Why did Hagoromo fight in his ninja state when he clearly had a stronger mode?
"Corpses should look like corpses."
The Preta Path lying on the ground was now riddled with one bloody hole after another. The corpse had indeed been reverted to a true corpse.
But it was hard to say if Hagoromo still looked human. Right now, he was bathed in crimson blood, and his footsteps were somewhat unsteady.
After taking a direct hit from Shinra Tensei, it was impossible for him to be unscathed.
He was never the kind of ninja who could bounce back perfectly fine after being smashed into a meat patty. It wasn't that he lacked willpower, but the "spirit over matter" theory couldn't sustain everything.
The world he was in, the situation he faced, was cold, hard reality. Could hot-blooded passion really solve everything?
Besides, he had always been an absolute scrub when it came to defense.
While some ninjas could be slammed around like mud and still jump back up full of life, that wasn't him. The fact that he was still standing was already a miracle.
"Stay back. Don't forget he can use Magnet Style," the Deva Path commanded.
Although Nagato claimed to possess the power of a god and called the boy a "mortal," this didn't mean he would foolishly underestimate an enemy of this caliber.
Whether it was setting up the barrier in advance or sparing no chakra to repeatedly revive several Paths of Pain, it all signified Nagato's high regard for his opponent.
Hagoromo staggered backward step by step, voluntarily putting distance between himself and Pain. He allowed the Six Paths to regroup, and allowed the Naraka Path to revive the remaining two fallen puppets.
There were five enemies once again.
"So, if you're blown into minced meat, you can't be revived, huh?"
Was this a stupid question? No. Without an intact body, even the Naraka Path's power wouldn't be able to restore them.
"Then I'll just blow you all into minced meat."
Attacking the Deva Path first, then the Naraka Path, taking a heavy blow, and letting the enemy revive—was he losing his grip on the situation?
No. From beginning to end, he was unprecedentedly clear-headed.
Why did he fight as a ninja when he had a stronger mode?
When Pain grouped up and the Naraka Path revived the fallen, Hagoromo didn't just stand idle after gaining enough distance.
With some chakra still left, he began to weave signs again.
In this battle, aside from Lightning Style, he had only used one jutsu, and now he was using it again.
Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu.
The Multi-Headed Dog, the Giant Bird, the Giant Ox, the Rhino. Even Katsuyu. Even the Rashomon gate stood between him and the enemy.
The formulas carved onto Rashomon indicated that this summoning was slightly different. Normally, the gate would disappear after taking a heavy hit, but this one had been specially altered beforehand. The formulas ensured that once summoned, no matter what kind of destruction it faced, it would not return to the summoning realm. It was an irreversible summoning.
Used for defense, its effectiveness was undoubtedly stronger.
"Using the same defensive tactic? Are you out of tricks?"
Hiding behind Rashomon, the youth spoke to his summon:
"Katsuyu, buy me some time. At least twenty seconds."
There was no time for extra explanations in battle. The five summons quickly moved forward.
Given the Rinnegan's control abilities, using Summoning Jutsu against them was definitely not a wise move. It meant that aside from Katsuyu, the rest of the beasts were highly likely to be usurped by the enemy.
But it was enough to buy a brief window of time, and he couldn't worry about anything else right now.
Why did he fight as a ninja when he had a stronger mode?
Because his Electromaster power required accumulation. He couldn't afford to waste it needlessly; he didn't have the luxury to keep grinding respawning zombies over and over.
Now, the power accumulation was just about ready.
Now, he was going to use his own method to one-shot Pain.
Yes, one-shot. Wiping out all enemies in a single blow—that was what a one-shot was.
From start to finish, he never intended to get dragged into a war of attrition.
Hagoromo was hidden behind Rashomon, but the brilliant lightning illuminated the night, clearly visible even from the other side.
"You call yourself a god, so I'll treat you like one. But does a so-called god understand the terror of humanity?"
"I suppose a god will never know to what extent a human can push themselves," he said.
His next move would far exceed his physical limits. Such an extreme technique would inevitably shave years off his lifespan.
Maybe five years, maybe fifty. Who knew?
That was the nature of a price. The upcoming move was his ultimate Tailed Beast-slaying technique.
It was also the strongest strike he had ever unleashed in his life.
Earlier, he had looked as if he were about to dissolve into lightning. Now, he truly was dissolving into it.
He was indeed immune to Lightning Style and electrical shocks, but everything had a limit. Once pushed past that limit, it was impossible for him to remain unscathed.
Electromaster, Level 5, full power release... an overloaded, limit-breaking release.
Now he would see just how much this ninja body could withstand.
Within the blinding lightning, his body could barely be seen. However, under this level of electrical intensity, the skin on the left side of his face began to disintegrate, exposing the crimson flesh beneath.
Then, it began to carbonize. Soon, his entire body began exhibiting this state.
The high voltage, high temperature, and high current even turned the ground beneath his feet into a molten, magma-like state.
"So, 'God'..." "Or rather, self-proclaimed god..." "This next move—if you can block it, then block it." "If you can defend against it, then defend." "Consider this a vivid, practical remedial lesson so you can understand what 'humanity' is, and see exactly how far a ninja can go." "Try to survive my final strike."
Pain was gathered directly in front of him.
In reality, Pain naturally couldn't hear what he was saying right now. In fact, even Hagoromo himself couldn't hear a single word he was saying.
The ultra-high-load calculations made his brain feel like boiling porridge. Blood was slowly trickling out of his ears, pooling into crimson lines.
But he insisted on finishing his words. The so-called ultimate strike naturally required an exposition and a proper naming.
Besides, he needed time to charge.
"The name of this move is..." "Ninja Art: Summoning!" "Lightning Style: Secret Technique!!"
His voice was disjointed because he was coughing up blood as he spoke.
"Ashes of Heaven and Earth..." "Ten Trillion Dead Great Burial Formation..." "Divine Core Raiden Mei..." "RASHOMON!!!"
Ninja Art: Summoning, Lightning Style Secret Technique: Ashes of Heaven and Earth, Ten Trillion Dead Great Burial Formation, Divine Core Raiden Mei, Rashomon.
No matter how incredibly chuunibyou the attack name was, it couldn't mask the fact that this "jutsu" was, in essence, still his most frequently used move.
What was Hagoromo's strongest strike?
When it came down to it, while he had a lot of crazy ideas, he wasn't someone with an incredibly magnificent, boundless imagination. So after all the talk and all the messing around, he was still just playing with the Railgun.
His ultimate strike was still the Railgun.
However, this time it was slightly different.
Next, the ninja Kamishiro Hagoromo, the Electromaster Kamishiro Hagoromo, would still use the Railgun.
But what was slightly different from the past was...
He was going to use the massive Rashomon gate as the Railgun's projectile.
A Railgun was still a Railgun. Slightly different, yes, but that was all.
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