The Wind Release: Rasenshuriken Naruto unleashed in Sage Mode was absorbed outright by the Preta Path.
A technique capable of absorbing an opponent's Ninjutsu was absurdly unfair. There was practically no way to deal with it. It simply rendered the techniques most shinobi relied upon completely useless.
After witnessing the Rinnegan display one strange ocular ability after another, even someone as stubborn as Uchiha Sasuke had no choice but to admit that it deserved its place beside the Byakugan and Sharingan as one of the Three Great Dojutsu.
It might even, perhaps, possibly, maybe be just a tiny bit stronger than the Sharingan.
The Preta Path, which had seemingly been defeated earlier, had already recovered.
The Naraka Path had restored it.
During a group battle, all they had to do was hide the Naraka Path in the rear and let it repair any of the Six Paths of Pain that suffered damage.
It was shamelessly unfair.
With a super healer like that supporting the team, how was anyone supposed to wear them down?
Uzumaki Naruto clearly had no intention of giving up, though.
He had finally created an opportunity to attack Deva Path Pain.
But just as the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken was about to strike him, Deva Path Pain's power returned.
"My power has finally recovered."
He unleashed a smaller Shinra Tensei and blasted the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken apart.
The recovery time after that massive Shinra Tensei…
Uchiha Itachi silently wrote the information down on a sheet of paper.
He decided he would watch the scene again later and calculate exactly how long Deva Path Pain was left unable to move after using a Shinra Tensei of that magnitude.
That information was extremely important.
It might become the key to defeating Deva Path Pain in the future.
Itachi intended to record every detail and preserve it so he could pass the intelligence back to the village when the time was right.
That way, certain people could stop claiming that he had supposedly gone undercover to gather intelligence but never sent anything useful home.
Come on, haters. Tell him whether he had done his job or not!
Meanwhile, Uzumaki Naruto descended from above and destroyed the Naraka Path with a Sage Art: Rasengan.
Only then did everyone understand the strategy Naruto had used.
He had transformed himself into the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken so the Preta Path couldn't absorb him, allowing the rest of his plan to unfold smoothly.
After that string of attacks, only two of the original Six Paths of Pain remained.
Naruto's combat instincts had been displayed to their fullest throughout the battle.
The boy who once relied on shouting loudly to draw an enemy's attention had now reached an entirely different level.
Only two Paths remained, but they were also the two most difficult to handle.
Ninjutsu was useless.
Taijutsu was useless too.
They were unbearably troublesome.
A single Shinra Tensei sent all three giant Summoned Beasts, including Gamabunta, flying.
"So this is Deva Path Pain's true strength? This is what Super Kage Level means?"
Uchiha Sasuke tightened his grip on the Kusanagi Sword beside him.
Every time he thought his strength had improved enough for him to put on another display as Sunny Sasuke, Kaede Kitahara's diary would immediately bring him back to reality.
He still remembered the first time he had seen Gamabunta in a video.
The sight had been overwhelming.
Any one of those colossal Summoned Beasts would be beyond the ability of an ordinary Jonin to handle.
The giant summons of the Sannin were terrifyingly powerful.
Yet before Deva Path Pain's Shinra Tensei, they were nothing more than toys, swept aside with ease.
That only made Deva Path Pain seem even more terrifying.
Kaede Kitahara was always talking about Super Kage Level this and Super Kage Level that.
Now Sasuke finally understood what it truly meant.
Ordinary shinobi had no chance against someone at that level.
Kaede Kitahara had written that numbers were meaningless before a Super Kage Level opponent.
Judging by the strength Deva Path Pain had displayed, that was completely true.
Even forming the Allied Shinobi Forces would accomplish nothing.
One attack could wipe them all out.
Only another true powerhouse could stand against an existence of that level.
Everyone held their breath.
At this point, Uzumaki Naruto had almost no opportunities left.
He only had one Shadow Clone remaining at Mount Myoboku, still gathering Senjutsu Chakra.
"You truly are strong. You are the first person to push Pain this far."
Deva Path Pain remained expressionless.
"But this ends now. Bansho Ten'in."
He pulled Uzumaki Naruto toward him and had the Preta Path seize him.
"This is as far as you go. Don't worry, I won't kill you. You are an important Jinchuriki, after all."
"That barely hurt. Don't underestimate Sage Mode."
Naruto had just begun to mock Deva Path Pain when he felt all the Senjutsu Chakra in his body being absorbed by the Preta Path.
He was forced out of Sage Mode in an instant.
"The Nine-Tails has been captured," Deva Path Pain announced calmly.
To him, it wasn't even much of a victory.
Naruto was stalling for time, trying to create an opening for the Genjutsu to be completed.
Though he couldn't move, Naruto quickly came up with another plan.
He began absorbing Natural Energy as rapidly as possible and allowed the Preta Path to drain it from him.
After absorbing too much Natural Energy, the Preta Path began transforming into a toad and turned to stone.
"What a brilliant tactic. To think you could come up with something like that in such a desperate situation. Beautifully done, Naruto."
Jiraiya couldn't help clapping in praise.
Naruto had given him far too many surprises today.
This was the first time he had seen the boy employ such a wide variety of tactics.
Outside the video, Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Sasuke, Tsunade, and Hatake Kakashi had only just learned how dangerous training in Sage Mode and refining Senjutsu Chakra could be.
A single mistake could result in the user being petrified by Natural Energy.
Now only one of the Six Paths of Pain remained.
Unfortunately, it was the most troublesome one of all.
Deva Path Pain.
Just as Fukasaku and Shima finished preparing their Genjutsu, Deva Path Pain noticed what they were doing.
He pulled Fukasaku toward him and pierced him with a black rod in an instant.
At the same time, he used Bansho Ten'in to drag Uzumaki Naruto over and drove black rods through both of his palms.
"You should be a little quieter now, Nine-Tails."
Deva Path Pain spoke calmly.
To be precise, the only Path Nagato couldn't bear to lose was Deva Path Pain, created from Yahiko's body.
The others meant nothing to him.
No matter how many were destroyed, he could simply make replacements.
Naruto's final hope had been cut off.
No one could imagine how he might turn the situation around now.
Had they not known that Uzumaki Naruto would survive and eventually become the savior of the world, they would have fallen into complete despair.
"Who are you? What the hell are you? Why are you doing all of this?"
Uzumaki Naruto glared at him, burning with rage.
"You ask why?" Deva Path Pain's expression remained calm. "Events always happen without warning, while the reasons behind them are only understood afterward. I suppose I can explain a little. You ask why I have done this, but even if I gave you my reasons, nothing would change. Still, there is no harm in telling you once more."
"My goal is to fulfill the dream Master Jiraiya could not achieve. As I said before, I intend to create peace and bring about justice."
Deva Path Pain stated his purpose without emotion.
"Justice? Peace? Don't make me laugh!"
Naruto's voice dropped into a furious growl.
"You killed my master, my teacher, my friends, and destroyed my village. What right do you have to stand there and preach about justice?"
"Then what is your goal?" Deva Path Pain asked.
"I'm going to defeat you, and I'm going to bring peace to the Shinobi World!"
Uzumaki Naruto roared.
"I see. How admirable. That is justice," Deva Path Pain said from above. "But it was Konoha's shinobi who reduced my family, my comrades, and my village to the same state as yours. You have no right to speak of peace or justice either."
"The Land of Fire and Konoha became too powerful. To protect their national interests, the great nations waged war against one another and profited from those conflicts. Otherwise, the people of their countries and villages would have gone hungry."
"But the battlefields for those great nations were always small villages like ours. Every time war broke out, our countries were left devastated."
"After several wars, the great nations achieved stability, while the smaller nations were left with nothing but endless suffering."
"What I seek is the same thing you seek. We both wish to create the peace Master Jiraiya spoke of."
"There is no difference between us. We both act in the name of our own justice."
"The justice I carried out against Konoha is the same justice you now wish to carry out against me."
"The pain of losing something precious is the same for everyone."
"You and I both understand that pain."
"You fight for your justice, and I fight for mine."
"We are merely ordinary people carrying out revenge in the name of justice."
"But if revenge can be called justice, then that justice will give birth to even more wars and continue the endless cycle of hatred."
"We live in such a world now. Once you understand the past and foresee the future, you realize that this is history itself."
"Human beings are creatures who will never truly understand one another. I have come to understand that deeply."
"The Shinobi World is ruled by hatred."
"So tell me, Uzumaki Naruto. If you truly seek peace, how will you confront that hatred?"
"I want to hear your answer."
Deva Path Pain's relentless speech left even Uzumaki Naruto, the master of Talk Release, unable to respond.
Naruto was someone who could genuinely put himself in another person's place.
After hearing those words, he didn't believe Konoha's suffering mattered more than that of any other village.
Their families had all been murdered.
Their pain was the same.
He didn't believe the deaths of people from a great nation were somehow more tragic, while the deaths of people from a smaller nation meant nothing.
"I don't know how to answer that either."
Naruto truly didn't know.
He remembered how Master Jiraiya had once spoken to him about the chain of hatred that bound the Shinobi World.
Jiraiya had hoped Naruto would find a way to break that cycle.
But what answer could he possibly give?