Chibaku Tensei!

Sensing the unusual energy field around them, Konan was standing next to Pain, was immediately alarmed.

She instinctively grabbed Pain's arm, unfurled the white paper feathers on her back, and carried Pain rapidly into the air, creating a safe distance between them and the area below that was being enveloped by immense energy.

Pain gazed heavily down at the figure below, its body shimmering with a milky white aura, and murmured in a complex voice:

"Is that the legendary... Sage Mode?"

He could sense that, nourished by that pure Natural Energy, a terrifying transformation was taking place on Kou's body—a transformation he had never witnessed before!

He closed his eyes tightly, letting the Senjutsu energy drawn from heaven and earth surge and flow within his body.

Purple eyeshadow, like ancient divine patterns, slowly emerged from around Kou's eye sockets, with countless pure white serpentine lines spreading along his exposed skin.

Under the influence of Natural Energy, her long, jet-black hair shimmered with a faint, translucent white light.

What was most awe-inspiring and chilling were the two jade-like Dragon Horns that slowly grew from his forehead...

Knock felt the immense power within his body and exhaled a satisfied breath.

He slowly opened his eyes and calmly gazed at Pain in mid-air.

With the aid of Senjutsu, a golden arc of light, resembling a snake's eye, flashed in the Mangekyō Sharingan!

"Let's give this battle a beautiful ending, Nagato!"

He spoke calmly, palm up, aimed at the two people in mid-air...

Pain stared expressionlessly down at the terrifying figure below, a figure that seemed to transcend the concept of the human race, his thoughts still drifting into the distance.

Meanwhile, in a dark and damp cave thousands of miles away, Nagato, who was skeletal and now residing on a Nagato, was taking in the entirety of Pain's vision of Deva Path Pain's godlike appearance.

"Nagato, really, really do we have to go this far?!"

Inside the cave, Konan anxiously whispered to Nagato, offering her advice:

"If you use that technique now, your body will..."

"No need to say anything more, Konan."

Nagato sighed softly, his current state revealing a particularly bitter expression:

This is our last resort.

My only consolation now is that I didn't insist earlier, which prevented you from participating in this operation using your physical body.

Nagato murmured in a heavy voice:

"Although that move was used, it's very likely that it will also affect Deidara and Itachi..."

But to eliminate this enormous threat, including myself, any sacrifice is worthwhile.

Having said that, he seemed unable to bear looking at Konan's bitter face any longer, and closed his eyes heavily.

Let's bring this battle to a... close.

Konoha, Chunin Ninja Exams Arena.

Looking up at the two exceptionally small figures in mid-air, he tightened his grip on his right hand, which was already aimed at Pain.

"Immortal Technique: Inorganic Reincarnation"

As Kou finished speaking, a violent hurricane suddenly swept through the previously windless arena!

The gust of wind seemed to be given life by Senjutsu, condensing and coiling at a speed visible to the naked eye, eventually transforming into a colossal wind dragon, tens of meters long, made of pure air currents, which bared its fangs and claws and pounced on Pain and his companion in mid-air!

The paper wings on Konan's back shattered under the hurricane's tearing, making it almost impossible for her to maintain her balance.

He took in the whole scene, then suddenly swung his other hand at the ground beneath his feet.

The arena floor, already riddled with holes, seemed to come alive, surging and bulging wildly.

In the blink of an eye, dozens of thick, giant snakes made of mud and rocks burst out of the ground and lunged at Pain and Konan in mid-air.

Pain stared at the wind dragon rapidly approaching him, and the colossal serpent bursting from the ground. A cold, sharp purple light flashed in his Rinnegan:

Shinra Tensei!!

A tremendous repulsive force erupted from him, instantly shattering the wind dragon and giant serpent that were already within arm's reach!

However, just as Pain finished unleashing Shinra Tensei, Koko's next offensive was already quietly in the works.

His index and middle fingers were brought together and steadily aimed at the orange-haired figure that was rapidly retreating in mid-air.

At the fingertip, a crimson flame had condensed to its maximum intensity in an extremely short time.

The fire was eerily quiet, yet it radiated a terrifyingly high temperature that could scorch and distort the surrounding air.

Centered on the knock, the temperature around it rose rapidly at the same time; in contrast, the temperature in all other areas of the arena suddenly plummeted, and even the ground and broken walls were silently covered with a layer of silvery-white frost.

Pain and Konan, suspended in mid-air, had their robes and hair covered in fine white frost.

Pain stared at Knock from a great distance below.

He felt the intense heat gathering at the fingertip, which had reached its critical point, and the light in his Rinnegan suddenly solidified.

Kouchi fixed his Mangekyō Sharingan with pale gold light, on Pain, and hissed:

"Sage Art: Fire Release - Blazing Flame Sun Wheel!"

A massive, enormous flame cannon shot out from Kou's fingertips with a deafening roar.

The flamethrower instantly traversed that not-so-short distance, carrying terrifying heat enough to turn the entire sky crimson, and blasted straight towards Pain and Konan in mid-air!

Feeling the terrifying torrent of flames, Konan released Pain's arm almost without hesitation and stepped in front of Pain without looking back.

Almost the instant she came into contact with the flames, Konan's figure began to burn rapidly and turn to ashes.

In the final moments before this Paper Clone was completely incinerated, she turned her head and smiled sweetly at Pain:

"Go for it, Nagato...!"

"Konan!!"

As Pain watched Konan rapidly dissipate amidst the raging inferno, a sudden, excruciating pain gripped his heart, almost causing his puppet body to shatter!

Even though he knew better than anyone that the one who had blocked the fatal blow for him was nothing more than a Paper Clone clone made of countless sheets of paper.

The real Konan is still peacefully guarding her original body.

But the scene before him still caused waves of intense pain to rise uncontrollably from the depths of his soul.

"I won't let you down, Konan."

Pain gazed at the torrent of flames still raging wildly in mid-air and muttered to himself.

In the brief moment that Konan bought for him, the "technique" had already been quietly prepared!

A jet-black sphere, seemingly impenetrable even to light, coalesced and took shape in Pain's palm.

He slowly released the hand that was holding the black ball, and the pitch-black ball instantly rose into the sky. An indescribable, terrifying suction force, almost swallowing the entire world, suddenly erupted from the black ball!

The terrifying suction force had barely appeared when it instantly drew the raging sea of fire beneath Pain into the gravitational field of the black sphere.

Immediately following, the rubble on the ground, the remains of puppets... everything was being suddenly swept into the sky by that irresistible gravitational force!

Finally, even the massive barrier formed by Susanoo, which sealed the entire arena, began to shake violently and hum under the terrifying suction force.

Pain hovered in mid-air, looking down at Kou, who was finally being slowly peeled from the ground and rising into the air under the powerful suction, and solemnly uttered the name of the technique.

"Earth Explosion... Heavenly Star!!"