Naruto: Cultivating to Immortality

Chapter 409 Konoha Crisis 18

As the black sphere slowly rose into the air, it began to emit a dazzling light, as radiant as the sun. Pain's full-force release of the black sphere revealed his position, but he remained calm. Before he could fully activate his technique, countless chakra bullets rained down on him. However, Pain was prepared; he swiftly dodged, easily avoiding the dense attack. The spot where he had just stood was instantly reduced to ruins, filled with smoke and dust. But Pain, having completed his preparations, stood firmly on the ground. Facing the rapidly approaching Tailed Beast Naruto, he showed no fear and made no further attempt to dodge.

"Planetary Devastation!" Pain's face turned extremely grim, his icy gaze fixed on Naruto and the others below. As he clasped his hands together again, a powerful surge of chakra erupted from his body. At the same time, the entire earth began to tremble violently, as if a gigantic monster was about to emerge from the ground.

Naruto, in his tailed beast form, felt the intense tremor; his beastly instincts told him of a grave danger. However, before he could react, the surrounding ground began to rapidly crumble into countless tiny fragments. These fragments, as if drawn by some force, flew into the sky, forming a giant sphere.

Naruto, in his tailed beast form, exuded a powerful aura and roared like a wild beast, clearly showing no intention of giving up. He took a deep breath, and his chakra began to gather frantically, as if to ignite the surrounding air. Then, he opened his mouth, and a massive torrent of chakra erupted from it, like a chakra cannon shining brightly. This chakra cannon, carrying unparalleled power and speed, charged straight at Pain, launching a breathtaking long-range attack.

Seeing the attack coming again, Pain's expression remained unchanged. He simply raised his palm slightly to block it. Suddenly, a powerful repulsive force erupted from his palm, deflecting the incoming chakra projectile. The chakra projectile hurtled towards its target at an even faster speed, instantly hitting the target and causing an explosion.

Before his opponent could recover from the explosion, Pain swiftly extended his other hand, palm facing him. A powerful gravitational force instantly activated, pulling his opponent tightly in. Under the influence of this immense gravity, his opponent was completely immobilized, losing any chance to continue attacking him.

As time passed, the black sphere in the sky began to unleash unimaginable gravitational pull, a force so powerful it seemed poised to tear the world apart. The earth began to tremble violently, rocks and soil crumbling and forming deep, bottomless fissures. These fissures spread rapidly, dividing the land into countless smaller pieces.

Not only that, even the originally solid mountain peaks could not withstand this terrifying gravitational force and began to crack. These cracks started from the mountaintops and extended downwards, eventually splitting the entire mountain in two. Huge boulders rolled down the mountains, triggering a chain reaction that caused even more mountains to collapse.

At this moment, countless fragments of rock began to be pulled by gravity, flying towards the sky. These fragments danced in the air, creating a spectacular sight. They streaked across the sky like meteors, rushing towards the black sphere with boundless power. Some fragments collided with each other during flight, generating intense energy fluctuations that made the surrounding air scorching hot.

Naruto, in his tailed beast form, was unable to move due to the powerful gravity; his feet sank deep into the ground, as if being held firmly by the earth. As the gravity intensified, cracks began to appear in the ground, and soil and rocks detached from the surface, flying towards the sphere in the sky.

This change deprived Naruto of the opportunity and ability to continue attacking Pain, forcing him to focus his attention on the sphere composed of countless fragments of rock in the sky. This sphere was expanding at an alarming rate and emanating intense energy fluctuations, creating a terrifying sense of oppression.

Naruto's chakra surged continuously as he tried his best to resist the powerful gravity. However, despite his struggles, he was unable to break free. He realized that if he didn't find a solution soon, not only would he be sucked into the sphere, but the entire battlefield would also suffer a devastating blow.

At this critical moment, Naruto decided to unleash his full power to contend with this mysterious force. He took a deep breath, and his chakra erupted instantly, forming a powerful current that spread outwards. At the same time, he spat out a blazing chakra bullet, shooting it directly at the sphere in the sky.

The surface of the sphere in the sky was violently bombarded by chakra bullets, instantly erupting into countless plumes of smoke and flames. However, despite such intense attacks, the sphere steadfastly maintained its immense gravity, relentlessly pulling at all the rubble and objects on the ground.

Seeing this, Naruto, in his tailed beast form, felt a surge of indomitable fighting spirit. He disregarded everything else and launched a frenzied barrage of attacks at the sphere. Each attack was accompanied by powerful chakra energy, streaking across the sky like brilliant meteors before slamming into the sphere.

As Naruto continued his attacks, countless chakra bullets began to explode on the sphere, releasing enormous amounts of energy. The shockwaves and smoke from these explosions filled the air, turning the entire battlefield into chaos. The sphere's gravity seemed to weaken due to this series of attacks, and the rubble and objects on the ground finally showed signs of loosening.

Hidden behind the scenes, Nagato sensed the changing situation on the battlefield and realized that he had to take stronger measures to deal with it. Although he knew that his body could no longer withstand the enormous strain brought about by the Planetary Devastation, he resolutely decided to give it his all.

Nagato's eyes hardened with determination. He disregarded his own safety, channeling all his chakra into Chibaku Tensei. As he increased the intensity of the chakra transfer, his body trembled, and bright red blood began to trickle from his nostrils and mouth. However, he did not stop; instead, he gritted his teeth and persevered.

He knew this was a crucial moment; if he couldn't successfully unleash Planetary Devastation, all his efforts would be in vain. Therefore, no matter the cost, he had to ensure the successful activation of this technique. Nagato held only one belief in his heart: to capture the Nine-Tails and bring true peace to the world!

Konan, who was guarding Nagato, felt a surge of anxiety upon witnessing this scene. She keenly sensed that Nagato's life force was draining away at an alarming rate, as if being tightly gripped by an invisible hand. This depletion not only weakened Nagato's body but also seriously threatened his lifespan. However, despite knowing this, Konan understood that no amount of persuasion could change Nagato's mind. She sensed an unwavering conviction within him, the conviction entrusted to him by Yahiko when he died in her arms. This conviction, like a burning flame, illuminated Nagato's path, leading him to choose this arduous journey without hesitation. Although deep worry was evident in Konan's eyes, she remained silently by Nagato's side, offering no attempt to hinder him. She knew that Nagato's decision was not impulsive but a carefully considered choice. Therefore, even with immense reluctance, Konan chose to respect Nagato's wishes and accompany him on this difficult journey.

As Nagato increased the transfer of chakra, the power of Chibaku Tensei erupted once more, the gravitational pull became even stronger, and the ground and mountains turned into rubble at an even faster speed. Even the rocks under Naruto's feet in his tailed beast form began to shatter and were pulled over by the sphere in the sky.

Even in his tailed beast form, Naruto could no longer resist the immense gravitational pull. His body was violently pulled and slammed against the sphere. Before he could react, countless pebbles began to crash into his body, quickly engulfing him completely and rendering him utterly powerless to resist. He was completely submerged within the sphere.

As time passed, gravity finally stopped, and a huge sphere appeared in the sky, like a planet hanging in the sky, obscuring the entire sun.

Looking at the enormous sphere in the sky, Konan showed a helpless expression. Seeing Nagato's heavy breathing, already riddled with holes, she said with heartache, "There was no need to create something so huge!"

"Huff, huff, the opponent is the Nine-Tails... We can't hold back! And compared to the legendary creation of the moon by the Sage of Six Paths, this is nothing! Anyway, that's how we captured the Nine-Tails." Nagato spoke to Konan, whose face was filled with worry, while breathing heavily. Every time he thought of Yahiko's death, the ruins of Amegakure, and the villagers who died in the war, his aversion to war grew stronger.

The capture of the Nine-Tails is one of his key plans to bring peace to the world. He firmly believes that only through this method can the root cause of war be completely eliminated and true peace achieved. Therefore, he will devote all his efforts and spare no expense to accomplish this goal.

Nagato knew that to achieve world peace, the problem of the Tailed Beasts had to be solved first. The Nine-Tails, as the most powerful Tailed Beast, posed a tremendous threat. If they could successfully capture the Nine-Tails, they could use its power to maintain world peace. At the same time, this would be the best way to honor those who had died in war.