In the rain, the five figures of Pain stood like the Grim Reaper, completely blocking Hoshino's path forward.
The Asura Path's arm slowly deformed, revealing a pitch-black cannon muzzle; the Animal Path's hand Hand Seals; the Preta Path's arm was outstretched at the forefront; and the Human Path and Naraka Path stood on either side.
A powerful gust of air surged from behind, and Deva Path Pain flew in at breakneck speed from the sky.
Before long, a huge number of Kikaichū swarmed into the arena from all corners, forming a protective net around Hoshino.
Deva Path Pain, stood in mid-air, his eyes growing ever more profound, and said calmly, " The Sunagakure wants to establish its authority by taking over the Land of Rain? You've come to the wrong place."
"Wrong, it's not Sunagakure, it's the Reform Society!"
Even with both the road ahead and the road behind blocked, Hoshino remained calm and even had the leisure to correct Deva Path's slip of the tongue.
But thinking about it, it makes sense. Apart from the other Three Great Shinobi Villages, other forces can't distinguish between the Reform Society and Sunagakure.
Given the village's current situation, the Reform Society cannot fully represent Sunagakure.
"Whether it's Sunagakure or the Reform Society, you won't leave here alive today," Deva Path Pain sneered.
Almost at the same moment.
The Asura Path launched the first attack, sending several missiles streaking with long plumes of flame towards Hoshino like meteors.
Hoshino's knee thrusters erupted with blue flames, and his body instantly shifted to the side, blasting a crater three meters in diameter into the ground where he had been standing.
The Kikaichū surrounding them rushed towards the six Six Paths around them, with the majority Kikaichū towards the Naraka Path.
Hoshino knew very well about the Six Paths of Pain; to defeat Six Paths, he first had to deal with the Naraka Path, which could revive the other Pain.
At this moment, several other Pain also rushed up.
" Summoning Technique!"
White smoke exploded, and three enormous hellhounds roared as they charged out, their fangs dripping corrosive saliva that scorched the ground, sending up hissing white smoke.
"Tsk, what a hassle!"
Hoshino's left arm bone blade split into dozens of thin needles, which rained down on the hellhound.
"Pfft!"
The moment the needle pierced the panel, the hellhound's body began to mutate and split, one head becoming two, two heads becoming four...
In the blink of an eye, the number of hellhounds multiplied several times, charging wildly towards Hoshino.
"This is a split-type summoning beast!"
Hoshino quickly retreated, turning the gun barrel in his right arm to face the direction.
Bang--
Several powerful laser beams shot out from the gun barrel, like scorching blades, piercing through the pack of hellhounds.
The laser beam, its momentum undiminished, continued its trajectory towards the Asura Path.
Suddenly, the Preta Path appeared in front of the Asura Path.
" Sealing Technique: Absorption Seal!"
The Preta Path Realm Hand Seals, and a powerful suction force emanated from his palms.
All the laser beams constructed from Chakra instantly disintegrated, turning into specks of light that were completely devoured by the Preta Path.
"A futile struggle." The Deva Path Dao, high above, surveyed the Hoshino. "Feel the pain!"
" Banshō Ten'in!"
A terrifying suction force suddenly erupted, and Hoshino's body was uncontrollably thrown towards Deva Path.
Overclocking Mode!
Hoshino roared, and blinding blue light burst forth from the gaps in the armor.
He unleashed the full power of his prosthetic body, forcefully resisting gravity, and aimed the cannon barrel of his right arm at the heavenly Deva Path the sky.
" Shikotsumyaku - Armor-Piercing Cannon!"
The reinforced bone spurs shot out at three times the speed of sound, rushing towards the Deva Path like a meteor, but were repelled by an invisible barrier the instant they approached Deva Path.
Shinra Tensei!
boom--
Hoshino, along with the ground within ten meters around him, was ripped away and crashed heavily into the ruins. His armor shell shattered extensively, and the exposed circuitry crackled in the rain.
"Cough cough..."
Hoshino struggled to sit up, the Mitsudomoe in his Sharingan spinning wildly.
Through the rain, he saw the Six Paths of Pain approaching from all directions.
Even the Kikaichū, which were constantly adapting to the intensity of the attacks, were finding it difficult to withstand the powerful offensive of the Six Paths of Pain.
Asura Path raised his arm again, aimed the cannon at Hoshino, and fired a barrage of shells.
The Animal Path then Hand Seals again, summoning even more summoned beasts. Centipedes, rhinoceroses, and other enormous summoned beasts flanked from both sides.
The Preta Path opened its massive maw, ready to absorb any attack Hoshino might launch at any moment.
The Human Path and the Naraka Path stand in the rear, ready to provide assistance at any time.
The Deva Path, as always, remained high above, suspended in mid-air, its eyes filled with disdain.
If it weren't for the fact that the plan hadn't officially started yet, a mere Sunagakure would dare to bare its teeth at the Land of Rain.
Not every Five Great Shinobi Villages is called Konoha; not all of them would make him wary.
" Pain!"
Hoshino waved the flag to recall the Kikaichū for defense, resisting the attacks from the other Pain's attacks, then looked up and said calmly.
"Have you forgotten that Konan and Kakuzu still in my hands? Aren't you worried about them at all?"
Although he knew that Deva Path wouldn't let it go so easily, Hoshino still tried to disrupt their rhythm.
Nagato and Konan have relied on each other for so many years, it's impossible for Nagato to really abandon Konan.
Even though they clearly know that Konan is not in Falling Rain Town, they still mobilized the Six Paths of Pain to besiege Hoshino, which means that someone has already gone to rescue Konan.
I just don't know who it is.
Um... okay, Hoshino knows who it is.
In the distance, through the rain, two tall figures slowly emerged, one of them carrying a woman on his shoulder.
Kakuzu, Kisame Hoshigaki, and the woman on his shoulder is Konan.
However, judging from the condition of the three, only Kakuzu and Kisame Hoshigaki slightly better shape, Konan was pale and very weak.
Hoshino chuckled. "You've got something, Pain!"
Kakuzu can steal hearts to restore his strength, making him extremely resilient; otherwise, he wouldn't be known as the immortal ninja.
Kisame Hoshigaki is known as the Tailless Tailed Beast due to his enormous Chakra.
As for Konan, she couldn't keep up. Her Chakra was depleted too much during the battle, and she didn't have a way to quickly replenish it. Then, her Chakra was constantly being devoured by Kikaichū.
Therefore, now they can only be carried by others.
Kakuzu gently set Konan down, then turned and glared fiercely at Hoshino, "You little brat from Sunagakure, you're not leaving here alive today!"
Hoshino shrugged, looking completely indifferent.
The loss is only one puppet, so there is some impact, but it's not significant.
At this moment, Kisame Hoshigaki grinned, revealing his sharp fangs, and said, "Boss, I guess I've completed my mission? Those bugs were really troublesome."
Not only were they numerous, but they also adapted extremely quickly. Even with his enormous Chakra, he was almost completely devoured during the battle.
Besides that, his only remaining Water Release had negligible effect on the Kikaichū; he had risked his life to save Konan and Kakuzu.
As for Kitsuchi, Asuma, and the others, he had no intention of rescuing them; it was too troublesome, a thankless task.
Deva Path ignored Kisame Hoshigaki and continued to stare coldly at Hoshino.
"Your Sunagakure wants to use Falling Rain Town to establish the rules for the black market, and my Amegakure doesn't mind using Sunagakure to establish the rules for other forces in the Land of Rain in the future."
"Tch!" Hoshino clicked his tongue, a slight smile playing on his lips, and said, "You only say that because you know I'm a puppet."
If the true form were here, would the Deva Path still dare to say such a thing...?
He dares!
In the current Shinobi World where the power levels haven't collapsed, Nagato represents the strongest Shinobi World, and it seems the Akatsuki is starting to form a united front.
With that kind of fighting power, he could easily take on two major ninja villages other than Konoha at the same time.
As for Konoha, it's not that they can't beat them, but they can't withstand the opponent's overpowered abilities.
Just like during the Third Shinobi World War, Konoha was about to lose, but then Minato Namikaze came along and managed to turn the tide.
That's absolutely unreasonable.
However, Hoshino was confident that since his true form was there, the Deva Path wouldn't actually kill him.
It's not that we're afraid, but that there's no need to.
With Hoshino dead, the others will surely avenge him and unleash the full power of the Reform Society.
The Akatsuki might be able to withstand the pressure, but the Land of Rain definitely won't; it's not impossible that they could be completely destroyed.
Deva Path Pain could speak, the others suddenly turned to look eastward.
Through the rain, a figure rapidly approached, becoming increasingly clear.
Jiraiya wore wooden clogs, his white hair dancing wildly in the wind, and the deep red "oil" character on his shoulder stood out prominently in the rain.
Upon seeing the appearance of this Hoshino Sannin, Hoshino relaxed, and his entire body began to unwind.
It seems a fight is unlikely.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Jiraiya's main focus will be on Deva Path from now on, and then on Asuma.
As for the Akatsuki, they will not start a war without their leader's explicit instruction to do so.
That means everything's fine.
Before long, Jiraiya appeared on the battlefield, his expression grave as he looked at the scene before him.
Falling Rain Town has been completely abandoned, and even the once towering Kakkō have dimmed.
Outside the town, seven or eight figures exuding a fierce aura surrounded a person in the middle.
The ground around was riddled with craters, bearing the marks of the explosion. Rainwater mixed with blood pooled in the low-lying areas, emitting a nauseating stench.
Kikaichū swarmed around Hoshino, their mandibles menacing as they confronted their enemies.
What happened next was exactly as Hoshino had predicted.
Jiraiya originally wanted to confront Hoshino about Asuma.
But when his gaze swept over the Six Paths of Pain and finally landed on the Deva Path Pain and Konan, who was sitting on the ground not far away, a hint of surprise suddenly appeared in his tone.
"You... you're Yahiko? You're not dead? And... Konan?"
Konan greeted Jiraiya with a smile, her expression somewhat intimate, but she didn't say much more.
In Akatsuki's plans, Konoha is an unavoidable target.
She didn't know what to do about her former mentor, so she could only remain silent.
At this moment, Deva Path Pain turned around, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes, but he quickly regained his indifference.
" Jiraiya- sensei, it's been a long time."
" Yahiko, how did you become like this?"
Jiraiya looked at the Deva Path Pain before him, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
The boy who once had ideals and aspired to change the Shinobi World has now become like this.
And what's with his Rinnegan?
" Yahiko, where's Nagato? How did he end up with you?"