Six Paths of Pain Invade Konoha

Six figures dove from the clouds like six black meteors tearing through the morning light. There had been no omen, no warning; only when they landed in Konoha's central plaza did the air belatedly erupt with a shriek of being torn apart.

The Six Paths of Pain spread out in a fan formation, with the Deva Path at the center.

The plaza was empty. There were no panicked civilians fleeing, no crying children—only wind stirring up the dust left behind by reconstruction, sending it whirling through the ruins.

"Were we anticipated?" The Deva Path—the body of Yahiko—raised his head, ripples spreading through his Rinnegan. He "saw" it: throughout Konoha, all chakra fluctuation points had gathered in several areas—the underground shelters beneath the Ninja Academy, the reinforced basement of the Hokage Building, and the emergency refuge beneath the training grounds. The civilians had indeed been evacuated, but the ninja... there were many ninja.

"The plan remains unchanged." The Deva Path's voice was utterly flat. "Capture the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and destroy all resistance."

Before his words had even faded, the attack arrived.

It did not come from the ground, but from the sky—more precisely, from the direction of Hokage Rock. Three figures dove in a triangular formation, moving so fast that white shockwaves trailed behind them. They were Konoha's aerial unit, ninja skilled in aerial combat, each wielding a specially made Wind Release chakra blade.

"Wind Release: Vacuum Wave Barrage!"

Dozens of transparent wind blades sliced through the air, sealing off the Six Paths of Pain's movement from three directions. It was a calculated joint assault—no matter which direction they dodged, they would be struck by at least three wind blades.

The Six Paths of Pain did not even move.

The Animal Path stepped forward and pressed both hands against the ground. "Summoning Technique."

White smoke exploded. Three enormous centipedes burst from the earth, each as thick as a train car. Dozens of pairs of legs moved in unison, their shells gleaming metallically beneath the morning sun. They raised their front halves and used their hard heads to take the wind blades head-on.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The wind blades struck their shells, throwing out sparks like metal colliding, but left only shallow white marks on the surface. The centipedes let out piercing hisses, opened mouthparts packed with venomous fangs, and sprayed purple poison mist at the ninja in the sky.

"Scatter!"

The aerial unit's captain—a scar-faced middle-aged Jonin—gave the order decisively. The three split apart in an instant, and the poison mist passed between them before landing on distant buildings. The concrete walls gave off a sizzling corrosive sound, huge holes melting through them within seconds.

"The first round of probing is over," the Deva Path said calmly. "Then let us begin."

The Animal Path formed hand seals again. This time, the white smoke was even denser, engulfing more than half the plaza. When it cleared, a vast army of summoned beasts stood there:

Five Splitting Hounds, each three stories tall, saliva dripping between their fangs and corroding small pits into the ground.

Three Yatagarasu, with wingspans exceeding twenty meters, their feathers shining like metal and their beaks as sharp as spears.

Two rhinoceroses, their hides as thick as fortress walls, the horns on their snouts gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

And... a chameleon, its body blending into the surroundings, leaving behind only rings of ripples in the air.

"Attack," the Deva Path ordered.

The summoned beast army let out earth-shaking roars and charged toward Konoha's defensive positions. The Splitting Hounds smashed through temporary barricades across half a street; the Yatagarasu swooped down and tore open the reinforced roofs of underground shelters with their claws; the rhinoceroses rammed the walls and gates of the Hokage Building like siege engines.

Konoha's counterattack erupted at the same moment.

From the shadows of the ruins, from building windows, from the entrances to underground shelters—ninja surged out like a tide. They moved in teams of three and squads of five, coordinating as seamlessly as the limbs of a single body.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

"Combination Ninjutsu: Hurricane Flame Sea!"

Flames and raging winds intertwined, forming a fire tornado that covered half the plaza. Two Splitting Hounds were swept into it, their fur igniting instantly as they let out agonized screams. But they did not die—within the flames, the burned portions fell away, and new heads and limbs grew from the wounds. One became two, two became four...

"Damn it, what kind of monster is that?!" A young Chunin's face went pale.

"Don't panic!" His captain—a one-eyed Jonin—roared. "Follow the plan! Use sealing techniques!"

Three ninja from the sealing unit cut in from the flank. Holding specially made scrolls, they quickly unfurled them and formed hand seals. "Sealing Technique: Three-Way Sealing Formation!"

Golden runes poured from the scrolls, wrapping around a Splitting Hound like chains. The hound struggled, but the runes tightened further and further until they compressed it into a fist-sized black sphere that fell to the ground.

"It worked!"

But their joy lasted less than three seconds.

The Deva Path raised a hand toward the black sphere. "Banshō Ten'in."

The sphere flew into his hand. He gripped it, and a flash gleamed in his Rinnegan—the sealing runes on its surface shattered. The Splitting Hound reappeared, larger and more savage than before.

"How is that possible..." The sealing unit ninja stared in disbelief.

The Deva Path threw the Splitting Hound back into the battlefield. "Your preparations are meaningless."

From the very beginning, the battle entered its most brutal stage.

Konoha's ninja fought for time with their lives. They knew Pain's abilities, knew conventional attacks were ineffective, so they used their bodies as bait and their lives as traps.

A Jonin rushed the Asura Path while clutching Explosive Tags, perishing with it amid the blast—but the Asura Path was merely thrown away, and by the time it landed, the missile launcher on its body had already reloaded.

Three Chunin used Earth Release to create a deep pit and trap a rhinoceros inside. But before they could celebrate, the Naraka Path summoned the King of Hell and "fished" the rhinoceros out of the pit. The King of Hell's tongue passed over it, and all of the rhinoceros's wounds were completely healed.

Meanwhile, the Preta Path stood in the center of the battlefield like a bottomless black hole. Any ninjutsu attack—Fire Release, Water Release, Lightning Release, Wind Release, Earth Release—dispersed the moment it came within ten meters of him, every trace of chakra absorbed cleanly away.

"This won't work!" A blood-covered Jonin roared. "We have to find the real body! Find Nagato!"

"Where is he?!" another ninja screamed as he used a kunai to fend off a Splitting Hound's bite.

No one knew.

Nagato's real body was hidden somewhere distant and secure, watching everything through the eyes of the Six Paths of Pain. His Rinnegan could see every ninja's despair, hear every ninja's screams, and feel every life fading away.

But he did not stop.

Because pain had to be passed on.

On the roof of the Hokage Building, Tsunade stood there.

Her hands were pressed to the ground, green medical chakra spreading like a spiderweb and connecting every Konoha ninja on the battlefield. Fragments of the Slug Sage clung to every wounded person, barely sustaining their lives.

But there were too many wounded.

Every one of Pain's attacks added dozens more severely injured. Severed limbs, ruptured organs, extensive burns, poisoning... Cold sweat seeped from Tsunade's forehead, and the markings of the Yin Seal flickered into view. She was overextending herself, squeezing out every scrap of chakra and every ounce of vitality from every cell in her body.

"Lady Tsunade..." Shizune stood beside her, her voice choking. "At this rate, you'll..."

"Shut up!" Tsunade snarled, blood spilling from the corner of her mouth. "Keep supplying chakra! Save as many as we can!"

She raised her head and looked toward the center of the battlefield. There, Jiraiya finally moved.

He did not join the battle from the ground, but from the sky—more precisely, from Mount Myoboku.

Massive white smoke exploded above the plaza. When it cleared, three toads appeared: Gamabunta, Gamaken, and Gamahiro. Each was as enormous as a small mountain, with pipes in their mouths or forks in their hands, their gazes fierce.

And standing atop Gamabunta's head was Jiraiya, in Sage Mode.

Orange eyeshadow appeared around his eyes, and toad-like bumps rose along the bridge of his nose. Two Toad Sages stood upon his shoulders—Fukasaku and Shima. Though small, the Natural Energy fluctuations radiating from them made even the air tremble.

"Little Jiraiya," Sage Fukasaku said, his aged voice solemn, "our opponent has the Rinnegan. We can't let our guard down."

"I know, boss." Jiraiya's eyes were fixed on the Deva Path below. "But there are some things I have to do."

Sage Shima sighed. "Once children grow up, they just love risking their lives. Dear, are you ready?"

"Anytime, dear."

Jiraiya took a deep breath. Sage Art Chakra surged through his body, resonating with Natural Energy. He could "feel" the entire battlefield—every flow of chakra, every burst of ninjutsu, every life slipping away.

Then he moved.

From a hundred meters in the air, he leaped down. He was not falling, but diving—his body rubbed against the air until flames erupted, like a burning meteor.

His target was the Deva Path.

"Sage Art: Fire Release: Toad Oil Flame Bullet!"

What Jiraiya spat out was not ordinary fire, but a viscous pillar of flame mixed with Toad Oil. The temperature was high enough to ionize the air; rubble along its path vaporized instantly, and the ground melted into glowing crimson trenches.

The Deva Path looked up, ripples spreading through his Rinnegan.

He did not dodge.

Because he had no need to.

The Preta Path flashed into place before him and spread his hands. The flames capable of burning everything vanished the instant they touched the Preta Path's palms. They were not blocked or canceled, but absorbed—flames and chakra alike, all drawn into the Preta Path's body.

"As expected..." Jiraiya landed and steadied himself at the edge of a molten crater. "The Preta Path can absorb all ninjutsu. But what about Sage Arts?"

He pressed his hands together, and the two sages on his shoulders formed hand seals at the same time.

"Sage Art: Wind Release: Sandstorm!"

This was not an offensive ninjutsu, but a disruptive one. Violent winds swept up dust and sand from the ground, forming a sandstorm with a hundred-meter radius. Visibility dropped to zero in an instant, even the Rinnegan's vision disrupted.

"Now!" Jiraiya roared.

A figure charged out of the sandstorm—it was Kakashi. Kakashi launched a solo assault, but his target was not the Deva Path. It was the Preta Path.

The tactic was clear: disable the Preta Path first and eliminate Pain's ability to absorb ninjutsu.

Kakashi's Sharingan spun wildly as Lightning Blade gathered in his right hand. "Lightning Release: Lightning Transmission!" Rather than a direct thrust, he stretched the Lightning Blade into chains of lightning, sending Lightning Release Clones to wrap around the Preta Path from three directions.

A three-sided pincer attack, sealing off every escape route.

But the Deva Path did not even glance at them.

He raised his right hand toward the Preta Path. "Banshō Ten'in."

The Preta Path flew into his grasp. Then he turned and hurled the Preta Path behind him—straight into the mouth of the King of Hell summoned by the Naraka Path.

The King of Hell chewed, producing a teeth-grating sound. Seconds later, it opened its mouth and spat out a brand-new Preta Path. There were no wounds, no signs of exhaustion, as though he had just been summoned.

"What?!" Kakashi's pupils contracted sharply.

The Deva Path explained calmly, "Your tactics are laughably ineffective before a god."

He looked at Kakashi, a glint flashing through his Rinnegan. "Sharingan... You are Kakashi Hatake."

Kakashi did not answer. His mind raced frantically: restoration abilities, ninjutsu absorption, an army of summoned beasts, and the Deva Path's bizarre repulsive and attractive forces... The Six Paths of Pain's abilities were too comprehensive. They had almost no weaknesses.

No, wait.

When the Deva Path had used Banshō Ten'in just now, there had been an instant—a very brief instant—when the other five Paths' movements lagged. It was as if the Deva Path's attention had been completely focused on controlling gravity, weakening his control over the other Paths.

"Five seconds..." Kakashi murmured. "The interval between his uses of that ability is roughly five seconds."

"What?" Jiraiya asked.

"After the Deva Path uses Shinra Tensei or Banshō Ten'in, he cannot use the same type of ability again for five seconds." Kakashi's Sharingan remained locked on the Deva Path. "And at the moment he uses it, his control over the other five Paths weakens. That's our chance."

Jiraiya said excitedly, "Then we'll take him down in five seconds!"

"No." Kakashi shook his head. "Five seconds isn't enough. We need... to make him use his abilities consecutively, extending the cooldown."

"How?"

Kakashi did not answer. He turned his gaze toward Jiraiya, and the moment their eyes met, an understanding had already been reached.

Jiraiya in Sage Mode, together with the two Toad Sages, could force the Deva Path to use his abilities repeatedly.

And they needed to launch a fatal blow during that five-second interval.

"Then..." Jiraiya inhaled deeply, Sage Art Chakra boiling within him. "Let's begin the second round."

Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima formed hand seals together. They were not ordinary ninjutsu seals, but ancient seals of Sage Arts, every movement drawing in the surrounding Natural Energy.

"Sage Art: Toad Chant!"

This was not a sound attack, but genjutsu—genjutsu that acted directly upon the soul through Natural Energy. The calls of the two sages resonated together, sound waves spreading outward from Jiraiya. Wherever they passed, visible ripples spread through the air.

The Deva Path finally moved.

He did not dodge. He attacked instead. Spreading both hands toward Jiraiya, he said, "Shinra Tensei."

An invisible repulsive force field erupted. This was not a full-range Shinra Tensei, but a focused, high-density beam of repulsion. The repulsive beam collided with the sound waves, compressing the air to its limit before it exploded—BOOM!!!!

The shockwave leveled everything within a hundred meters. Jiraiya was blasted away, crashing through three buildings in succession before stopping and coughing up blood. The two sages were also caught in the blast, but barely managed to maintain the genjutsu.

And the Deva Path, in the instant after releasing Shinra Tensei, briefly stiffened.

Now!

Kakashi launched his assault. But they did not charge the Deva Path. They charged the Naraka Path.

"Lightning Release: Lightning Tiger Hunt!" Kakashi's Lightning Blade took the shape of a hunting hound and pounced toward the Naraka Path.

It was a feint. They wanted to force the Deva Path to use his ability to protect the Naraka Path, further consuming his cooldown.

The Deva Path fell for it.

He raised his right hand and activated Banshō Ten'in. But instead of pulling, he pushed—using gravitational control to shift the Naraka Path's position and evade the attack. The Naraka Path was dragged to the right, dodging the Lightning Tiger.

But that gravitational control reduced the Deva Path's control over the other five Paths to its lowest point.

And the five-second interval had not ended yet.

"Now!" Kakashi roared.

Jiraiya burst out of the ruins. His Sage Mode had not been released; instead, it had deepened further—the orange eyeshadow around his eyes spread across his cheeks, and toad-like markings appeared across his skin.

"Sage Art: Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan!"

A blue chakra sphere more than five meters in diameter gathered in his palm. Natural Energy poured into it wildly, turning the Rasengan from blue to gold. Holding this Rasengan, powerful enough to destroy a mountain, Jiraiya charged toward the Deva Path.

The Deva Path looked up, and for the first time, emotion flickered in his Rinnegan—not fear, but something complicated, almost sorrowful.

But he did not dodge.

Because in the instant before the Rasengan struck, the Preta Path flashed into place before him.

Sage Art Chakra was still chakra.

As long as it was chakra, the Preta Path could absorb it.

The golden Rasengan touched the Preta Path's palm and began to shrink, dim, and disperse. Natural Energy was stripped away, chakra devoured, and within seconds, the attack that could have destroyed a mountain vanished into nothing.

It worked! The Preta Path—or rather, Nagato controlling the Preta Path—had that thought flash through his mind.

But he was wrong.

Because Kakashi had been waiting for precisely this moment.

"Kamui!"

Kakashi's left Mangekyō Sharingan spun. It was not a complete Kamui, but a partial, precise spatial distortion—its target was not the Preta Path, but the Deva Path behind him.

Space began to twist and collapse around the Deva Path's chest. His clothes tore apart, his skin warped, and his ribs groaned beneath unbearable strain.

"What?!" The Deva Path—Nagato—had his pupils contract sharply. He had not expected Kakashi to possess a spatial ability as well, nor for him to seize the timing so precisely: at the exact moment he was fully focused on controlling the Preta Path's absorption of the Rasengan, when his control over the other Paths was at its weakest.

But he was Nagato, the bearer of the Rinnegan.

One second before his chest was torn apart by Kamui, the Deva Path forcibly severed his control over the Preta Path and concentrated all his ocular power on himself.

"Shinra Tensei!"

A full-powered, indiscriminate repulsive force erupted. It was not a beam, not directional, but a spherical field of absolute repulsion expanding outward in every direction from him.

Kakashi's Kamui was interrupted. He grunted, blood streaming from his left eye as his body was blasted away by the repulsive field like a rag doll.

Jiraiya was closest and suffered the greatest impact. The Sage Art Chakra around him was violently scattered by the repulsive force, his Sage Mode forcibly dispelled. He slammed into the ground, blasting out a crater ten meters across.

And the Deva Path... was still standing.

But he was in terrible condition. There was a fist-sized hole in his chest, its edges marked by spatial tearing, blood pouring out without pause. The full-force Shinra Tensei had consumed an enormous amount of chakra, and even the light in his Rinnegan had dimmed somewhat.

More importantly—the five-second interval had begun.

This time, it was truly five seconds. Because of his consecutive use of abilities, compounded by the chakra disruption caused by the severe chest wound, the Deva Path could not use Shinra Tensei or Banshō Ten'in again for at least five seconds.

And the other five Paths... had all frozen.

They had not been destroyed, but had lost their precise control. Nagato focused all his attention on preserving the Deva Path's life, leaving him able to give the other five Paths only the most basic commands—stand, defend, but no tactical coordination.

Kakashi crawled out of the ruins, covered in blood, but his Sharingan was still spinning. He saw an opportunity.

"Five seconds..." he rasped. "Lord Jiraiya, can you still move?"

Jiraiya crawled out of the crater and stood directly before the Deva Path.

The Deva Path swept his gaze over them. Blood flowed from his chest, and his chakra was draining away, yet his face showed no expression. His Rinnegan passed over every face before finally stopping on Jiraiya.

"Teacher Jiraiya," he said, "you've grown stronger."

Jiraiya wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and gave a bitter smile. "But you've become even stronger, Nagato."

"This is necessary." The Deva Path—Nagato's voice came through the Rinnegan. "To make the world feel pain, to make peace truly descend, I must become stronger."

"By doing this?" Jiraiya's voice trembled. "Through slaughter, through destruction, through making countless people suffer the pain you once suffered?"

"Only then will people understand." The Deva Path's tone remained calm. "Only those who have truly experienced pain will cherish peace. This is what I learned from Yahiko's death—the only truth."

Jiraiya closed his eyes. When he opened them again, only determination remained within them.

"Then, as your teacher, I must stop you."

He pressed his hands together, and his remaining Sage Art Chakra gathered once more. It was not complete, not powerful enough, but enough for one final strike.

Kakashi gathered his strength at the same time.

Lightning Blade formed again.

Their attacks would erupt together in the instant before the five-second interval ended.

But the Deva Path merely watched them. Then, he made an unexpected move—

He raised his hand, not toward any of the four of them, but toward... the Preta Path.

Banshō Ten'in.

The Preta Path flew into his hand. Then he turned and hurled the Preta Path behind him.

Not into the mouth of the King of Hell.

But at Kakashi.

"What?!" Kakashi's pupils constricted. He was preparing Lightning Blade and could not change techniques in an instant. As the Preta Path flew through the air, both hands had already spread open—that was the stance for absorbing ninjutsu.

Kakashi's Lightning Blade was absorbed.

All of his chakra, along with the ocular power of his Sharingan, was swallowed completely by the Preta Path's palms. Kakashi let out a muffled groan, swayed, and dropped to one knee. Lightning Blade dispersed, his Sharingan was forced shut, and his vision began to blur.

"Kakashi!" Jiraiya cried out.

But it was already too late.

The instant the Deva Path threw out the Preta Path, he had already moved. Not with ninjutsu, but taijutsu—pure speed, charging toward Kakashi, whose opening had been exposed when Lightning Blade was absorbed.

The five-second interval had not yet ended.

But he did not need ninjutsu.

A black Chakra Rod condensed in his hand, its tip aimed at Kakashi's forehead.

"The first."

The rod shot forward.

In Kakashi's pupils, the approaching tip grew larger and larger. He wanted to dodge, but his body could not keep up; he wanted to use the Substitution Technique, but after his chakra had been absorbed, he could not even perform the simplest technique.

He could only watch.

Then—

Squelch.

The Chakra Rod pierced through his forehead and emerged from the back of his skull. Kakashi's body froze. His eyes remained open, but the light within them rapidly dimmed.

"Ka... Kakashi..."

Jiraiya's breathing stopped for a moment.

Then the Deva Path pulled out the Chakra Rod. Kakashi's body crumpled, blood pouring from the small hole in his forehead and quickly pooling beneath him.

"Next," the Deva Path said as he turned toward Jiraiya, "is you, Teacher."

He raised his hand, this time toward Jiraiya.

Banshō Ten'in.

An invisible force seized Jiraiya's body and dragged him toward the Deva Path. Jiraiya tried to resist, but the previous battle had exhausted him too greatly, and Sage Arts had already been released. He could only watch helplessly as he flew toward death.

The Deva Path's hand closed around his throat.

His fingers tightened. Jiraiya's windpipe was crushed, producing a choking rattle. His face began to redden, and his eyes bulged.

"Goodbye, Teacher Jiraiya."

The Deva Path spoke without any emotion, as though merely stating a fact.

Then he twisted hard.

Crack.

The sound of a neck bone breaking was especially clear across the silent battlefield.

Jiraiya's body went limp. His eyes remained open, gazing at the sky, at Konoha, at the village he had protected his entire life.

The Deva Path released his hand, and the corpse fell to the ground beside Kakashi's.

The Deva Path raised his head and looked toward the Hokage Building.

At Tsunade, standing on the rooftop with both hands pressed to the ground to maintain the medical barrier, tears already streaming down her face.

Their gazes met in the air.

One gaze was cold as that of a god.

The other was shattered like that of a mortal.

"Hand over the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki," he said, "or Konoha will vanish from the Shinobi World."

Amid the ruins, two corpses lay beside Pain.

On the rooftop, the Hokage had collapsed to her knees, letting out a soundless scream.

Sunlight spilled down, illuminating the blood, illuminating death, illuminating this village of despair.

The judgment of the gods was not over yet.