The Animal Path, aside from its summoning techniques, only possessed Nagato's taijutsu.
Was Nagato's taijutsu any good?
The fact that he could trade blows with Naruto in Sage Mode showed that it was at least top-tier. That was partly due to Nagato's own talent and partly due to the Rinnegan's modifications.
Don't ask how Hayato knew. The Tenseigan had likewise modified him at the cellular level.
The difference was that Nagato was not the Rinnegan's true owner. Those modifications also harmed his body, which was why they manifested through the Six Paths puppets.
After being modified by the Tenseigan, Hayato's cells displayed the traits of both animal and plant cells. His vitality had been forcibly elevated to an entirely new level, so there was a reason Nagato always called himself a "god."
Hayato was not even sure whether he could still call himself "human" in a physical sense.
Most importantly, they shared vision and were controlled by a single person.
The Animal Path and the Preta Path worked together seamlessly.
A black rod slid from the Animal Path's sleeve as it confronted Hayato head-on.
Clang, clang!
After only a few exchanges, Hayato realized that he surpassed the Animal Path in strength, so he intensified his assault. The Animal Path went from attacking to both attacking and defending, before eventually being forced entirely onto the defensive.
Clang!
The two Zangetsu blades, carrying immense force, struck the black rod. Both Zangetsu and the rod snapped apart, but with a flick of Hayato's wrist, the broken Zangetsu dissolved into blood energy. After wriggling for a moment, it condensed once more into a red butcher's cleaver.
In that regard, Hayato's blood-energy weapon was even more like an indestructible greatsword than Kubikiribōchō.
That strike exposed an opening in the Animal Path.
Unfortunately, the Preta Path