Chapter 84: Shinra Tensei! Shinra Tensei! Shinra Tensei…

Chapter 84: Shinra Tensei! Shinra Tensei! Shinra Tensei…

As Izayoi’s primary body and his Shadow Clones, manipulating an army of Human Puppets transformed through the Transformation Technique, ruthlessly harvested the corpses of Root members and three factions of shinobi in the streets, a lone Shadow Clone—disguised as Pain’s Deva Path—quietly infiltrated the Hokage Office using the Rinnegan’s ability to project illusions.

As the village’s most critical facility, even amid war, the Hokage Office remained heavily guarded by Anbu. Surveillance monitors and perception barriers lined its defenses. The security was so tight that even a fly couldn’t enter without Anbu swarming to squash it instantly.

Naruto Uzumaki’s earlier infiltration of the Hokage Office to steal the Forbidden Scroll had only succeeded because of direct orders from Hiruzen Sarutobi. Without such clearance, he’d have been captured immediately.

“Captain Tenzō,” a voice reported, “a chakra signature has breached the Hokage Office, but we’ve lost its location. It may possess secret techniques or bloodline limits enabling invisibility.”

Izayoi’s entry immediately triggered the perception squad. After confirming the anomaly with monitoring teams, they relayed the alert to Tenzō, the acting commander in the Hokage’s absence.

“I understand,” Tenzō replied calmly through the radio. “Maintain the barrier. We’ll handle the intruder.”

“Understood.”

Though Izayoi couldn’t hear their exchange, he saw their movements. He’d expected detection—Anbu wouldn’t retain their elite status if a mere invisibility technique fooled them. His infiltration was a deliberate provocation. Yet he still had a task to complete.

With a Body Flicker, he vanished.

*

A thunderous explosion shattered the door to the perception squad’s chamber. Izayoi strode in, unleashing his attack without hesitation: “Shinra Tensei!”

A surge of repulsive force erupted, obliterating equipment and hurling the sensor-wearing shinobi against walls. Falling debris struck them, compounding their injuries. Before they could recover, Izayoi reappeared beside them, injecting chakra into their pressure points to knock them unconscious.

The perception barrier shielding the Hokage Office collapsed. Instantly, a swarm of Human Puppets, guided by the Rinnegan’s illusionary projections, infiltrated the premises.

After neutralizing the squad, Izayoi moved to execute them—only for two voices to roar from behind:

“Earth Release: Yellow Spring Swamp!”
“Wood Release: Tree Enclosure Wall!”

Wooden vines erupted, encasing the room in a wooden cage while the floor liquefied into a bottomless pit. Izayoi and the unconscious shinobi plummeted, but the vines snared the latter mid-fall, binding them like mummies suspended on walls. Other vines lashed at Izayoi like octopus tentacles, joined by wooden spears.

“Shinra Tensei.”

A second blast of repulsive force shattered the attack, clearing his descent. He pierced the wooden tunnel into the underground base beneath the Hokage Office.

Landing silently, he dodged a black serpent lunging from the shadows, its fangs aiming to connect with his shadow. A cat-masked Anbu held a sealing pose—Shadow Imitation Technique.

Izayoi ascended, spreading his arms. “Shinra Tensei!”

The shockwave tore through the base, scattering Anbu teams poised to ambush. Some flew backward, colliding with debris; others endured like wind-washed leaves. Only Tenzō, the elite Anbu captain, reacted swiftly.

*

Mid-air, Tenzō formed seals. “Wood Release: Wood Birth!”

The ruined chamber trembled as saplings erupted, accelerating into a dense forest. The barrier disrupted Izayoi’s gravity pull, letting Tenzō land on a treetop.

As Tenzō prepared to create wood clones for reconnaissance, a voice boomed overhead: “Shinra Tensei!”

A glowing green sphere materialized above the forest. Izayoi compressed chakra into a concentrated repulsive force, releasing it in a blinding white shockwave. The technique expanded like an indestructible dome, vaporizing the forest into splinters. Trees disintegrated without resistance.

Trapped, Tenzō dove into a hollow trunk, forming seals: “Wood Release: Wooden Locking Wall!”

Wooden pillars arched into a protective cocoon—but the shockwave reduced them to kindling. A deafening roar echoed as Tenzō lost consciousness.

The tremors reached the surface, where a towering figure dashed toward the Hokage Office. Jiraiya, the 1.91-meter-tall white-haired sage, barked mid-leap: “Confirm—the intruder wears a black cloak with Crimson Clouds, orange hair, purple-ringed eyes?”

“Yes, Lord Jiraiya!” an Anbu confirmed.

Jiraiya’s heart pounded. His long-dead disciple, Yahiko, alive? He cursed his lack of flight techniques, desperate to reach him. Yet doubt crept in: Yahiko… why wear Akatsuki’s uniform? Why does Nagato’s Rinnegan gleam in your eyes?!

*

By the time Jiraiya and Anbu reached the underground base, only a meteor-sized crater remained. Tenzō and Pain’s Deva Path had vanished.

Jiraiya’s face darkened. There was no mistaking it—only the Rinnegan could unleash such devastation. A grim premonition gripped him: His former disciple had strayed down a dark path. What horrors had transpired in the years since?

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end