(A/N: Merry Christmas, everyone! I'm celebrating today with a 5-chapter mass release. Please don't worry—I am not dropping this series. I simply needed some time to write the conclusion. I promise to give this story a proper ending regardless of what happens. I know my reputation for dropping novels has been spreading, and many reviews for my new work start with "I hope the author doesn't drop this one..." but I'm committed to finishing this.)
Inoiki understood all too well that victory against the Paths of Pain would not come easily. If he wanted to win, he would first need to find that chameleon or some other creature that lingered somewhere out of sight, watching the battle unfold. Yet, no matter how hard he tried, his Observation Haki could not detect its presence due to the ninjutsu Rain Tiger at Will used by Nagato. That meant only one thing: for now, finding that hidden entity was out of the question. His immediate task was clear—he had to bring down the Six Paths of Pain on his own before he could even think of dealing with the unseen observer.
With a sharp surge of energy, Inoiki vanished from his place, his teleportation leaving the air quivering in his wake. In the blink of an eye, he reappeared atop the towering structure where the Six Paths of Pain stood gathered. Their eyes, cold and synchronized, shifted to him instantly. Just as before, they had anticipated his sudden arrival, their bodies coiled and ready to evade whatever strike he intended to unleash.
But this time, Inoiki did not rush in with his blade or launch a direct assault. Instead, he raised his hand slightly, and an invisible weight descended upon the rooftop. His psychokinesis expanded outward like an unseen tide, pressing down with crushing gravity. The very stone beneath their feet groaned as the Six Paths were caught in its grip. Their movements slowed, muscles straining against the suffocating force.
All except the Deva Path.
The Deva Path alone stood unfazed, a still figure amidst the crushing pressure that pinned down his counterparts. As the other Paths of Pain struggled, their movements slowed to a crawl under the invisible weight, Inoiki seized the moment. His grip tightened around his sword, and with a single fluid motion he swung. From the arc of his blade erupted a wave of searing blue energy, rippling outward like a shockwave across water. Its brilliance lit the rooftop, carrying the intent to annihilate everything in its path.
But before the strike could close the distance, the Deva Path raised his hand. His voice cut through the air—calm, commanding.
"Shinra Tensei."
In an instant, the world itself seemed to shudder. The Almighty Push burst forth, a devastating force that tore through the battlefield. The suffocating gravity pressure pressing down on the Paths was shattered, freeing them from Inoiki's control. The Paths of Pains leapt back, their movements sharp once more, narrowly evading the oncoming wave of destruction.
The sword's blue ripple clashed with the Almighty Push, the collision erupting in a thunderous detonation. The energy rippled outward in jagged arcs of light before collapsing into nothingness, the rooftop trembling under the force. Inoiki narrowed his eyes—the Deva Path had not only neutralized his attack but had undone the advantage he had fought to create in a single move.
But of course, Inoiki was not disheartened. He had never expected to bring down the Six Paths of Pain with a single strike. His expression remained calm, his resolve unshaken. For a fleeting moment, he tilted his head back, eyes catching the endless rain that fell over the battlefield. Droplets slid down his face, and in that stillness, a faint smile curved his lips.
Then, the air shifted.
Cantered around him, frost began to bloom, creeping outward in a sudden surge. Within a heartbeat—faster than the blink of an eye—the rooftop was consumed by a spreading tide of ice. The crystalline layer encased the Six Paths of Pain, freezing them in place before they could react. Seizing the opportunity, Inoiki lunged forward, intent on eliminating at least a few of them while they were immobilized.
But just as he moved, a chill prickled the back of his neck. His Observation Haki screamed a warning. Without hesitation, he vanished, his body dissolving into space itself before reappearing on the rooftop of an adjacent building.
A moment later, from the rooftop he had just left, a masked man clad in a black cloak patterned with red clouds began to emerge, as if a ghost phasing out of a surface.
Tobi.
The man's arrival was anything but quiet. He raised his arms dramatically, his voice exaggerated and mocking as it rang through the storm.
"Hey, hey! That's not fair at all! In this kind of environment, you shouldn't even be able to use your sensory technique. And yet—you dodged my attack so easily. How did you do it?"
His tone carried a theatrical indignation, but Inoiki knew better. Behind that mask and exaggerated voice was a dangerous enemy.
Inoiki turned his gaze toward Tobi, his expression steady, his voice calm yet edged with quiet authority.
"Although I cannot extend my sensory technique across long distances, that does not mean I am blind at close range," he explained evenly. "If this Amegakure village belongs to the Akatsuki leader, then I too carry a territory with me wherever I go—my psychokinesis. Within that field, even without sight, I can feel the presence of anyone. My Observation Haki makes certain of that."
His eyes narrowed slightly, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
"But honestly… I wasn't expecting you to show yourself so soon."
Tobi gave no answer. His masked face remained tilted toward Inoiki, silent and unreadable, the exaggerated tone from before replaced by an unsettling stillness.
The silence was broken not by him, but by the Six Paths of Pain. As if on cue, their assault resumed.
The Animal Path moved and thrust her hands against the ground, chakra surging as the air filled with booming cracks and clouds of white smoke. From expanding summoning circles emerged monstrous beasts—towering centipedes and three-headed hounds—rushing toward Inoiki in perfect unison, their movements as though guided by a single mind.
(AI generated image in Comments area.)
But Inoiki was already in motion. His Observation Haki revealed every strike before it came, and his body flowed with effortless speed. He slipped between lunging jaws and raking claws, each movement a blur. With a flash of steel, his blade cleaved through one beast, the force of his swing amplified by psychokinesis, sending another crashing backward. When a claw struck too close, he countered with a crushing punch, his fist wrapped in surging psychokinetic power, and the creature collapsed under the impact.
Within moments, the rooftop was strewn with the remains of the assault—summoned monsters writhing, groaning, or dissolving back into smoke. Inoiki stood amidst them, unwavering, his breath steady, his focus unbroken.
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