The Six Paths of Pain in Their Infancy

"Such speed!" A look of surprise flashed through Deva Path Pain's eyes.

Although the Rinnegan was more powerful than the Sharingan, it lacked the latter's abnormal dynamic visual acuity.

The Sharingan's dynamic vision was superior even to the Rinnegan's.

However, Deva Path wasn't the only one present. Naraka Path was there too.

Although Naraka Path had moved away at once, he was still within the Rinnegan's field of vision.

With their shared vision, they could just barely make out Uchiha Akira's attack trajectory.

With no time to think, a Black Receiver made through Yin-Yang Release appeared from his wide sleeve. He gripped it and thrust it toward Uchiha Akira, who was charging at him like a bolt of lightning.

Clang~

A sharp ring rang out as Uchiha Akira brought down the Ninja Blade in his hand. The immense force behind the blow sent Deva Path Pain flying more than ten meters.

Before Deva Path Pain could react, Uchiha Akira charged in and kicked him squarely in the shoulder with a lightning-wreathed foot.

Boom~

A thunderous crash rang out as Deva Path Pain was kicked into a pile of rocks at the foot of a mountain.

Even in the torrential rain, a cloud of dust billowed up.

The commotion made Aburame Shigang, Hyuga Kaoru, and Yamanaka Shigeyoshi, who were fighting Animal Path nearby, glance over.

Animal Path's Summoning Beasts were certainly powerful, but the three of them could hold their own by working together.

At first, they had even gained a slight advantage.

Aburame Shigang's Parasitic Giant Insect Jutsu sent insects burrowing into the Hellhound's body, where they reproduced rapidly and drained its chakra.

This had disrupted its ability to split endlessly.

And with the Byakugan's ability to see through things, the invisible Chameleon had nowhere to hide. Under the attacks of the Yamanaka Clan's secret techniques and the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist, it was soon beaten off the battlefield.

But Animal Path was clearly not so easy to deal with.

With a burst of summoning smoke, a massive Rhino and a gray Yatagarasu appeared.

"This is getting bad..." Yamanaka Shigeyoshi could no longer tell whether the liquid on his body was sweat or rain.

Against an enemy like this, his Mind Transfer Jutsu would be hard to use effectively.

"Our mission is to hold him off and keep him from interfering with the captain!" Aburame Shigang pushed up his sunglasses.

Then a swarm of insects poured from his body, forming a cloud that flew into the sky to meet the Yatagarasu as it circled overhead, dropping explosive eggs.

Standing atop a giant Crab, Animal Path watched as a trace of unwillingness flashed through Hyuga Kaoru's eyes. The Summoning Beast was so tough that her Gentle Fist strikes felt like little more than tickles.

"There's nothing for it. Just try to keep them occupied!" Yamanaka Shigeyoshi said helplessly. He really wasn't suited to fighting large Summoning Beasts.

After kicking Deva Path Pain away, Uchiha Akira frowned instinctively.

Pain's body is tougher than it should be. No wonder Yin-Yang Release enhanced it! Uchiha Akira thought.

Deva Path Pain was slower and weaker than him, but there was one area where he far surpassed him: the toughness of his body.

Deva Path Pain was certainly not as tough as he would be later, when he attacked Konoha and could withstand Naruto's attacks after Naruto had released the Six-Tails.

But after their first clash, Uchiha Akira knew that simple punches and kicks would have a hard time destroying Deva Path Pain.

So be it. I'll use a jutsu to draw out his Shinra Tensei first!

As the thought crossed his mind, Uchiha Akira formed Hand Seals. "Wind Release: Compressed Storm!"

In a single breath, Uchiha Akira opened his mouth and spat out a dense, pale cloud of wind. It spread instantly like a cannon blast. Countless fine, blade-like gusts swept across the ground and into the sky, erasing the rain and tearing up the earth.

"This scale of Wind Style..." In the pile of rocks, Deva Path Pain's gaze sharpened. He brought his hands together.

"Shinra Tensei!"

He thrust out both hands, and an invisible force of Repulsion erupted, instantly destroying the storm of wind blades raging across the land and sky.

The spot where Deva Path Pain stood was even left with a round crater more than ten meters across.

"Not good!" Suddenly, Deva Path Pain's expression changed. He shot toward Naraka Path.

Uchiha Akira had already reached Naraka Path and launched a fierce attack.

Of the Six Paths of Pain, Deva Path was by far the strongest. He had formidable Taijutsu, and Yin-Yang Release had reinforced his body to a terrifying degree.

But the other five Paths weren't nearly as powerful. Their bodies were ordinary, and they couldn't withstand ordinary ninjutsu attacks.

Lightning flashed as the Ninja Blade in Uchiha Akira's hand became a dazzling streak of lightning and came crashing down, swift as a bolt.

With a spray of blood, the tall Naraka Path was split open by the lightning-wreathed blade in Uchiha Akira's blindingly fast attack.

Naraka Path was destroyed on the spot!

"Damn it!" Several kilometers away, inside a cave, Nagato let out an angry growl.

"Nagato, what's wrong?" Konan watched him anxiously.

"It's nothing." Nagato shook his head and said in a low voice, "I was careless. Uchiha Akira destroyed Naraka Path."

Hearing this, Konan frowned. "Nagato, we may have rushed into this. It would've been better to wait until you'd created all Six Paths of Pain before going after them."

Nagato replied calmly, "Konan, it's fine. I was just careless for a moment. I'll deal with him seriously now."

Hearing this, Konan fell silent so she wouldn't disturb him.

On the battlefield, Hyuga Kaoru, Aburame Shigang, and Yamanaka Shigeyoshi were struggling to hold off the several giant Summoning Beasts surrounding them.

Large Summoning Beasts were no easy opponents.

"Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!"

Hyuga Kaoru struck with her palm. A surging blast of air shot skyward, and the explosive egg dropped by the attacking Yatagarasu went off with a boom in midair.

Suddenly, a hint of delight appeared on Hyuga Kaoru's face. "The captain has already taken out one of the enemies!"

"At least that's some good news," Yamanaka Shigeyoshi said with a wry smile.

After testing it, he had discovered that these Summoning Beasts weren't like living creatures at all. When he used the Mind Transfer Jutsu on them, all he sensed was a blur of chaos. They were practically machines.

With so many obstacles in the way, his Mind Transfer Jutsu couldn't reach Animal Path, who was controlling them from behind the scenes.

As Aburame Shigang directed his insects to chase the Yatagarasu, a trace of surprise showed beneath his usually expressionless demeanor.

"Uchiha Akira is so powerful. The fight has barely begun, and he's already taken out an enemy with the Rinnegan..." A cold glint flashed in Aburame Shigang's eyes behind his sunglasses.

On the other battlefield, Deva Path Pain saw Naraka Path cut in half, and his impassive expression finally broke. A boiling killing intent surged from him.

Even his godlike composure had finally cracked.

In an instant, he reached out toward Uchiha Akira. "Banshō Ten'in!"