagato's health was not good, his strength was unmatched in Konan's eyes.

Konan remembers that just a few years ago, Nagato, even when he had just recovered from his injuries and was still visibly weak, was able to overwhelm the demigod Hanzo.

The strongest ninja who once dominated the world and influenced the course of two major ninja wars was reduced to dust by the Rinnegan before he could even utter his last words.

The Fifth Hokage actually wanted to challenge all six Paths of Pain at the same time? Wasn't that insane?

Not only were Nagato and Konan surprised, but Jiraiya and Uchiha Shisui also felt that Xia Zuo was taking too much of a risk.

However, Shisui had great trust in Xia Zuo's strength and wisdom.

In his view, if the Hokage said that, he must have absolute certainty.

When the Fifth Hokage is present, a fool like me doesn't need to think anymore; I just need to obey the Hokage's orders.

Moreover, Xia Zuo's order was exactly what he wanted: to kill Uchiha Itachi.

As soon as Itachi Uchiha appeared on the battlefield, Shisui immediately activated his Mangekyou Sharingan and cast a genjutsu filled with rage on the rogue ninja: Genjutsu: Resentment and Anger.

However, the moment Itachi saw Shisui, he simultaneously activated his Mangekyou Sharingan, not only blocking Shisui's genjutsu but also countering it with his own Mangekyou Tsukuyomi.

Uchiha Shisui stared intently at his target, and Uchiha Itachi also dared not be distracted by watching Shisui. The two Mangekyou Sharingan users remained locked in a stalemate on the battlefield.

Their standoff appeared calm, but was actually fraught with danger.

Kisame Hoshigaki was initially unable to grasp the danger, but because he got too close, he was caught in a genjutsu by Uchiha Shisui's peripheral vision.

Kisame Hoshigaki was transported back 15 years. He was so young, yet he wielded the great sword Samehada and fought his way through the besieging enemies, bringing the soft-spoken female ninja back to the village.

After that, Kisame frequently encountered this woman who did not discriminate against his appearance. Gradually, they developed feelings for each other, their hearts drew closer, and they eventually came together completely.

She got married and had children. Her first child was a boy, who was as ugly as Kisame. Her second child was a girl, who was as beautiful as her mother.

The happy life was so wonderful that Kisame's heart gradually softened, and the sharpness of his sword Samehada gradually faded.

But Kisame Hoshigaki was happy with it, enjoying his bliss and completely unconcerned about his moral decline.

If Itachi Uchiha hadn't reached out and pulled Kisame Hoshigaki back, this shark might have succumbed to the Mangekyou Sharingan genjutsu and died.

Upon regaining his senses, Kisame Hoshigaki was terrified, his entire body covered in cold sweat from the shock. He hurriedly fled the battlefield of the two Mangekyou Sharingan Uchiha.

Uchiha Shisui had boundless confidence in Xia Zuo, but Jiraiya on the other hand did not.

He anxiously advised, "The Fifth Hokage cannot. Each of the Six Paths of Pain is a Kage-level ninja. You bear the safety of Konoha Village on your shoulders. You cannot take such reckless risks."

Xia Zuo glanced at him: "Heh, Jiraiya-sama, so what do you suggest we do?"

Jiraiya answered without hesitation, "Shisui and I will hold off Pain and these rogue ninjas. Fifth Hokage, you must retreat back to Konoha immediately."

Xia Zuo shook his head, both amused and annoyed: "Lord Jiraiya, when did you become as cowardly as your teacher?"

"Does my slinking back to Konoha mean nothing happened?"

Xia Zuo looked at the Deva Path, the leader of the Six Paths of Pain, and said loudly, "Don't you know the principle of 'a single punch can prevent a hundred more'?"

"I will take the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, as my role model. I would rather be a Hokage who dies in battle than a coward who runs away!"

"Pain of the Akatsuki!"

"Let's find a deserted place to fight. There are too many buildings and too many people in Amegakure. The collateral damage from our fight would probably be beyond our imagination."

Nagato was slightly taken aback, then responded through Pain Deva Path: "Alright, Fifth Hokage, you are truly a hero."

"If I defeat you, I promise I will not attack Konoha Village because of it."

Xia Zuo laughed loudly: "As long as you can defeat me, I will naturally die in battle, and there is no need to consider anything after that."

"But I don't think you can beat me that easily. On the contrary, I'm very confident I can beat you."

"Don't think that just because you have the Rinnegan, you can do whatever you want!"

"Having only one or two Rinnegan is not enough to reach the realm of a god!"