Divine Paper Person Technique

The Yamanaka Clan's secret techniques were actually somewhat underwhelming.

Whether it was the "Mind Body Switch Technique," the "Mind Disturbance Technique," or the "Body Mind Switch Puppet Curse Seal Technique," these secret techniques could not be called weak, but their upper limits were not particularly high.

Under normal circumstances, anyone below Kage level—even a Jōnin—would find it difficult to escape the control of the Yamanaka Clan's secret techniques.

However, against Kage-level or super-Kage-level experts, these secret techniques simply were not enough.

Anyone with sufficiently powerful Chakra could forcibly break free from the control of these secret techniques through their own strength.

That made things awkward.

These secret techniques were godly for crushing weaker opponents, but they often could not be brought out in high-level battles.

Thus, among the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, Yamanaka Inoichi had relatively few opportunities to act. Aside from rescuing Comrades at crucial moments, he had always kept a low profile, lying in wait for the right opportunity.

Although these secret techniques could only control enemies for a brief moment in high-level battles, as long as the timing was right, they could still turn the tide.

Just like in the Fourth Great Ninja War, when everyone had been helpless against Kinkaku, the false Nine-Tails Jinchuriki summoned through Impure World Reincarnation. In the end, Yamanaka Inoichi controlled Kinkaku for an instant, making him answer the Sealing Squad's call and get sealed inside the Amber Purifying Pot.

During the earlier battle against Uchiha An, he had only rescued Nara Shikaku once and had not acted again afterward.

Since both sides were from Konoha, they understood his Ninjutsu far too well, leaving him no opportunity to make a move.

But this time, against Konan, things were different.

Konan knew nothing about him, so he could completely catch her off guard at their first meeting.

And the results were indeed excellent. Yamanaka Inoichi's "Mind Disturbance Technique" interrupted Konan's evasive maneuver at exactly the right moment and controlled her into releasing the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

Though Konan broke free after only an instant of hesitation, it was already enough for Akimichi Choza to complete the capture.

"Konan!"

Pain roared and charged out from his hiding place like a madman.

But his concern had thrown him into disorder. Although Konan lacked combat experience, her secret techniques had exceptional life-preserving capabilities. She would not be so easily killed.

When Akimichi Choza opened his hand, Konan's corpse turned into a pile of white paper that scattered on the wind toward the ground. Midair, it gathered together again and reformed into Konan.

Konan gave Yamanaka Inoichi, who had ambushed her once, a deep look before turning her head to reassure Pain.

"Pain, I'm fine."

"It's not your time to act yet."

"Go back. Leave this to me."

Pain swept his strange eyes across the faces of the Konoha People, firmly imprinting every one of them in his mind. Only then did he snort coldly and vanish from where he stood.

Though he had not made a move during his brief appearance, he had drawn everyone's attention.

Looking at those peculiar eyes, Nara Shikaku could not help feeling secretly startled.

What was going on in the Land of Rain?

Why had another Kekkei Genkai Ninja appeared?

Since when had Kekkei Genkai become so easy to come by?

And those eyes... they felt strangely familiar, as though he had heard of them somewhere before...

As one of Konoha's great clans, the Nara Clan had a long history, and its own archives contained records of all manner of things. Furthermore, as the trusted advisory strategists of generations of Hokage, Konoha's intelligence system was also open to Nara Shikaku.

It was not strange at all that he had seen intelligence regarding the Rinnegan.

But information related to the Rinnegan and the Sage of Six Paths was simply too ancient. Even where records existed, they were mostly treated as myths and legends.

For the moment, he could not connect those eyes to the legendary Rinnegan—the same eyes as the Sage of Six Paths—and merely assumed they were some strange Dojutsu Kekkei Genkai.

For no reason at all, a trace of unease suddenly arose in his heart.

Especially when he abruptly noticed that their primary target, "Uchiha Itachi," had actually run over to a tree nearby and was sitting on one of its branches, leisurely watching the spectacle. His feet swung back and forth beneath the branch, and he looked completely relaxed.

Even after the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki had been snatched back by them, "Uchiha Itachi" seemed not to care in the slightest, showing no intention of coming over to take him back.

Damn it!

Something was wrong here!

This battle had begun for no apparent reason!

But there was no turning back once the arrow had left the bow. Several of their Ninja had already died, so this matter was destined not to end peacefully.

But... if they made enemies on both sides, what would happen to their mission?

"Uchiha Itachi" alone was already difficult enough to handle. Add two Kekkei Genkai Ninja from Amegakure, and they likely would not be able to keep "Uchiha Itachi" here. Perhaps he really would escape today.

That would not do!

I want the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki!

And I cannot let "Uchiha Itachi" go either!

Nara Shikaku's brilliant mind immediately began racing at high speed, trying to find a way to break the deadlock.

But Konan would not wait for him.

Someone had caught her off guard, and she had nearly left her life here. Even Pain's eyes had been exposed. Konan was furious with herself.

Although Pain had not made a move, and no one seemed able to recognize the Rinnegan for now, once the Konoha Ninja returned and investigated, the information would likely be leaked.

Especially since Teacher Jiraiya was also a Konoha Ninja. He knew far too much...

Naturally, Konan was already considering silencing everyone before her.

With a sweep of the wings behind her, she took flight again with Flapping Wings.

Having learned from her earlier mistake, she did not shoot straight into the sky. Instead, she curved and wheeled through the air, tracing elegant arcs as she evaded Akimichi Choza's Giant Palms while also avoiding another mental assault from Yamanaka Inoichi.

She circled around Akimichi Choza's body, darting back and forth, before finally stepping onto his massive arm and racing upward against its length. When she reached his shoulder, she flung out both arms. Her arms transformed into countless sharp-edged paper sheets, whipping up a storm as they blasted toward Akimichi Choza's head, aiming directly for vulnerable spots like his eyes and ear canals.

"Paper Rain!"

However, Akimichi Choza's shadow suddenly came alive. Like a giant python, it slithered over his shoulder and transformed into dozens of Shadow Whips before him, weaving a dense net of blockade through the air. With an impenetrable flurry of lashes, they sent every paper sheet flying.

But the paper sheets flipped Out of thin air, their surfaces blooming with ink-black markings as they became Explosive Tags. Fluttering through the air, they stuck themselves onto Akimichi Choza's body.

"Oh, is the Divine Paper Person Technique finally coming?"

Uchiha An hurriedly backed farther away, afraid that the explosion might catch him.

Konan definitely did not have six hundred billion Explosive Tags yet, but she surely already had sixty million. And she did not need sixty million—just sixty thousand Explosive Tags would be enough to effortlessly blast Akimichi Choza into ashes.

The difficulty of using Explosive Tags had never been their quantity, but how to actually hit someone with them.

As long as they hit, a single Explosive Tag was basically enough to take out a Jōnin.

Akimichi Choza's defenses did indeed increase after he enlarged himself, but they had their limits. At most, he could only endure a few more hits.

Uchiha An retreated far away and found another tree to sit in, happily watching them fight to the death. Yet he failed to notice a strand of purple thread emerging from the distance behind him, silently slithering toward him. Wherever it passed, plants withered and Sand and Stones changed color, leaving a conspicuous purplish-black trail across the ground.