Chapter 528: One Power to Break All Laws (Two-in-One)

Chapter 528: One Power to Break All Laws (Two-in-One)



As the battle was about to commence, the attention of the contestants in the resting area shifted to the fighting stage, where Nagato and Sasori stood in opposition.

Sasori had effortlessly defeated his opponent in the first round of the elimination match by controlling four puppets simultaneously, and his prowess was evident even to those merely observing.

Meanwhile, Nagato was an enigma, having crushed his opponents from the preliminaries to the first two rounds of the elimination matches. Whether it was an unknown ninja from a small ninja village or a Leaf genius like Shibi Aburame, they were no match for him.

Thus, the battle between Nagato and Sasori garnered exceptional interest.

"I still don't understand what jutsu ultimately led to Aburame Shibi's defeat," Kakashi said, still perplexed by the means Nagato had employed.

Kakashi hoped that Sasori had more tricks up his sleeve, as that might compel Nagato to use that jutsu again.

Of course, the ideal outcome for him and Maito Gai was still for Nagato to lose and Chiyo to advance to the top four.

After all, they were quite adept at countering puppeteers whose bodies were fragile.

Both Kakashi and Maito Gai possessed tremendous burst power, and as long as the puppeteer exposed the slightest opening, either of them could immediately take out the puppeteer's body.

"Nagato, give it your all!" Yahiko shouted from the audience seats.

He had lost in the first round of the elimination match, and Konan had lost in the second. Now, Nagato was the last remaining member of the Ninja Sect.

Although the distance and the noisy environment prevented Nagato from hearing Yahiko's voice, his exceptional vision allowed him to see Yahiko standing and waving, and he successfully received Yahiko's encouragement.

Nagato shifted his gaze back to Sasori. This was his first time fighting a puppeteer.

However, Nagato was not worried about losing. In his previous match, he had faced a ninja who used Insect Secret Jutsu for the first time, and he had still emerged victorious with ease.

With Mu Yue's guidance, the Rinnegan, and the encouragement of his comrades, he would not be defeated.

"Begin the battle!" the referee called out, seeing that both contestants were ready.

Sasori immediately threw out two scrolls, one of which summoned Hiruko, while the other brought forth nine puppets with distinct appearances.

Facing Nagato, who could freely unleash various powerful jutsu, Sasori directly summoned ten puppets, the limit of his current control capacity, in one go.

Setting aside the Third Kazekage's human puppet, Sasori was now in a state of serious, full commitment.

These ten puppets were specifically chosen by Sasori from the hundreds he had created, based on the intelligence he had gathered on Nagato, to counter him.

Sasori's primary objective had shifted from obtaining the reward to assassinating Kakashi. Thus, he dared not use the Third Kazekage's human puppet, as doing so would risk exposing himself.

Once the news of the Third Kazekage's assassination spread, Sunagakure would undoubtedly send ninjas to pursue him, and the Ninja Sect might also expel him, greatly increasing the difficulty of his assassination mission.

After summoning the puppets, Sasori connected the chakra threads from his ten fingers to the ten puppets.

"So it's not just four," Nagato said, a little surprised to see ten puppets taking the field at once, but he did not pause in his hand seals.

"Fire Style: Headache!"

A large amount of fire-attribute chakra gathered in Nagato's throat, forming a fiery little fireball that he spat towards the ground in front of Sasori.

The fireball exploded upon impact, turning into a blazing inferno that quickly spread, with orange-red flames engulfing everything in their path.

Sasori slightly bent his fingers, and the abdomens of two of the puppets opened, revealing the blue scrolls within. Immediately, a gush of water surged out, extinguishing the approaching flames.

He had come well-prepared, and it was impossible for Nagato to defeat him with ordinary jutsu.

Sasori's actions stunned not just Maki but all of Sunagakure in the audience.

"Ten Machine Control!" Maki stared at Sasori in disbelief. He hadn't expected that an unknown puppeteer would master a top-tier puppeteer's technique.

For puppeteers, the ability to control more puppets in battle signified greater skill in puppet manipulation.

However, increasing the number of puppets did not significantly affect control precision. If the multiple puppets stumbled and couldn't fight effectively, it would be evident that the skill was lacking.

The essence of controlling more puppets was to enhance combat power, and if the precision decreased too severely, having multiple puppets might be less effective than having a single one.

However, Sasori's puppets in battle showed no signs of imprecision, a testament to his exceptional puppet manipulation technique.

"To have mastered the Ten Machine Control at such a young age..." Maki cast aside his previous suspicions.

Previously, because Sasori's puppet technique bore similarities to Sunagakure's style, Maki had suspected that Sasori was a disciple of some renegade ninja from Sunagakure.

But with the skills Sasori was now displaying, an ordinary renegade from Sunagakure was clearly unworthy of comparison.

"Could it be that missing puppetry genius, Sasori?" Maki recalled a village legend of a puppeteer genius around his age.

Maki didn't know much about Sasori, not because Sasori was a loner with no friends, but because he was an extreme recluse.

Maki's knowledge of Sasori was limited to village rumors because neither he nor his friends, nor their friends, had ever met anyone who knew Sasori.

"To be able to control ten puppets... He's kept his capabilities well-hidden," Kakashi said, equally surprised. He hadn't expected Sasori to have concealed so much of his strength.

He had originally thought that Sasori would bring out at most two more puppets, but Sasori had started the match by releasing ten puppets, and they seemed specifically chosen to counter Nagato.

"In that case, it's hard to predict the outcome."

Once again, Kakashi felt the weight of the saying, "There's always a bigger fish." The Chunin Exams had not gathered all the geniuses in the ninja world, and with the emergence of Nagato and Sasori, he realized how deep the waters of the ninja world truly were.

"Lightning Style: False Darkness!"

After some consideration, Nagato chose to employ lightning-style jutsu, which had better penetration, to first take out some of the puppets with high-efficiency single-target attacks.

Dazzling lightning enveloped the puppet, but it failed to inflict significant damage.

A slight smirk appeared on Sasori's face as he manipulated his puppets with the information he had gathered. He then moved the five fingers of his left hand simultaneously.

Swish Swish!!

The five puppets' legs and various mechanisms were activated, and an array of long swords and blades extended from their hands and feet. Under Sasori's control, they moved at incredible speed, slashing towards Nagato.

"Wind Style: Compression Destruction!"

Nagato burst into a burst of chakra, dodging the attack while continuing to perform hand seals to cast his jutsu.

Although two of his standard jutsu were countered, he knew many more, and he refused to believe that Sasori could counter them all.

Hoo Hoo!!

As soon as Nagato exhaled, a powerful gust of wind swept through the arena.

This was followed by a destructive storm that tore through everything in its path, causing dust and rocks to fly in all directions.

Nagato had guessed correctly; Sasori indeed had no effective counter to Compression Destruction at this point.

However, it wasn't as perfect a counter as the other two jutsu, and Sasori could still manage to deal with it.

Sasori moved all ten of his fingers, releasing a powerful burst of chakra. He controlled one of the puppets to act as a defensive shield in front of him while manipulating the rest to dodge and surround Nagato.

"This puppeteer is extraordinary," Tobirama remarked with a hint of pleasure as he watched Nagato fall into a disadvantageous position. "At such a young age, he already possesses such impressive puppet techniques. He will undoubtedly become a master puppeteer in the future."

Initially, Tobirama had high hopes that Might Guy would be the one to defeat Nagato.

He never expected Sasori to have hidden his strength so well, having revealed only a fraction of his true power in his previous battles.

Tobirama glanced at Mu Yue out of the corner of his eye and noticed that she maintained her calm and collected expression, as if it were Sasori who was at a disadvantage rather than the Ninja Sect member.

"You can pretend all you want, Sosuke. Let's see if you can remain so indifferent if Nagato actually loses," Tobirama thought, feeling slightly irritated.

He had been closely following the Ninja Sect's performance, and here was Sosuke, acting as if he didn't care about the outcome, making Tobirama feel like he was being too petty.

"Indeed, he is extraordinary," Kisame acknowledged with a nod. "Even among the talented individuals in the top eight, he stands out."

He continued, "I'm sure you're disappointed, Tobirama, that the Rain Ninja didn't get the chance to face such an exceptional genius. After all, there are no Rain Ninja among the top eight."

"Oh, that's right. I meant to say there are none in the elimination rounds," Kisame corrected himself.

Tobirama didn't respond to Kisame's words, his eyes fixed on the arena as if he were completely engrossed in the match and hadn't heard Kisame at all.

However, the stiffness of his expression betrayed his true feelings.

Although Kisame's jabs were subtle, they struck a nerve deep within Tobirama.

The next generation of Rain Ninja was falling behind, even lagging behind the Grass Ninja.

Swish Swish!!

Various poison needles, barbs, and shuriken were launched at Nagato, but they were blocked by the curved earthen wall he summoned.

Bang! Boom!

Sasori relentlessly pursued Nagato with his puppets, each one unleashing its full arsenal. They resembled an elite squad of ninjas.

"That puppet technique looks pretty powerful," Obito remarked, stroking his chin.

He had suddenly realized the immense potential of puppeteers. If their puppets were strong enough, their opponents would essentially be fighting ten opponents with unique abilities all at once.

"Instead of dragging this out and exposing more of my techniques, I might as well end this quickly," Nagato thought to himself, bringing his movement to a halt. He decided to change his battle strategy.

Although he had wanted to save the Divine Judgment Jutsu for the semi-finals or even the finals, Sasori's puppets were proving to be too much of a nuisance.

Sasori left three puppets to guard himself while sending the remaining seven in different directions to surround and attack Nagato.

Nagato took a deep breath, standing his ground and no longer attempting to dodge. Instead, he rapidly gathered a large amount of chakra, preparing to unleash a powerful jutsu.

"Oh? Are you giving up?" Sasori sensed that something was amiss.

Nagato was still in good shape, and logically, he shouldn't have given up so quickly. Yet, here he was, abandoning his defense.

Sasori paused for a moment but ultimately decided to continue the assault. After all, he had the advantage, and it was best to seize the opportunity. Besides, he was a puppeteer, so he had a higher margin for error.

Swish Swish!!

Whoosh!

Under Sasori's control, the seven puppets simultaneously launched their offensive.

Some released poison needles, while others brandished blades and charged forward. One even spewed flames, ensuring that Nagato had nowhere to escape.

At this point, even if Nagato wanted to use a Body Flicker Technique to dodge, it would be nearly impossible unless he used a spatial ninjutsu to instantly teleport away.

"Divine Judgment Jutsu!"

The massive amount of chakra that Nagato had gathered suddenly erupted, causing the air around him to vibrate subtly as if foreshadowing the impending storm.

In the next moment, Nagato's Rinnegan eyes trembled, and a powerful repulsive force radiated outward from him, sweeping across the entire battlefield.

Swish!

Confronted by the overwhelming repulsive force, the poison needles were sent flying in the opposite direction, piercing into the ground and walls.

Boom!

The flames that were directed at Nagato were pushed back onto the puppets, causing a loud explosion.

Crack!

The blades that were slashing towards Nagato were bent and broken as if crushed by an invisible giant hand.

Bang Bang Bang!!

All seven puppets were sent flying backward at high speed, embedding themselves deep into the walls of the arena.

The sudden turn of events caught Sasori off guard for a moment. He hadn't anticipated that Nagato would counter the encirclement in such a way, and he couldn't quite comprehend what jutsu Nagato had just used.

"Universal Pull Jutsu!"

Nagato didn't let this opportunity slip away. He raised his right hand, pointing it at Sasori, and unleashed a powerful gravitational force that instantly pulled Sasori's body towards him.

Sasori's face contorted in shock as he realized he had lost control of his body. He frantically tried to manipulate the remaining three puppets to intercept himself.

However, he was a step too slow. Just as Sasori's puppets drew close to him, Nagato's kunai were already aimed directly at him.

After all, it was just a competition, and if circumstances allowed, Nagato would minimize the opponent's losses.

Sasori shook his head, remaining silent, still astonished by Nagato's enigmatic power.

"Even with the Third Kazekage's human puppet, I probably wouldn't have been able to beat him." Upon careful consideration, Sasori realized something absurd.

In a direct confrontation, he would most likely be unable to defeat Nagato unless he had ample time to prepare thoroughly.

"There's actually such a genius in this tournament," Sasori acknowledged, setting aside his arrogance.

When he first entered the competition, Sasori looked down on all the participants equally. After all, he had killed a Kage, and it was improbable that ninjas around his age could be stronger than him.

But now, Sasori had to admit that even with his full strength, there were opponents he couldn't defeat in direct combat.

Before leaving the arena, Sasori turned back to take one last look at Nagato, as if to imprint this figure named Nagato into his memory.

"Although that puppeteer is quite skilled, it seems our Ninja Sect still has the upper hand." Kakuzu chuckled, glancing at Hanzo with a hint of intention.

Hanzo remained silent, his thoughts lingering on the brief display of power he had witnessed from Nagato during the ambush on the Ninja Sect. As such, Hanzo didn't truly know the extent of Nagato's current abilities.

It was only after this battle that Hanzo realized how much Nagato had grown.

"We can only hope that Might Guy has been hiding his strength," Hanzo thought to himself.

At this point, the only one who could potentially stop Nagato's advancement was Might Guy, and even he had shown only a slight edge in their previous encounter.

A strange silence once again enveloped the resting area.

Obito stood there with his mouth agape, his mind replaying the scene of Nagato using the Divine Judgment Jutsu to instantly defeat seven puppets.

If Mu Yue were here, Obito would definitely ask to learn that jutsu.

Compared to spitting fireballs, Nagato's Divine Judgment Jutsu was both cooler and stronger.

"The puppets were pushed away as if the user were a magnet attracting metal," Kakashi remarked, deep in thought about Nagato's ability. A vague idea began to form in his mind.

"Kakashi, his ninjutsu might involve the manipulation of gravitational forces," Itachi whispered.

"I think so, too," Kakashi nodded, his expression turning solemn.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized how absurdly powerful Nagato was.

Gravitational forces—what an incredibly potent ability, and Nagato didn't even need to perform hand seals or exhibit any telltale signs when using it.

"Could this be the power of the Sage's eyes?" Kakashi wondered, thinking of Nagato's Rinnegan.

If it were related to the Sage of the Six Paths, Kakashi could understand, given the countless legends surrounding the mythical figure.

"Yeah, I think so, too," Obito eagerly chimed in, not wanting to be left out.

Kakashi gave Obito a skeptical look, suspecting that he was just repeating what he had said.

"He's indeed a terrifyingly strong guy, but it has nothing to do with me," Asuma said with a smile, maintaining a healthy mindset.

With his abilities, making it to the top eight was already an achievement, so Asuma didn't indulge in fantasies of battling Nagato in the finals.

His opponent for the quarterfinals was Itachi, and Asuma wasn't very confident, as he had fought Itachi numerous times but never won.

"Out of over two hundred participating ninjas, with representatives from all five great shinobi villages, making it to the top eight isn't too shabby," Asuma consoled himself.

He was already prepared to head to the audience seats after his defeat, expecting Mu Yue to comfort and praise him, unlike a certain someone who was unreasonably harsh.

"Even for a dear friend, I wouldn't hand over such a formidable enemy to you." Might Guy's fighting spirit surged as he faced Kakashi.

Their battle was about to begin, and the winner would not only advance to the next round but also face Nagato.

"I'm not really interested in this kind of thing," Kakashi admitted honestly.

He wasn't a battle maniac; Kakashi was only interested in competitions between his disciples and didn't feel the urge to fight everyone he deemed strong.

"But I'll still give it my all in this battle."

While he wasn't a battle enthusiast, Kakashi didn't like to hold back during fights, especially against other disciples of Mu Yue.

After all, they bore the responsibility of changing history, and their strength was crucial to that endeavor.

"Hahaha!" Might Guy burst into laughter, pleased to hear Kakashi's determination.

"Kakashi, I, too, will fight with everything I've got! Let's have a battle filled with youth and passion!"

At that moment, Nagato returned to the resting area.

"Mu Yue's disciples sure get along well," Nagato thought to himself, nodding inwardly while also feeling a tinge of regret.

Although they were all disciples of Mu Yue, he couldn't openly acknowledge his connection to Kakashi and the others. Mu Yue's identity had to remain hidden, as exposing it could not only affect the situation in the Rain Country but also potentially destabilize the entire shinobi world.

Nagato understood that Mu Yue's intention was to bring peace to the shinobi world, starting with the Rain Country. However, others might not see it that way.

The Rain Country's daimyo and Hanzo might believe that Mu Yue intended to overthrow the Rain Country's government.

Non-Konoha ninjas might suspect that Konoha had extraordinary ambitions and sent Mu Yue to establish the Ninja Sect to replace the Rain Ninja Village and expand Konoha's influence.

Even Konoha ninjas might view Mu Yue's actions as treason, as she had left Konoha to help the Rock Ninja Village and train their ninjas instead of fulfilling her duties as a Konoha ninja.

For the greater good, Nagato could only suppress his curiosity about the other disciples and maintain his distance from them.

"Contestant number eleven, Might Guy, versus contestant number fifteen, Kakashi Hatake!" the referee's voice echoed in the resting area once more.

"How am I supposed to beat Uchiha Obito later?" Kurenai Yuhi had already lost interest in the match, her mind fully occupied with the battle she would face soon.

Her draw for the quarterfinals was excellent, pitting her against Obito, whose abilities her water style could counter.

If she advanced to the top four, her likely opponent would be Shisui, who was also disadvantaged against her style.

However, Kurenai faced a dilemma: during the Chunin Exams, she had a record of one loss and one win against Obito. She had defeated him in the Forest of Death but lost during the third round of the elimination matches.

Even with her elemental advantage, Kurenai wasn't confident about beating Obito.

Hence, she decided to forgo watching the other matches and instead analyzed Obito's weaknesses to increase her chances in the quarterfinals.

"Guy, do you still have strength that you haven't shown?" Hanzo, sitting on the high platform, focused his attention on the battle stage.

At this point, he no longer provided commentary on the contestants to avoid provoking Kakuzu.

Might Guy surveyed the area and, upon not seeing the green-clad figure, shook his head slightly with a hint of disappointment. "What a shame. It would have been great if my father were here."

If his father had witnessed his exceptional performance in this tournament, he would undoubtedly have been proud.

Hearing Guy's words, a tinge of loneliness crept into Kakashi's heart. Might Dai simply didn't have the time to be here, but as for his own father... that was truly impossible.

"You can go back and tell him about the reward later," Kakashi said, having regained his composure.

Although his parents had passed away, he now had many precious things in his life: a caring teacher and friends he could trust with his life.

"Hahaha! Well said, my friend!" Might Guy gave Kakashi a thumbs-up.

For the next minute, the two of them remained silent, each adjusting their state and preparing for the upcoming battle.

"Begin the battle!"

"Eight Inner Gates, open... Fifth Gate, Du Gate, open!"

As soon as the referee signaled the start of the match, Might Guy roared and immediately opened the first five of the Eight Inner Gates.

With the opening of the initial five gates, a torrent of chakra surged within him, becoming wild and unruly. A powerful chakra fluctuation suddenly rippled through the air, causing the atmosphere to turn solemn.

Facing his recognized rival, Might Guy dared not be the slightest bit careless, even during the probing stage. Everyone present had witnessed Kakashi's explosive power.

"Lightning Breath, full concentration!"

Kakashi also wasted no time, immediately entering the Lightning Breath state and accessing the Transparent World.

Might Guy had consecutively topped the disciple civil war rankings. His combination of Rock Breath and the Eight Inner Gates made him undeniably strong in the eyes of all the disciples.

Guy didn't have many fancy techniques. He usually started with various spinning kicks, and if he determined that his opponent wasn't much of a threat, he would directly follow up with powerful taijutsu moves like Daytime Tiger and Golden Rupture.

And yet, despite this seemingly simplistic routine, Kakashi and the others had found no counter to it thus far.

It was simply raw strength, but it was incredibly formidable.

Without the benefit of the Transparent World, Kakashi wouldn't dare stand within ten meters of Guy, as he would easily be drawn into Guy's taijutsu rhythm and overwhelmed.

"Leaf Hand Blade: Rapid Fire!"

This time, Might Guy didn't choose to charge forward directly. Instead, he gathered a large amount of chakra in his palms and slashed toward Kakashi with several transparent gusts of chakra.

Through the Transparent World, Kakashi observed the movement of Guy's muscles and successfully predicted his attack trajectory. Therefore, he didn't waste chakra on the Body Flicker Technique but simply sidestepped and tilted his head.

Bang! Bang!

The gusts of chakra missed and struck the ground, leaving behind several craters.

Swish! Swish!

Kakashi then began to run, throwing several shuriken at Might Guy.

Guy waved his fists, creating gusts of wind to block the shuriken, while retreating at the same time.

"Why is Guy giving Kakashi so much face? He should just use the Body Flicker Technique to get close and kick his face!" Obito exclaimed in confusion.

Usually, it was them being chased by Guy, but now the tables had turned, and Kakashi's ordinary shuriken had forced Guy to back off.

"He's probably wary of Kakashi's sword," Shisui said after some thought.

Although Guy hadn't joined them on the Grass Ninja mission, he knew about Kakashi's powerful Lightning Release sword technique from their training in the Southern Border Forest.

While Guy might seem carefree and straightforward, he wasn't reckless in battle.

"Yeah, that's right," Obito nodded, recalling Kakashi's sword strike during the Grass Ninja Village mission.

Although Guy's Golden Rupture was also powerful, it involved using his fingers, whereas Kakashi's Lightning Cutter involved a weapon—a sharp chakra blade.

In a direct clash between their techniques, Guy, with his bare hands, would be at a disadvantage. The Rock Breath enhanced his defense, but only to a certain extent.

"I'm still not used to this," Guy muttered.

After dodging for a while, he laughed loudly, concentrating his breath to the extreme and entering the Rock Breath chakra mode. His already formidable body became even stronger due to the change in his breathing.

At this moment, Might Guy's momentum reached its peak, and the powerful aura he exuded caused the sand on the ground to stir. Even the ordinary spectators in the audience could feel an indescribable pressure.

Kakashi took a deep breath and entered a state of heightened alertness, ready to enter the Lightning Breath chakra mode to strengthen his body at any time.

PS: This chapter is a two-in-one 7k chapter.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end