After a test battle against a genuinely powerful opponent, Habara felt a distinct lack of substance. Even with a massive influx of chakra, his combat methods hadn't changed significantly. The only real difference was that he no longer had to worry about running out of juice.
Clearly, he wasn't living up to his newfound power level.
Of course, it wasn't fair to be too harsh on Habara for being "trash." He was like a pauper who'd suddenly struck it rich; it was perfectly normal for him to struggle with adjusting to his new circumstances and effectively wielding his vast chakra reserves. Habara was, after all, a normal person. Aside from his wild ideas and imaginative leaps, his talent as a ninja was pretty mediocre. He didn't possess exceptional adaptability.
Luckily, Nagato was also still getting used to the Rinnegan. While the Deva Path was formidable, its range of techniques was somewhat limited. Currently, they were a pair of birds of a feather, so Habara didn't need to be too worried about his safety.
Habara stood up, wringing out the wet hem of his clothes. He then took slow, deliberate steps forward, stopping when he was about twenty meters from the Deva Path.
Feigning ignorance of the Rinnegan, he spoke, "Amegakure has a powerhouse like you? Now it's clear why Hanzo couldn't quell the unrest within the Land of Rain."
Habara had no intention of fighting any further. One-on-one, he could still try to maneuver and use his opponent as a sparring partner to consolidate his gains. But a two-on-one fight was almost certainly a losing proposition for him right now. He was just throwing out a few lines before making his escape.
This was about saving face, even in defeat.
Habara discreetly glanced at Kakuzu, who'd been tossed to the ground. It seemed the Deva Path had been fighting him just now… but Kakuzu was covered in mud, looking like a mud-caked monkey, and Habara couldn't even tell who it was.
However, Nagato, in a display of exemplary villainous behavior, had absolutely no intention of listening to Habara's nonsense. He simply raised his left hand towards Habara again.
Nagato was a "god," after all. Who was Habara to deserve a conversation?
Habara silently reflected on his own self-importance. It seemed he'd thought too highly of himself; Nagato hadn't even bothered to acknowledge him.
Simultaneously, he began a rapid retreat, constantly seeking cover behind obstacles to avoid being directly exposed to Nagato's line of sight.
In the midst of Habara's dodging and weaving, Nagato silently lowered his arm. It was difficult for him to accurately use the Rinnegan's power in this situation, unless he wanted to blast the entire area to smithereens. However, since these weren't his original eyes, overusing the Rinnegan's dojutsu placed a significant burden on Nagato.
Konan glimpsed Nagato's hand raise and then lower, but she decided to pretend she hadn't seen anything.
"He escaped," the Deva Path said, slowly tilting his head up to gaze at the clouds above. He had clearly sensed someone taking flight.
"A Magnet Release ninja? From Konoha, not Sunagakure?"
From Habara's previous use of techniques highly similar to the Third Kazekage's, Nagato easily deduced that Habara was a Magnet Release user. Thus, it wasn't surprising that Habara could fly.
Magnet Release ninjas could fly, after all.
Black Zetsu seemed like he wanted to say something, but ultimately, he chose to remain silent. It wasn't that he was deliberately concealing information about Habara. It was because Obito's performance on the night of the Nine-Tails attack had been so embarrassing. Black Zetsu chose to protect Obito's face… after all, the current Uchiha Obito was "Uchiha Madara." Madara could lose, but he couldn't be too pathetic.
Being too pathetic meant losing prestige. Losing prestige meant losing intimidation factor. And losing intimidation factor meant being unable to ensure that Nagato carried out that plan… Therefore, Black Zetsu temporarily withheld information about Habara.
Thinking this, Zetsu slowly moved forward. He arrived beside the still-unconscious Kakuzu and quickly identified him. "Let's put the matter of the Konoha ninja aside for now. We've been quite lucky… This man is Kakuzu, a rogue ninja from Takigakure. He's a skilled ninja capable of using five types of chakra natures. His abilities could be useful. We were planning to recruit him into the organization anyway, and now he's delivered himself right to us."
The Deva Path didn't respond to Zetsu's words. He raised his head, his expressionless face turned towards the fine, misty rain falling from the sky… Although the Deva Path appeared quite profound, after hearing Zetsu's words, Nagato was actually thinking it was a good thing he hadn't killed Kakuzu on a whim just now. It turned out the man might actually be useful…
Even if it was just using trash to its full potential.
Habara was back on his "mount." Although he'd only briefly engaged with Nagato, he'd gained some valuable insights.
The Deva Path was indeed difficult to deal with. His techniques, while simple, were remarkably airtight. The only opening was the five-second gap between uses. So, to deal with him, Habara would have to close the distance as quickly as possible… If only there were another ninja who had mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique.
But Nagato's situation wasn't urgent. He didn't even necessarily need Habara to deal with him. There was still the "Child of Prophecy," Naruto. Wouldn't Naruto talking Nagato to death be more interesting than some grand battle?
What Habara needed to consider now was mastering the enormous chakra within him and resolving his "false bulk" problem.
He flew away from the Land of Rain. However, after entering the Land of Fire, he didn't immediately return to Konoha. Instead, he headed towards the nameless mountain where the Three-Tails was imprisoned.
Habara exchanged a greeting with the gatekeeper there and then entered the protective barrier.
So, what was he going to do next?
Habara jumped down from the eagle's back. The gray eagle circled a few times before landing in front of Habara. It discreetly glanced at Habara, perhaps feeling that its landing position was a little off, and then took a few small, shuffling steps to the side.
Then, Habara began forming hand seals… Ninja Art: Summoning Technique.
A snake and a tiger, currently located on the Red Earth Plateau in the Land of Earth, were summoned to this place by Habara. From now on, this mountain would be their new home.
The mottled tiger, upon seeing Habara, immediately tried to pounce on him. It was clear that after only a day apart, it missed its master dearly. Habara could only slap the big cat aside once more.
"Ahem, Rock, Scales, Stripes, from now on, this is your new home. This mountain should be large enough for you to hunt, but be careful to maintain the ecological balance. You need to make your own judgments about what you should and shouldn't eat."
Having said this, Habara ignored the three summoned beasts and walked into the mountain cave.
But could these three even understand human speech?
Rock: Can I understand human speech? Scales: I don't know. Stripes: I definitely can't.
Habara hid himself within the mountain cave, intending to strengthen his control over the chakra within him. His method was very simple… It was said, it was said, that the built-in batteries of new electronic devices needed to be discharged and recharged several times before their performance stabilized. Habara decided to do just that.
There was a miraculous ninjutsu that could act as a training accelerator, and Habara knew it well. It was the "reward" Orochimaru had given him back then… the Shadow Clone Technique. The Multi Shadow Clone Technique was, in essence, no different. It was just that the latter created so many clones that it could easily kill a ninja with insufficient chakra, making it a forbidden technique.
Habara brought his index and middle fingers together, crossing his hands to form the "Ram" seal. In an instant, the cave was filled with his clones.
Honestly, including the previous use of the Summoning Technique, Habara found it incredibly interesting every time he formed hand seals… Ninjas actually needing to form hand seals? How novel! How fascinating!
At this moment, the "split personality" and sensory expansion brought about by the Multi Shadow Clone Technique felt even more novel.
"Alright, let's start practicing… Anyway, with this much chakra, let's just go wild." Habara nodded. There were so many of him here, each with the same cold, lead-gray eyes. Seeing so many eyes staring back, Habara himself felt a chill.
In short, it was just…
Come on, let's have some fun, we've got plenty of energy.
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