Shinigami in the Ninja World (Naruto x Bleach)

What disturbed Pain wasn't just the abnormal extraction speed.

There was also something leaking out of Naruto's body.

Those unknown black, viscous substances slowly gathered in the air.

This was a situation that had never occurred before.

He lifted his head.

Although it was still daytime, the sky suddenly darkened, as if it had been tainted by those substances.

A shiver ran through his heart.

It wasn't the pressure from Naruto's strengthening "aura" from the outside in, but rather a sense of impending doom from the inside out, as if he had encountered a natural enemy.

This was a feeling he hadn't experienced since he "evolved" into a "god."

Extracting this person's soul might not be a good idea.

As this thought crossed his mind, the long-haired puppet had already reached out and completely pulled Uzumaki Naruto's soul out of his body.

Konan's pupils widened in disbelief.

This soul was entirely different from any other soul that the Human Path had extracted before.

In the past, when Nagato used this technique, the souls he extracted were deep purple, mixed with chakra, and nearly impossible to discern—"resentful souls."

However, Naruto's soul still retained his appearance, even his clothing: a black shihakusho and a white haori.

Before everyone's eyes, the now soul-form Naruto was completely unaffected by the control of the Human Path.

"That's enough help for now." He reached out, grasped the long-haired puppet's wrist, and said softly, "I'll handle the rest myself."

The remaining half of the spirit body effortlessly walked out of the physical shell.

The blond body, now without support, fell downward.

The two Nine-Tails stepped onto his soul's shoulders.

Naruto extended his hand.

Golden chains flew out, wrapping around his physical body and sealing it within a scroll.

"What is this?" Pain was finally somewhat moved, his tone filled with disbelief.

He could understand "resurrection," as the Rinnegan had the power to bring the dead back to life.

But a soul that still possessed immense power after leaving the body—this was something he couldn't comprehend at all.

Naruto looked down at himself. "If you call yourself a god at this level, then I am undoubtedly the..."

"Shinigami, Uzumaki Naruto."

He swung his blade.

The black, viscous substance began to boil, forming dotted lines in the sky, making the whole world seem blurred and indistinct.

The pressure followed.

The Rinnegan puppets creaked under the strain, squeezed by the intense force.

Konan's face was especially grim.

Kisame in the water, his smile froze, and his swimming slowed considerably.

This pressure was far more immense and clearer than what they had felt before.

Naruto looked past the water and toward the underground.

The power of the "Sage of Six Paths" was now incredibly clear in his perception.

However, it did not act as decisively as it had when capturing other people's "souls."

Instead, it was lying in wait, observing.

Ever since his initial encounter with the "Sage of Six Paths," when the Truth-Seeking Ball easily shattered chakra but failed to destroy his "spiritual power" immediately, Naruto had realized that "chakra" and "soul" might be two completely different forces.

However, Naruto did not know the technique to separate the soul from the body.

Of course, the Soul Society possessed this technology.

Kūgo Ginjō had mastered it.

But as a captain, the procedures to go to the real world were cumbersome. He had only been there twice on missions and had never used a "temporary Gigai," so he hadn't learned such seemingly "useless" techniques.

During his time in the ninja world, he had conducted some research, but compared to other things, it wasn't as urgent.

Now, however, his hypothesis was confirmed.

Naruto twisted his wrist. "As a token of my gratitude, let me show you this power."

He slashed with his blade.

The summoning puppet raised its black rod to meet the attack.

Sparks flew.

The black rod remained unscathed, but the puppet's body couldn't withstand the strain; whether it was the pressure from spiritual power or a more powerful force, it was beyond its capacity.

Pain was astonished.

Even after separating from his physical body, Uzumaki Naruto's strength hadn't diminished—in fact, it had become even stronger.

"Surprised?" Naruto said with a hint of pleasure as he pierced the summoning puppet and split it in two. "Even I didn't realize it."

"As a member of the Uzumaki clan, my physical strength was already several times greater than that of ordinary ninjas."

"But compared to the strength of my soul, it's still far inferior."

In his physical state, chakra was the dominant force between chakra and spiritual power. Though he didn't yet understand why he could use "chakra" as a medium to unleash Kido and the power of the Shinigami.

Although his strength remained formidable, there was a layer of "conversion," a weakening that he hadn't anticipated.

However, in his soul state, although chakra still existed within the spirit body, when using the "power of the Shinigami," the soul's power was fully in control.

Without that "conversion" weakening, spiritual pressure was fully released.

The purple-faced creature swung its hand-like tongue.

Natural energy circulated under the stimulus of chakra, trying to reconnect to the "power of the rules" it had just adapted to.

But...

"Shut your mouth!" Naruto shouted, crushing it with spiritual pressure.

The purple-faced creature's head was pinned down by an invisible hand, its upper and lower jaws snapped shut tightly.

The "spiritual power" and "natural energy" controlled by chakra, in the presence of the current Naruto, were like a small stream crashing into the ocean—instantly extinguished and recoiling.

Even the puppet in front of him weakened, its legs giving out as it knelt on the water's surface.

Pain felt a heavy weight in his heart.

Using the "Human Path" was a terrible decision.

But who could have predicted that someone’s "physical body" would actually be a constraint on their power?

Naruto turned his head and looked at Konan.

She was hovering at the edge of the battlefield, maintaining a hand seal with both hands.

Pain’s protection of her was not just out of camaraderie.

Was it a technique that could decide the outcome of the battle?

He raised his hand and began an incantation.

"Sprinkled on the bones of the beast!”

"Sharp tower, red crystal, steel ring."

"Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm."

Spiritual pressure gathered in his palm, golden lightning crackling, disturbing the air, trembling the void, spreading mottled traces.

What immense power!

The mere aftershock created a strong wind, causing ripples on the water as if it were about to split apart.

Konan flapped her wings, trying to escape.

Golden chains surged forth, binding her body.

She released the seal she had been maintaining, attempting to use another Paper Release Jutsu.

But...

The chains also sealed her chakra.

"The sound of warring spears fills the empty castle!" Naruto finished the last line of the incantation.

The lightning fully took shape.

On his shoulder, the two Nine-Tails also gathered chakra, aiming at the same target as Naruto.

"Hadō #63. Raikōhō (雷吼炮, Thunder Roar Sear)."

The lightning shot straight out.

A tailed beast bomb also erupted from his mouth, entwining with the lightning, twisting into a spiral.

Konan struggled fiercely.

But her strength was like an ant trying to move a mountain, unable to shake it in the slightest.

Pain raised his hand: "Then let me show you the true power of a god."

"No, not that technique..." Konan realized something.

But her warning couldn't stop the chakra burst at that moment.

Naruto glanced sideways.

The "Rinnegan" unleashed an unparalleled power.

The chakra from the several puppets was also drawn out.

All of it converged on "Pain."

"Super Shinra Tensei."

From his palm, "repulsive force" erupted, pushing outward.

The "Raikōhō" and the "Tailed Beast Bomb" were forcibly redirected, heading far off into the distance.

But the power of this technique did not end there.

Naruto’s body was uncontrollably thrown back.

Kisame’s water dome on the ground was partially obliterated by the shockwave, sliced cleanly in half.

In the direction facing the Land of Fire, a radius of tens of kilometers was flattened by the "repulsive force," trees uprooted, hills leveled.

With just this one technique, the entire landscape was transformed.

From a forested hill...

To a flat wasteland.

In the Land of Rain, within Rain Village.

Two men with Sharingan stood atop the "Pain statue," gazing at the distant battlefield.

"What a terrifying power," the masked one spoke, "The title of god is truly well deserved."

"Will the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki survive in such a situation?" Uchiha Itachi spoke, his tone calm.

The masked man shook his head, "Who knows."

"Someone's coming." Uchiha Itachi looked down, noticing a ninja from Amegakure, "Hiding in the shadows..."

"Is it Jiraiya?"

The masked Uchiha remained silent.

"Should we stop him?" Uchiha Itachi asked.

The masked Uchiha shook his head, "Let’s wait a bit longer."

He felt uneasy.

To have forced the "Rinnegan" to unleash such power...

He had a feeling that "Uzumaki Naruto" wouldn't die so easily from this technique.

"Let him meet... Nagato."

Almost all of Akatsuki's forces had been diverted to deal with the battle against "Naruto."

There were a few Jonin left to guard, but with their abilities, it was hard to detect Jiraiya.

After some searching...

A ninja under the control of Jiraiya's "Toad Flatness — Shadow Manipulation Technique" entered a room.

It was empty, no lights, completely dark.

But...

Jiraiya could see.

A huge life-support device stood inside, with a skeletal figure embedded in it, covered in dense black rods inserted into his back.

He had a head of red hair, and in his slightly purple-tinged eyes, ripples of rings shimmered.

"Jiraiya-sensei, since you’ve come, you might as well show yourself." He tilted his head, looking at the Rain ninja, his gaze fixed on a shadowy spot on the ground.

Jiraiya emerged from the shadows, his expression solemn: "Nagato, it really is you!"

Nagato spoke, his voice weak, "I didn't expect Jiraiya-sensei to be able to reach this place."

"But even if you’ve come, what can you do?"

Jiraiya gritted his teeth: "What happened to you all?"

"What made you do something like this?"

Nagato's tone was calm: "It’s all because of the war."

"Many people here have died, including Yahiko..."

"Those wounds made me grow."

"Made me, after experiencing endless pain as a human, grow and transform."

"From a human... into a God."

"Jiraiya-sensei, are you trying to stop a god with your ordinary, fragile human body?"