Chapter 82: Nagato's Upper Limit
Facing Yahiko's structured and relentless attacks, Ishiro teetered precariously on the edge of defeat. However, he always managed to hold on, narrowly avoiding defeat—partially because Yahiko hadn't been fighting at his full strength.
Yet, despite not losing immediately, Ishiro found himself unable to create any meaningful distance.
Eventually, relying on his combat experience, Ishiro spotted a small gap in Yahiko's attacks and finally managed to pull away slightly.
Not wasting the precious opportunity, Ishiro immediately started forming hand seals the moment he created distance. As Yahiko moved forward again, Ishiro launched a sharp water line toward him.
Caught by surprise at Ishiro's swift jutsu execution, Yahiko scrambled to dodge awkwardly, leaving him vulnerable. Ishiro seized this chance, following up with a Water Shockwave, forcefully pushing Yahiko even further back.
Using the brief moment when Yahiko cautiously awaited further attacks, Ishiro began preparing a more complex technique: the Group Water Line Technique.
Though individually weak, a group of water lines was not something Yahiko could risk enduring. Recognizing his disadvantage, Yahiko had no choice but to keep retreating.
Once Yahiko finally regained his footing, he noticed Ishiro still forming seals. Waiting a few more seconds, he grew increasingly irritated—was he being underestimated?
In fact, Ishiro felt rather embarrassed himself—he hadn't intended such a lengthy process. But after all, he'd just recently learned this jutsu, and it was an ideal chance to practice.
Ultimately, Yahiko decided not to risk advancing again. Having missed his chance earlier, pushing forward now would only trap him further.
Eventually, Ishiro released his completed jutsu: Exploding Water Shockwave. However, due to the significant distance Yahiko had maintained, the technique only caused minor chaos, leaving Yahiko disheveled but largely unharmed.
Thus, their match ended awkwardly.
Watching a frustrated Yahiko and an embarrassed Ishiro, Konan smiled gently, stepping forward to ease the atmosphere. She addressed Ishiro: "Let me fight you next."
Ishiro immediately agreed, grateful for the distraction.
Against Konan, Ishiro's battle was even more frustrating. Both specialized in long-range combat, but Konan had the distinct advantage of flight.
Although Ishiro didn't know how long Konan could sustain her flying state, he was certain he couldn't outlast her in a prolonged battle.
Her Paper Release covered an enormous range. Although most of the paper was harmless, the occasional hidden explosive tags were incredibly troublesome.
Worse still, her unique Kekkei Genkai required no hand seals, nullifying Ishiro's greatest strength—his quick sealing speed.
After desperately dodging around and unleashing numerous ninjutsu without successfully clearing the storm of paper, Ishiro finally admitted defeat.
Lastly, Nagato faced Ishiro. Ishiro was deeply familiar with Nagato's Rinnegan abilities from the original story, but he naturally had to hide this knowledge. Besides, at this stage, Nagato likely hadn't fully explored the Rinnegan's potential and wouldn't rely on it heavily during their spar.
Considering the monstrous physical stamina of the Uzumaki clan, Ishiro wisely avoided close-range combat, creating distance immediately and initiating a long-range ninjutsu duel.
Clearly, Nagato was intentionally holding back, choosing not to engage in close combat and instead relying on ninjutsu, which wasn't his specialty.
It wasn't that Nagato lacked ninjutsu talent, but rather that Jiraiya, being loyal to Konoha, avoided teaching them advanced Leaf Village techniques. Thus, Nagato's ninjutsu was mostly limited to lower-level techniques he'd picked up from Rain Ninja.
Yet Ishiro also struggled in this long-range exchange. While he seemed to possess numerous ninjutsu, both single-target and area-based, few were practical in rapid combat. Plus, his elements were limited to water and earth.
In contrast, Nagato wielded ninjutsu of all five chakra natures, though his techniques were limited mostly to C-level.
Nevertheless, these diverse elemental jutsu made Ishiro's battle particularly difficult, allowing Nagato to consistently exploit Ishiro's elemental weaknesses.
Fortunately, Ishiro's Water Pressure Line Technique was exceptionally powerful, nearly equivalent to B-level strength despite its simpler execution. This allowed him to hold his ground against Nagato's varied elemental attacks.
Yet, it was obvious to everyone watching: without a shift in strategy, Ishiro's eventual defeat was inevitable.
Thus, when Nagato launched a fire jutsu, Ishiro quickly created an Earth Wall to hide himself momentarily, then secretly produced an Earth Clone behind it.
However, this move unexpectedly hastened his defeat. Before the Rinnegan, such minor tricks were laughable.
Nagato immediately recognized the earth clone, countering Ishiro—who had stealthily approached via underground—with a perfectly timed Shinra Tensei, knocking him flying.
Witnessing this, Yahiko burst into laughter, clearly feeling vindicated by Ishiro's even greater embarrassment.
In truth, Ishiro had deliberately tested the Rinnegan's abilities by employing this obvious clone tactic. After all, his current persona shouldn't know the true extent of Nagato's abilities. Without such probing, Ishiro knew he'd never uncover Nagato's limits.
Across these three battles, Ishiro could only hold his own against Yahiko. Against Nagato and Konan, he had virtually no room to fight back, which left him feeling somewhat dispirited.
Afterward, the four began reviewing the sparring sessions. Although Yahiko's team had superior power, their understanding of ninja combat was limited. Ironically, it was Ishiro, the defeated one, providing most of the guidance.
Ishiro shared many insights previously taught to him by Inoue, especially useful for Yahiko, a fellow taijutsu fighter.
Regarding Konan, Ishiro advised her to diversify her paper ninjutsu with hidden explosive tags shaped like shuriken. Although individual shuriken posed minimal threats, mixing explosive tags into a storm of paper shuriken would become impossible to counter effectively.
Lastly, when it came to Nagato, Ishiro hadn't remotely touched his upper limits and initially had nothing to offer. However, he recalled Naruto's original combat style and saw potential for Nagato to adopt a similar approach.
In the original storyline, Nagato had awakened the Rinnegan under extreme conditions, rapidly releasing its powers. But at that time, he was merely an upper-level Jonin with immense chakra reserves. Consequently, that sudden release damaged his body permanently, severely limiting his physical abilities.
But now, Nagato had naturally reached Jonin-level strength without forcibly activating the Rinnegan. Thus, he could gradually explore its powers without overloading himself. Now, fully capable of using Uzumaki clan-level chakra reserves, Nagato could approach combat differently.
Ishiro suggested thoughtfully: "Nagato, your chakra capacity is massive, and your red hair suggests you're from the Uzumaki clan. I don't know how you ended up in the Land of Rain before the destruction of the Uzumaki homeland, but I believe this guess is correct."
"In our village, I have a friend my age named Uzumaki Yumi, also with immense chakra. She effectively uses solid clones during combat to wear down opponents and gather information simultaneously."
"Maybe this approach would suit you well."
He paused briefly, adding, "Unfortunately, the earth clone technique I use is village-exclusive and can't be taught outside, otherwise I'd gladly share it."
Yahiko quickly interjected, "Ishiro, please don't risk offending your village for us. That would make us feel terrible."
To Yahiko, Ishiro's future within a major shinobi village was incredibly promising. He didn't want to jeopardize the career of someone they considered a like-minded friend.
Ishiro smiled reassuringly, refraining from further comment.
Meanwhile, Nagato and Konan began contemplating Ishiro's advice. Particularly Nagato, whose analytical mind quickly envisioned various tactics using solid clones, opening a vast array of combat possibilities.
Nagato had momentarily pondered Ishiro's accuracy regarding his Uzumaki origins, but now, he was far too absorbed in imagining clone-based battle strategies.
After a short rest by the lakeside, Ishiro curiously asked Nagato, "Nagato, how can you perform chakra nature transformations of all five elements?"
Although Ishiro knew it was the Rinnegan's innate ability, he feigned ignorance convincingly.
Nagato thoughtfully replied, "I'm not entirely sure. Wind chakra comes easiest, but using other elements hasn't posed much difficulty either."
He added, "But the first time I tried each new element, I felt something awaken deep within me—like hidden attributes in my body suddenly activated."
Listening carefully, Ishiro pondered how exactly the Rinnegan altered Nagato's body.
"Perhaps the changes were subtle," Ishiro speculated. However, Nagato's description made Ishiro reconsider—perhaps the Rinnegan wasn't subtly reshaping Nagato's body but awakening dormant potential directly.
Inspired by this thought, Ishiro began to form a bold new hypothesis.
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