"Careful Naruto, it's Amaterasu!"
Nagato's voice echoed again, a warning.
Uchiha Itachi, whose eyes had been closed, opened them. A trickle of blood ran down his cheek.
It was indeed Amaterasu, but its target wasn't Naruto. Instead, it was the three-headed dog Nagato had just summoned.
The three-headed dog let out a pained howl, dropping Naruto from above.
Simultaneously, Uchiha Itachi continued his assault, his gaze shifting to Nagato, who was atop a giant bird.
The Amaterasu flames, jet black, ignited on Nagato's body, instantly incapacitating him. Only the giant bird let out a series of mournful cries.
Next, Uchiha Itachi turned his attention to Kakuzu, who was locked in a fierce battle with Killer Bee.
As if anticipating this, Kakuzu plunged headfirst into the nearby lake.
Uchiha Itachi, now on a rampage, fixed his gaze on Lin Nan, who stood nearby.
Lin Nan jumped in surprise, about to speak, but quickly realized words were useless now.
"Amaterasu!"
Almost simultaneously, Lin Nan and Itachi spoke the same words. Blood streamed from the corners of Lin Nan's eyes.
Their gazes met mid-air, and a bewitching, terrifying black flame erupted from nowhere.
"Hm?"
Itachi's look at Lin Nan became strangely intense. The next second, his left eye opened, ready to unleash Tsukuyomi.
However, in the next instant, Lin Nan quickly waved his hand: "One against seven, I've recovered too! Have you forgotten my abilities?"
Itachi looked incredulous. "Did you copy Kotoamatsukami?"
"What do you think?" Lin Nan raised an eyebrow and smiled.
"..." Itachi, with his aloof demeanor, couldn't utter words like "awesome," but it didn't prevent him from showing immense shock. Then, "As expected of you!"
"Little Lin, you truly have given me many pleasant surprises!" Itachi suddenly sighed, his expression somewhat complex. "I really can't understand why Madara killed you!"
Lin Nan's smile stiffened. "Let's not talk about such things!"
A muffled explosion sounded in the distance. Lin Nan turned his head and saw Killer Bee being brutally beaten by a revitalized Nagato.
On the other side, Kakuzu also crawled out of the water.
"One each, let's finish this quickly!"
Lin Nan shouted.
Itachi nodded slightly and lunged towards Nagato.
Lin Nan blinked but didn't pay too much attention.
If Itachi had a choice, he generally disliked high-stakes battles.
Looking at Nagato's fight, Nagato had gained a decisive advantage. His six arms were in full display, a giant Yama head beside him, and an invisible lizard.
Both the Golden Form Naruto and Killer Bee were being utterly crushed. The power of the Six Paths of Pain concentrated in one person, Nagato, was far more than the sum of its parts.
However, Itachi's appearance meant the battle was proceeding along its normal course.
Now, it was up to him and Kakuzu, the anomalies.
In the original story, only Nagato and Itachi participated in this battle. Kakuzu was deployed to the main battlefield, not to mention Lin Nan himself, who didn't even exist.
Now, Lin Nan stood before Kakuzu.
"Truly a freak. I didn't expect you to escape this!"
Kakuzu looked at Lin Nan meaningfully, his mocking laughter directed at no one in particular.
Despite his words, Kakuzu was already in motion.
From the masks on his back, which had transformed into arms, a vast and chaotic surge of chakra began to gather rapidly.
"Unleash fire together!"
"Boom!"
A thick blast, carrying five elemental chakra natures, erupted from his mutated hand, hurtling directly towards Lin Nan.
Meanwhile, Lin Nan.
His arm had also undergone mutation. Simultaneously, a similar blast erupted.
"Bang!"
As the two shockwaves collided, debris flew and strong winds swirled.
They continued to clash, seemingly locked in a stalemate.
This was Lin Nan's predicament.
Although he could perfectly replicate any ninjutsu, his own chakra reserves were not substantial, allowing him only to fight to a standstill.
Against ordinary shinobi, it was fine. But against S-rank opponents, the sheer amount of chakra would almost overwhelm Lin Nan.
However, Lin Nan was now in an Edo Tensei body, with infinite chakra.
One plus one was far more than two!
The next moment, without any hand seals, two clones appeared beside Lin Nan and instantly vanished.
When they reappeared, they were already behind Kakuzu.
"Sealing Jutsu!"
A thousand bird cries seemed to ring out.
As Lin Nan's clones, wielding lightning, pierced Kakuzu's back, his pale masks began to shatter.
With the masks broken, Kakuzu's released chakra began to decrease. Lin Nan's main attack instantly engulfed Kakuzu.
As the dust settled, Lin Nan approached Kakuzu, who was slowly regenerating in the swirling dust.
Those resurrected by Edo Tensei were immortal, but their recovery time depended on the severity of their injuries. During this period, they were immobile, like empty shells.
"Little Lin, still the same freak!"
Though unable to move, Kakuzu could still speak, his voice filled with mockery, but also a hint of melancholy.
This was a Kakuzu Lin Nan had never seen before.
"You're right, we are both dead men now, but I'm still unwilling. If it weren't for that idiot Hidan, I wouldn't have been defeated so easily!"
"It's all in the past. You're dead, what's the point of saying this now?" Lin Nan casually replied, searching his skill database for sealing techniques.
"I only believe in money, I won't trust anyone again. In the end, I still trusted that fool Hidan and died at the hands of a colleague. I'm so unwilling!"
He had worked diligently his whole life, collecting bounties to earn money, only to die before enjoying it. Anyone would feel the same.
Isn't there an old saying?
The most painful thing for a person is to die with their money unspent!
This lonely old man hadn't even spent any of it.
Working hard for two lifetimes, in a way, was truly tragic.
Lin Nan paused slightly at this, looking towards another battlefield where a fierce battle raged. A giant orange mecha appeared in his sight.
"Ding! SSS-rank Dōjutsu: Susanoo – Stages One to Three (Uchiha Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan) recorded in skill database. Accompanying skills: Yasaka Magatama, Totsuka Blade recorded!"
"Kurin-san, may I be so bold as to ask how you escaped my control?"
Suddenly, a effeminate voice rang out.
Lin Nan turned and saw Kakuzu's vacant expression, his eyes completely different.
Had Kabuto taken over his consciousness?
"Kabuto?"
"I am deeply honored that you remember me." Kakuzu's eyes showed sincerity. "Little Lin-san's performance exceeded my expectations. Perhaps Madara was right, you are even more unfathomable than Uchiha Itachi. I have a proposal..."
"Kacha kacha..."
A series of sounds, like bones stretching, interrupted "Kakuzu's" words.
His surprised gaze traveled higher.
Lin Nan, radiating a fiery orange glow, looked kindly at the current "Kakuzu."
"Sorry, I'm not interested at the moment. Perhaps we can talk face-to-face later!"