Sage Mode Comes Naturally

Of course, he could not simply let the other side absorb his Chakra and turn them to stone right away. That would be far too obvious, and Nagato would certainly become wary of how he knew the abilities of those puppets.

So, he still needed to put on an act.

"Chidori!" Kenichi Amamiya activated his Sharingan. With its assistance, he could finally precisely control the point of impact and direction of his Chidori.

Nagato and Konan stood to one side, watching. Neither of them commented on the ear-piercing ninjutsu.

"Blocking Technique Absorption!" As the Preta Path assumed a strange stance, the lightning in Kenichi Amamiya's hand vanished the next second.

Kenichi Amamiya curled his lip. This ability was truly useful. Too bad it required the Rinnegan; otherwise, he could make a Chakra Defense Armor that absorbed ninjutsu directly after being worn. Wouldn't that make him ridiculously overpowered?

Yet his face still showed a trace of disbelief, his acting utterly convincing.

Taking the opportunity, the Preta Path grabbed Kenichi Amamiya's hand. The next second, Kenichi Amamiya "stunnedly" discovered that his Chakra was actually being absorbed!

Fortunately, Kenichi Amamiya was not a ninja who relied entirely on ninjutsu. He kicked the Preta Path away with a powerful kick, then used the Body Flicker Technique to open the distance.

"You can actually absorb Chakra?" Kenichi Amamiya asked, his face grave.

Not an idiot. Nagato nodded inwardly. With such an obvious ability on display, if Kenichi Amamiya still could not figure it out, then he was not qualified to join Akatsuki.

Intelligence was extremely important, but much of a ninja's intelligence gathering happened during battle. The speed at which one gathered information could also determine victory or defeat.

The Preta Path said nothing. Instead, he waved a hand and made a provocative gesture, carrying the air of a master challenging ten opponents at once.

Kenichi Amamiya took a deep breath and activated his Chakra sensing once more. This time, he again sensed the Natural Energy around him.

With the Preta Path as a safety net this time, Kenichi Amamiya directly let go and began absorbing it. In an instant, countless streams of Natural Energy surged joyfully into his body.

Kenichi Amamiya had no choice but to control the incoming Natural Energy, balancing it with his physical and spiritual energy.

Originally, Kenichi Amamiya had thought this process would be extremely dangerous and slow. Yet to his surprise, his body adapted to the Natural Energy almost instantly, and a new kind of Chakra energy was born within him.

Sage Art Chakra!

"It was... that easy?" Kenichi Amamiya opened his eyes in astonishment.

"Hm? Why did his face change?" Konan noticed something. Kenichi Amamiya's face had changed.

Dark Gold markings had appeared on his face, surrounding the corners of his eyes like lightning patterns etched into his skin.

Nagato frowned slightly. What was this ability?

Feeling the immense energy in his body, Kenichi Amamiya grew excited. So this was Sage Mode? He could indeed feel the enormous boost to his body. This ability was quite useful!

And there were no signs of him losing control. He had also entered Sage Mode extremely quickly.

Kenichi Amamiya could not help but marvel. As expected of the Sage Body of Hashirama Senju, the Ninja God. This physique was truly terrifying. This was the difference between a Genius and an ordinary person.

"Leaf Strong Whirlwind!" Kenichi Amamiya did not use his new ninjutsu. Instead, he sent a kick directly at his opponent. The other side could absorb ninjutsu, so there was little point in using Senjutsu.

Nagato did not object. His Preta Path could absorb Chakra as well as ninjutsu, so using taijutsu to deal with it seemed like a good choice.

But once his body was caught, then...

Sure enough, the Preta Path did not care about the damage to its body. It firmly grabbed Kenichi Amamiya's leg and began absorbing Chakra.

Kenichi Amamiya's eyes held a smile. This was exactly the moment he had been waiting for. He had to admit, the feeling of knowing his opponent's abilities in advance, almost like reading spoilers, was truly wonderful.

"Hm? Preta Path..." Nagato showed a trace of shock. He discovered that he had lost his connection to the Preta Path. Then he saw that his Preta Path had actually turned into stone!

It was then kicked by that Konoha's Rogue Ninja, shattering into fragments all over the ground.

"Does this mean I passed the test?" Kenichi Amamiya turned back and asked Nagato and Konan, who had been watching. Konan remained silent.

Only Nagato could make such a decision.

"It does. But how did you petrify him just now?" Deva Path Pain walked over, handed Kenichi Amamiya a ring, and asked casually.

Kenichi Amamiya lowered his head and looked. It was a ring engraved with Gyokunyo. It looked quite nice, so he casually put it on.

"Your Comrade can absorb Chakra. I just refined Sage Art Chakra, and absorbing too much Natural Energy will cause the body to petrify." Kenichi Amamiya had no intention of hiding it.

If Nagato knew, he probably would not have any reservations about him, which would also benefit Kenichi Amamiya's future development.

"Senjutsu? Natural Energy? I understand." Deva Path Pain pondered for a moment before nodding.

"I am the leader of Akatsuki. You may call me Pain. This is Konan." Pain spoke calmly, then handed Kenichi Amamiya another ring.

Kenichi Amamiya examined it curiously. It was the ring bearing Kong.

"It is your teacher Orochimaru's ring. Give it to him later. Afterward, I will explain Akatsuki's development plans to you." As soon as Pain finished speaking, the Preta Path was revived as well.

Kenichi Amamiya glanced at it. This ability was truly useful. It was revival in the truest sense, and even worked over an area. It was simply unreasonable.

"All right. I'll take it back to my teacher." Kenichi Amamiya nodded, then looked at Pain's eyes.

The Rinnegan... he really wanted to study it.

But he probably could not defeat Pain if he made a move now. He needed to find a way to study an Anti-gravity Device first.

"Mm. Tasks will be arranged for you later. This is also for Akatsuki's growth." Pain was rather considerate toward the first group to join his organization, even offering an explanation.

"I understand." Kenichi Amamiya answered seriously.

Hurry up and recruit Kakuzu! How could Akatsuki grow stronger without Kakuzu, the ultimate money-making tool?

Kenichi Amamiya did not have that much time to go out and make money.

But speaking of making money, Kenichi Amamiya thought of the first minor boss Naruto and the others had encountered.