If Aoki Yoru hadn't known their background, he would have been as filled with shock and confusion as Jiraiya upon seeing the Six Paths of Pain.
Just like Zabuza and Haku beside him, seeing six pairs of Rinnegan—more than the existing Sharingan in the Ninja World—was simply too exaggerated.
Aoki Yoru said teasingly, "Six people, huh? So, which one of you is the leader?"
"We are the Six Paths of Pain."
Aoki Yoru looked at the six people before him; each possessed a unique ability, coupled with shared vision and the power of resurrection.
Anyone would feel despair upon encountering them; after all, even if you managed to take one down with great effort, they would be resurrected in the blink of an eye.
However, that was only when one lacked intelligence on the opponent. If Jiraiya had known all the secrets of the Six Paths of Pain, then as long as Nagato didn't use 'Shinra Tensei' or 'Chibaku Tensei', the outcome would still be uncertain.
"Let's test them further; there shouldn't be any new abilities left."
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Before his voice even faded, Aoki Yoru's chest heaved violently as a surge of violent Chakra erupted from his throat.
In the next second, a massive fireball several dozen feet in diameter exploded outward, carrying scorching heat and whistling air currents that enveloped all of the Six Paths of Pain ahead.
At that moment, one of them—a fat man—rushed forward, reaching out toward the Kienzan with a bizarre smile on his face.
The sky-blotting fireball struck his palms and was instantly pulled and swallowed by an invisible force. The violent flames were completely absorbed along the black patterns on his arms, leaving not even a single spark behind.
"All of your Ninjutsu are useless before a god."
"Is that so?"
Aoki Yoru raised one hand straight above his head, palm facing upward.
Suddenly, the Chakra in his hand began to rotate at high speed. A pale blue light condensed in his palm, but instead of swelling into a sphere like a conventional Rasengan, it was forcibly compressed into a disc as thin as a cicada's wing.
Wind-attribute Chakra was injected along the rotating patterns, instantly pushing the disc's cutting power to the extreme. The air was torn apart by its rotation, emitting a piercing screech.
"Wind Release: Kienzan!"
Aoki Yoru threw the Kienzan from his hand. Under the influence of the wind attribute, it sliced toward the Six Paths of Pain at ultra-high speed.
"I said it's useless, don't you understand?"
The Preta Path said as he reached out his hands to intercept the Kienzan. Suddenly, he froze, a look of terror appearing on his face—he actually couldn't absorb it.
Squelch—
Starting from his palms, the Kienzan sliced the Preta Path directly in half. Without losing speed, it continued toward the other five figures.
In the distance, Nagato, who was controlling the Six Paths of Pain, showed a look of surprise. This was the first time he had encountered energy that couldn't be absorbed.
Facing the incoming Kienzan, the Deva Path extended both arms. "Shinra Tensei!"
Boom—
The Kienzan collided with the repulsive force. It wasn't crushed as Pain had expected; instead, it held its ground.
The Kienzan, carrying a hint of Natural Energy, had sharp outer wind blades that acted like the finest saws, frantically cutting into the repulsive barrier.
The faint sound of "creaking" echoed continuously as fine cracks began to spread along the path of the wind blades on the Shinra Tensei barrier.
"How is this possible? My Shinra Tensei is actually being torn apart."
The Deva Path Pain then let out a shout, increasing his Chakra output and forcibly pushing the Kienzan away.
'It seems that besides the "Shinra Tensei" and "Chibaku Tensei", he shouldn't have any other moves,' Aoki Yoru analyzed in his mind.
'This is a rare opportunity. I'll test the power of those two moves; I might have to face them in the future.'
At this time, on a building one kilometer away from the battlefield, Uchiha Obito had his left Sharingan open, staring intently at the two combatants through a window.
'Has this person's background been investigated yet?'
Originally, when Nagato met with this God of unknown origin, Obito had come to take a look out of caution. He hadn't expected the opponent's strength to be so impressive—a skilled hand even among Kage-level fighters. The fact that he had never heard his name was too suspicious.
Beside him, Zetsu spoke in a raspy voice, "I can't find anything. All I know is that he appeared in the Land of Birds a few months ago and founded the Evil God Cult."
"This guy is too mysterious and might become an obstacle for us. Find an opportunity to kill him." Obito narrowed his right eye, radiating intense killing intent.
The fact that even Zetsu's intelligence network couldn't trace his origins was enough to show how extraordinary this person was.
If he joined the Akatsuki Organization with some hidden agenda, it would only bring unpredictable variables to the Eye of the Moon Plan.
"He must be dealt with."
Zetsu nodded in agreement. This god indeed had a mysterious background. From the scattered memories bestowed by his mother, he knew that when his mother descended upon the Ninja World, she had fought a great war against the so-called local deities. In the end, they were nearly wiped out and could only hide away to survive.
This Evil God might be one of them.
Allowing him to act freely might hinder his mother's resurrection.
"By the way, has Orochimaru been found? When the time comes, notify Nagato, and the entire Akatsuki Organization will act together."
When Obito mentioned Orochimaru, a solemn expression appeared on his face.
After Yagami Light mentioned at the organization meeting that Orochimaru could use Wood Release, Black Zetsu found Obito, and they mobilized White Zetsu across the entire Ninja World to search every inch of the land.
They finally found him on an island near the Land of Waves.
By then, Orochimaru had already preliminarily completed the transplantation of white zetsu cells. His hands, which had been severed by the Shinigami, had their Pain significantly reduced under the repair of the white zetsu cells.
He was already able to control his arms freely, restoring his ability to perform Ninjutsu.
There were clear traces of white zetsu cells on his face, which Obito and Zetsu recognized at a glance.
After that was the battle between Obito and him. Orochimaru was as slippery as an eel; even though Obito had used Kamui at the beginning to deal him a fatal blow by surprise...
...Orochimaru used the 'Snake Style Substitution Technique' to restore himself in an instant. Due to the characteristics of the white zetsu cells, even after using the 'Snake Style Substitution Technique' five or six times, his Chakra showed no signs of depletion.
In the end, Orochimaru even caught the fatal opening where Obito could not remain intangible during the moment of his attack.
He finally dealt a fatal wound with the kusanagi sword. If White Zetsu hadn't rescued him in time, Obito might have met his end in that unexpected place.
Zetsu heard the resentment in Obito's voice and knew he was completely enraged by Orochimaru.
"We're still looking. Orochimaru likely set up his base on some island this time. As you know, White Zetsu are most sensitive on land; trying to find someone in the vast ocean is like looking for a needle in a haystack."
"It must be done as soon as possible. Orochimaru will become an obstacle; we must deal with him quickly."
Zetsu nodded upon hearing this. He naturally knew the danger Orochimaru posed. If White Zetsu fell into the hands of such a scientist, who knows what he would research?
What if he went mad and cooperated with Nagato? Whether Nagato in his prime would follow the previous plan to collect the Tailed Beasts was a huge variable, and Zetsu would never allow that to happen.