Chapter 222 – Raimei Hakke
(Thunderclap Eight Trigrams)
"May I ask everyone present to lend me a little... face?"
A calm, almost playful voice echoed through the shattered ruins.
Five of the Six Paths of Pain were sent flying, their bodies crashing violently into the debris-laden streets of Amegakure.
"Ugh… so you really came after all," Jiraiya muttered, his voice weak yet tinged with something between relief and resignation. His eyes—still fierce even in the shadow of death—looked at Yusuke with a swirl of complex emotions.
No one truly wished for death, but if dying meant leaving behind meaning… that was a different story. That was the path Jiraiya had chosen as a shinobi.
"Jiraiya-nii," Yusuke said softly, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "You didn't actually want me to come, did you? You were planning to die here—to make Tsunade feel the pain of losing someone like family… so that I'd get angry, and finally create that 'peaceful shinobi world' you've always dreamed of."
The silver-haired young man's words pierced deeper than any blade could.
The bond between Jiraiya and Tsunade wasn't mere friendship—it was kinship forged through decades of shared scars and unspoken affection.
Jiraiya let out a small, bitter laugh. "As expected… there's nothing I can hide from you."
It was true. His plan was to use his death as a spark—to awaken Yusuke's fury, his influence, his overwhelming power. With Yusuke's reputation alone, he could bring the entire shinobi world to its knees.
It wouldn't be a lasting peace—but it would buy time. Enough for Naruto to grow stronger. Enough for the next generation to find a real way forward.
"Jiraiya-nii," Yusuke said quietly. "Thinking too much only wears you down. You're just one person—you can't rewrite other people's wills. In the end, that obsession of yours… it's a lonely dream."
"Is that so?" Jiraiya chuckled weakly, his voice trembling between pride and sorrow.
A cold, mechanical voice cut through the air. "What is your purpose here?" The Deva Path—Pain's main body—stared down Yusuke with its emotionless Rinnegan eyes.
To him, even killing his own master was a necessary act of devotion—to realize peace through pain. Not for himself, but for Yahiko's dream.
"Silence," Yusuke said. "Don't interrupt when the adults are talking."
In an instant, the crushing weight of his power slammed down upon all six bodies of Pain. The earth groaned. The air itself seemed to bend under the pressure.
"Jiraiya-nii…" Yusuke's tone turned colder. "Do you truly believe in that so-called Will of Fire you've carried all this time?"
"I do," Jiraiya answered, voice ragged but firm. "I've always believed in it. And I believe… that peace will come. Naruto is the child of prophecy—the one who'll bring that peace to the shinobi world."
"Peace, huh?" Yusuke's gaze darkened. "Tell me, Jiraiya-nii—do you really think founding Konoha and ending the Warring States Era under the First Hokage was true peace?"
"I… don't know," Jiraiya admitted after a pause.
Yusuke's voice deepened, cold and sharp as steel. "He was called the God of Shinobi. Yet in the end, he was still human. Hashirama Senju ended an age of endless battles, but then divided the Tailed Beasts—living weapons of mass destruction—among the nations. To most, that was an act of benevolence. But in truth… it was a mistake."
He slowly clenched his fist, the air crackling faintly around him.
"By sharing that power, he didn't create peace—he sowed the seeds for future wars. After his death, the world fell into the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars. The so-called 'peace' was nothing more than embers smoldering beneath the ashes."
The oppressive aura faded slightly as Yusuke opened both palms.
From his hands surged a terrifying force—Conqueror's Haki, condensed so purely that it shimmered as a blade of invisible energy. Crimson lightning flickered across its edge as Armament Haki layered over it, giving form to a weapon unlike any the world had ever seen.
A sword—not the curved katana of Fire Country samurai, but a true sword, radiant and sovereign.
"What… a terrifying weapon," Jiraiya whispered.
"This sword," Yusuke said softly, "is the Sword of the Heavenly Emperor. Do you know what it represents, Jiraiya-nii?"
Jiraiya said nothing. His breath came shallow, his body too weak to respond.
"It means—'Peerless under heaven. The world bows before it.'"
His tone carried neither arrogance nor pride—only a chilling certainty.
"You… want to unite the shinobi world?" Jiraiya managed, between labored breaths.
"No," Yusuke said flatly. "I have no interest in ruling anything. But you know, Jiraiya-nii… I don't think anyone in this world deserves to wield this sword. It was forged from the foundation of Conqueror's Haki itself. Even Hashirama Senju wasn't worthy of lifting it. Not because he was weak—but because he lacked something… the fate of a king."
Yusuke stared at the blade, its crimson light reflecting in his eyes.
"The shinobi world… without unity, peace will always be fragile. What it needs is someone who can suppress every power beneath a single will. But such people are exceedingly rare."
Jiraiya coughed violently, blood spilling from his lips.
"Jiraiya-nii," Yusuke said softly, "I'm not mocking your dream. But if it truly means that much to you, then you should be the one to realize it—don't leave it to others."
He suddenly vanished, reappearing beside Jiraiya in a single step. Placing a hand over the older man's severed arm, Yusuke activated the power of the Ope Ope no Mi. The limb seamlessly reattached, and a moment later, flames of azure life energy washed over Jiraiya's body.
The wounds closed. His breathing steadied. His vitality returned.
"Amazing…" Jiraiya muttered, dazed. Even now, he couldn't help but marvel at Yusuke's impossible abilities.
"So," Yusuke said, smiling faintly. "Do you still want to fight me?"
"I just want to test… the strongest power in the shinobi world," replied the Deva Path coldly.
Nagato's true body—revived by Yusuke once before—was now at the peak of his strength.
"Then I'll indulge you," Yusuke said casually.
He raised one hand—and from thin air, a massive spiked club appeared.
"Huh?! Is that… a weapon?" Jiraiya blinked, his old grin flickering back despite himself.
The iron kanabō was enormous, easily taller than Jiraiya himself, and bristling with brutal metal studs. Its weight alone seemed to warp the air.
In the shinobi world, no one used weapons like this. It was far too heavy, far too raw. But for Yusuke—it fit perfectly.
"Kanabō," Yusuke said, smiling faintly. "Sometimes, you just want to hit something hard enough to feel alive."
"Can I… take a look at it?" Jiraiya asked half-jokingly.
"Sure," Yusuke said—and tossed it casually toward him.
Jiraiya's instincts screamed. He leapt aside.
The kanabō crashed into the ground—instantly forming a crater five meters deep.
Jiraiya stared at it, sweat dripping down his temple. "Yusuke… how heavy is that thing?"
"Not too bad," Yusuke said with a shrug. "About… twenty thousand jin or so."
And then he lifted it effortlessly with one hand—as if it were nothing more than a feather.
"Amazing…" Jiraiya muttered again, speechless.
"Come," Yusuke said, grinning like a beast.
The Deva Path readied himself. He knew full well that getting hit by that weapon even once meant instant death. He needed to keep his distance.
"Shinra Tensei!"
Pain unleashed a massive repulsive wave, hurling a boulder the size of a house toward Yusuke.
Yusuke sighed. "That's not fair, you know…"
He swung his kanabō once.
"Raimei Ikka — Thunderclap, One Trigram."
The boulder shattered instantly—reduced to dust and fragments that scattered across the ruined city.
"Come on," Yusuke said, resting the massive club on his shoulder as he charged forward like a storming barbarian.
The remaining Paths of Pain launched a barrage of coordinated long-range attacks.
Yusuke didn't stop. His voice rang out again—each word resonating like thunder through the battlefield.
"Raimei Nika — Thunderclap, Two Trigrams!"
"Raimei Sanka — Thunderclap, Three Trigrams!"
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And finally—
"Raimei Hakke — Thunderclap, Eight Trigrams!"
The kanabō came crashing down.
The world itself trembled. The rain stopped midair. The sky split open.
The thunder roared—not from the heavens, but from Yusuke himself.
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