Chapter 929: Outlived Oneself
The impact caused by the large-scale Shinra Tensei reverberated through the valley as smoke and dust stirred up, covering the sky. It spread through the mountains, making it difficult for even the sunlight to pass through the cloud of dust and smoke.
As darkness covered the valley, Nagato removed the forcefield barrier that he had created around him to protect himself and dusted himself off. His indifferent expression had a touch of solemnity, something you wouldn’t expect to see normally.
The extent of damage caused by the opponent’s Shinra Tensei shocked Nagato. This was beyond his expectations. “It’s even higher than the time I used Shinra Tensei to flatten Konohagakure!”
Realizing this, Nagato knew that he could not waste time and effort. Although he didn’t know ‘Kuroto’s’ objective behind the sudden betrayal, he had to make sure that they did not lose the Jinchuriki of Nine-Tails and Eight-Tails.
That’s why Nagato did not waste any effort, time, or chakra in dispersing the smoke and dust. He directly made his way toward his goal.
Because of ‘Kuroto,’ all the people were blown away in different directions. Some were even sent several miles away. But no matter how far, the chakra of a Jinchuriki could not be concealed. Therefore, Nagato was able to immediately pinpoint the position of both the Jinchuriki and made his way towards them.
…
On Kakashi’s Side
As the repulsive forces subsided, Kakashi crawled out of the dirt with heavy breaths. He didn’t have time to care about his state and hurriedly checked Naruto’s condition, sighing in relief, “Thankfully, there are no injuries. He’s only unconscious.” Then, with a troubled expression, he thought, ‘Now what should I do? I don’t have enough Chakra reserves to return to Konoha with Naruto!’
Not just Konoha, Kakashi didn’t have enough Chakra left to go to the nearest Flying Raijin mark and considered, ‘What if I send only Naruto…?’Although he didn’t have enough Chakra to send both of them back to Konoha or even the nearest Flying Raijin mark, it should be possible to send only Naruto.
Just when Kakashi was pondering what to do, he heard footsteps.
The footsteps were calm and steady, lacking hurry or panic. Hearing them, Kakashi narrowed his eyes and looked around warily.
From the moment he appeared at the Akatsuki Organization’s base to when he was knocked away with Naruto, not even 15 seconds had passed, leaving Kakashi with little time to analyze the situation. However, judging from the fact that the isolation barrier on Naruto’s body was removed, and he was able to come here, at least one ally should be present.
Moreover, for some reason, Naruto and Killer Bee were nearby when Kakashi appeared at the Akatsuki’s base. Therefore, an ally must be present here. Otherwise, these series of coincidences are unexplainable.
As for who this ally might be, Kakashi has no idea. ‘Does this have something to do with what Kuroto said? Is it possible that Kuroto is here?’ thought Kakashi. He wasn’t sure. Even if it is Kuroto, Kakashi couldn’t imagine him being able to sneak inside the Akatsuki’s base and remove the isolation barrier from Naruto’s body in the presence of so many members of Akatsuki.
“It would be incredible if it’s Kuroto,” muttered Kakashi with a hopeful smile.
‘Whatever now is not the time to think about this. Sending Naruto to the nearest possible location is the only option I have to ensure his safety temporarily!’ thought Kakashi as he touched Naruto and used the Flying Raijin Ninjutsu to send him away.
The moment Naruto disappeared with a silver flash, Kakashi coughed out blood, cough-cough. He knew that his Chakra reserves were running low. ‘Perhaps a few teleportations?’ he considered.
At this moment, a voice reached his ears, “You really are a troublesome guy, Hatake Kakashi!”
Hearing that voice, Kakashi raised his head and looked at the approaching figure, recognizing the identity of the person. Kakashi smiled bitterly and said, “It seems I will really die here today.” Despite his dire situation, Kakashi’s smile was surprisingly bright. In his thoughts, he added, ‘At least Naruto is temporarily safe.’
The person Kakashi least wanted to meet had appeared before him.
…
On the other side
As the dust and smoke covered the sky, ‘Kuroto’ activated the Byakugan, allowing him to observe the overall situation without any difficulty.
In his field of vision, ‘Kuroto’ noticed Kakashi being cornered by Nagato. However, there was no trace of Naruto nearby. He thought, ‘Only Kakashi? There are no other traces of Naruto nearby. Either Kakashi has sent away Naruto using the Flying Raijin, or Obito has trapped Naruto inside his Kamui Dimension.’
If it was the former, that would simplify things for ‘Kuroto,’ as he would have one less Jinchuriki to worry about. But if it was the latter, it would be a hopeless situation, as ‘Kuroto’ had no means of entering the Kamui Dimension.
‘Hoping it’s the former,’ thought ‘Kuroto’ as he made his way toward Kakashi. It was clear that Kakashi was running extremely low on Chakra reserves. If not for that, Kakashi wouldn’t have stumbled momentarily and immediately retreated with both Naruto and Bee when he had the chance. Therefore, ‘Kuroto’ decided to approach Kakashi, either to confirm Naruto’s status or to provide assistance and Chakra to save Kakashi from Nagato.
Whoosh!
‘Kuroto’ had barely rushed forward when Kaguya Takashi, wielding two bone swords, appeared before him and swung the blades. With incredible speed, ‘Kuroto’ managed to grab Takashi by the neck before the attack could land.
“Hahaha… you dug your own grave!” Takashi laughed and attempted to use the bones in his body to attack ‘Kuroto,’ but to his surprise, his control over the bones seemed to be nullified. Takenaback, he questioned, “What did you do?”
‘Kuroto’ replied indifferently, “I am not in the mood to play with you people, so I would appreciate it if you don’t bothe–!” Before he could finish, a sword slash from behind interrupted him.
With a sigh, ‘Kuroto’ raised his other hand and effortlessly caught the blade of the large Broad Sword, halting it mid-swing. He nonchalantly identified his attacker, “Biwa Jūzō, huh?”
Jūzō’s pupil shrank as he exclaimed, “What the?” He was taken aback to discover that his Kubikiribōchō didn’t budge at all. Not only did it fail to move forward, but he also couldn’t retract it or retreat.
“Sigh, I already told you… I’m not in the mood to fight with you people, and you all still got in my way,” ‘Kuroto’ remarked with a sigh. He crushed Takashi’s neck and Kubikiribōchō by exerting additional strength in both his arms.
Kaguya Takashi immediately met his demise with a choked exclamation, and Kubikiribōchō shattered into multiple fragments with tremendous force, scattering in various directions.
Some fragments of Kubikiribōchō pierced through Jūzō’s head and chest, resulting in his demise as well.
Surveying the two deceased members, ‘Kuroto’ sighed, “Both of you have long exceeded your life’s worth… It’s time for you to move to the Pure Land and find peace in the afterlife.” Leaving these words, ‘Kuroto’ once again moved forward.