Sage Mode: Activate!

"Damn it! This brat... when did he become so strong?!"

Scorpion muttered under his breath, his face grim.

He first glanced at the pool of blood beside him, then at the scattered puppet fragments below, and finally reluctantly withdrew his hand from the other two scrolls.

"Master Scorpion, are you... not planning to continue fighting?"

Deidara glanced at Sasori, whose face was gloomy beside him, moved closer to him, and asked cautiously.

"... Or else, if you want to go and die, then go ahead, I won't stop you."

Scorpion turned his head away and said irritably.

That brat, he knows perfectly well what he's doing, why does he have to say it out loud?

The difference in strength is obvious, so what's the point of fighting? Are they tired of living?!

Deidara secretly breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Sasori's attitude.

To be honest, he never really wanted to fight Kou.

Although it's highly likely that Kou Xiaoge is a spy for Konoha, he has always treated him quite well during the years they've spent together.

Even though the two are now completely on opposing sides, the psychological gap is not something that can be easily adjusted in a short time.

Of course, besides personal relationships, Kou Tiankang's own practical considerations were also indispensable.

With Lightning Release and Sharingan, even if I could win in a fight with Brother Kou, the mere thought of the battle itself would be enough to make me feel nauseous...

Deidara quickly went through these rather unseemly thoughts in his mind, then looked around at the others.

Raiga Kurosuki had already silently sheathed the pair of Thunder Sword in his hands behind his back, seemingly having no intention of fighting.

From the very beginning, Itachi maintained an attitude of complete indifference, as if everything had nothing to do with him.

Deidara looked at his two colleagues who had completely given up, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

These two guys aren't even bothering to act anymore...

Just as Deidara looked at Pain, racking his brains for a way to persuade his boss to give up this mission that had no chance of success, a sharp aura suddenly erupted from Pain without warning!

Everyone was taken aback at first, then they all turned their wary gazes toward Pain's back.

"Boss?"

Pain did not respond to Deidara's cautious call.

He simply stared straight at Kou, and said in a calm, even somewhat helpless tone:

"Knock, I have to admit, you're very strong."

Even if the entire Akatsuki at once, they would never be a match for you.

"Hmm? Boss, when did you learn to flatter people like this?"

Kou raised an eyebrow dramatically, replying in a tone that was half teasing and half serious:

"But let me make this clear beforehand: no matter how much you praise me, I'm not going to let you off the hook today."

"I'm planning to wipe you all out in this operation."

Pain's expression remained calm.

"Does your 'wiping them all out' include 'Spot' as well?"

After a moment of silence, Kou nodded firmly.

"... nature."

Pain seemed completely unsurprised by this answer.

He nodded in return and slowly extended his hand towards Kou:

"In that case, perhaps we, Akatsuki, could also be an asset in your fight against Madara."

"... ha?"

Kou paused briefly, then slowly narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Pain's cold, stern face from head to toe.

What do you mean by that?

Pain took a step forward, meeting Kou's gaze with composure:

"It means exactly what it says, Akatsuki. I'm willing to give up this mission and from now on, I'll stand on your side and join forces to fight against Uchiha Madara."

In exchange, this time, you'll let us all leave here safely.

"Knock, what do you think?"

Knock instantly understood something, and looked at Pain with a strange expression:

"You mean... you're planning to sell him to ensure your safety?"

"If you insist on understanding it that way, then so be it."

Pain nodded without hesitation and readily admitted:

"For us, Uchiha Madara was always an unstable threat."

Even without you, once the plan has progressed to a certain point, I will eventually eliminate him completely; it's just a matter of timing.

Then, Pain said again, with a meaningful tone:

So, what do you think of my proposal?

Kouch remained silent for a long while, as if he was seriously considering Pain's "sincere" peace offer.

Pain watched him silently, a glint of obscure light flashing in his Rinnegan.

After a moment, Kou let out a long sigh and shook his head at Pain with feigned regret:

"I regret to inform you that I decline your offer."

Pain seemed to have anticipated this answer and calmly pressed on:

"... Could you tell me why you refused?"

The reason is simple.

Kou Chao extended two fingers towards Pain, the habitual smile on his lips completely vanishing at this moment:

"Firstly, I do not intend to let any of you leave."

"You, Madara, and everyone in the Akatsuki —I have no intention of letting any of them go."

As for the second point...

As he spoke, he bent one of his two fingers down, then pointed the second finger directly at Pain's increasingly cold purple eyes:

"Since you keep saying you want to cooperate with me, why are you secretly accumulating Chakra during this conversation?"

"Boss, you... you're not being honest."

As soon as Kou finished speaking, Pain's expression changed drastically!

The Chakra that had just been transmitted through the Black Receivers from his original body thousands of miles away, and which should have been rapidly accumulating within him for a final battle, was now being drained away at a alarming speed, as if drawn out of thin air.

Meanwhile, as he felt the immense Chakra flowing into his body through Inari God, the smile on his face grew increasingly satisfied.

He pushed the "Inari God" technique to its limit, continuing to draw Chakra from Pain's body from a distance, while smilingly saying to Pain:

"Thank you for the treat, boss."

I don't know if you're hungry or not, but I'm definitely full.

"... He can absorb other people's Chakra without physical contact."

Pain instantly deduced the reason for the anomaly within his body and asked Kou in a grave tone:

"Is this also an ability of your Mangekyō Sharingan?"

Kou did not answer his question directly, but instead clasped his hands together in front of his chest with a sharp "slap".

"Don't think you're the only one secretly gathering strength— Nagato."

Kou spoke calmly, looking into Pain's solemn Rinnegan, and said with a smile:

"Let me show you with my own eyes the results I've achieved using this time of delay!"

The moment the words fell, the abundant Natural Energy around them surged wildly into Kou's body from every corner inside and outside the Susanoo Barrier!

An aura even more terrifying and primal than that of Susanoo at its peak erupted from Kotori's towering body!

The Sage Mode of Ryūchi Cave... has been activated!!