The Deva Path, Human Path, and Preta Path of Pain descended upon Konoha with a single brutal objective—locate the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki and eliminate all resistance. Their approach was nothing short of catastrophic.
Without uttering a word, they began slaughtering anyone in their path. Even the village itself was not spared. Uchiha Kiyo, hidden in the shadows, watched the carnage unfold with a complicated expression.
Within Konoha's current lineup, aside from Tsunade and Jiraiya, Kakashi Hatake was the only other who could put up a real fight against the Six Paths of Pain. But even he was pushed to his limits, barely managing to engage the Deva Path alone.
His Sharingan proved ineffective under the pressure of the Rinnegan's supreme ocular power. Every attempt to activate Kamui was swiftly countered by the Deva Path's uncanny ability to repel and evade attacks.
"Shinra Tensei!"
The Deva Path unleashed a massive repulsive force. Kakashi was flung back violently, bloodied and broken.
"Kakashi-sensei!"
A roar cut through the chaos as Naruto Uzumaki entered the battlefield.
Seeing the remains of his village scattered in ruin ignited a storm within him. Memories flashed—his childhood, Iruka, Ichiraku Ramen, friends, everything—shattered under Pain's devastation.
"Damn it!"
Naruto's fury exploded. In a surge of raw emotion, he transformed. Six ominous, flaming tails emerged, cloaking him in a sinister shroud of Kyūbi chakra.
Despite having recently mastered Sage Mode through his training at Mount Myōboku, Naruto bypassed it entirely, consumed by rage. However, the experience with Sage Mode had tempered him. Even while releasing six tails, Naruto retained his consciousness—a sign of his growing control.
With both his hands and chakra tails, Naruto launched into a fierce melee against the Deva Path. The battlefield quaked beneath them.
From the darkness, Uchiha Kiyo continued observing, weighing his options. The battle had deviated significantly from the original timeline.
As he hesitated, an unexpected figure arrived—Obito Uchiha, masked and menacing.
"What the hell?" Kiyo muttered. "Wasn't he supposed to appear later, when retrieving the Rinnegan?"
Obito's appearance tilted the scales further in the Akatsuki's favor.
"Time to move."
With that, Uchiha Kiyo stepped onto the battlefield alongside his two clones—Hui and Shin. Kiyo emerged beside Tsunade, while his clones joined Naruto's flank. His Sharingan activated instantly.
Kiyo's eyes locked onto his target—not the powerful Deva Path, but the often-overlooked Naraka Path, controller of the King of Hell.
"Lava Release: Qi Yuan Slash!"
His surprise strike caught everyone off guard. Despite precautions against Kiyo, none had expected such a bold move. Even Nagato, remotely controlling the bodies, was stunned. The Naraka Path, used to repair and interrogate, was rarely targeted first.
Tsunade saw Kiyo's intention and sprang into action, smashing the ground with her monstrous strength, flinging debris to cut off Naraka Path's retreat.
"Well done!" Kiyo praised.
With a fiery disc of molten chakra in his palm, Kiyo hurled it. The Qi Yuan Slash cleaved the Naraka Path in half.
But he didn't stop.
Understanding that the Paths of Pain were puppets, he knew one kill wasn't enough. He summoned the Buddha's Fury Fire Lotus, igniting the remains in a devastating explosion.
"Boom!"
Hell itself crumbled. The Naraka Path was no more.
Two paths remained active when Kiyo turned his attention to the Asura and Animal Paths.
He charged toward the Asura Path, only to be intercepted by Obito.
"Not interested in fighting, huh?" Kiyo smirked grimly. Obito merely phased through his attacks, using his Kamui to evade. Kiyo found himself frustrated by the elusive technique.
He adjusted his strategy.
"Earth Clone Jutsu!"
Four earth clones materialized around him. Together, they charged the Asura Path, baiting it with decoy tactics. Kiyo used his clones to force openings, while Obito struggled to intercept without being struck.
With coordinated timing, Kiyo unleashed a combo of techniques:
"Qi Yuan Slash!"
"Lava Fireball Jutsu!"
"Buddha's Fury Fire Lotus!"
The explosion consumed both the Asura Path and his own clones, erasing two more of the Six Paths.
With the Animal Path left, Kiyo shouted to Tsunade, "Hold it down for now!"
Turning, he raced toward Naruto's position. Without a pause, he launched another Qi Yuan Slash, aimed directly at the Deva Path.
"Uchiha Kiyo! That's enough!" Obito barked, furious. His plans to capture Naruto were unraveling. Kiyo's attack forced the Deva Path to retreat defensively, losing a rare chance to strike.
But Kiyo ignored him. His hands moved faster than Obito could intercept.
Meanwhile, Hui and Shin, Kiyo's clones, coordinated their attack on the Human and Preta Paths. With Naruto finally regaining his calm and activating Sage Mode, they struck with overwhelming force.
The Human Path fell. The Preta Path collapsed under the combined might of Naruto's Rasengan and Hui's fire technique.
Naruto, now in control, sprinted toward Tsunade.
"Leave the Animal Path to me!"
"Brat!" Kiyo hissed. "Don't get reckless!"
Still, he nodded to his clones. Together, they moved to engage Obito and the Deva Path.
Obito, realizing the tide was turning, phased out and disappeared. The Deva Path fought to the last, but eventually, Kiyo landed a critical blow. It fell.
Across the battlefield, Tsunade and Naruto finished off the Animal Path.
"All six... gone."
Nagato, miles away, gasped. The feedback from the destroyed puppets wrecked his weakened body. Konan, alarmed, moved to extract him from danger.
But Kiyo had already anticipated this.
During the peak of the battle, he'd expanded his chakra sensory field, enveloping the entire vicinity around Konoha. As Nagato and Konan escaped, Kiyo tracked them precisely.
Body Flicker Technique!
He materialized before the retreating duo, chakra radiating.
Kiyo didn't attack. He understood that destroying Nagato here would risk the Rinnegan. That was unacceptable.
He stood, blocking their path, silent and menacing.
Soon, Naruto and Tsunade arrived, having saved Jiraiya. Naruto stepped forward.
"Let me handle this."
Kiyo gave no objection. This was where Naruto's unique ability—talk-no-jutsu—would shine. He receded slightly, lowering his chakra signature. Even his Breath Concealment Technique activated, making his presence nearly vanish.
He watched, unblinking.
Naruto faced Nagato and began his speech. His words were passionate, honest, and piercing. Jiraiya's legacy, the novel "The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Ninja," and Naruto's belief in peace struck a chord within Nagato.
Kiyo didn't interrupt. He understood the power behind Naruto's conviction. Even Kiyo, ever skeptical, found himself nodding internally.
"The power of Naruto's words... it's more than just manipulation," Kiyo mused. "It's a resonance with the very rules of this world."
Tsunade and Jiraiya, unaware of Kiyo's presence, assumed he had left. So thorough was his concealment that even they forgot him.
As Naruto handed over Jiraiya's book and implored Nagato to believe again, Nagato's eyes softened.
Kiyo remained in the shadows, still and calculating. This was the moment of change—Nagato would perform the Rinne Rebirth, restoring Konoha's dead.
And Kiyo would ensure the Rinnegan remained intact.
_______
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