Chapter 143 (Patreon)

“Shinra Tensei!”

A tremendous repulsive force erupted from the Deva Path. Even a Kage-level shinobi would have been sent flying by its power.

However, it was completely useless against Yujiro, who had already gained preliminary control over gravity—one of the four fundamental forces of the universe.

Yujiro forced his way through the repulsion and drove his foot into the Deva Path’s abdomen.

Boom!

The Deva Path was launched across the valley and slammed into the cliff face with tremendous force.

A massive crater appeared upon impact, leaving his entire body embedded deep within the rock.

“What incredible strength.”

The Deva Path quickly pulled himself free from the crater, only to discover that Yujiro had already moved to another part of the valley.

Yujiro stood above him with a calm expression and a faint smile.

“You have no idea how to wield gravity.”

He slowly shook his head.

“And that little trick just now… You call that Shinra Tensei?”

Yujiro raised one hand.

“Let me show you what true repulsion looks like.”

His gravitational field expanded in an instant.

“Light of the Soul: Gravity Control—Shinra Tensei!”

A terrifying repulsive force erupted from Yujiro and swept outward in every direction.

The valley beneath his feet exploded.

Countless rocks shattered as the wave of repulsion expanded across the surrounding landscape.

The Deva Path was the closest to Yujiro and naturally bore the full brunt of the attack. His body was instantly hurled away.

But the repulsive force did not stop there.

The valley was completely erased, and even the river flowing through it was blocked by the overwhelming pressure. The forests on both sides were swallowed one after another, while several layers of earth were ripped from the ground.

Yujiro stopped once he judged that the destruction had gone far enough. If he continued, the attack might eventually reach Konoha.

Although he had deliberately limited its range, the devastation caused by the repulsion was anything but small.

The Deva Path was driven into the ground more than a thousand meters away and did not emerge for some time.

Such an enormous disturbance naturally caught the attention of the nearby Akatsuki members.

Yujiro suddenly appeared beside the Deva Path.

“This is what you call Shinra Tensei.”

Just as Yujiro was about to destroy this Path of Pain, a desperate cry came from the side.

“Stop!”

Konan activated the Dance of the Shikigami and flew between them.

“Paper Shuriken!”

Countless sheets of paper folded themselves into sharp shuriken and shot toward Yujiro.

Yujiro had no choice but to turn his attention to the incoming attack, shattering the paper shuriken before they could reach him.

The Deva Path seized that opportunity to escape.

However, with him gone, Konan was left alone before Yujiro.

Yujiro gave her no chance to retreat. He extended his right hand and instantly appeared in front of her.

Before Konan could react, his hand closed around her throat.

“Curse-Sealing Art: Chakra Confinement!”

Yujiro immediately activated the curse mark.

He had created this technique by improving upon the sealing arts of the Uzumaki clan. It was simple to use, yet extremely effective.

The moment the Chakra Confinement took effect, Konan lost the ability to circulate chakra throughout her body.

Her Dance of the Shikigami was forcibly dispelled, and the paper composing her body returned to flesh.

Yujiro released her, allowing her to collapse onto the grass beside him.

Konan felt relieved when she saw that the Deva Path had escaped, but that relief was quickly replaced by anxiety. She could no longer use any of her chakra.

From the distance, the Deva Path watched the scene with cold eyes.

Yujiro glanced between the Deva Path and Konan, who lay at his feet, before narrowing his eyes.

“Pain, let’s negotiate.”

A plan had already formed in his mind.

“What is there to negotiate?”

The Deva Path was recovering his chakra. Hearing Yujiro’s words, he responded in a low voice.

“If you stop the attack and withdraw now, I’ll return Konan to you.”

Yujiro smiled faintly.

The choice sounded simple, but it was anything but that.

Pain had brought the Akatsuki here to capture the Tailed Beasts. There was no chance he would willingly abandon that objective and retreat.

Yujiro wanted to see what Nagato would choose when forced to decide between his goal and Konan.

As expected, Konan’s body trembled slightly after hearing the offer.

She was afraid.

Yujiro could sense the change in her aura clearly.

She was afraid that Nagato would not choose her.

In the distance, the Deva Path stared at them in silence. After a long pause, his gaze finally settled on Konan.

There was no emotion in his eyes.

“The moment the Akatsuki truly came into being, we cast aside all personal attachments. Only by doing so can we accomplish our objective swiftly and without hesitation.”

With those words, the Deva Path swiftly retreated.

He had given his answer.

It was a chilling one.

Konan’s face went pale, and a sorrowful smile slowly appeared on her lips.

Deep down, she had always known.

She had simply never imagined that the day would come when Nagato would truly abandon her.

For the sake of his dream of eternal peace, Nagato had discarded everything they once shared.

“Is this really the Akatsuki you believe will bring peace to the world?”

Yujiro shook his head and sighed.

“Akatsuki means dawn—the light that breaks through the darkness of night and the warmth of the sun illuminating the earth.”

He looked down at Konan.

“Do you see any light left in the Akatsuki you belong to?”

Those words struck Konan like thunder.

The Akatsuki had never been founded to achieve peace through fear and destruction.

It was supposed to be the dawn that drove away the darkness, yet somewhere along the way, it had surrendered itself to the night.

It was supposed to become the sunlight that illuminated the earth, yet no warmth remained within it.

As those thoughts passed through her mind, two trails of tears ran down Konan’s cheeks.

She knew that the Akatsuki was walking down the wrong path.

Until now, however, she had believed she had no other choice.

“I’ll give you a chance to witness true peace,” Yujiro said with a faint smile. “All you have to do is accept it.”

Konan slowly rose from the ground. Her beautiful eyes were filled with longing.

At that moment, an indifferent voice echoed from the distance.

The Deva Path had recovered nearly all of its chakra.

On a distant mountaintop, chakra gathered in Nagato’s palm and condensed into a black sphere. With a forceful motion, he sent it into the sky.

At the same moment, the Deva Path brought his hands together and shouted,

“Chibaku Tensei!”

The black gravitational sphere appeared high above the valley.

The forest, the valley floor, and even the layers of soil and stone beneath Yujiro’s feet began rising uncontrollably toward it.

Konan’s heart trembled when she heard the name of the technique.

Was Nagato planning to kill her as well?

He knew she was still beside Yujiro.

“Yujiro…”

Konan reached out with trembling hands and grabbed his arm.

“I want to see true peace.”

Her face was filled with absolute determination.

In only a few minutes, Konan had finally come to understand everything.

A smile appeared on Yujiro’s face.

“All right.”

He could see that the blue-haired woman before him genuinely regretted the path she had taken.

Konan had always been kindhearted. It was only after enduring countless tragedies that she had eventually become one of the Akatsuki’s leaders.

Yujiro had merely used a small strategy to force her to confront what she had already known in her heart.

Part of his success came from Konan’s naturally compassionate heart.

The rest came from Yujiro’s ability to understand and manipulate the hearts of others.

Boom!

The ground beneath their feet continued to crack apart. Chibaku Tensei had already begun pulling everything into the sky.

Yujiro tilted his head and looked toward the Deva Path in the distance.

“With this little power, you dare call it Chibaku Tensei?”