Of course, he couldn't just walk up and let the guy absorb his chakra and instantly turn to stone.
That would be way too obvious.
If Nagato realized he'd already figured out the Paths' abilities… then he'd be the one under surveillance.
So for now, Kenichi had to put on a show.
"Chidori!"
Lightning shrieked to life in his hand.
Kenichi's Sharingan spun open, tomoe whirling. With its help, his control over Chidori had finally become razor sharp—no more half-blind lunges, no more brute forcing the attack.
This time, his angle and trajectory were perfect.
Nagato and Konan stood off to the side, watching.
They didn't comment on the noisy technique—just observed quietly, evaluating.
"Sealing Technique: Absorption Seal."
Preta Path stepped forward, hands moving into a strange posture.
In the next second, the lightning in Kenichi's hand simply… vanished.
Like someone had pulled the plug on reality.
Kenichi's mouth twitched.
Yeah, that ability is still disgusting.
If he could slap that onto a full chakra armor, anyone wearing it could walk through ninjutsu like a stroll in the park. Absorbing attacks on contact? Absolutely broken.
Unfortunately, that package came bundled with the Rinnegan.
His face, however, showed only shocked disbelief.
"What the—?!"
Preta Path didn't give him time to recover.
He grabbed Kenichi's arm, and Kenichi felt it immediately—
His chakra being pulled out of him, like someone opened a drain in his core.
…Yeah, there it is.
Good thing he didn't rely only on ninjutsu.
Kenichi snorted, twisted his hips, and lashed out with a kick, blasting Preta Path away, before body-flickering to open some distance.
"You can absorb chakra?" he asked, expression grim.
"Not an idiot," Nagato thought, watching through the Rinnegan.
That much was basic.
If Kenichi still couldn't figure it out after that first exchange, there'd be no point in including him in Akatsuki. In real combat, the speed at which you gathered intel often decided who lived and who didn't.
Preta Path didn't speak.
He simply gestured with one hand, curling his fingers in a taunting "come on" motion.
Like he was about to re-enact 'Ip Man fights ten', Ame-style.
Kenichi exhaled slowly.
Then, quietly, he reached out again with his senses.
Natural energy.
It was everywhere.
The moment he opened himself to it, he felt it respond—
A tide of power, surging toward him like overenthusiastic fans at a supermarket handing out free eggs.
This time, with a literal chakra vacuum cleaner standing in front of him as a safety net…
Kenichi stopped holding back.
He let the natural energy flood in.
It rushed into his body in waves—
Wild, exuberant, eager to merge.
He hurried to control it, guiding it into balance with his physical and spiritual energy, waiting for the instability, the danger, the tipping point toward mutation—
And then, suddenly—
It clicked.
The three energies merged, smooth as water flowing into water.
A new kind of chakra bloomed inside him.
Sage chakra.
"...That's it?"
Kenichi opened his eyes, genuinely stunned.
"Hm?" Konan frowned slightly. "His face changed…"
Around his eyes, dark golden markings had appeared, stretching outward like sharp lightning patterns. They weren't paint or tattoo—they felt alive, naturally etched into his skin.
Nagato narrowed his eyes.
This power…
Inside, Kenichi was practically buzzing.
This was Sage Mode?
His body felt light.
Strong.
Every muscle, every nerve, every breath—it all felt like it had been upgraded several tiers at once.
And the best part?
No pain.
No loss of control.
No hint of his body turning to stone.
"Sage Mode, first try, no side effects, huh…" he thought, almost impressed with himself.
Then he corrected that thought.
No—it's not me.
It was this body.
The Sage Body of Hashirama Senju.
He finally understood why the First Hokage had been treated like a walking cheat code. If this was how easily he entered Sage Mode too, then of course everyone else looked like clumsy beginners in comparison.
Tsunade learning this would probably cough blood on the spot.
Kenichi suppressed the excitement and moved.
No ninjutsu.
"Konoha's Strong Whirlwind!"
He stepped in and launched a sharp, spinning high kick, his foot carving an arc through the air toward Preta Path.
Pure taijutsu.
If the opponent's whole deal was "eat all the ninjutsu," then fists and feet were the obvious solution.
Nagato watched calmly.
Preta Path's ability could absorb chakra and erase techniques.
But the instant he grabbed an opponent, that same ability could devour the chakra inside their body, turning the fight into a one-sided slaughter.
As long as he survived the first hit, they'd win.
So instead of dodging, Preta Path stepped into the attack, arms wide, letting the kick land.
Bone cracked. Flesh twisted.
He didn't care.
His hands clamped down tightly around Kenichi's leg.
And he began to absorb chakra.
From Kenichi's perspective?
It was perfect.
The smile in his eyes was impossible to hide.
Hook, line, sinker.
This was what it felt like to fight someone you'd already seen spoilers for.
And with his Sage chakra already circulating, the outcome was inevitable.
"…Hn?"
Nagato's expression finally changed.
His link to the Preta Path suddenly—
Cut.
He focused, switching perspective—
And saw Preta Path's body turn rigid, then gray, then rough.
In the span of a breath, the man had become a statue.
A stone effigy gripping Kenichi's leg.
Kenichi looked down at him, then calmly pulled his leg free and shattered the statue with one casual kick.
Stone fragments scattered over the wet ground.
Kenichi turned back toward the watching duo.
"So," he asked, almost cheerfully, "does that count as passing the test?"
Konan said nothing.
She looked at the rubble, then at Nagato.
This was his call.
"…It counts," Tendō Pain said.
He walked forward slowly, reached into his sleeve, and produced a small ring.
He held it out.
Kenichi glanced down.
A ring engraved with the character "jade" (玉).
Not bad-looking, actually.
He slipped it onto his finger without hesitation.
"But tell me," Nagato continued, "what did you do to turn him to stone?"
"No big secret." Kenichi shrugged, not bothering to hide it. "Your guy can absorb chakra. I just switched to sage chakra."
He lifted a hand and tapped near his eye.
"Sage chakra is formed by mixing physical, spiritual, and natural energy. If a normal person absorbs too much natural energy, their body can't handle it… and they turn to stone."
"...Sage arts. Natural energy." Pain nodded slowly.
"I understand."
He paused, then looked Kenichi straight in the eye.
"I am the leader of Akatsuki. You may call me Pain. This is Konan."
He produced another ring.
Kenichi took it and turned it over in his hand.
The character on this one was "sky" (空).
"For your teacher, Orochimaru," Pain said. "Have him wear it when he joins. Once you're both in place, I'll explain Akatsuki's long-term plans."
As he finished speaking, the shattered remains of the Preta Path stirred.
The stone crumbled further, turned to dust, and from somewhere else—
The Path revived.
Whole and functional again.
Kenichi watched the process with poorly hidden interest.
Full resurrection. Remote revival. Multi-body networking.
The Rinnegan really was unfair.
"Got it," he said, closing his fingers around Orochimaru's ring. "I'll deliver it."
His gaze slid once more to those rippling eyes.
Rinnegan.
He really wanted to dissect one. Just once.
But yeah… right now, he'd lose that fight.
He needed a few more cards.
Maybe something to counter gravity.
"From now on," Pain said, "you and your teacher will receive missions from Akatsuki. They are to strengthen the organization. I expect results."
"I understand," Kenichi replied seriously.
And the sooner you recruit Kakuzu, he thought silently, the better.
If Akatsuki wanted to expand across the continent, they'd absolutely need that immortal accounting machine.
Kenichi didn't have the time—or patience—to grind money on his own forever.
And speaking of money…
His mind drifted to the first "mini-boss" Naruto's team would one day meet.
A certain man with a monocle, a sword, and a very exploitable source of income.
Kenichi's smile sharpened just a little.
The future was starting to look… profitable.