The next day.
Just as Kiyohara was preparing to leave with everyone, Nagato stopped him.
To be more precise, it was not Nagato himself who blocked Kiyohara's path.
Instead, it was the puppets under Nagato's control. As for Nagato himself, he remained seated on a strange mechanical puppet behind them.
"These are my 'Pain.'"
Noticing Kiyohara's gaze lingering on them, Nagato spoke up to explain.
The name Pain represented suffering.
His belief was that only through suffering could people truly understand one another.
"I see."
Kiyohara nodded slightly.
It was rather strange when he thought about it.
Nagato himself preferred to let his red hair cover his Rinnegan, giving him a gloomy, shadowy appearance.
Yet his Pains openly displayed their Rinnegan without the slightest restraint.
Although those Rinnegan were merely imitations, they still possessed a portion of the true Rinnegan's power. More importantly, no outsider knew they were fake.
The first time Orochimaru met the Deva Path, he had become deeply interested in those eyes, mistaking them for genuine Rinnegan.
"I want to fight you," Nagato said calmly. "I want to see how strong you've become."
The Akatsuki had always been occupied with the affairs of the Land of Rain, so they had participated very little in the Third Great Shinobi War.
Now that the war had ended, Nagato wanted to test Kiyohara's strength and use the outcome to judge where he himself stood in the shinobi world.
"Nagato."
Konan immediately called out after hearing his proposal.
Nagato's current condition did not allow him to fight freely. Every battle would only consume more of his already dwindling life force.
Nagato simply waved his hand, signaling her not to worry.
"Very well."
Kiyohara agreed without hesitation.
"I also want to witness your current strength."
He led Rin and Guren outside.
Nagato controlled his puppet as the Six Paths of Pain followed him out. Seeing this, Konan quietly followed behind them as well.
Outside, a gentle rain continued to fall.
Kiyohara and Nagato chose an open clearing.
Nagato then had the Akatsuki members evacuate the surrounding area, warning everyone to stay away.
Likewise, Kiyohara instructed Rin and Guren to wait farther away to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
Raindrops splashed onto the ground between the two men, scattering into tiny droplets.
At the entrance of the hideout, Konan stood silently, her brows slightly furrowed.
Beside her, Rin held Guren's small hand, watching the scene with equal nervousness.
"Big Sister Rin..."
Guren spoke softly.
After spending an entire day with lifeless eyes, they finally showed a trace of emotion again.
"Will... Lord Kiyohara... win?"
After spending time together, Guren had already learned both Kiyohara's and Rin's names.
Rin lowered her head and looked at the little girl.
The child's thin face was filled with cautious concern.
"He will."
Rin answered gently as she squeezed Guren's hand.
"Kiyohara-kun... is very strong."
The next moment...
Kiyohara raised both hands and formed a hand seal.
Tiger.
Chakra surged out from within his body, racing through his chakra pathways before gathering deep inside his chest.
His chest expanded slightly, and faint flames flickered within his throat.
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
Kiyohara opened his mouth.
A torrent of crimson flames erupted from his lips.
The temperature of the fire was astonishing.
Wherever it passed, the rain evaporated instantly, and even the surrounding air warped beneath the terrifying heat.
The flames rapidly condensed and compressed in midair before finally taking the shape of eight enormous fire dragons.
Each dragon stretched well over ten meters long as they roared toward the Pains.
A blazing heat wave swept across the battlefield.
The rainwater covering the ground evaporated the instant the dragons passed overhead, leaving behind scorched black trails.
The Pains slowly raised their heads.
Within their ripple-patterned eyes were reflected the roaring dragons charging toward them.
The Animal Path immediately formed hand seals before slamming a palm onto the ground.
"Summoning Technique!"
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
A series of white smoke explosions erupted one after another.
Three enormous figures emerged from within the smoke.
The first was a winged Giant Multi-Headed Dog.
Its body was covered in jet-black fur, and its three heads simultaneously raised toward the sky as they released shrill, ear-piercing howls.
The second was the giant Drill-Beaked Bird.
Its wings stretched several meters wide as it circled high above.
The third was a massive chameleon.
Its entire body was covered in dark green scales as it slowly opened its mouth, its long tongue trembling lightly in the damp air.
Three summoned beasts.
Six pairs of eyes.
Every one of them possessed the purple ripple-patterned Rinnegan.
Just like the Pains themselves, these summoned beasts also shared vision with one another.
Kiyohara raised an eyebrow slightly.
The instant the eight fire dragons descended...
The Multi-Headed Dog charged forward first.
Its heads simultaneously opened their jaws and bit into the necks of two incoming fire dragons.
The flames exploded violently.
Its three heads were instantly burned pitch-black by the blazing fire as agonizing screams echoed through the battlefield.
Then...
Its body began splitting apart.
From the charred corpse, entirely new heads and bodies rapidly grew.
One became two.
Two became four.
Within only a few breaths, the original three-headed hound had become a monstrous seven-headed beast.
Meanwhile...
The Drill-Beaked Bird folded its wings and dived toward Kiyohara from the sky.
As for the chameleon...
Its body gradually turned transparent.
Its scales blended perfectly with the surrounding environment until it completely vanished into the curtain of rain.
Kiyohara also slammed his palm onto the earth.
"Summoning Technique!"
Boom!
An explosion of white smoke even larger than the one created by his Fire Release burst forth.
A graceful figure slowly emerged from within the smoke.
A flowing white robe.
Long hair cascading behind her waist.
An exquisitely beautiful face.
Golden slit-shaped pupils.
Tagorihime.
She stood beside Kiyohara and looked up toward the overwhelming attacks approaching them.
"Kiyohara, are you using me as your hired muscle again?"
Her voice was gentle and alluring, though laced with helpless resignation.
Kiyohara smiled faintly.
"Consider it a chance to stretch your body."
Tagorihime glanced sideways at him.
Then...
Her body began to expand.
Her elegant feminine figure disappeared.
Replacing it was an enormous serpentine form.
Crimson scales.
A gigantic snake body.
In the blink of an eye, a massive scarlet serpent dozens of meters long appeared in the clearing.
Her coiled body resembled a blazing crimson mountain.
Then...
Like a streak of scarlet lightning, she shot forward across a distance of more than a hundred meters.
Her enormous jaws opened wide.
Crunch!
She bit cleanly through one of the dog's newly divided heads.
Crack!
The head was torn off by brute force.
Black blood sprayed outward, only to evaporate instantly upon touching the scorching heat radiating from her scales.
The Multi-Headed Dog let out a miserable howl.
Its remaining six heads all turned simultaneously before lunging at Tagorihime.
She casually flicked her head, tossing aside the still-twitching corpse.
Then she raised her enormous tail and swept it sideways.
BOOM!
The six charging heads were sent flying by a single tail strike.
However...
The instant they crashed onto the ground...
Their bodies began dividing once again.
One became two.
Two became four.
Within only a few breaths, the Multi-Headed Dog that had been reduced to six heads had multiplied into a terrifying twelve-headed beast.
They charged toward Tagorihime from every direction, their black fur whipping wildly through the rain.
Tagorihime narrowed her golden eyes.
"What an annoying creature."
She slowly opened her mouth.
Deep within her throat...
Flames began gathering.
The next instant...
A blazing crimson pillar of fire burst forth.
Its temperature far exceeded even Kiyohara's Fire Release.
Wherever it passed, even the surrounding air seemed to ignite.
The fire swept across the battlefield, completely engulfing every charging Multi-Headed Dog.
All twelve heads writhed and screamed within the inferno before finally collapsing into scattered remains.
Yet...
The corpses were still moving.
Beneath the charred skin...
Fresh flesh began wriggling.
They were about to split again.
Tagorihime frowned slightly.
"This thing... can't be killed?"
Far away...
The Animal Path stood calmly beneath the rain, her ripple-patterned Rinnegan silently watching everything unfold.
That was the Multi-Headed Dog's special characteristic.
As long as the Animal Path remained undefeated, the Multi-Headed Dog would continue dividing without end until its enemies were completely overwhelmed.
The technique she used, the Amplified Summoning Technique, was a special form of summoning.
Its unique condition granted it one terrifying ability.
The more it was attacked, the more it multiplied.
Kiyohara looked at the corpses that continued writhing back to life before lifting his gaze toward the Drill-Beaked Bird circling overhead.
The enormous bird continued soaring through the rainy sky.
Meanwhile...
On the ground...
The chameleon had become completely invisible.
Only the tiny splashes caused by raindrops striking its hidden body barely revealed the faint outline of its existence.
The chameleon was approaching.
Slowly.
Silently.
Step by step.
It crept closer toward Kiyohara.
The corner of Kiyohara's mouth slowly curved upward.
He could see it.
In his eyes...
The chameleon had nowhere to hide.
Within his Mangekyo Sharingan...
Its distorted outline was reflected with perfect clarity.
Just then...
A figure suddenly lunged in from the side.
Its speed was astonishing.
In the blink of an eye, it had already reached Kiyohara's side.
The Human Path.
He extended one hand.
His palm opened as it aimed directly at Kiyohara's abdomen.
The Soul Absorption Technique!
The pupil power of the Rinnegan surged.
An invisible force poured out from the Human Path's palm, attempting to invade Kiyohara's body and seize his soul.
But in the very next instant...
His movement froze.
Because Kiyohara's hand was already pressed firmly against his chest.
"Too slow."
Kiyohara spoke indifferently.
Then...
He threw a punch.
Steel Release!
Earth Release: Earth Spear!
BOOOM!
The Human Path's chest was pierced clean through by that single devastating blow.
The puppet's body exploded apart.
Metal fragments and broken mechanical components scattered in every direction as the "person" that had seemed alive only moments ago was reduced to a pile of twisted scrap metal in an instant.
The Human Path flew backward before crashing heavily onto the ground, where it lay motionless.
Nagato's brows furrowed ever so slightly.
That punch...
It had been far too fast.
The moment he controlled the Human Path to attack, he had already predicted every possible reaction Kiyohara might make.
Yet all of those predictions had proven meaningless.
Because Kiyohara's speed had exceeded even his own ability to react.
"Interesting."
Nagato muttered softly.
Then another figure moved.
The Naraka Path.
He quickly walked over to the shattered remains of the Human Path and began forming hand seals.
"Summoning Technique: King of Hell Reincarnation!"
Bang!
A massive cloud of white smoke exploded outward.
Within the smoke appeared an enormous face.
The King of Hell.
Its appearance was hideous and terrifying, with a golden character meaning "King" engraved upon its forehead.
The King of Hell slowly opened its enormous mouth.
A long purple tongue extended outward.
At the tip of that tongue was a human hand.
The tongue writhed like a living serpent as it stretched toward the wreckage of the Human Path lying on the ground.
The hand grasped the broken remains before retracting back to the end of the tongue.
Then the entire tongue withdrew into the King of Hell's mouth.
The King of Hell began chewing.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Crunch.
The horrifying chewing sounds made one's scalp tingle.
From the moment the King of Hell was summoned until it began chewing, only a single second had passed.
Everything had happened in the blink of an eye.
The King of Hell opened its mouth once more.
The Human Path calmly walked back out.
Its body had been completely restored.
Not a single scratch remained.
Its expression was just as emotionless as before.
Watching the scene unfold, a trace of curiosity flashed through Kiyohara's eyes.
He had intentionally stood there and watched the King of Hell repair the Human Path.
Because what he was truly observing...
Was the flow of chakra inside the King of Hell itself.
Meanwhile...
Far away...
Tagorihime was still entangled in battle with the endlessly multiplying Multi-Headed Dogs.
Again and again, her flames burned them into ashes.
Again and again, they regenerated.
Every death only produced more of them.
The original twelve-headed Multi-Headed Dog had already become more than twenty heads.
They surged toward her from every direction.
Their black fur whipped wildly beneath the pouring rain.
Tagorihime's brows grew tighter and tighter.
"Kiyohara!"
Her annoyed voice echoed from the enormous serpent's head.
"These things are far too troublesome!"
"I can't kill them all!"
Kiyohara withdrew his gaze from the King of Hell.
"Just keep them occupied."
The moment those words left his mouth...
Another figure had already rushed before him.
The Asura Path.
Its right arm had completely transformed.
It was no longer a human arm.
Instead, it had become an intricate mass of machinery.
Three mechanical arms extended from its shoulder, each one constructed from countless precision-forged metal components.
Asura Path: Mechanical Armor!
One of its mechanical arms lifted.
The wrist suddenly split open.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Countless thin mechanical cables shot out from within the opening.
Lightning flashed beneath Kiyohara's feet.
Lightning Release: Lightning Body Flicker!
His figure disappeared from where he stood.
The cables wrapped around nothing but empty air before twisting about and retracting back into the Asura Path's arm.
"There!"
The Asura Path instantly shifted its gaze.
All three mechanical arms rose simultaneously.
The wrists split apart once more.
The cables shot outward again.
This time...
They were even faster.
Their coverage was even wider.
Kiyohara's figure flashed repeatedly through the air.
With effortless ease, he avoided every single cable.
The Asura Path was beginning to lose patience.
Its third mechanical arm slowly rose.
The end of that arm transformed.
Metal shifted.
Parts rearranged themselves.
The machinery expanded.
In the blink of an eye...
The arm had become an enormous cannon.
Inside the barrel...
Chakra rapidly condensed.
Asura Path: Asura Attack!
"Fire!"
BOOM!
A massive beam of energy erupted from the cannon.
Its temperature was unbelievably high.
Wherever the beam passed, even the surrounding air seemed to ignite.
A deep scorched trench was carved across the earth.
The laser shot directly toward Kiyohara.
Unfortunately...
Its speed was still insufficient.
Kiyohara casually threw out a Flying Thunder God kunai.
His body disappeared instantly.
The next moment...
He appeared directly before the Asura Path.
His right fist shot forward.
The Asura Path immediately raised one of its mechanical arms to block.
Bang!
The punch struck the mechanical arm with overwhelming force.
The entire arm shook violently.
Countless cracks instantly spread across its metallic surface.
But the Asura Path's counterattack arrived just as quickly.
The cannon arm swung upward and aimed directly at Kiyohara's chest.
Blue light rapidly gathered once again.
Seeing this...
Kiyohara immediately activated a lightning jutsu.
A dense web of electricity exploded outward from his body.
Chidori Current!
Crackle!
Blinding lightning erupted in every direction.
The Asura Path was instantly struck by the overwhelming electrical current.
"Ughhhh!"
It let out a painful scream.
Every mechanical component throughout its body trembled violently as sparks exploded everywhere.
Smoke began rising from its body.
At that very instant...
Another figure rushed in from the side.
The Preta Path.
It raised both hands.
Its palms faced directly toward Kiyohara.
Blocking Technique Absorption Seal!
An invisible suction force burst from its palms.
Every bolt of spreading lightning was drawn into them.
The countless arcs of electricity created by Chidori Current vanished before reaching the Preta Path's hands.
Like rivers flowing into the sea...
They disappeared without a trace.
The Asura Path staggered backward.
Most of the machinery throughout its body had already become twisted and deformed.
But at least it had survived.
Kiyohara looked toward the Preta Path.
Another hint of interest appeared in his eyes.
"So it can absorb ninjutsu..."
He nodded slightly.
"The Rinnegan's abilities really are fascinating."
The Preta Path remained silent.
It slowly raised both palms once more.
They pointed directly toward Kiyohara.
The Blocking Technique Absorption Seal could be activated at any moment.
It could generate a barrier capable of absorbing every form of ninjutsu.
As long as the Preta Path remained standing...
Any chakra-based attack would become completely meaningless.
Meanwhile...
In the distance...
Tagorihime had finally managed to suppress the Multi-Headed Dogs, at least for the moment.
Her massive serpentine body wrapped tightly around dozens of them.
The monsters struggled violently.
They continued trying to split apart.
Yet beneath the terrifying constricting strength of her enormous coils...
None of them could move.
"Kiyohara!"
Her voice rang out once more.
"I won't be able to hold these things down much longer!"
Kiyohara nodded slightly.
He had already figured it out.
The Multi-Headed Dog's ability allowed it to multiply endlessly the more it was destroyed.
Unless the Animal Path itself was defeated...
The Multi-Headed Dog could never truly be eliminated.
And at that very moment...
The Animal Path remained standing safely in the distance, calmly controlling every summoned beast.
Beside it...
Stood the Deva Path.
The strongest of all the Six Paths.
Until now...
It still had not made its move.
Kiyohara slowly drew in a deep breath.
Chakra surged wildly through his body.
The diamond-shaped seal upon his forehead began glowing brilliantly.
Strength of a Hundred Seal...
Release!
Countless violet markings spread outward from the diamond seal.
Like blooming flowers, they crawled across his face.
They continued down both sides of his neck before disappearing beneath the collar of his clothes.
A tremendous amount of chakra burst forth from the seal.
In an instant...
It flooded every corner of his body.
At that very moment...
Kiyohara's aura rose explosively.
The Preta Path frowned slightly.
It could clearly sense it.
Kiyohara's chakra...
Had become far stronger than before.
But it didn't matter.
No matter how powerful his chakra attacks became...
The Blocking Technique Absorption Seal could absorb them all.
As long as the Preta Path remained standing here...
There was no possibility of Kiyohara defeating all of them.
However...
A moment later...
The Preta Path suddenly realized something.
Kiyohara had disappeared.
His speed was beyond imagination.
So fast...
That the Preta Path couldn't even react.
In the blink of an eye...
Kiyohara was already standing directly before him.
His right fist shot forward.
The Preta Path instinctively raised both arms to defend itself.
Bang!
The punch smashed into its forearms.
The overwhelming force blasted the entire body flying backward.
It tumbled several times through the air before crashing heavily into the ground.
BOOM!
A gigantic crater formed instantly.
The Preta Path lay at the bottom of the crater, gasping heavily.
That punch...
Its power was unbelievably terrifying.
It wasn't chakra.
It wasn't ninjutsu.
It was nothing but pure taijutsu.
The Blocking Technique Absorption Seal had absolutely no effect against physical attacks.
The Preta Path struggled desperately to stand.
But Kiyohara never gave it the chance.
His figure appeared before it once more.
His right leg rose high into the air.
Heaven Kick of Pain!
BOOM!
His foot came crashing down onto the Preta Path's chest.
The earth shook violently.
The crater expanded even further.
Broken rocks flew in every direction.
A dull cracking sound echoed from within the Preta Path's chest as its rib cage shattered completely.
The ripple-patterned Rinnegan...
Lost their light.
Kiyohara slowly withdrew his leg.
He looked down at the puppet that had completely lost Nagato's control.
Then...
He lifted his head.
Far in the distance...
The Animal Path and the Deva Path still stood there.
Behind them...
The Human Path, which had only just been restored by the King of Hell, had already risen to its feet once again.
The Asura Path had suffered severe damage.
Although badly battered, it was still barely capable of moving.
As for the Multi-Headed Dogs restrained by Tagorihime...
They continued struggling frantically against her coils.
Then...
At last...
The Deva Path finally made its move.
It slowly raised its right hand.
Its five fingers spread apart.
Its palm faced directly toward Kiyohara.
"Shinra Tensei."
An invisible wave of repulsive force exploded from its palm.
Like an overwhelming tidal wave...
Everything in its path was violently blown away.
The ground was ripped apart.
Broken stones were hurled into the sky.
Even the falling rain was driven backward by the terrifying force.
The immense repulsion surged directly toward Kiyohara.
Yet...
Kiyohara remained standing exactly where he was.
His expression never changed.
Repulsive force?
Perfect.
He happened to know how to use it as well.
(End of Chapter)