Hagoromo's mistake was a mistake common to all human beings.
Things they don't care about are discarded like trash, but things they value are cherished immensely, to the point of exhibiting an overly paranoid desire to protect them. Ultimately, human beings are just selfish existences like that.
So, what did Hagoromo value?
In the matter regarding Kushina, his attitude was displayed far too obviously. So obviously that anyone could easily understand: if you want to make a move on the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, you have to eliminate him first.
Therefore, someone was going to eliminate him first right now.
"Genjutsu?" Hagoromo spoke up.
Despite the sudden change in scenery, he hadn't lost his composure. On the contrary, the more dire the situation, the calmer he needed to be. His outstanding and precise calculation ability would even suppress all his negative emotions.
Naturally, someone responded to his words.
"Correct, just genjutsu."
Hagoromo wasn't saying he was caught in a genjutsu; he had indeed been teleported by the Flying Thunder God. Rather, someone had used genjutsu to control Minato's bodyguards, causing the Flying Thunder God to activate.
And so, Hagoromo was separated from Kushina's side, transported a long distance away.
"Come to think of it, this should be our second meeting. We met once, many years ago in the Land of Rain."
"I just didn't expect you to become a hindrance to our plans. Therefore, sooner or later, you have to be eliminated. Since that's the case, now is a very good opportunity."
"Given the limits of the Flying Thunder God, this place can't be too far from Konoha..." Hagoromo completely ignored the other's words.
But overconfidence is a good thing; the opponent responded, allowing Hagoromo to learn what he needed to learn.
"Indeed, this place is only fifty kilometers away from Konoha. However, according to our intelligence on you, you are a ninja specializing in speed and summoning. To prevent your escape, a strict spatial barrier has already been set up here."
"There is only one way to leave the barrier, and that is to defeat us. Until then, you cannot escape this place. But... that is an impossibility."
"Besides, you're already too late anyway."
Too late...
Hagoromo froze for a moment, then instantly realized what it meant.
There were countless ways to induce premature labor in a woman. An operation targeting Kushina didn't need to wait for the day she naturally gave birth. No matter what day she gave birth, the Nine-Tails' seal would loosen.
"Fifty kilometers and a barrier, huh? The distance isn't far. So, if I finish you off, I'll still make it in time."
"Only those completely ignorant of true power would speak of impossible things so grandiosely."
"Nothing is impossible. For a ninja, killing and being killed are very simple matters. Killing you is no different."
All this time, Hagoromo had mentally compartmentalized the problem. The enemy he needed to face was never just one person, but an organization. They had strict objectives and systems, and they would execute their plans step by step.
Obito was merely one link in the chain.
The enemy before him was also merely a link in the chain.
Obito's actions might have stemmed from instigation and a desire for revenge, but the person before him had already deemed Hagoromo a hindrance to their future plans.
For their plans, they needed Jinchuriki and Tailed Beasts. Yet a ninja of Hagoromo's caliber would perpetually guard a Jinchuriki's side.
Their plans lay in the future, and the Hagoromo of the future would not be the Hagoromo of today; he would only be stronger.
Therefore, right now was the best time to eliminate him.
And so, standing in Hagoromo's way were...
One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six.
Black cloaks with red clouds. Headbands of rogue Hidden Rain ninjas. Cold, expressionless faces, and... black receivers piercing the exposed skin of their faces.
Hagoromo only recognized Yahiko's face, but he also knew this group was called the Six Paths of Pain.
He knew even better that the person manipulating these corpses from the shadows was named Nagato, the wielder of the Rinnegan.
Hagoromo had probably encountered the strongest enemy he had ever faced in his life, but this was the one time he absolutely had to win.
Of course he had to win. So what if it was Nagato? Under these circumstances, even if it was madara standing in his way, he would have to kill him.
Let alone this Nagato.
But facing an enemy wielding the Rinnegan, he needed an absolute, limit-breaking burst of power. Moreover, the situation was urgent; he absolutely didn't have time for a drawn-out battle... So the problem is the barrier?
In almost an instant, the bright light of the Chidori Current enveloped Hagoromo's entire body. This Lightning Style was brighter than ever before, the ear-piercing shrieks of the birds seemingly rupturing his own eardrums.
He looked as if he were about to dissolve into the lightning.
Yet, in the vast, distant night, this was but a faint firefly, liable to extinguish at any moment.
"The intelligence was correct. You can indeed use extremely powerful Lightning Style. But... no matter what you do, in the end, it is merely the struggle of a mortal insect."
If anyone was a mere mortal, Nagato was the true mortal.
Yahiko was clearly dead; the thing standing before him was just a corpse. Nagato understood this better than anyone, yet when controlling this corpse, he couldn't help but imitate Yahiko's tone, endowing it with a personality, as if a corpse could truly possess such a thing.
On the subject of life and death, Hagoromo—who had already died once—saw things much more clearly than Nagato.
The current Hagoromo wasn't simply releasing Lightning Style. What he needed wasn't electrical destructive power, otherwise he wouldn't use ninjutsu at all, but rather rely directly on his innate esper ability.
What he needed was a physical limit-break.
He needed Nintaijutsu.
Countless pitch-black ink lines sprang from his body. Like physical tendrils, they tightly bound the formless, wildly scattering Chidori Current into his physical form, solidifying it on his skin.
The sealing formulas were instantly dyed with the light of lightning.
Markings appeared on Hagoromo's body, similar to when the Strength of a Hundred Seal was activated, but the difference was that these markings were blindingly bright, because what flowed within them was the lightning of the Chidori Current.
Binding all the Lightning Style within his body without a single trace leaking out, utilizing it entirely for cellular activation—this was a Nintaijutsu combining sealing jutsu, Lightning Style, and taijutsu. It was Hagoromo's own unique, ultimate taijutsu.
An ordinary ninja fundamentally couldn't withstand the erosion of such powerful Lightning Style.
In this mode, in terms of sheer offensive power, his Lightning Style surpassed the Raikage's Lightning Style Chakra Mode, because right now, not a single shred of Hagoromo's Lightning Style was used for defense; everything was geared for offense.
This state was called Chidori Current: Phase Three.
But the first thing Hagoromo needed to do wasn't attack; he needed to confirm the location and scale of the barrier.
So he turned and ran, looking exactly as if he were trying to escape.
"Trying to flee?"
Among this group of enemies, aside from Yahiko, there were no familiar corpses, so Hagoromo didn't know which Path was which. He possessed partial intelligence, but temporarily couldn't accurately map that intelligence to each individual.
Hagoromo's movements weren't fast. His turn was merely to lure the enemy forward to confirm the barrier's location; he didn't need to go there himself.
As he expected, the presences of the enemies instantly appeared behind him.
The first, and the second.
Hagoromo spun around rapidly. The movement of his feet and his immense strength instantly caused a massive crater to cave in beneath him.
Using his left foot as a pivot, he twisted his body and unleashed a reverse spinning kick—a clean, decisive direct strike against the enemy right in front of him.
In this instant, his movements seemed to pause for a fraction of a second, but in reality, Hagoromo had never been faster.
Through the shared vision of the Rinnegan, the enemies could naturally perceive his movements, but...
They couldn't dodge.
Because absolute speed surpasses neural reaction time. Hagoromo's whip-like leg landed a direct hit on the chest of the first enemy.
First came a loud "bang" as the opponent was sent flying like a cannonball.
Immediately following that was the sonic boom of tearing air!
If one were to ask exactly how much physical strength Hagoromo possessed right now, he didn't know. But if one were to ask about the speed of the enemy after being hit—that was effortless to tell, visible to the naked eye.
The sonic boom and the bizarre distortion in their trajectory indicated that under Hagoromo's strike, the opponent had broken the sound barrier.
Then came the final "dong", like the endless reverberation of a massive bell. It was unknown what this corpse had smashed through along the way, but ultimately, it slammed into the barrier's wall.
The outer edge of the barrier is about 500 meters away. Hagoromo reached this conclusion in an instant.
Immediately after, the second enemy arrived, but what awaited him was Hagoromo's second strike.
Gripping the iron gourd on his back with his right hand, he viciously smashed it down from above.
As fast as a crack of thunder. As heavy as a falling mountain.
Whatever thunder strikes is invariably shattered; whatever a mountain crushes is invariably obliterated.
Such violence, like Hagoromo's, could truly be called the force of a thunderbolt.
Under normal circumstances, he would probably mock himself, calling this the "45-degree angle mechanical repair strike" personally taught by a certain Railgun sister. But right now, he only wanted to say the words he most wanted to say.
So he said:
"You're in my way."
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