"There's no Uchiha blood in him at all!"
As everyone watched in disbelief, Morkel had already arrived outside the gates of Rain Shinobi Village—riding on a massive green warrior-like figure!
His entrance was so overwhelming that it instantly drew the attention of everyone in the village.
Naruto, Karin, and Sasuke, hiding behind a hill outside the city, exchanged shocked glances.
"Morkel… is he planning to take on the entire Rain Shinobi Village by himself?!"
Karin was so stunned that her jaw almost hit the ground.
Let's not forget—this is Pain's territory.
Just the local ninja alone number in the thousands. They could drown someone with spit if they all went at once!
Even if Morkel descended like a god of battle, this kind of power must drain an enormous amount of chakra. How long could he possibly last?
In her memory, Morkel was handsome and intelligent.
Now… was he losing his mind out of rage?
Still, Karin had to admit, he looked even more dashing than before.
Soon, countless shinobi gathered at the village entrance where Morkel stood.
Suspended in the air, Morkel's Susanoo spread its massive wings like a celestial being.
The giant warrior raised its right hand slowly, spiral sword pointing toward the sky.
The wind howled.
The storm winds were so fierce they could blow away children and even dispersed the clouds above Rain Shinobi Village, gathering them ominously overhead.
Thunderclouds began to roll.
Blue-violet lightning flickered between the clouds.
And from the dark sky, deep, growling sounds echoed—like the roars of colossal beasts.
From atop a tower, Pain suddenly noticed something alarming—he could no longer control the rain!
Morkel glanced up at the sky. The reflection of lightning shimmered in his Sharingan.
Then, he turned his head slightly, casting a meaningful glance toward Sasuke and Naruto.
His eyes seemed to say, "Watch and learn."
Sasuke took that look seriously, focusing with rapt attention.
The next moment, Morkel's face was marked by a Sage Mask.
Susanoo slowly lowered its spiral sword.
"Sage Art…"
"Eight Thunder Gods!"
A flash of lightning exploded across the sky.
The world turned blindingly bright—and then completely silent.
Then—
BOOM!!!
Thunder roared as massive bolts of lightning poured down over Rain Shinobi Village like a divine waterfall.
The front wall of the village exploded into rubble.
Centered on the main gate, a five-kilometer radius was scorched black.
In the center of the impact, not even corpses remained—just ashes.
Sasuke swallowed hard.
Was this really power a human could wield?
Could Morkel truly be a mortal?
That look earlier… did he really believe Sasuke could master this level of power?
He's overestimating me!
Karin and Naruto were equally stunned.
Karin finally admitted, "I seriously underestimated him."
Morkel's lightning strike had killed or injured more than half of the Rain Village defenders.
Those who survived were severely burned, dismembered, or completely incapacitated.
"I believe it now. He really can take on an entire ninja village alone!" Karin said.
In a hidden chamber inside the central tower of Rain Shinobi Village, a red-haired man, thin and covered in black chakra rods, opened his Rinnegan eyes wide in disbelief.
"How can anyone wield power like this… it's almost godlike!"
Morkel's voice echoed loudly, like a great bell.
"Where is Pain? Come out now!!"
Below him, the surviving ninja of Rain Shinobi Village trembled.
"Where's our god now?! Why hasn't he appeared?"
"Who is this guy?! Didn't the Uchiha clan go extinct? How can someone still use Susanoo?"
"I heard there's another Uchiha—Sasuke. Could this be him?"
"Didn't you hear him say he's looking for our god?!"
Not far from the gate, Sasuke looked bewildered.
That's not me! That's Morkel!! Stop saying it's me!
Naruto looked anxious. "Shouldn't we help him?"
Sasuke hesitated. "Can we even join a battle on this level?"
As they debated, someone appeared above the village.
Morkel, from within Susanoo, spotted the figure even from hundreds of meters away.
Short orange hair. Three black rods through his nose.
It was Pain—Tendo, the path that controlled attraction and repulsion.
"You must be Jiraiya's student," Morkel said coldly.
"You are unworthy of speaking my master's name," he added, rage pulsing in his Sharingan.
He knew the story of Nagato—how Jiraiya once raised him. And now this man had murdered that very master.
After three years, even a dog should remember its master.
Let alone a man!
Tendo Pain remained expressionless, as if a god looking down at mortals.
"Though powerful, you are still bound by human emotions… You'll never reach the realm of gods."
"You dare call yourself a god?" Morkel scoffed.
With a flap of wings, Susanoo launched forward!
The green warrior raised the spiral sword, its tip transforming into a rotating drill aimed straight at Pain.
Pain quickly raised his hand. A spherical shield of repulsive force formed.
"Shinra Tensei!"
Boom!
The drill halted just centimeters from Pain's body.
As expected—just as Fukasaku had said—this man could repel anything.
Morkel frowned from within Susanoo.
But he never believed in the impossible.
Let's see how long you can hold out.
The spiral sword continued spinning furiously. Pain gritted his teeth, struggling to maintain his barrier.
Meanwhile, several missiles launched from below.
Morkel didn't flinch. Susanoo easily tanked the explosions without damage.
Gradually, he sensed Pain's repulsion weakening.
Now!
Susanoo thrust the spiral sword forward!
PUFF!
The blade pierced Pain's chest—and then tore him apart completely.
Morkel's voice boomed over the village.
"If you don't want to die—leave!"
Upon witnessing Morkel's divine might, Rain Shinobi villagers ran for their lives without hesitation.
With Susanoo still active, Morkel used his chakra perception to scan the entire village.
He quickly found five more Pains.
"There should be six," he muttered. "So the real one is hidden…"
Nagato had hidden himself well—even Morkel's chakra perception couldn't detect him.
"But you won't hide forever."
Ten minutes later, Rain Shinobi Village was deserted.
Morkel annihilated the remaining five Pains one by one. Their unique abilities were no match for his overwhelming power.
Outside, Sasuke and Naruto watched in awe.
"That's… insane," Sasuke murmured.
The way Morkel had fought Sasuke before? That was just a warm-up!
Karin added, "What's even crazier is how long he's maintained Susanoo—over twenty minutes!"
That was the ultimate technique of the Mangekyō Sharingan. To maintain it so long… was unbelievable.
Naruto suddenly shouted, "Look! Morkel's landing!"
Inside the village, Morkel surveyed the steel-and-stone structures.
Then, with both hands clapping, he placed Susanoo's right hand onto the ground.
"Wood Style!"
"Tree World Emergence!"
Vrrrmmmm!!!
Massive trees burst from the soil, transforming Rain Shinobi Village into a dense forest.
Using his Wood Style sensory powers, Morkel pinpointed Nagato's location.
Dismissing Susanoo, he rode a tree branch—one that moved according to his will—straight to a hidden chamber in a tower.
The room was tangled with vines and roots.
In the center, a thin red-haired man sat in a strange machine—Nagato.
"You're Nagato?" Morkel asked.
Before Nagato could reply, a dark figure appeared beside them.
"ABUBUBU!"
Paper shurikens flew toward Morkel.
He calmly raised an ice shield to block the attack, then drew his Kusanagi sword.
SHLNK!
With a single slash, the intruder was bisected.
He didn't care who it was.
He had eyes only for Nagato.
"Yes," Nagato replied quietly, raising his head.
His face was sunken. His eyes—hollow. The legendary Rinnegan was gone.
Morkel murmured, "So they've already been taken…"
"I'm weaker than you in strength," Nagato admitted, "but my ideals are above yours."
Morkel stared coldly.
"Ideals? You murdered your own master. Where do you even get your sense of morality from?"
He didn't waste another word.
Stab!
Nagato was no more.
---
In a hidden chamber elsewhere, the masked man stared at the Rinnegan in his hand.
"That boy… Morkel… terrifying power."
"He used the Eye of Water to cast divine-scale jutsu… chakra like a sea…"
"If he lives, the Moon's Eye Plan may never succeed."
"But how can we kill him?"
"He holds the Three Tails—and some unknown monster inside…"
What a headache…
---
Back in Rain Shinobi Village, Morkel overexerted himself but found Jiraiya's frozen body in a lab.
Thankfully, it was intact.
Using his expertise in cell engineering, he prepared a resurrection ritual.
With Naruto guarding, he performed over 200 seals.
"Sage Art: The Underworld's Human-stealing Technique!"
The Shinigami appeared once again—its gaze complex, angry, helpless.
But Morkel smiled and waved.
"Hey again."
Soon, Jiraiya began to breathe.
His eyes opened.
"Ye—Morkel? Naruto? Are we… in the afterlife?"
Morkel smirked. "Nope. You came back."
Jiraiya: "I'm alive?!"
"Yes," Morkel replied.
"You shouldn't have risked reviving me…" Jiraiya muttered. "Let the dead stay dead."
Morkel narrowed his eyes. "If you don't want to live, I can send you back."
Jiraiya: …
"You're insane."
But after a moment, he smiled. "It's good to be alive."
He looked around. "Where's Nagato?"
"Gone," Morkel said coldly.
"You killed him?"
"I did."
"How? He had the Rinnegan…"
Morkel shrugged. "This and that… and he died."
"…"
Jiraiya gave up asking.
"Come on," Morkel said. "Tsunade's waiting for her date."
---
Konoha Village – Ninja Academy
With the Hokage office under repairs after Morkel's Susanoo stunt, Tsunade was temporarily working from the academy.
After finishing her paperwork, she walked onto the playground, watching the kids in silence.
Konohamaru appeared beside her.
"Fifth Hokage."
"No mission today?" Tsunade asked.
"It's a rest day," he replied.
"Thinking about Jiraiya?" he asked.
"Don't act grown-up, kid."
"I'm not pretending."
"When my grandpa died, I was sadder than you."
"But I'm already a mature shinobi of the village now."
Tsunade stared.
And for a moment—she smiled.
---