Thunder Domain

"Too slow!"

Uchiha Akira's voice rang out, tinged with disdain. Then, amid the invisible pull of gravity, his figure burst into a streak of lightning and vanished from where he stood.

Banshō Ten'in was different from Shinra Tensei. This Rinnegan ability grew stronger over time.

That had been demonstrated in the original story, when Nagato attacked Konoha and fought Kakashi.

When Nagato used the ability to pull Kakashi toward him, Kakashi had initially been able to resist.

But as the gravitational force increased, Kakashi eventually couldn't hold his ground and was pulled in.

Uchiha Akira already knew this, however. The moment it began, he unleashed his full strength and broke free of Banshō Ten'in's range.

Seeing Uchiha Akira vanish without a trace, Deva Path Pain's expression darkened.

His opponent was incredibly fast and had a wealth of combat experience. Pain hadn't mastered the Six Paths Technique yet, and his opponent had seized the opportunity.

The situation had become awkward.

Several miles away, on a mountaintop, Uchiha Obito and Zetsu, whose body resembled a pitcher plant, stood gazing toward the battlefield.

"Zetsu, how are things over there?" Uchiha Obito asked gravely.

With a Byakugan user there, Obito himself couldn't get too close.

But that wasn't a problem for him. With Zetsu there, even the Byakugan couldn't detect a White Zetsu using the Mayfly Technique.

There was no doubt about that. White Zetsu had been hiding in Konoha for a long time, and the Byakugan had never been able to spot him.

"Looks like Nagato's at a disadvantage," Zetsu said with a faint smile.

"At a disadvantage?" Uchiha Obito stared at Zetsu. "Is that Uchiha Akira over there really that strong?"

Zetsu shrugged. "That Uchiha is incredibly fast. Nagato hasn't mastered the Six Paths Technique, and he has too little combat experience. At this rate, Uchiha Akira will take him down sooner or later."

"Lord Madara, will you go help Nagato?" Black Zetsu's raspy voice came from Zetsu's body.

"Not yet. If possible, let Nagato suffer a little first." Uchiha Obito shook his head with a chuckle. "Besides, Nagato's Deva Path isn't that weak. Uchiha Akira won't have an easy time taking him down."

"I'll step in at the crucial moment, so Nagato doesn't get any ideas of his own," Uchiha Obito said gravely.

On another battlefield, Yamanaka Shigeyoshi, Hyuga Kaoru, and Aburame Shigang struggled to hold their ground as three enormous Summoning Beasts attacked them from all sides.

Of the three, Hyuga Kaoru was in the best shape. Her strength lay in Taijutsu, and she moved with ease, advancing and retreating as she faced the three Summoning Beasts.

Yamanaka Shigeyoshi was faring the worst. His Taijutsu was only average, and the relentless attacks left him struggling to cope. Several gashes had already been opened across his body.

Aburame Shigang was doing a little better, but his situation was still dire. Yatagarasu flew too fast for his bugs to keep up.

And after what had happened with the Hellhound, the Animal Path was extremely wary of his bugs and wouldn't let them get close to his Summoning Beasts.

"Rumble..."

The giant Crab swung its massive pincers, charging back and forth through the battlefield's ruins and sending rubble flying. It suddenly brought its claws down on Yamanaka Shigeyoshi and Hyuga Kaoru as they dodged around.

"Damn... I can't make it in time..."

A huge shadow swept over him, and Yamanaka Shigeyoshi's instincts screamed in alarm.

"Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!"

A cold voice rang out just then.

With a boom, an invisible blast of air tore through the space and struck the descending claw, knocking it off course.

Boom!

The enormous claw slammed into the ground, making the earth shudder.

Naraka Path, standing atop the giant Crab, was now exposed to Yamanaka Shigeyoshi.

"Now's my chance!" Yamanaka Shigeyoshi's eyes lit up through the smoke as his hands rapidly formed Hand Seals.

"Mind Transfer Jutsu!"

In an instant, his mind entered the consciousness of the Animal Path standing on the Crab.

I got him! Yamanaka Shigeyoshi rejoiced.

The next moment, he froze. Before he could react, his vision blurred, and he found himself in a strange place.

It was a world made up of black and purple lines. High above, a pair of enormous Rinnegan stared coldly down at the ground.

"Ah... what is this..."

Then Yamanaka Shigeyoshi felt a vast, icy will erupt from the Rinnegan. It was domineering, cold, and incredibly resilient.

In an instant, the fragment of his will separated by the Mind Transfer Jutsu was crushed into nothing.

In the outside world, Yamanaka Shigeyoshi let out a scream, then crumpled to his knees.

"What... happened?" Hyuga Kaoru's eyes narrowed.

Just then, the giant Crab raised both pincers high and brought them down on the spot where Yamanaka Shigeyoshi stood.

She was just about to rush to his rescue when her expression shifted. With a few leaps, she fled into the distance.

Boom!

The enormous Yatagarasu plunged like a sword into the spot where Hyuga Kaoru had just been.

The earth shook, and clouds of smoke billowed into the air.

Through her Byakugan, Hyuga Kaoru could clearly see that Yamanaka Shigeyoshi had been crushed to a pulp. He was beyond dead.

This is bad... Hyuga Kaoru's heart sank.

Suddenly, she looked toward the battlefield where Uchiha Akira and Deva Path Pain were fighting.

The sky had changed dramatically. Streaks of lightning flashed within the dark clouds.

A gigantic vortex seemed to have formed there, drawing bolts of lightning toward the center of the battlefield like rivers flowing together.

The boundless clouds overhead looked as though they concealed some terrifying beast.

Roars of thunder rang out, making Hyuga Kaoru shudder.

"The sky's changing..." Hyuga Kaoru shouted, then shot away into the distance.

She didn't even spare a thought for the Summoning Beasts that might pursue her.

Aburame Shigang heard Hyuga Kaoru and hurried after her.

Wrapped in wisps of lightning, Uchiha Akira appeared atop a high ridge and looked down at Deva Path Pain, whose expression was cold.

That should be enough. I'll try using the sky's power directly and see if I can destroy Deva Path Pain!

As the thought crossed his mind, Uchiha Akira raised his right hand.

"Thunder Domain!"

"Crackle..." Amid the crackling of electricity, a streak of blue light extended from his right hand and disappeared into the roiling black clouds.

Boom!

In the next instant, countless bolts of lightning converged like flowing water. One after another, they came crashing down from the sky toward Deva Path Pain.

In the blink of an eye, all of Pain's field of vision had become a domain of lightning.

The endless thunderbolts tore through everything. Far away, several kilometers from the battlefield, Nagato's pupils shrank as a terrible premonition rose from deep within him.

This is bad... Nagato's heart sank. His opponent could actually draw on the power of the lightning in the sky.

He couldn't even imagine how much destruction Uchiha Akira could unleash by using the Land of Rain's terrain to his advantage!