The Cloak of the Tailed Beast

The sweet, metallic tang of blood filled his mouth, and his chest burned as if branded by a hot iron. Ling knelt on one knee, his vision blurring at the edges from the violent impact. Yet, he stared fixedly ahead at the six figures in black cloaks with red clouds, who approached with the unhurried, inevitable pace of death.

The Rinnegan. Was that the name of those eyes? That power, which seemed capable of casting the entire world aside...

"Brother!" Naruto's tear-choked cry tore at his nerves. He could feel the little one struggling desperately to rush toward him, held back only by the battered Jiraiya.

He could not fall here.

The thought pierced through all his agony and dizziness like a cold steel needle. He drew a slow breath, the movement tearing at his chest, yet it cleared his chaotic mind for a fleeting moment.

His left hand, already formed into a seal, acted like the release of a forbidden valve.

"Release!"

A tyrannical, scorching red chakra, brimming with the desire for destruction, erupted from the seal on his abdomen like a volcano that had been suppressed for ten thousand years! It surged through his limbs and bones in an instant!

"Ughhh—!"

Ling couldn't help but let out a low roar, his body trembling uncontrollably. Eerie red patterns emerged on his skin like burning flames, and a flickering, crimson cloak made of pure chakra covered most of his body. A phantom tail, condensed from chakra, formed behind him and lashed through the air.

Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, forced activation! Under the immense pressure, the fusion rate was passively increased to 15%!

The violent energy scoured his meridians, bringing a sense of power while simultaneously unleashing the Nine-Tails' hate-filled will. It felt as if countless vengeful spirits were screaming in his mind, urging him to destroy, to slaughter.

"Ling! Stay calm! Don't let it control you!" Jiraiya shouted anxiously; he knew all too well the dangers of Tailed Beast chakra.

Ling shook his head violently, a flash of crimson flickering deep within his black eyes, but he forcibly suppressed the urge to destroy. His goal was clear—protect those behind him, and then... survive!

"Oh? The Nine-Tails' chakra..." A subtle ripple finally appeared in the Deva Path Pain's Rinnegan. It was no longer complete indifference, but carried a hint of... inquisitive interest. "Do jinchuriki protect one another as well? Such pointless emotions."

He raised his hand once more.

But this time, Ling did not choose to dodge!

With the augmentation of the Tailed Beast Cloak, his speed, strength, and reflexes had reached an entirely new level! He kicked off the ground, leaving a crater in his wake, and transformed into a streak of crimson light. He didn't charge at the Deva Path, but lunged straight for the Preta Path, the one capable of absorbing chakra!

"Foolish." The Preta Path Pain spread his arms expressionlessly, ready to welcome the feast of chakra delivered to his doorstep.

However, just as Ling was about to collide with the Preta Path, his figure performed a ghost-like right-angle turn, bypassing the enemy at a speed far exceeding his previous efforts! At the same time, a kunai tied with an explosive tag appeared in his hand. He didn't throw it at the Preta Path, but aimed it precisely at the ground between the Preta Path and the Human Path standing beside him!

"Boom!"

The dust and flames from the explosion briefly obscured their vision.

"Trifling tricks," the Deva Path Pain commented coldly, preparing to use Almighty Push to clear the area again.

But the moment the dust swirled, Ling's figure emerged from the other side like a teleportation, targeting the Animal Path Pain, who had remained still and seemed responsible for summoning!

His tactic was simple—use his speed and the Flying Thunder God's mobility to prioritize neutralizing or disrupting these specialized Pains, breaking their coordination! He could not let the one capable of summoning giant beasts call out anything else troublesome!

"Almighty Push!"

The Deva Path Pain's reaction was astonishingly fast. Almost the moment Ling changed targets, the gravitational force activated again, attempting to pull him back.

"Roar!"

Ling let out an inhuman growl. The chakra tail behind him expanded and lashed out, forcefully resisting the gravitational pull. His speed only faltered for a split second before his claw-like right hand, whistling as it tore through the air, swiped toward the Animal Path's head!

Just then, the silent Asura Path Pain suddenly opened his mechanical body, firing several homing missiles that sealed off every angle of Ling's escape!

He couldn't dodge!

A fierce light flashed in Ling's eyes. He didn't evade, instead condensing more Nine-Tails chakra onto his back!

"Boom, boom, boom!"

The missiles slammed squarely into his back, swallowing him in the fire of the explosion!

"Brother—!" Naruto let out a desperate scream.

As the fire dissipated, Ling's figure reappeared. The Tailed Beast Cloak on his back was shattered, revealing charred skin and dripping blood beneath, but he remained standing, though his body swayed. His glowing red eyes were locked onto the Animal Path, now within arm's reach.

"Caught you," he rasped. His left hand gripped the Animal Path's arm like an iron vice, while his right fingertips condensed a highly compressed, sharp energy mixed with wind-attribute chakra and the Nine-Tails' power—not a ninjutsu, but the rawest discharge of energy!

"Sage Art: Wind Style: Vacuum Finger Spear!"

"Pfft!"

A beam of crimson light, condensed to the extreme, instantly pierced the head of the Animal Path Pain! The light in those Rinnegan eyes dimmed in an instant.

He had succeeded!

Ling felt a jolt in his heart. But the cost was immense; taking the Asura Path's missiles head-on had shaken his internal organs, and his chakra consumption was like a dam breaking.

However, before he could catch his breath, the Deva Path Pain's emotionless voice sounded again: "It seems I need to take this seriously."

The remaining five Pains, including the defeated Animal Path (whose Rinnegan seemed to share vision with the others), moved simultaneously! They no longer gave Ling the chance to pick them off one by one, closing in from different directions like five ghosts!

The Naraka Path held a judge-pen-like weapon, stabbing with the power to imprison souls; the Human Path's palm reached for his crown again; the Preta Path spread his arms, attempting to close in and absorb; the Asura Path opened all his mechanical ports, firing at full capacity; and the Deva Path hovered in the air, watching the battlefield coldly, searching for a chance to kill him in one blow.

Ling was plunged into an unprecedented struggle. Like a lone boat in a storm, he relied on the extreme speed provided by the Flying Thunder God and the Tailed Beast Cloak to barely dodge, parry, and counter-attack amidst the Pains' torrential assault. Every collision erupted with astonishing energy fluctuations, and the valley floor crumbled beneath his feet.

"Bang!" He was struck in the shoulder by the Naraka Path's judge-pen; the Tailed Beast Cloak flickered violently, and the crisp sound of a fractured scapula echoed.

"Sshh!" Unable to dodge in time, his arm was grazed by the Human Path's fingers, tearing away a patch of flesh and sending a jolt of agony through his very soul.

His chakra was draining rapidly, his injuries were accumulating, and the Nine-Tails' will hammered at his sanity like demonic whispers. He felt his body reaching its limit.

Was there... really no other way?

He glanced at Naruto, who was being shielded tightly by Jiraiya and watching him with tears streaming down his face.

No, there was still a way!

A crazy and dangerous idea formed in his mind in an instant. He needed to gamble, to bet that Deva Path Pain would have a brief interval after unleashing that large-scale repulsion technique!

He intentionally left an opening, slowing his movements by half a beat to let Preta Path successfully close in on him!

"Got you!" Preta Path slammed his hands onto Ling's chest, and a powerful suction force surged forth, frantically draining the little chakra he had left along with the power of the Nine-Tails!

Ling did not resist; he even actively guided more Nine-Tails chakra toward Preta Path! The crimson chakra surged into Preta Path's body like a dam bursting!

"What is he doing?!" Jiraiya watched, his heart pounding with fear.

Preta Path's body began to swell abnormally, and crimson patterns similar to Ling's appeared on the surface of his skin. The absorption speed even began to slow down, as if... he was about to burst!

Now!

A flash of crazy determination crossed Ling's eyes. He abruptly cut off the chakra supply and, using his final ounce of strength, activated the Flying Thunder God!

His target was not elsewhere, but Deva Path Pain, who was hovering in mid-air, having just raised his hand as if preparing to unleash Almighty Push once again!

A flash of golden light!

Ling's figure appeared before Deva Path Pain like a ghost, their faces almost touching!

For the first time, Deva Path Pain's calm, stagnant Rinnegan clearly reflected Ling's scarlet eyes, which were burning with the flames of vengeance and a resolute will to die!

"You..." Deva Path Pain seemed to want to say something.

But Ling did not give him the chance. He wrapped his arms tightly around Deva Path Pain's body!

"Let's... go down together!"

He roared, and all the remaining chakra in his body, along with the highly unstable, near-runaway Nine-Tails chakra, was frantically compressed and detonated!

"Lava Style: Tailed Beast Bomb Rasengan (Fake)!"

An extremely unstable, crimson-black energy sphere containing destructive power suddenly flashed and expanded between the two of them!

"Almighty Push!" Deva Path Pain's expression finally changed, and a repulsive field erupted instantly!

"BOOM--!!!!!"

An explosion more terrifying than any before roared through the valley! Blinding light swallowed everything, and a massive shockwave spread outward like a tsunami, tearing the ground up layer by layer!

"Ling--!" The cries of Naruto and Jiraiya were drowned out by the deafening explosion.

The light faded, and the dust slowly settled.

In the center of the valley, a massive crater nearly a hundred meters in diameter appeared. Deva Path Pain's body lay at the bottom of the pit, shattered and broken. He struggled as if trying to stand, but eventually collapsed powerlessly, the Rinnegan light in his eyes extinguished completely.

And Ling...

His body fell from mid-air like a broken doll, crashing heavily onto the edge of the crater. His Tailed Beast Cloak had long since dissipated; his entire body was charred black, blood seeped from countless wounds, and his aura was weak to the point of extinction.

Had he... won?

He used his last bit of strength to turn his head toward Naruto, his vision already blurred.

"Nar... uto..."

He opened his mouth, but could not make a sound, and his consciousness quickly sank into an endless darkness.