Bone-Chilling!

"..." Facing Obito's questioning, Pain Rin remained silent.

"Answer me, Nagato. What exactly are you plotting?!"

Faced with Pain Rin's silence, Obito raised his voice and questioned her once more.

"Boom!" At that moment, the Asura Path landed forcefully beside Pain Rin!

"You ask what I'm plotting? Konoha killed my parents and destroyed my home. What do you think I'm plotting?"

"Madara, I promised that in one year, I would join forces with you."

"So where I go and what I do during this year is none of your concern!"

On a mountaintop outside Konoha, beneath the rain, Nagato spoke those words in a frigid tone in sync with the Asura Path... Beside him, cold sweat trickled down Konan's cheeks.

She knew all too well... if "Madara" had not been intimidated, things would spiral completely out of control.

"Nagato..." She looked at Nagato with concern. At that moment, his face bore a hostility she had never seen before.

It startled her.

Because she had never seen that expression on Nagato's face.

It seemed... I didn't understand Nagato completely after all.

In the blink of an eye, that hostility vanished, replaced by calmness and depth. "Konan, don't be afraid. Things are done by people."

Determination filled Konan's eyes. "Mm. I've never been afraid. At worst, we'll fight that guy to the death!"

Konoha, in the rain.

Obito's face, concealed beneath white vine-like growths, revealed neither joy nor anger. Yet beneath his black sleeve, his fist clenched tightly before eventually... relaxing.

"Nagato, I'm glad you can speak to me with such force."

"At the very least, it proves that pain has made you stronger."

"Do as you wish. It's just that..."

At that moment, two figures appearing at the edge of his vision made his eyes narrow slightly.

Kakashi? ...Forget it. I'll let Nagato have his way for now. Consider it training for his Rinnegan abilities.

Whoosh! He vanished directly into Kamui's vortex.

"Hm? That was..." While sprinting, Kakashi vaguely spotted something, but he could not make it out clearly. Helplessly, he lifted the forehead protector covering his left eye, stared intently, and successfully locked onto the two figures standing beyond the alley!

"Guy, there are two enemies!"

"Is that so? There are two of us as well. When it comes to teamwork, we won't lose to anyone!!"

Whoosh! Whoosh!

At that moment, Pain Rin and the Asura Path ran off in separate directions.

Kakashi frowned. "They split up. Do they not want to confront us head-on?"

Guy said calmly, "Don't let the enemy lead us around by the nose! We'll stick to our original plan and attack the first enemy together!"

But Kakashi's gaze remained fixed on Pain Rin's retreating back.

The scent coming from that masked woman really bothered me...

"Guy, can you handle the tall one?"

"Kakashi." Guy looked at Kakashi in surprise, noting his somewhat unusual behavior.

Though he was uneasy, he vaguely guessed there was something behind it. "Kakashi, then let's have a long-overdue contest. Whoever defeats their enemy first and goes to support the other wins!"

Kakashi nodded. "All right!"

Before splitting up, Might Guy solemnly reminded him, "For this contest, I hope you win. So be careful!"

"Don't worry. Over the past half year, I haven't been as depressed as you think!"

Kakashi accelerated, his hands flashing through seals... Explosive lightning shrieked in his right palm!

Might Guy smiled. "Chidori, huh? It looks like Kakashi of the Sharingan has awakened..."

Then I can't lose either!!

Konoha's Green Beast...!!

"Ha!" Green aura swirled around him as Might Guy roared and accelerated toward the Asura Path!

From the very start, he opened the fourth of the Eight Gates, the Gate of Pain—not for any other reason than to end the battle one second sooner and support his dear friend!

Whoosh!

Obito appeared once more atop a tall cylindrical building.

He glanced at the route Kakashi was pursuing and smiled disdainfully before ultimately choosing to watch the other path.

"There's no mistake. That 'puppet' who spoke with me just now is the Third Kazekage who vanished from the Hidden Sand Village."

"According to White Zetsu's intelligence, the Third Kazekage was killed by Sasori of the Red Sands. Yet, Nagato, he has fallen into your hands."

"Let me see how skilled you have become."

"Raaaah...!!"

-- Leaf Strong Whirlwind!!

A powerful gale from his kick rushed toward the Asura Path...!!

Crack!

The Asura Path glanced back, raised its mechanical arm, and Iron Sand instantly condensed into a shield!

-- Magnetic Release: Sand Iron Wall!

"Clang...!!!"

The Iron Sand shield broke apart after taking that devastating blow, but the scattered sand swiftly changed shape!

The black particles drifting through the air made Guy's eyes tighten. "This ability is...!!!"

Not good!!!

He abruptly withdrew his leg and explosively retreated!!!

Long needles formed from Iron Sand shot toward him like a torrential downpour!!

"So it really is Magnetic Release: Sand Iron—the Kekkei Genkai said to exist only in the Hidden Sand Village! Are the invaders from Sunagakure?!!"

-- Twin Fang!!!

Guy drew his nunchaku and swung them in wide arcs, forming a blur of staff shadows that blocked the Sand Iron Drizzle as he prepared to shift from defense to offense at any moment!!

"Shhk!!"

As the Sand Iron Drizzle came to an end, the Asura Path tore off its arm, exposing a string of gourd-vine-like missiles that fired in a concentrated barrage at Guy!!

-- Asura Path: Five-Finger Missiles!

"What...!!!???"

In the blink of an eye, rockets closing in from every direction made Guy's pupils abruptly constrict...

"W-What kind of Kekkei Genkai is this!?"

Rumble, rumble, rumble...!!!

The roaring blaze of explosions swallowed the ground where Guy stood...

This also marked the true beginning of the battle after the Six Paths of Pain infiltrated Konoha!

In another district.

Kakashi pursued Pain Rin relentlessly. Hearing the rumbling from the other side of the district, he frowned deeply. "Is it that intense on Guy's side?"

Crackle!! Chidori in hand, his Sharingan locked onto the enemy as he closed in with terrifying speed...!!

"So fast!!" Although Pain Rin sensed the danger, she could not form the hand seals for the Summoning Technique in time. "Not good...!!!"

Just as Kakashi, Chidori in hand, was about to pierce through her chest, the sorrowful face of that young girl flashed through his mind...

"!!" At the final moment... his palm shifted, avoiding her vital organs!

"Shhk!!!"

The light of Chidori... pierced Pain Rin's shoulder. Pain Rin lowered her head as a large amount of blood flowed down, mixing with the rain and dripping steadily!

In the rain, a shadowed color filled Kakashi's eyes as he said in a cold yet faintly conflicted tone, "I avoided your vital organs, but if you don't treat that wound in time, you'll die without a doubt. Surrender. At least you haven't made any substantive attack against Konoha yet."

"You really are gentle..." An ethereal young woman's voice rang out.

Kakashi's eyes widened. "That voice... y-you, you're..."

At that moment, Pain Rin slowly lifted her lowered head. The ties of her cat-face mask came loose, and the mask slid down her face amid rainwater and blood...

Plop!

The mask hit the ground, and that face... appeared before Kakashi.

She tilted her head and stared with wide eyes. Her bangs covered half her face, as well as... half the smile at the corner of her mouth.

"Kakashi...!!!" (Image follows)

A bone-chilling terror washed over Kakashi...

"Ah, ah, aaaaaah, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah...!!!!!!"