Hair-Raising Terror!

"..." Faced with 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 again.

"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 I would join forces with you in one year."

"So where I am and what I do during this year is none of your business!"

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

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

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

She could not help but shudder.

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

I... seem not to understand Nagato completely after all.

In the blink of an eye, that hostility vanished, replaced by calmness and depth. "Konan, don't be afraid. Everything depends on what we do."

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

Konoha, amid the rain.

Obito's face, concealed beneath white vines, revealed neither joy nor anger. Yet beneath his black sleeve, his fist clenched tightly before finally loosening after a long while.

"Nagato, I'm glad you can speak to me in such a forceful tone."

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

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

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

Kakashi... Forget it. I'll let Nagato have his way for now. Consider it practice for him to hone the Rinnegan's abilities.

"Whoosh!" He vanished directly into a Kamui vortex.

"Hm? What was that just now?" While sprinting, Kakashi vaguely glimpsed something, but could not see it clearly. Helplessly, he lifted the forehead protector covering his left eye and focused his gaze, successfully locking onto the two figures standing outside the alley!

"Guy, there are two enemies!"

"Is that so? We have two people too. 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've split up. Are they trying to avoid confronting us head-on?"

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

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

That masked woman's scent is really bothering me...

"Guy, can you handle that tall one?"

"Kakashi." Guy looked at Kakashi in surprise, sensing that he was acting somewhat out of character.

Though still uneasy, he vaguely guessed that there was some hidden reason behind it. "Kakashi, then let's have a long-overdue contest. Whoever takes down their enemy first and goes to support the other wins!"

Kakashi nodded. "All right!"

Before they split up, Might Guy solemnly reminded him, "For this contest, I hope you're the one who wins. So be careful!"

"Don't worry. These past six months, I haven't been as depressed as you think!"

Kakashi accelerated, his hands rapidly forming seals... Explosive lightning shrieked in his right palm!

Might Guy smiled. "Chidori? It seems Sharingan Kakashi has returned..."

Then I can't lose either!!

Konoha's Green Beast...!!

"Ha!" Green energy surged around his body as Might Guy let out a thunderous roar and charged toward the Asura Path!

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

"Whoosh!"

Obito reappeared atop a tall, cylindrical building.

He glanced at the route Kakashi was taking in pursuit and sneered, ultimately choosing to observe the other path.

"No mistake about it. That 'puppet' who spoke with me just now is the Third Kazekage who vanished from Hidden Sand Village."

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

"Let me see how skilled you've become."

"Raaahhh...!!"

—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 gathered into a shield!

—Magnet Release: Sand Iron Wall!

"Clang...!!!"

After taking that explosive blow, the Iron Sand shield broke apart—but immediately reshaped itself after dispersing!

The black particles drifting through the air made Guy's gaze suddenly sharpen. "That ability is...!!!"

Not good!!!

He abruptly retracted his leg and explosively leaped backward!!!

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 Hidden Sand Village. Are the invaders from Hidden Sand Village?!"

—Twin Fang!!!

Guy drew his nunchaku and swung them in broad arcs, forming blurring shadows of staffs to block the Sand Iron Drizzle, ready to switch from defense to offense at any moment!!

"Slash!!"

As the Sand Iron Drizzle subsided, the Asura Path pulled off its arm, revealing a string of gourd-vine-like missiles that fired toward Guy in a concentrated barrage!!

—Asura Path: Five-Finger Missiles!

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

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

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

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom...!!!

The roaring explosions and blazing flames engulfed 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 thunderous blasts from the other side of the district, he frowned deeply. "Is it that intense over on Guy's side?"

"Crackle!!" Chidori in hand, his Sharingan locked onto the enemy as he stabbed forward at terrifying speed...!!

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

Just as Kakashi's Chidori was about to pierce through her chest, the sorrowful face of a young girl flashed through his mind...

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

"Slash!!!"

The light of Chidori... pierced Pain Rin's shoulder. She lowered her head as blood poured down in great streams, mixing with the rain and dripping onto the ground!

In the rain, darkness colored Kakashi's eyes as he said in a cold yet complicated tone, "I avoided your vital organs, but if you don't treat that wound soon, you'll certainly die. Surrender. At least you haven't made any substantive attack on Konoha yet."

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

Kakashi's eyes widened. "That voice... you, you, you are..."

At that moment, Pain Rin slowly raised her bowed head. The strings of her cat-face mask came loose, and it slid down her face amid rainwater and blood...

Plop!

The mask hit the ground, and that face... was revealed before Kakashi's eyes.

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

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

A hair-raising terror swept over Kakashi...

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