A Hair's Breadth!

But faced with this sudden turn of events, A unexpectedly did not fly into a rage this time!

His gaze was merely terrifyingly cold... He tossed aside the Preta Path's mangled upper body, cloaked himself in lightning armor, and charged straight at Pain's Human Path!

On the mountaintop, Nagato said grimly, "Everything depends on this!"

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

The Deva Path, Animal Path, and Naraka Path leaped down into the valley!

Deva Path Pain... landed directly in front of the Human Path!

Dodai was stunned. "What... There are more than three enemies?!!!"

--Lightning Fighting Ninja Encounter Blade!

"Boom!!!" A's fist came hurtling straight at his face... In the past, the only person who could dodge this move was his archrival, the man known as the Yellow Flash!

Deva Path Pain naturally could not dodge it, but he could repel it!

His eyes suddenly widened!

--Shinra Tensei!!!

"Whoosh!!!"

Under that overwhelmingly powerful repulsive force, A's body was instantly driven backward...!!

Dodai was horrified. "What kind of ability is that!?"

"Ahhh!!" Yet A's eyes widened furiously even as he was being forced back.

"Don't underestimate the Raikage!!!!"

With a roar, Lightning Release Chakra Mode advanced even further, and A's hair stood straight up like spikes!

"That advanced state is something Lord Raikage only just learned. The burden is immense... Has he really been forced this far?!!!"

"Boom!!!" A shattered the ground beneath his feet, abruptly halting his retreat. He even seemed to be pushing forward against that force field!!

The Deva Path's pupils trembled as he thought in alarm, In this state, the explosive power of his taijutsu is no less than Naruto's when he unleashed Six Tails!

But that forward momentum ultimately could not hold...

"What a pity. You do not have a tail that can be driven into the ground to anchor your body like a stake. So no matter how strong you are, you cannot withstand Shinra Tensei!"

"Boom!!"

This close-range clash ended with A being blasted away and smashing headfirst into a distant mountainside!!

"Boom!"

At last... the coffin buried deep underground was raised to the surface by the Moving Earth Core!

The Deva Path manipulated the force field and lifted that heavy coffin!

Pain Rin rode the Yata Crow and swooped down from the sky!

"He wants to use that bird to carry away the previous generation's coffin!!!"

"We absolutely cannot let that happen!!!"

Before Dodai could say anything, the Hidden Cloud Village shinobi had already charged forward without regard for their lives!!!

They knew full well... that these enemies were beings even the Raikage could not confront head-on!

They had already cast life and death aside...!

The Deva Path looked at them solemnly, showing no contempt for their insignificant strength.

Because they were all worthy of respect!

When manipulating objects with the force field, he could not use Shinra Tensei or Banshō Ten'in.

The Deva Path leaped aside, avoiding the incoming kunai and shuriken!

But immediately afterward, the Hidden Cloud Village shinobi who had leaped high into the air swung their ninja blades down at him!

"This is rather troublesome..."

The Deva Path twisted his body with all his strength, dodging the incoming slash before raising his palm sharply!

"Whoosh!" The coffin rose several meters into the air. Pain Rin's Yata Crow circled low to the ground and successfully caught it!

The Hidden Cloud Village shinobi shifted their stances and swung their blades at him again!!

"At last..."

Freed of his burden, the Deva Path calmly spread his arms!!

--Shinra Tensei!

"Ahhh...!!"

The overwhelming repulsive force... sent all the approaching Hidden Cloud Village shinobi flying. At the same time, the dust kicked up by the force obscured everyone's vision!!

"Crackle!!!"

At that exact moment, a panther formed from black lightning descended from the sky at incredible speed... and sank its fangs into the Deva Path's body!!!

"Crackle...!!!" Black arcs of electricity spread across the Deva Path's entire body, leaving him unable to move!!

"Black Lightning Release..." The Deva Path turned his gaze.

In the distance stood a dark-skinned, white-haired young man with the characters for "lightning" and "water" on his left and right shoulders, glaring viciously at him with sharp eyes!

"Lord Third Raikage was the person I admired most. How could I allow you to disturb his peace after death!"

A smile curled across the Deva Path's lips. "I see..."

That young man was Darui. He had used the secret technique personally passed down by the Third Raikage... Lightning Release: Black Panther!

"That technique of yours that repels all enemies and ninjutsu is indeed extremely troublesome, but your body is completely paralyzed now. You cannot use that technique, so you can only be slaughtered!"

Darui looked calmly at the blonde, fair-skinned girl beside him. "Samui, leave him to you!!"

"Understood!!"

Samui gripped her ninja blade and charged toward the immobile Deva Path Pain...!

"Crack!"

But suddenly... Darui's expression changed drastically. He felt a pair of invisible hands tightly restraining him from behind!

"Who is it...!?"

Whoosh! The Camouflage Concealment Technique was released, and Pain's Preta Path, who should have been dead beyond doubt, appeared before him. Darui's pupils contracted violently. "Th-This is impossible. You... You were already killed by Lord Raikage..."

In the distance, Pain's Naraka Path withdrew the King of Hell and muttered, "This Preta Path capable of using the Camouflage Concealment Technique is quite useful."

Pain's Preta Path shed his arrogant manner from when he faced the Raikage and smiled. "Darui, I appreciate energetic young people like you. You are the future hope of Amegakure. Follow me, and I will never let you become 'trash'!"

"Whoosh!"

The Preta Path instantly devoured Darui's chakra...!!

"N-No... Hurry, hurry, stop, Samui!" Darui went limp in the Preta Path's arms!!

"Snap!!"

The Black Panther binding the Deva Path collapsed as its caster lost consciousness!!

Whoosh!!!

He dodged Samui's blade, and a Black Rod dropped from his sleeve, piercing Samui's completely defenseless lower abdomen!!

"Uwaaaaaah...!!"

In an instant... the powerful chakra impact flooding into her body caused Samui to lose consciousness immediately!

Looking at her flat chest, he smiled. "It seems... she has considerable potential to be raised."

His smile faded. He glanced into the distance and raised his hand.

--Banshō Ten'in!

Beside Dodai... C was pulled over by the gravitational force!!!

"Lord Dodai!"

"Damn it!!!"

Rubber ropes created with Lava Release shot out from Dodai's palm, stretching toward C!!

Pain's Human Path flashed forward, driving a Black Rod into them. The rubber ropes instantly melted into the ground...

C was seized by the Deva Path. Merely the force of his gaze was enough to make him faint!

Konan said, "Will you turn those three children into Pain?"

Nagato smiled. "That sounds like a good option as well, but keeping them alive seems more meaningful. After taking Amegakure back from Hanzo, we will need to cultivate some new forces too, won't we?"

Konan glanced sideways at him. "So you had already thought that far ahead."

"Boom!!!!"

Explosive lightning blasted apart the boulders pinning him down. A looked up and saw the Yata Crow carrying his father's coffin into the air...!!!

"Boom...!!!" A kicked off the rocks and soared into the sky!!

The next second... he had leaped to a height even Pain Rin had to look up at!!!

Behind her mask, Pain Rin's gaze trembled. "I was careless. I nearly forgot that this man... possesses strength comparable to the Yellow Flash!"

Among all ninja techniques, only speed was invincible. In the Shinobi World, this was considered an absolute truth!

Terrifying Lightning Release chakra gathered around A's foot as he brought it crashing down with crushing force!!

"Even if I have to smash my old man's remains to pieces, I will never let him fall into your hands!!!!"

--Righteous Lightning Fury Axe!!!

And just then, at that critical moment...!!!