Jin-Woo stepped through.
---
The rain hit him instantly—cold, constant, and heavy.
It wasn't normal rain. Each drop felt... aware. Controlled. As if the sky itself was watching.
Jin-Woo narrowed his eyes, scanning the metal towers and narrow alleys around him. Steam hissed from broken pipes. The air reeked of blood, rust, and secrets.
> [New World Detected: Shinobi World]
[Primary Language: Translated]
[Energy Type: Chakra - Interference with Magic: Minimal]
[Status: Unknown Hostile Entities Nearby]
[Tracking Nearest Combat Threat...]
[Target Detected: Chakra Levels - High | Lifeforce - Critical]
[Identity: Unknown | Codename: "Jiraiya"]
[Recommended Action: Observe. Engage if necessary.]
Beru appeared beside him, his wings humming softly through the rain. "My king… I sense several powerful entities. One is near death. Fighting. Struggling."
Jin-Woo's eyes narrowed.
Then—he heard it.
A voice through the storm. Raspy. Proud.
"You think I came unprepared, Pain?!"
Another voice replied. Cold. Absolute.
"You will die here, Jiraiya. You've seen too much."
Jin-Woo didn't know them. But the aura—the intensity—it was familiar.
Predators.
He vanished, reappearing on a rusted rooftop.
---
Below, a battle raged in a flooded courtyard.
A white-haired man stood on a sinking platform. Blood ran down his chest, but his hands kept weaving signs. Chakra swirled wildly around him.
Jiraiya.
His enemies? Six identical figures—cloaked in black and red clouds. Their eyes: ripple-like, cold, empty. The legendary Rinnegan.
> [Scanning...]
[Entity Type: Shared Consciousness | Chakra Output: Abnormal]
[Designation: "Pain" (Six Paths Technique)]
[Combat Grade: S-Rank Threat]
"Six bodies, one mind…" Jin-Woo muttered. "Familiar tactic."
Jiraiya roared, summoning a giant toad in a cloud of smoke. Fireballs lit the sky. Water surged. Shadows twisted.
But the six enemies responded in perfect sync—using gravity, beasts, barriers. Unrelenting.
Jiraiya hesitated for a moment.
One second.
And that second was fatal.
A black rod pierced through his back.
His eyes widened. Blood spilled from his mouth.
He was falling—
Jin-Woo moved.
Shadows warped. Time slowed.
In an instant, he was there.
He caught Jiraiya mid-air, landing silently on the water with shadows swirling beneath his feet.
The toad gasped. "Who—?!"
Jin-Woo didn't speak. He looked up, eyes locking onto the six Pains.
They stared back.
> [Aggression Detected]
[Hostility Confirmed]
[Battle Mode: Activated]
[Shadow Army - Available Units: 31,442]
[Elite Units Ready: Igris, Beru, Iron, Tusk]
"Who are you?" one of the Pain bodies asked.
Jin-Woo placed Jiraiya gently beside the toad.
"I don't answer to corpses," he said calmly.
He turned his head slightly. "Beru."
Beru stepped forward, his chittering voice like thunder in the rain. "With pleasure, my king."
In a blink, Beru shot forward.
---
Pain reacted.
The Asura Path launched missiles. The Preta Path moved to absorb energy. The Deva Path raised its hand.
Too slow.
Beru's claw pierced straight through one of the bodies, sending chunks of black metal and flesh flying. A flash of light erupted—then silence.
> [One Entity Down – "Pain" (Naraka Path)]
[Reanimating... Failure.]
[Enemy Coordination: Weakening.]
The remaining five Pains moved in a blur, surrounding Jin-Woo and Beru.
From the shadows, Igris emerged, sword drawn. Iron crashed down like a tank. Tusk raised his staff, summoning fire to counter enemy chakra.
Jin-Woo stood calmly in the center of it all.
His army had arrived.
> [Shadow Soldiers Summoned: 72]
[Elite Units Active]
[Command Sync: 100%]
The Pains tried to scatter, but Igris was already at one's throat.
Jin-Woo raised a hand.
And the shadows responded.
Massive claws ripped from the ground, snatching one of the Pain bodies mid-air and dragging it into darkness. Another tried to absorb the shadows—but it only absorbed its own death.
Jin-Woo's voice was low, cold.
"This world is broken."
---
Across the battlefield, Konan watched from a tower, eyes wide.
"This chakra… no. This isn't chakra at all. What is he?"
Jin-Woo looked up.
He had heard her.
> [New Threat Detected: Paper-based Chakra Manipulation]
[Danger Level: Moderate]
[Counter: Shadow Binding - High Efficiency]
But she didn't attack.
She was calculating. Measuring.
So was he.
Then, suddenly—Jiraiya groaned. His eyes opened weakly.
"Who… are you…?"
Jin-Woo looked down at him.
"Someone passing through," he said. "But I don't like bullies."
Jiraiya gave a soft, pained laugh. "Then… you came to the right place."
The water rippled again.
The battlefield was still for a moment—then exploded with light, shadow, and fury.