An overwhelming gravitational pull descended without warning.
Cangyue's feet left the ground, and he was dragged toward Pain along with the rubble around him.
For an instant, he seemed to hear a deep voice saying:
"Come here~"
The corner of Cangyue's eye twitched.
He did not resist.
Since Pain wanted him to come over, he might as well go faster.
Cangyue pushed off a piece of rubble caught in the pull.
The stone exploded.
His speed surged again on top of the gravitational pull. He thrust the Thunder Sword forward in his right hand, his body and blade almost forming a single line.
Blue lightning pierced the hall in an instant.
"Lightning-Piercing Cloud Thrust!"
[Valor Points +30]
Pain's Rinnegan narrowed slightly.
Ninja normally concealed their intentions in combat, making their moves as difficult to predict as possible.
Yet this man did the exact opposite.
Not only had he shouted his technique's name, he had done so quite loudly.
But even knowing the technique's name, Pain had no time to alter his Banshō Ten'in.
The distance between them had vanished.
The Thunder Sword stabbed straight at his throat!
Pain tilted his head.
The blue blade grazed his neck, severing a lock of orange hair.
Gripping his black rod, he thrust it backhanded toward Cangyue's abdomen.
Cangyue pressed his left hand downward.
Clang!
The purple Flame Sword caught the black rod, Violet Flame rising along its edge.
As the two weapons crossed, Cangyue twisted at the waist and drove his knee toward Pain's chest.
Pain raised his arm to block.
Bam!
With a dull impact, he slid half a step backward, but the black rod in his hand slipped along the Flame Sword's spine, targeting Cangyue's sword wrist.
Cangyue released the Flame Sword.
Before it could fall, sword intent spun it halfway around, slashing back at Pain's waist.
Pain leaned backward to evade it.
Cangyue's Thunder Sword came cleaving down from above.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Lightning, Violet Flame, and the black rod clashed repeatedly.
The two exchanged several rounds of attacks and defenses at close quarters, their speed increasing with every exchange.
Pain felt no pain, and his movements were so steady he hardly seemed alive.
Cangyue, however, had the advantage in strength and speed.
But they were too close for him to wield both swords freely.
Pain had clearly noticed this as well, constantly using his black rod to pin down Cangyue's wrists and elbows.
Cangyue suddenly released the Thunder Sword.
Instead of falling, the unheld Thunder Sword thrust toward Pain's ribs on its own.
Pain shifted half a step sideways. He had barely deflected the Thunder Sword with his black rod when Cangyue's fist closed in on his face.
Just then, a flurry of whistling sounds came from behind.
Countless sheets of white paper gathered into a spear that stabbed straight toward the center of Cangyue's back.
"We're fighting here."
Cangyue did not look back, his tone serious.
"Aren't you just getting in the way, launching a sneak attack now?"
Wait.
Konan's movements faltered slightly.
His words actually left her momentarily at a loss.
Oh, right.
She and Pain were on the same side to begin with.
They were testing Cangyue together. How did that count as a sneak attack?
[Valor Points +20]
During her brief hesitation, the purple Flame Sword had already left Cangyue's left hand and flown behind him on its own.
Boom!
Violet Flame surged along the blade, instantly burning through the paper spear.
The paper blackened and shattered.
But the scattered scraps remained under Konan's control. They swept around the Flame Sword and gathered again on the other side.
The paper spear became dozens of paper blades that sliced toward Cangyue's back again.
Ordinary slashes would not solve this.
Violet Flame could burn away some of the paper, but it could not stop Konan from replenishing it.
Cangyue glanced at the re-forming paper blades and reached a conclusion.
At the same time, Shinra Tensei's cooldown was almost over.
Pain had already raised his right hand.
Cangyue abruptly drove his feet against the ground.
Boom!
The stone slabs exploded.
The speed granted by intermediate physique enhancement erupted in full. Before Pain could spread all five fingers, Cangyue charged right up to him.
The Thunder Sword returned to his palm on its own.
The blue blade stopped abruptly.
It was less than half an inch from Pain's throat.
The black rod in Pain's hand lay across Cangyue's chest as well.
At that same instant, the re-formed paper blades pressed against the side of Cangyue's neck from behind.
All three stopped at once.
Purple firelight and blue arcs of electricity illuminated the hall.
The rubble lost its momentum and clattered to the floor.
Cangyue did not thrust his sword forward.
Konan did not cut his skin either.
Pain's Rinnegan studied Cangyue at close range, but his raised right hand remained in place.
For a moment, they were locked in a stalemate.
Cangyue glanced at the black rod before his throat, then felt the cold paper blades against the back of his neck and suddenly chuckled.
"This reminds me of when Minato Namikaze fought the A-B Combo."
Konan frowned slightly.
The Fourth Hokage had once used Flying Thunder God to face both the Fourth Raikage and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki.
During that clash, the two sides had also briefly reached a position where they threatened each other.
She simply did not understand why Cangyue had suddenly brought it up.
The next moment, Cangyue added:
"And, as luck would have it, Minato Namikaze and I are equally handsome."
He suddenly rubbed his chin. "Do I have that bad-boy charm?"
Konan fell silent.
Even Pain's expressionless face seemed to pause for an instant.
At a time like this, shouldn't a normal person be thinking about their tactical deadlock?
Why was he concerned about his face?
[Valor Points +20]
As though entirely oblivious to the shift in atmosphere, Cangyue looked at Pain again.
"Still want to fight? Why not just admit defeat? Surrender, and we'll call it half a loss."
Pain abruptly aimed his raised palm at Cangyue.
"Shinra Tensei."
Boom!
A repulsive force far stronger than before erupted at point-blank range.
Cangyue, the Flame and Thunder Swords, the swirling paper, and the rubble in the hall were all hurled outward.
The floor collapsed with a thunderous crash.
Stone pillars snapped in half.
Cangyue flew out of the hall in an instant, passing over the stone steps and hurtling straight into the rain outside.
He did not force himself to land.
The Flame and Thunder Swords broke free of the repulsive force with a ringing tremor, flying beneath him from either side.
Cangyue first touched his toes to the Thunder Sword.
His body flipped with the momentum.
The Flame Sword slid horizontally beneath his back to support him.
A moment later, he was lying on his side across the two swords, gliding some distance with the repulsive force before tracing an arc through the rain and floating back to the stone doorway.
From being blasted away to settling back into his reclining position, he never touched the ground.
Even his hair remained perfectly in place.
[Valor Points +40]
Cangyue reached out and brushed the dust from his sleeve.
"You certainly have an impressive presence."
He looked at Pain.
"But your strength leaves something to be desired."
[Valor Points +50]
Paper wings unfurled behind Konan.
Inside the hall, Pain slowly emerged from the dust.
Shinra Tensei had left enormous cracks radiating across the floor, yet he remained utterly unperturbed.
"You haven't used your full strength either."
Pain spoke impassively.
"You haven't used the techniques that severed Hidan's arm and shattered Kakuzu's heart."
Cangyue lay on his side on the Flame Sword.
"They couldn't withstand them."
"You can."
The Rinnegan met Cangyue's gaze across the distance.
Rain fell between them, silently parted by sword intent.
Pain raised his right hand.
"I haven't used everything at my disposal either."
"Or do you wish to witness the true power of a god?"
[Valor Points +20]
The remaining rubble inside the hall began to tremble faintly.
Konan immediately took half a step forward.
"Enough."
She looked at Pain, then at Cangyue, who hovered in the rain using Flying Sword.
"This is only a test."
"If you keep fighting, the hideout will be completely destroyed first."
Cangyue surveyed the collapsed floor and broken stone pillars.
This border hideout truly could not withstand another clash.
More importantly, Pain had yet to use his truly dangerous abilities.
He likewise had no reason to reveal all his abilities before joining the Akatsuki.
Pain slowly lowered his right hand.
The trembling rubble around them settled back onto the ground.
"Kambara Sogetsu."
"You are strong enough to join the Akatsuki."
"Once again, I invite you to join our organization."
Cangyue did not agree right away.
He guided the Flame Sword into the hall, across the shattered floor, and stopped it before Pain.
"I can join."
"But I need to meet my coworkers first."
Konan asked, "Coworkers?"
"The organization's members."
Cangyue looked as though this were perfectly natural.
"I can't just take the job without even knowing who I'll be working with."
Pain did not correct his choice of words.
"Very well."
"Most of the Akatsuki's full members are out on missions and cannot return immediately."
"We hold meetings through Holographic Projection."
Cangyue nodded.
This was exactly what he wanted.
The members of the Akatsuki were all high-value spectators.
If he put on the same performance again in front of all of them, he would be one step closer to his next Swordsmanship upgrade.
The system panel refreshed before Cangyue's eyes.
[Total Valor Points: 3266] [Currently available Valor Points: 1411]
New system notifications appeared immediately afterward.
[Total Valor Points have reached 3000] [New Valor milestone achieved] [Second entry slot unlocked]
Cangyue's gaze shifted slightly.
The second entry slot was now unlocked.
As long as he formed another suitable Bold Claim Entry, he would be able to equip two effects at once.
But now was not the time to check the system.
Pain had already raised his hand.
Several rings resonated under the pull of a special chakra.
Inside the hall, several indistinct holographic projections lit up one after another.
Dark silhouettes of varying heights appeared around them.
Before the meeting officially began, an irate voice rang out.
"I object to letting this bastard join!"
Before you continue