"Is this ninjutsu?" Ye Wuji watched the Mist Ninja use the Water Clone Technique. It really was amazing. This truly was a wondrous world. But as for the clone of Caobu, Ye Wuji couldn't tell which was real and which was fake. He remembered that in the scenes he'd seen before, very few people seemed able to distinguish clones from the real thing. Perhaps the Byakugan could tell; perhaps it couldn't. Ye Wuji didn't know. The Naruto manga he'd read before didn't seem to cover this, either.
As he busied himself with what he was doing, Ye Wuji kept an eye on what was happening with Nagato. He wasn't back at his computer watching Naruto anymore, able to focus on the plot and the ninjutsu everyone used. He, Ye Wuji, was truly living in this world now, so he couldn't just stand by and watch things unfold.
In fact, ever since Ye Wuji had arrived and seen Nagato on the back foot, he'd been thinking about when he'd first started watching Naruto and Nagato's first appearance. Nagato had sat atop a tower in Amegakure, casually assigning a mission to Kakuzu. At the time, Ye Wuji had thought Akatsuki's leader had finally appeared, and that his entrance had been incredibly cool. Though he hadn't known how powerful Nagato was, the way he'd appeared made him seem formidable. Combined with his identity, for a while he'd been the most popular candidate for Naruto's final boss. But as the story went on, Ye Wuji realized Nagato was a tragic hero, just like Yahiko. Both had strived to put an end to war. And speaking of that, he couldn't help mentioning what Nagato had said when he destroyed Konoha. Still, that didn't stop Ye Wuji from liking Nagato as a character.
"Let the world know pain." Only when the whole world knew pain could it grow through pain and bring peace. That was Nagato's wish. No, not the way he went about it—but his wish itself was a good one. Perhaps only people who'd been through similar experiences could understand one another. Ye Wuji had been an orphan in both his lives, so he could understand Nagato and the others all the better.
Sadly, Nagato had spent almost his entire life under someone else's influence and control, starting when Madara Uchiha gave him the Rinnegan. Perhaps Madara Uchiha had even arranged for Nagato's parents to die. Only then could Nagato's young heart have been marked with hatred for Konoha.
Unfortunately, plans never survived contact with change. Madara Uchiha's plan had been a good one, but who could have predicted that Konoha would produce a Naruto? Someone who could change others through his own actions.
But since he'd run into Nagato and the others here, shouldn't he do something? He could quietly leave, of course. After all, according to Naruto, Nagato and the others weren't supposed to die here. But that was just a manga. How much could it really tell him about what would happen in the real world? If Nagato and the others really died here, Ye Wuji would never forgive himself.
Besides, he'd come to this world. Maybe he wouldn't change it or become its savior, but some people really shouldn't die. If he was powerless, then so be it. But if he could do something, then he should change the fates of a few people. He could treat it as making up for the regrets he'd been left with after watching Naruto.
Ye Wuji knew he was probably still very weak, but he could at least put together a few traps. He took out the dozen or so wooden kunai he'd made, even the one the Fourth Hokage had given him. This wasn't the time to keep anything hidden. If he didn't fight for his life, he'd lose it; keeping anything in reserve wouldn't matter then.
Ye Wuji's first target was Caobu, who was using ninjutsu. The several mechanisms he'd made to launch kunai automatically were all aimed at him. There was another reason: timed mechanisms were incredibly easy to make in this world. In his previous life, they would've required all kinds of mechanisms and parts, but here, most of them only needed the chakra to be calculated properly.
Minato had taught him about this before. For example, with a mechanism that launched kunai, you could set a target among several trees and leave the mechanism in a triggered state, then use chakra to hold it back. After all, chakra gradually dissipated from inanimate objects. Once the chakra was gone, the mechanism would activate. There were also mechanisms that could be fired at any time: you only needed to leave your chakra in them, then trigger them with your chakra later. But Minato had only given him a brief explanation. It was only by combining that with the various timed devices from his previous life that Ye Wuji had figured out more.
With time running short and Ye Wuji short on weapons, he'd only set up three mechanisms. Each required him to activate it with his chakra before it could fire. By the time he'd finished setting them up, Caobu had already made his move.
Watching the four figures charging toward Nagato, with another one still standing in place, Ye Wuji couldn't tell which one was the real Caobu. Since he only had three mechanisms, all he could do now was rely on Nagato. But Caobu seemed to have taken some kind of forbidden drug. Usually, a drug like that either came with a time limit or could only be used to launch a single attack before its effects wore off.
By comparison, Hétián was the real danger. He looked as if he were at the end of his strength, but with a jōnin-level opponent like him, who knew what might happen as long as he hadn't completely collapsed?
Ye Wuji kept his eyes fixed on Hétián. As for the other Mist Ninja, they still looked capable of walking, but from what Ye Wuji had observed, they had no fighting strength left. They were also huddled together, and Ye Wuji had already aimed one of his mechanisms at them. He knew his own limits: even if he used all his chakra, he could manage at most one attack. His body was simply too small.
It's a shame I can't control those mechanisms. I should learn the Puppet Technique if I get the chance. Those Chakra Threads, for one thing—I need to learn how to use them. Anyway, learning more can't hurt.
It sounded like a lot, but in reality, only a little time had passed. By then, the four figures were almost upon Nagato, and from Nagato's expression, Ye Wuji could tell that he was about to make his move, too.
But right then, all four figures vanished at once, turning into water. They had all been water clones. At that very moment, Ye Wuji heard Caobu call out, "Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!" As his words fell, the water from the four clones hadn't even hit the ground before it swiftly formed into a dragon. It reared back with a roar, then charged toward Nagato. Caobu shouted again, "Now! Senior Hétián, it's all up to you! For the sake of Kirigakure!"
At that moment, a figure appeared behind the water dragon. A closer look showed it was the jōnin Hétián. But what puzzled Ye Wuji was that Hétián suddenly plunged into the water dragon, apparently planning to charge at Nagato with it.
Nagato watched the water dragon coming at him, with Hétián right behind it. With Konan and Yahiko behind him, he had no choice but to charge at the water dragon and meet its attack with both hands. The dragon's charge looked strong enough to smash through a mountain, but when it struck Nagato's hands, it gradually turned into droplets of water and fell. Hétián was already almost upon Nagato.
So that was it. Seeing this, Ye Wuji finally understood why Caobu had used the Water Dragon Bullet Technique at the end. They must have known Nagato could absorb ninjutsu, or chakra, so they'd come up with this plan to attack in tandem. Now, unless Nagato gave up absorbing the Water Dragon Bullet Technique, Hétián was sure to hit him. But with Yahiko and Konan behind him, Nagato wouldn't give up. If the Water Dragon Bullet Technique hit Yahiko and Konan, they'd be in serious danger.
One more thing: in the Naruto World, Genin mostly fought with Taijutsu when they faced opponents. Aside from people with Kekkei Genkai, few could use offensive ninjutsu as Genin. It was only after reaching Chunin rank that they could use some offensive techniques, and even then, they were only simple attack and defense techniques. As for jōnin, Ye Wuji wasn't sure. He'd wanted Minato to teach him some ninjutsu hand seals first. Then, once his chakra reserves increased, he'd be able to use the techniques, right? That was what Minato had told him, though there were exceptions to every rule. Clearly, Minato didn't think Ye Wuji would be one of them.
After hearing Minato explain it, Ye Wuji had also put some of his old questions to rest. Back when he'd watched Naruto, he'd wondered why people who could easily defeat their enemies with ninjutsu began by charging at them with kunai or swords, exchanging a few blows with Taijutsu—or even martial arts—before finally using ninjutsu. It wasn't just the low-level characters, either. Even the Sannin, the Hokage, the Raikage, Madara Uchiha, and Senju Hashirama all did it.
It was only as Ye Wuji gradually grew up that he learned the reason. Low-level ninja couldn't use ninjutsu. As for high-level ninja, such as jōnin, they first needed to gather information. What if you used a technique and your opponent happened to counter it? And when you reached jōnin rank, you needed to wait for the right opening to hit your opponent with ninjutsu; otherwise, you'd just waste chakra. As for people like Madara Uchiha and Senju Hashirama, ordinary ninjutsu wouldn't do much damage even if it hit them. You needed an S-rank or higher technique—and, as the last moment had shown, you still had to be able to hit them. That was why they usually saved ninjutsu for crucial moments. But it depended on the situation, and Ye Wuji didn't know enough yet to say more.
There was also someone special in Naruto: Naruto himself. He was the only one who opened every fight with Shadow Clones, no matter the circumstances. Shadow Clone Technique was an A-rank technique, but he used it against ordinary bandits just as readily as against Kage Level powerhouses like Orochimaru and the Masked Man. He just kept sending clones in from start to finish. But that was what happened when you had so much chakra—and an infinite chakra source in the Nine-Tails to replenish it. No one else could match that. Before he'd crossed over, Ye Wuji had sometimes thought Naruto was an idiot when he watched the show. But now, every time he thought about Naruto doing that, he nearly drooled. If he could, he'd do the same. It went without saying that it was safer. With so many Shadow Clones, even if you couldn't win, you could run, and most people wouldn't be able to catch you. Though Naruto had never run away.
Seeing Nagato in danger, Ye Wuji couldn't worry about anything else. If things continued, Nagato might really die. Even if Nagato's death might not have much effect on the Naruto World—Madara Uchiha could just find someone else and give them the Rinnegan—that didn't matter. Ye Wuji liked Nagato too much to let him die right in front of him. So, in an instant, he activated the mechanisms he'd set up earlier.
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