SALVATION

Chapter 1

The red-haired Uzumaki ran through the forest, his breathing irregular but he didn't dare stop to catch a breath. No there was no chance for him to rest. His team - 5 of the strongest shinobi Ame had to offer - had all been killed one by one by an unknown enemy and although Nagato was almost invincible with his Rinnegan he felt fear settling in his stomach. His team had been strong, stronger than most, and not even his Rinnegan had been able to spare them from death. So how much could he really do when he'd encounter the enemy? How strong must the unknown person be to defeat them so effortlessly?

Branches and sticks teared on his clothes and left deep scratches on his arms but he didn't care. All that was on his mind was to reach Konoha or Ame before the unknown person caught up to him.

They had been on a classified mission and had retrieved crucial information about something called the Gedo statue - a favour they had done for Orochimaru - and it was something that the enemy couldn't get their hands on.

Unknown to Nagato the enemy wasn't after the knowledge he possessed, if he knew what the person really was after he might have felt even more fear.

The Uzumaki had only touched the ground for the fraction of a section when he was suddenly pulled under and a muffled scream escaped his lips.

With a burst of chakra, he freed himself of the stone prison and kneed panting on the floor. He had been running non-stop for what felt like a week and his chakra was running thin. They had been far, far from the five great shinobi villages to retrieve that information and even if he called for reinforcement now, they wouldn't be here in time. His only options were to either outrun the enemy or take him down. And honestly, none of the options looked very realistic right now.

Jumping to the side to avoid being trapped again, Nagato quickly went through a set of hand signs.

"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation," he shouted and set his surroundings on fire.

If he could just lure out his enemy, then maybe...

Suddenly roots wrapped themselves around his ankles and he was slowly pulled back underground. Gritting his teeth, Nagato tried to free himself again. He trashed around but it was all for nothing, his exhaustion was too great.

'I won't die here!' he thought determined.

With the last of his powers, he forced his chakra into his eyes and muttered: "Animal Path: Summoning Giant Centipede."

A moment later a giant orange centipede appeared and pulled Nagato free from the roots that tried to pull him underground. Exhausted the Uzumaki kneed on top of his summon but he didn't get time to catch his breath since a couple of kunai were immediately flung at him. For a moment it looked like they were able to evade the weapons when all of the sudden the kunai exploded and Nagato and his summon were engulfed by a cloud of smoke.

Coughing and gasping, Nagato retreated to a tree branch away from the explosion and watched powerlessly as his summon disappeared. Cursing, he tried to stand up again but apparently, he hadn't escaped the explosion as unscratched as he had thought. The proud shinobi had to lean onto a tree to keep standing straight.

Out of the corner of his eye, his Rinnegan suddenly caught the figure of a plant-like being and Nagato didn't hesitate to attack it.

"Bansho Ten'in"

All of the sudden the figure was pulled into Nagato's direction but shortly before him, it collided with a kunai the Uzumaki had thrown at it and fell to the ground. The weapon had hit his kidney expertly and Nagato let out a relieved breath. A kidney hit was a sure death.

However, the shinobi had to watch with horrors as the plant-like being scrambled to his feet again all while smirking sadistically at him. Nagato could even see how the spot where his kunai had hit started slowly to grow together again.