The situation on the field was about to erupt, with Kakashi and his teammates making the first move. Pain's offensive style was simply too unpredictable. In any case, the best defense is offense; as long as I'm on the offensive, you have no choice but to defend against me.
The three worked together seamlessly. Akimichi and his son unleashed powerful and sweeping attacks, while Kakashi displayed agility and unpredictability.
"The Banshō Ten'in"
Kakashi sensed something was wrong the moment Pain used his Ninjutsu.
"Earth Release, Earth Style Wall."
Kakashi pressed his hand to the ground, and a wall instantly appeared, with Kakashi signature three dog heads on it. It didn't have much Chakra, just a lot of fancy decorations.
"Bang!"
The repulsive force acted completely on the soil Earth Style Wall, which was instantly shattered.
"A good opportunity."
"Lightning Release, Earth Flow"
Kakashi seized Pain's cooldown moment and used Lightning Release to paralyze Pain with lightning, which would slow down his reaction speed.
The Akimichi father and son worked together to keep up.
"Human Bullet Tank"
The father and son tucked their limbs into their bodies, forming a ball, and then rolled towards Pain with astonishing speed and destructive force. Just as they were about to hit Pain revealed a rare smile, as if mocking their overestimation of their abilities. One thing Kakashi and the others hadn't considered was that the Pain in front of them was a corpse, devoid of any sensation, so the Lightning Release was completely ineffective.
"The Banshō Ten'in"
Pain spread his arms, one in each hand, blocking the Human Bullet Tank of the Akimichi father and son.
The Akimichi father and son's Human Bullet Tank kept spinning in place, unable to make any progress.
"Bang!"
The recoil from the Human Bullet Tank struck Akimichi and his son, sending them flying backward.
"Pfft." X2
After the father and son collapsed to the ground, they couldn't help but vomit blood, their faces turning pale.
Pain, wielding Chakra rod, walked towards the Akimichi father and son. Only Kakashi could withstand him. Kakashi flashed forward, and Kakashi and Pain clashed.
"Clang, clang, clang."
The kunai and Chakra rods clashed, producing a piercing sound and dazzling sparks.
Their bodies moved constantly across the battlefield. The Akimichi father and son took the opportunity to consume the Akimichi Clan's secret medicine, temporarily suppressing their injuries.
"Son, attack!"
Choza said to Choji, his shrewd eyes already seeing that Kakashi was slowly falling into a disadvantageous position. Defeat was only a matter of time.
"Yes, Father."
Choji answered firmly.
"Swish, swish."
The father and son joined the battle, making it three against one, and instantly gained the upper hand. But this was exactly the moment Pain had been waiting for.
"The Banshō Ten'in"
Pain used repulsive force to push Kakashi and Choza away, and then Choji overpowered Choji. It's better to break one finger than to injure all ten. Pain specifically targeted the weakest link. It was clear that Pain's Chakra rods were about to pierce Choji's body.
"Ah, no!"
Choza's roar echoed through the clouds. He slammed his staff into the ground, bending it under the repulsive force, barely stopping his backward flight. The greater the force, the greater the rebound. The bent staff, devoid of repulsive force, propelled Choza directly towards Pain and Choji with a counterforce. He was faster than he was going. Choza smashed Choji, Choza Pain's Chakra rod pierced through his body.
"Puff."
Choza spat a mouthful of blood directly onto Pain's face. Using physical attacks in battle was unprecedented. Pain withdrew his staff and stepped back, wiping his face with his clothes.
"Dad."
Choji looked at Choza, who was bleeding profusely from his abdomen, with a worried expression, and frantically tried to stop the bleeding with his hand, appearing extremely helpless.
"What to do? What to do?"
Choji began to ramble incoherently.
Seeing the loving father and son, Pain decided to send them on their way, throwing out two Chakra rods. Just as he was about to complete his objective, a vortex appeared and sucked the Chakra rods in, disappearing them.
Kakashi, blood streaming from his eyes, walked step by step toward the Akimichi father and son, blocking Pain's view. He Choji behind him.
"Choji, take your father with you. He's just fainted from blood loss; he can still be saved."
"Kakashi-sensei."
Choji looked up and saw Kakashi's back. He wasn't stupid; he knew what path Kakashi-sensei had chosen. None of the three of them were a match for Pain, and if Kakashi were spared, they would surely die.
Let's go.
"Yes, Kakashi-sensei."
Choji wiped away the tears streaming from his eyes, picked up his father from the ground, and quickly fled the battlefield. Pain made no move, wary of Kakashi's abilities, and watched Choji leave. Pain didn't know was that Kakashi's abilities were no longer fully effective. He had only kept his Sharingan to scare Pain and give Choji a chance to escape.
The two clashed again in an instant. This time, without the help of the Akimichi father and son, Kakashi could no longer hold on. He first killed one of the Deva Path Pain, and then used Kamui repeatedly. His body could no longer withstand the onslaught. Soon, Pain used Ninjutsu to pull him into the ground, leaving only his head sticking out.
Pain then flicked a nail with his finger, Kakashi watched helplessly as the nail came toward him, his mind flashing back to Karot.
"It's truly a regret that I didn't get to see you before I die."
His head was pierced by a nail, and he died. Hatake the 50/50's short ninja life ended at this moment.
"It was very painful for me to watch you die."
Karot's voice suddenly rang out behind Pain. Pain turned around in alarm and saw Karot slowly walking towards Kakashi.
"Don't blame me, go to the Pure Land and have a good talk with that person! Your brother will be there soon to take revenge."
As the saying goes, "If you beat the young, the old will come to avenge you." Karot had been following Kakashi from the beginning, observing his every move, and repeatedly wanted to help but ultimately held back. This was because Kakashi harbored a deep resentment over Hatake Sakumo's suicide, which prevented the father and son from saying goodbye. Therefore, Karot allowed Pain to kill him, letting the Hatake father and son have a proper talk in the Pure Land. In any case, Pain would eventually be persuaded by Naruto using Talk no Jutsu to revive those who died that day. Even if Naruto's Talk no Jutsu failed, with Karot around, dealing with Pain would be a piece of cake. Reviving Kakashi would be easy.
However, Karot still had to take action against Pain for killing Kakashi, since Pain had killed his brother. Regardless of the timeline, Pain was still Karot's brother, and he wanted revenge.
Karot lifted Kakashi out of the ground and laid him down on the ground.
"Now it's time to settle our own affairs."
Karot walked unhurriedly toward Pain.
"The Banshō Ten'in"
Pain used his signature move on Karot, but it was to no avail. A flash of yellow light appeared on Karot, instantly neutralizing Pain's repulsive force.