"You will never defeat all of the Six Paths of Pain, because we are destined by fate. We can live forever."
Deva Path Pain watched Narutō revive the Asura Path Pain whom he had just defeated, using the Naraka Path.
In his eyes, this battle was no different from the ones before it.
"Banshō Ten'in!"
While Narutō had hold of the Human Path and the Preta Path,
Deva Path Pain tried to pull him in with one hand and kill him outright.
"Do you have any idea what you're doing?"
Narutō's body did not move an inch.
He appeared to be alone.
But his nine tails had stretched dozens of meters long, coiling above the water and ground around him.
"The Nine-Tails really is powerful."
Deva Path Pain hadn't expected Narutō to wield the Nine-Tails Chakra to such an extent.
He was strong enough that Shinra Tensei couldn't push him back, and Banshō Ten'in couldn't draw him in.
"With absolute strength, you can ignore any and all power."
Narutō was surrounded by the Six Paths of Pain.
In truth, he held an absolute advantage.
Today, he had come to break the backs of everyone in Akatsuki.
If he couldn't bring this group's powerful fighters, secret bloodline techniques, and Kekkei Genkai under his control, he could erase them all without hesitation!
Even Naruto in an uncontrolled state could render Chibaku Tensei useless.
And Narutō had become a Perfect Jinchuriki!
"You really are stronger than I expected."
"The legendary Sannin certainly didn't hold anything back when training you."
Deva Path Pain raised a hand and used the Summoning Technique.
"Summoning Technique: Demonic Statue of the Outer Path!"
The emaciated Demonic Statue of the Outer Path appeared. It looked like nothing but skin and bones, but was actually the Ten-Tails' shell, drained of its chakra.
"How disgusting."
The Nine-Tails felt sick at the sight of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. If that thing took its chakra, it would lose itself.
No Tailed Beast wanted to merge and become the Ten-Tails.
"Kurama, you have things you don't like, too?"
Narutō patted the fox's head.
"Damn it! Who told you to do that? I'm a Tailed Beast. It's only natural that I hate most things!"
The Nine-Tails turned to look at the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
"Be careful. That thing can destroy everything in an instant, and even steal anyone's chakra indiscriminately!"
The Nine-Tails was still warning Narutō.
Deva Path Pain seized the opportunity to attack.
"Chakra Dragon!"
The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path struck, trying to steal all of Narutō's chakra in that instant!
"You're nothing but an empty shell. What gives you the right to act tough in front of me?"
Narutō slammed the Human Path into the ground with a punch.
He stomped the Preta Path down into a deep crater.
As the thick purple Chakra Dragon rushed toward him, a Nine-Tails form quickly coalesced around his body!
"Do you think the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path can't take the Tailed Beasts' chakra?"
Deva Path Pain sneered. He was eager to take the Nine-Tails Chakra and restore himself.
"What are you even talking about? I can't understand a word of that nonsense."
Narutō had appeared behind Deva Path Pain.
Only the fully transformed Nine-Tails remained, locked in a standoff with the purple Chakra Dragon as it tried to steal its chakra.
"Have you ever heard of Konoha's Yellow Flash, Pain?"
"Perhaps I should call you Senior Yahiko!"
Narutō held a Blood-Cruel Rasengan in one hand and a Sage Art: Rasenshuriken in the other.
Together, they were the two most destructive techniques he could use on a single target.
One was powered by the Nine-Tails Chakra, the other by Senjutsu Chakra.
"What?!"
Deva Path Pain's eyes clearly flickered at the mention of Yahiko.
Both Rasengan struck his shoulders at once.
"Attack!"
The Six Paths of Pain charged Narutō together.
Each of them hurled a black rod that could restrict the flow of chakra.
"Too slow!"
Narutō looked down on all the Paths of Pain and said,
"Your intelligence is terrible. You didn't even know that what makes me different from other Jinchuriki is that I'm not bound by the transformation when I fully transform into a Tailed Beast."
"Worse still, you overestimated your own strength and thought you could suppress me!"
"Even with six pairs of eyes sharing vision from every angle, you're still too slow against an absolute speed advantage!"
Narutō threw out who knew how many more Flying Thunder God Kunai.
In an instant, he appeared beside one Pain after another.
"Large Ball Rasengan!"
"Sage Art: Great Ball Rasengan!"
"Planetary Rasengan!"
"Wind Style: Rasenshuriken!"
"Thunderstorm Rasengan!"
They were all Rasengan—simple, effective attacks.
Like the Yellow Flash, he appeared before each of the Six Paths of Pain, bringing them down one after another.
At last, he stood before Deva Path Pain again.
The Six Paths of Pain behind him had been reduced to a pile of scrap.
Deva Path Pain, wounded and battered by the relentless combo, had also fallen and could no longer get up.
He could only stare up at Narutō.
"How should I kill you, Senior?"
Narutō's condition hadn't deteriorated.
The Chakra Dragon had vanished as soon as Deva Path Pain was defeated.
Unless Nagato showed himself, no new attack could begin.
"How do you know we exist?"
Deva Path Pain's question was really Nagato and Konan's.
"Nagato, Yahiko, Konan."
"This is your Akatsuki, the one that was supposed to bring a dawn to the Ninja World?"
Narutō punched Deva Path Pain's head apart.
"Come out! Senior! Senior Konan!"
The Six Paths of Pain lay motionless.
The iron door opened.
Narutō, who had surpassed his predecessor, saw the emaciated Nagato and Konan, her white-paper wings beating behind her.
"Did Jiraiya-sensei tell you our story?"
"Strange. Even he would be at a loss here."
Konan was ready to unleash an earth-shattering explosion at any moment.
"At this point, we can only kill you and make you feel pain."
Nagato formed hand seals.
"Don't use that technique! The Amegakure we built with our own hands will be destroyed, too!"
Konan was stunned. If he did that, wouldn't all their long-term plans be ruined?
"If we can't defeat the Nine-Tails, our plan will fail sooner or later. And if we let our junior go, our secret won't stay hidden."
"So the moment the Six Paths of Pain lost, we were already fated to die together!"
"Even if Amegakure has to be sacrificed, so be it. This is the only path to Akatsuki's future and the end of all suffering!"
"Super: Shinra Tensei!"
Nagato would rather destroy Amegakure than let Narutō live.
Boom!
An utterly terrifying repulsive force erupted.
Nagato was at its center.
An irresistible force struck Amegakure, destroying every building and sweeping everyone off their feet.
They were flung toward the very edge of the village!
That single attack was enough to destroy any Ninja Village.
The steel-framed high-rises crumbled. Amegakure's distinctive steel buildings, factories, and poison stores all exploded together.
Wood, concrete, and steel became indistinguishable.
After that absolute devastation,
Amegakure was reduced to ruins beneath the pouring rain!
At the very center of the enormous crater,
Nagato appeared in Konan's arms, looking even more haggard.
With no buildings left to shelter them,
rain poured down over them.
Deidara, Sasori, and Orochimaru had just begun fighting Kakuzu, Hidan, and Zetsu.
Outside the village,
Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki arrived at the entrance.
"Mr. Itachi, even our last refuge is gone."
Kisame Hoshigaki spotted the figure atop the ruins and sensed the familiar chakra. He licked his lips with delight.
"I'd love to face the youngest Hokage in a fight!"
Atop Amegakure,
Narutō stood in his Hokage cloak.
He looked down at Nagato, who refused to accept defeat.
"Senior, it seems your pain is nothing compared to mine!"