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NBB Chapter 182: Nagato vs. Genshiki
🕑 Added 2025-08-27 02:34:26 +0000 UTC“Is this Root’s base?”
Staring at the collapsed ground—especially the massive crater now laid bare beneath—Kitagawa Gen couldn’t help but raise a brow. Yet he quickly understood the situation.
Root’s base, true to its name, had always been buried deep underground.
With such a battle raging here, collapsing it into rubble was hardly anything surprising.
“Still, fighting in this place isn’t ideal. I should find an opportunity to move things elsewhere.”
This was his Konohagakure.
How could he allow this place to be shattered?
While he pondered, the members of Akatsuki scrambled up from below, their faces blackened with dust.
“This guy…”
Sasori and Kakuzu stared in disbelief at the ruined earth, at the flattened expanse all around them. Both fell into uneasy silence.
Uchiha Itachi and Kisame, however, remained relatively calm. One was an infiltrator, and both had already been struck down hard before.
“You—”
Nagato seemed the least able to accept it. His eyes fixed on Kitagawa Gen, his lips twitching.
Though he had heard rumors that this man possessed abilities akin to his own, he had never seen it firsthand and could not believe it.
Now, he was certain.
“Who exactly are you? Why do you have the power of the Rinnegan?!”
“The power of the Rinnegan?”
Kitagawa Gen gave a slight shake of his head. Though his face was hidden, everyone could feel the disdain radiating from him.
“I’ve said it before—the Rinnegan belongs to the God Tree’s fruit. What you wield is nothing more than power borrowed from that fruit.”
“God Tree’s fruit?”
Nagato was bewildered by his words. Not only him, but the others as well had no idea what to make of it.
They all knew Nagato carried those eyes. It was precisely those eyes that had forced them into obedience, compelled them to fall in line.
But in their memories, wasn’t the Rinnegan the domain of the Sage of Six Paths?
So what was going on here?
“My mistake—discussing the God Tree with lowborn creatures like you. Of course you would never understand.”
Kitagawa Gen shook his head again. His gaze settled calmly on Nagato, and he gave a faint, mocking smile.
“Well then, can you hand those eyes over to me? That way, you’ll be spared from a battle that was never meant to be yours.”
“Hmph!”
Nagato didn’t answer. He only gave a cold snort, shifting into a battle stance.
The other Akatsuki exchanged glances. In the next instant, Sasori unfurled a scroll, and at once the Third Kazekage puppet appeared at his side.
Kakuzu’s body split, several masked constructs tearing away to circle him.
Itachi’s eyes transformed instantly into the Mangekyō, while Kisame hefted the great blade Samehada.
“I see.”
Kitagawa Gen watched the scene unfold, sighing as he gave a small nod.
Yet within, his curiosity only burned brighter. He already knew from Kisame about Nagato’s transformation.
And now, he was eager to find out—
Just what level of power did this so-called “complete” Nagato truly possess?
“It seems letting go is too difficult for you. That’s fine—you can keep holding on. Then…”
[Vmmm—]
In the blink of an eye, he struck.
“I’ll take them myself.”
The words were spoken lightly, almost casual, but they rode on the roar of chakra.
The Sword of Totsuka, paired with a black-rod-forged blade, lashed out silently.
At once, a storm erupted, sweeping through everything around them!
Kakuzu slammed both hands against the ground. A towering wall of earth, like a fortress rampart, surged upward.
Yet the barrier lasted only an instant before the blade sliced cleanly through it.
“What—?”
Kakuzu’s face darkened. His jutsu had been torn apart so easily?
Seeing this, Sasori had no choice but to direct the Third Kazekage puppet to unleash Magnet Release.
But even this wall of iron sand didn’t hold for long. To Sasori’s shock, a massive bulge swelled across its surface—
[Boom—]
The wall shattered, scattering endless black sand across the ground!
And the shockwave, visible to the naked eye, surged wildly outward, sweeping straight toward Sasori.
“Damn it!”
Both Sasori and Kakuzu paled. One hurriedly maneuvered the Third Kazekage puppet to evade, while the other bolted to the flank.
But before either could escape, they were wrenched back by an overwhelming pull.
“Summoning Technique!”
Nagato struck the ground with his palm. In an instant, several summoned beasts burst forth from the earth, roaring as they shielded Sasori.
[Boom—]
The trailing shockwave crashed heavily into them. Blood sprayed in torrents as their bodies split apart with agonized howls!
Yet under Nagato’s control, their broken forms fused back together once more.
“An impressive use of power.”
Kitagawa Gen nodded lightly. But in the next moment, the blade—woven with Yin Release and Yang Release—came down again.
[Boom—]
The earth quaked. The summoned beasts were obliterated in an instant, their forms vanishing into nothingness.
“What—?”
Even Nagato was shaken. Weren’t these summons supposed to be immortal?
But there was no time to dwell on it—the edge of Kitagawa Gen’s blade was already arcing toward him.
“Shinra Tensei!”
Nagato gritted his teeth and raised his hand. A violent repulsive force exploded outward, straining to hold back the strike.
“Amaterasu!”
Uchiha Itachi seized the opening. His Mangekyō spun, and black flames surged toward Kitagawa Gen.
Yet Kitagawa Gen didn’t even think to evade. He only cast a glance at the seething blaze.
[Vmmm—]
A strange power burst forth. The black fire froze in midair before him, unable to advance even a fraction.
The next moment, the flames dropped to the ground instead, spreading and devouring everything in their path.
By now, both Sasori and Kakuzu had broken free of the pull, and their hands blurred through seals in unison.
Like a storm of iron needles riding a tide of raging flames, the attacks surged straight toward Kitagawa Gen!
“A well-timed chance… but still.”
Kitagawa Gen gave a slight shake of his head, his tone dripping with mockery.
He suddenly raised his hand, and a luminous barrier bloomed before his palm.
The storm of needles and fire vanished almost instantly into nothingness. Only then did he continue speaking.
“It seems only one of you has learned a lesson. The rest of you… haven’t learned a thing at all.”
“…”
Witnessing this terrifying display, even Nagato fell silent along with the others.
Though only a few brief exchanges had passed, they could already feel just how outrageous this man’s power truly was.
Nagato, in particular, clenched his jaw tight. Every dōjutsu this man had used just now—he knew them all.
But to wield them to this level? That was beyond him.
The precision, the absolute mastery of every detail… it was something he hadn’t come close to grasping.
'Who is this man? Why does he wield such power?'
Nagato’s fists tightened. The others’ expressions grew equally grim, their faces taut with dread. The danger posed by this man was far greater than they had imagined.
“Well then, I suppose I’ll need to take this a bit more seriously. But before that…”
At that moment, Kitagawa Gen’s voice cut through the silence once more.
“I think it’s better if we change the venue, don’t you agree?”
The instant his words fell, Nagato and the others felt their surroundings shift in a blur.
Just a moment ago, they had been within Konohagakure—
Now, they stood in a forest outside the village.
When they turned back, they could still see Konoha’s walls in the distance.
“This is—”
Their hearts trembled. They hadn’t even sensed it, yet they had already been displaced.
Such mastery of space… what a terrifying ability!
“Of course, crushing a few ants would hardly trouble me. But…”
Kitagawa Gen hovered above them, and now a violent surge of chakra burst from his body.
“…I’ve never considered stepping on ants to be anything worth boasting of.”
His chakra swelled in torrents, flooding outward until, in the next instant, it encased his entire form, solidifying around him.
“You lowborn creatures are no different. The problem is, you’ve taken something I want, yet you refuse to hand it over. That troubles me.”
Bathed in surging chakra, his entire form wavered, half like a phantom, half like a god.
In that instant, he had entered the Tenseigan Chakra Mode!
“As a token of respect for your courage, I’ll let you experience my power.”
His eyes—radiant, dazzling like twin stars—swept over the stunned assembly. Then he smiled faintly.
“Your defeat is inevitable, lowborn creatures.”
...
“What is this…?”
On the moon, the Ōtsutsuki glanced toward the massive Tenseigan, its surface flickering violently.
They exchanged looks, but at last only sighed and turned away.
They had seen too much already; such phenomena no longer concerned them.
As long as the Tenseigan did not collapse, they cared little.
Besides, they had long since accepted themselves as dwellers of the heavens.
Their view of the shinobi world was likely no different from this.
...
“He’s finally revealed himself? And with such force?”
In Mount Myōboku, Gamamaru’s eyes snapped open. He felt the torrent of raging chakra and immediately sensed the gravity of the situation.
“Great Sage!”
Just as he was about to trace the chakra’s source, Fukasaku came rushing in.
“Great Sage, we may have found him!”
“Oh?”
Gamamaru’s usually drowsy eyes widened.
“Where is he?”
“A report from the toads Jiraiya dispatched—the source is in Konoha. One of our little toads has already gone there.”
“Konoha…?”
Gamamaru could hardly believe it. At once he used the Telescope Technique to fix upon the toad stationed in Konoha.
And at that moment, he seemed to see a hazy silhouette.
“Finally… I’ve found you, Ōtsutsuki Genshiki.”
