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Shortly after Shin killed Hanzō, Nagato arrived with the Six Paths of Pain.
“Where’s Hanzō?” Nagato asked, seeing only Shin.
“He’s dead. You should be thanking me. If it weren’t for me, you would have struggled to kill him.” Shin said with a smile.
The current Nagato wasn’t the future Nagato who had mastered the Rinnegan’s abilities. He was still unfamiliar with the Rinnegan.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t kill Hanzō, but it wouldn’t be easy. Hanzō’s [Body Flicker Technique] was very good—He was a slippery opponent.
Nagato looked at Hanzō’s corpse. Thank Shin?? He wanted to kill Shin!
“Shinra Tensei!”
The Deva Path attacked Shin under Nagato’s control.
Shin used Kamui to become intangible, avoiding the attack.
“Nagato, do you want me to dismantle your Six Paths of Pain?” Shin asked with a smile. But Nagato didn’t feel any warmth from his smile.
Nagato hesitated. He didn’t care about the other Paths, but he couldn’t let Shin destroy the Deva Path.
The Deva Path was made from Yahiko’s body. He couldn’t let Yahiko’s body be destroyed.
The reason he used Yahiko’s body to create the Six Paths of Pain wasn’t to desecrate Yahiko’s body, but to allow Yahiko to fulfill his dream in another way.
“A wise choice. With your frail body, even a hundred of you wouldn’t be a match for me.”
Shin wasn’t deliberately trying to belittle Nagato. It was just the truth. Though Nagato would eventually reach Super Kage level with the Rinnegan—he wasn’t there yet.
Although he backed down, Nagato was frustrated. He had wanted to kill Hanzō himself to avenge his best friend, but Shin had stolen his kill.
——
They returned to the Akatsuki hideout. Nagato remained hidden—using the Deva Path as the face of the Akatsuki.
Shin hadn’t left yet; He wanted to meet the other Akatsuki members, Sasori and Kakuzu.
Sasori was Chiyo’s grandson, a genius puppeteer and Suna missing-nin, responsible for killing the Third Kazekage. His actions had triggered the Third Shinobi World War.
Kakuzu was even more interesting. He was practically an old geezer—possibly the oldest Shinobi in the world.
He possessed the [Earth Grudge Fear]—a technique that allowed him to steal hearts and extend his lifespan. He could store up to five hearts at once, each transforming into a monstrous black creature capable of using the original owner’s Jutsu.
He was originally from Takigakure and had once attempted to assassinate Hashirama Senju—a feat he was quite proud of.
——
Shin entered the Akatsuki’s hideout. Sasori and Kakuzu were both there.
“Is this a new recruit?” Sasori asked, his voice coming from Hiruko, his puppet.
Hiruko was a human puppet made from a Shinobi Sasori had killed. He spent most of his time inside it.
Shin glanced at Sasori, then ignored him and focused on Kakuzu.
He was more interested in Kakuzu than Sasori. He wasn’t interested in puppeteers. With his [Rinne-Tenseigan]—he was the best puppeteer in the world.
“So you’re the Kakuzu who threw a kunai at Hashirama Senju, ran away, and bragged about fighting him?” Shin asked Kakuzu, a playful glint in his eyes.
Kakuzu’s eyes narrowed dangerously. He could tell Shin was mocking him.
“DIE!!!” Kakuzu attacked Shin with his black threads.
“Let’s talk this over. You can’t defeat me anyway.”
Shin blocked the attack with a shield of Iron Sand.
“The Third Kazekage’s Magnet Release?!” Sasori was shocked.
Sasori was shocked. He hadn’t felt such strong emotions in a long time, not since he turned himself into a puppet.
The Deva Path, controlled by Nagato, watched Shin intently. The Six Paths of Pain were also advanced puppets. What the Deva Path saw, Nagato saw.
Nagato didn’t stop Kakuzu’s attack. He wanted to see what Shin was capable of.
Though they were supposedly collaborators—Nagato didn’t fully trust Shin or the masked man claiming to be Madara Uchiha.
“You’re Uzumaki Shin?” Kakuzu asked, stopping his attack and looking at Shin, a mixture of shock and greed in his eyes.
There was a bounty on Shin, the Highest bounty in the black market. Kakuzu, who loved money—saw Shin as a walking treasure trove.
BAM!
An invisible force struck Kakuzu, sending him crashing into the [Demonic Statue]—which shook from the impact. Four of his hearts were instantly destroyed.
“I don’t like that look in your eyes. If you look at me like that again—I’ll kill you. Go ahead, test me. I dare you!!”
Shin had used his [Rinne-Tenseigan] repulsive force to attack Kakuzu. Shinra Tensei was just one application of this power.
Kakuzu looked at Shin with fear.
He no longer looked at Shin with greed. He might love money—but he loved life more.
He knew that only by living could he earn more money.
The Deva Path glanced at Shin, and Nagato, watching through its eyes, felt a surge of fear. He was even more wary of Shin now. Of course, the Deva Path’s expression remained unchanged; it was just a corpse.
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