Naruto: Echoes of a Distant Home

Reflecting kunai, dispersing jutsu, absorbing jutsu, and possessing the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths... Just who is this person?

Ao, who narrowly escaped, looked somewhat bewildered.

The Giant Drill-Beaked Bird ultimately fell to Mei Terumi's poison, corroded into a pile of sludge with the help of her comrades, using her Lava Release.

On the other side, Kisame, adept in Water Release, was assigned to control the Water Prison Technique to restrain the troublesome three-headed Hellhound.

On a high ground some distance away, Ye Zi and White Zetsu stood side by side, observing the clash below.

"Absorbing jutsu… truly a convenient ability, and with a summoning beast too. He can summon three at once," Ye Zi muttered.

White Zetsu said, "The Rinnegan's abilities go far beyond this."

"Of course I know that. But the information Madara provided me about the Rinnegan was incomplete. If I want to know more, I'll have to see it with my own eyes," Ye Zi said calmly.

White Zetsu chuckled and said, "Leave the intelligence gathering to me."

Ye Zi glanced at him, saying indifferently, "Your abilities are inherently suited for that. If I don't leave it to you, who else?"

White Zetsu shrugged. He preferred watching from the sidelines rather than fighting.

"Nothing new can be observed for now. The abilities Nagato has shown so far are more than enough to deal with these Mist Shinobi."

Ye Zi's gaze swept over the Mist Shinobi and Nagato on the battlefield. With just one move, a dozen Mist Shinobi had fallen, yet Nagato had only revealed a portion of his strength.

It seemed that, given the capabilities of these Mist Shinobi, this was all they could accomplish.

Meanwhile, he contemplated how he might counter the abilities Nagato had demonstrated.

If he absorbed jutsu, then physical attacks would be the way to go.

That repulsive jutsu that scattered the Mist Shinobi was probably a form of repulsion. It was less effective offensively but highly effective defensively.

With the ability to absorb jutsu and repel close-range physical attacks, one could basically hold an unbeatable position.

But every technique must have a weakness… If there's a chance to spot it, it will have to come from these Mist Shinobi showing some worth.

Ye Zi observed the battlefield attentively. The Giant Drill-Beaked Bird was dead, the three-headed Hellhound restrained, the Giant Snake-Tailed Chameleon hidden and waiting for an opportunity, while the Mist Shinobi were regrouping for a new wave of attacks.

Only three seconds left until Shinra Tensei can be used again… In a surprise attack, he could take out some of the Mist Shinobi.

Nagato looked at the battlefield, his gaze lingering on the Mist Shinobi's third squad.

With the Hellhound restrained, this squad was positioned close together. Since there were no other summoned beasts to distract them, bringing out the chameleon wouldn't be useful.

Summoning Jutsu!

In astonishment, the Mist Shinobi watched as Nagato summoned two more giant creatures, a centipede and a rhino, each embedded with black rods and possessing the Rinnegan in their eyes.

The large rhino charged straight toward Mei's second squad without hesitation, followed by the centipede.

"This person's abilities are truly terrifying," many of the Mist Shinobi thought in their hearts.

Two seconds left…

Nagato remained motionless, something Ye Zi noticed keenly.

The second squad prepared to deal with the rhino and centipede, while the third squad attacked Nagato from a distance with various jutsu and hidden weapons, not daring to approach him.

Even if Nagato could absorb jutsu, he couldn't avoid the hidden weapons.

Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!

An earthen wall quickly rose to block the Water Release techniques and hidden weapons.

With the Rinnegan, Nagato had mastery over the five basic chakra nature transformations, though he rarely used conventional elemental jutsu, preferring the Rinnegan's unique abilities.

One second left…

This time, he did not use the absorbing or repulsive jutsu.

Ye Zi noticed this, as did a few of the Mist Shinobi.

Why use Earth Release for defense this time?

Naturally, questions arose.

Time's up…

At that moment, the cooldown for Shinra Tensei had ended.

Banshō Ten'in! (Almighty Pull)

Nagato's shadow clone suddenly extended its hand toward the densely packed third squad of Mist Shinobi.

In an instant, a powerful suction force pulled in over a dozen Mist Shinobi within the area.

"What…?"

Their expressions changed dramatically. The force was so strong that, mid-air, their chests and abdomens were pulled forward, while their heads and limbs were forced back, leaving them unable to form hand seals.

Shinra Tensei!

Nagato's original body's eyes opened wide, and a powerful repulsive force blasted the Mist Shinobi pulled towards him.

Splat!

The Mist Shinobi, suspended mid-air for barely a second, suddenly seemed frozen in time. Their bodies were crushed, blood streaming from their mouths, eyes, noses, and ears.

Their eyes bulged and burst into bloody mist, and their bodies exploded mid-air, mashed into unrecognizable blood and flesh. Yet, instead of splattering around, it was like they were squeezed between two invisible walls.

As the technique's duration ended, a rain of blood and flesh fell from mid-air.

The remaining Mist Shinobi, fighting against the summoned creatures, and Kisame, maintaining the Water Prison Technique to restrain the Hellhound, were all horrified.

On the high ground, Ye Zi frowned, not due to the gruesome scene but because…

"It's all mixed up now." Ye Zi looked at White Zetsu.

White Zetsu understood that Ye Zi wanted him to collect the blood and flesh afterward, but he shook his head, clearly disinclined. "Let's skip that. It's all piled up, and these Mist Shinobi aren't that remarkable. If there were any with Kekkei Genkai, I'd consider it."

Ye Zi agreed with White Zetsu's reasoning and didn't insist on gathering the remains.

Only about six seconds had passed, yet another dozen Mist Shinobi had been eliminated. When faced with ninjutsu and hidden weapons, Nagato opted for Earth Release defense instead of the repulsive technique.

Was it because he couldn't use it?

But two seconds later, he had used it again.

Is there a restriction? Perhaps it can't be used immediately after each use.

Otherwise, by scattering jutsu with the repulsion, deflecting hidden weapons, and then pulling in the Mist Shinobi with the attraction technique, he could've inflicted more damage without wasting chakra.

It seems there's a cooldown of five to almost six seconds before it can be used again.

Ye Zi pondered this. It was only an initial hypothesis, not confirmed yet.

The remaining Mist Shinobi, shaken by the bloody scene, realized how terrifying Nagato was.

As far as they remembered, Nagato's original body hadn't moved an inch since the start of the battle, yet their side hadn't managed to inflict even a scratch on him. In contrast, within mere seconds, over twenty of their comrades had fallen.

Ye Zi noted that Nagato's main body hadn't moved at all. Standing there, he had wiped out numerous Mist Shinobi in mere moments, as if he were invincible.

The rhino charged toward Mei's squad but was quickly immobilized by a single Swamp of the Underworld technique, posing no threat. Meanwhile, the centipede was hacked into pieces by the Mist Shinobi's concentrated attacks.

This sequence of events was brief. The hidden chameleon managed to capture one Mist Shinobi but didn't accomplish much beyond that.

The summoned creatures appeared formidable, yet against so many Mist Shinobi elites, their impact was minimal.

But ultimately, the summons weren't the real issue. Nagato himself was the truly daunting enemy.

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