Pain's Deva Path stood silently amidst the ruins, his black cloak with red clouds fluttering in the wind.
His Rinnegan was initially placid, bearing only the apathy of a god looking down on mortals.
However, when his gaze met Hyūga Kawa's, suspended in the air in the distance, the frozen surface in his eyes cracked distinctly for the first time.
"Those eyes..." his brow instinctively furrowed slightly.
In the instant their eyes locked, a cold, soul-shaking murderous intent, condensed to the extreme and utterly pure, crossed the spatial barrier and fiercely pinned itself upon him.
The Deva Path could feel that the opponent's killing intent simultaneously targeted the vital points of his body, including the throat, spine, lungs, liver, kidneys, and heart...
Every single spot was an absolute death point capable of instantly killing a person.
That surging killing intent was not diffuse and scattered; instead, it was highly condensed, brewing, and escalating, intending to utterly slice his body into a shower of bloody, flying fragments the moment the attack was launched!
The next moment, without any warning, Hyūga Kawa's wings behind him flapped violently.
The air behind him seemed to be compressed by a great force and then exploded. Large sheets of white, misty shockwaves surged and churned like a sea of clouds.
And from within that hazy, churning mist, a bright streak of light fiercely shot out, rushing like a torrential arrow and a violent wave.
Boom!!
The deafening sonic boom, capable of shattering eardrums, only then reached the Deva Path's ears.
"Such speed," the Deva Path's eyes changed slightly.
Undoubtedly, the speed of Hyūga Kawa's instantaneous burst had already broken the sound barrier.
Tsk!
The ring-handled tachi in his hand tore through the air, drawing out a high-pitched, piercing shriek.
Facing the massive, surging murderous intent that arrived like a flood, the Deva Path's eyes narrowed. He raised a hand, his palm directed at the white streak of light breaking through the air.
"Almighty Push," he coldly spat out the two words.
If Hyūga Kawa's tumultuous killing intent was a raging, roaring river, then the Deva Path at this moment was the unshakable cliff face obstructing its path.
The tide crashed against the cliff, and the blade fiercely collided with that invisible field of repulsive force!
Clang!
A sharp, ear-splitting metallic clash rang out, like a shattering silver vase, scattering dazzling blade light and sparks!
The Deva Path's gaze landed on the ring-handled tachi in Hyūga Kawa's hand.
The power he had just mobilized was enough to shatter any known ninja tool.
Yet, at this moment, although the long blade vibrated continuously from the impact, its narrow, sharp edge was as clean as new, showing no signs of breaking or chipping!
"Is this a ninja tool obtained from that underground palace as well?" The Deva Path instantly reached a conclusion.
Only products from that place could possess such abilities that defied all logic.
Unbreakable, undeformable, unwearable, unbluntable, unrustable.
Furthermore, they were endowed with a "living soul" deep within, capable of being awakened and commanded, with each blade possessing a unique special ability.
"So, what is the ability of this sword?" The thought had just risen in the Deva Path's mind.
Hyūga Kawa, who had met his gaze and was fiercely resisting the "Almighty Push," finally flew backward, suddenly shouting in the air: "Kakashi! Jiraiya-sensei! Plan F!"
In the distance, Hatake Kakashi and Jiraiya, who had been waiting for the moment with strained nerves, instantly narrowed their pupils, yet their bodies reacted without hesitation.
Hatake Kakashi relayed the command to Yahiko. Jiraiya and Yahiko simultaneously raised their hands to form seals, then slammed their palms onto the ground in front of them.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Rampart!"
Rumble!
Instsenly, the ground around the Deva Path violently churned. Several tall, thick walls of rock erupted from the earth, surrounding the two like a rising cage!
Almost at the same moment the earth walls rose, Hyūga Kawa, who had been repelled backward, planted his feet on one of the rock walls that had timely sprung up behind him!
Bang!!
With a muffled crash, the center of the thick rock wall instantly burst open with several deep cracks!
Hyūga Kawa used the wall for leverage and, far from stopping, transformed once more into a white blur that tore through the air, rushing toward the Deva Path at a speed faster than his backward flight!
This strike was faster, fiercer, and more savage than the last!
The Deva Path reacted quickly. With barely any delay, he activated his Rinnegan again.
"Almighty Push!"
Boom!!
The swift wind passed. The noise explosion that could tear eardrums erupted again. Hyūga Kawa's blade slashed at the invisible field of repulsive force again.
However, this time, even the Deva Path was slightly shaken by the strike, which utilized the counter-force from kicking the wall.
Something's wrong.
The thought suddenly occurred to the Deva Path, but before he could adjust his balance or figure out the reason.
Bang!!
The surface of another earth wall burst open in response.
Hyūga Kawa, who was flying backward, had violently stamped on a different wall, forcefully stopping his retreat, gaining acceleration once more, and relentlessly striking a third time!
The blade light was aimed directly at the Deva Path's flank. The Deva Path didn't have time to fully turn and could only forcefully activate the Rinnegan again!
Almighty Push!
Clang!!
The blade was repelled by the repulsive force again, but the immense impact pushed the Deva Path's feet to slide sideways by half a step, scoring a trench into the ground beneath him.
At this moment, the Deva Path finally realized what Hyūga Kawa was trying to do.
This guy is trying to use the surrounding Earth Flow Rampart as a foothold to continuously counteract the force of the Almighty Push, using the leverage to launch round after round of successive strikes?
But even having realized Hyūga Kawa's plan, the Deva Path only found it utterly ridiculous.
Yet, Hyūga Kawa gave him no time to react.
Bang! Bang! Bang-bang-bang!!
Blade light and the sound of wind tearing the air were like a raging torrent, rapidly sweeping toward the Deva Path, trapped in the center, from all directions and angles at a speed too fast to track with the naked eye!
The first round, the second round, the third round...
The surrounding Earth Flow Rampart was stamped upon repeatedly, the cracks quickly spreading and deepening, practically covering every wall!
The Deva Path continuously used "Almighty Push," deflecting the deadly strikes coming from every blind spot. Dazzling sparks sprayed wildly like iron flowers!
Ostensibly, the Deva Path's defense appeared to be airtight, but in his heart, he was perfectly clear.
Hyūga Kawa's figure, under the terrifying speed, had been distorted into several indistinct afterimages. He could only barely track the motion and trajectory of the attack.
At absolute speed and explosive power, any place on the surrounding stone walls that offered leverage was a landing point for the opponent, and every leverage point would be cracked by the burst of force!
If he misjudged once, reacted a second too slow, or if there was the slightest gap in the Almighty Push, the outcome would undoubtedly be instantaneous cleavage by that blade, separating his head from his body!
No!
It was more than that!
Bang!!
Another strike, fiercely slashing down from a tricky angle, slammed into the repulsive force field!
A violent boom, far exceeding the previous ones, exploded. A clearly visible annular shockwave fiercely burst outward from the point of impact in all directions!
Hyūga Kawa's power and speed in darting and swinging the blade increased with the number of attack rounds in a terrifying, exponential fashion. With almost no pause, the force and speed continuously stacked!
Under this terrifying counter-force, which had been stacked countless times, even the Deva Path, who had deployed the "Almighty Push," was forcibly pushed back several staggering steps!
The already cracked ground beneath his feet crumbled and collapsed, forming a clear, sunken footprint-shaped pit.
"Impossible!" The Deva Path's face finally changed completely. "He actually withstood the Almighty Push?!"
The power of "Almighty Push" was immense, but it was not irresistible.
Just like in the original work, the rampaging Six-Tails Naruto anchored his six tails into the ground, stubbornly resisting the Deva Path's "Almighty Push" and shoving it into his face.
The "Almighty Push" failed to repel Six-Tails Naruto, and the Deva Path was thrown back by the counter-force.
This was the first time the Deva Path had seen someone use pure, unadulterated strength to directly shake and even suppress the repulsive force of Almighty Push!
Bang!!
The Deva Path didn't even have time to fully regain his balance when an even duller, more violent crash suddenly exploded!
Hyūga Kawa violently stomped his feet on the thick rock wall behind him, which was already covered in cracks!
This time, this sturdy rock wall, constructed by the great Chakra infusion of two "Sages"—Jiraiya and Yahiko—finally collapsed completely under the overwhelming pressure!
The instant the wall shattered with the terrifying force bursting from Hyūga Kawa's feet, the entire wall exploded from the middle, turning into countless fragments and powder that shot out wildly!
The moment the rock wall burst, the pair of wings behind Hyūga Kawa flapped again, providing one last powerful push!
Using the counter-force of the stomp and the propulsion of his wings, his body turned into a white streak of light that almost tore space, fiercely charging forward!
His right hand tightly gripped the long blade at his waist, drawing it out...
Tsk!
A silver flash, cold to the extreme and condensed to the extreme, was swung out before him, from left to right.
The blade light that trailed was incredibly pure, like a frigid, curved moon!
Simple, direct, and brutal, without any flashy technique, possessing only speed that had climbed to the extreme and power that had condensed to its peak!
This time, almost the instant the Deva Path raised his hand, attempting to deploy the "Almighty Push" again, he saw nothing. The strike had already landed!
He only felt the vicious wind and scorching gaze rushing toward him. The savage force erupted at point-blank range right in front of the Deva Path!
Boom!!
Hyūga Kawa was directly hit by the counter-force unleashed by his own strike, and his figure violently flew backward!
But during his retreat, he executed an incredibly graceful flip, plunged his tachi into the ground, and his backward movement gradually ceased. The tip of the blade slightly vibrated, emitting a faint hum.
On the other side, the Deva Path was squarely hit by the explosive impact of the strike. The expression of shock and fury on his face distorted, and his body was completely launched backward, uncontrollably!
Rumble!!
He slammed into the thick Earth Flow Rampart behind him, and his body forcibly smashed it to pieces, causing it to violently collapse, with debris scattering everywhere like raindrops!
Standing outside the stone wall, Jiraiya and Kakashi, who were waiting for the next signal to coordinate, stared in utter astonishment, their faces a canvas of disbelief.
They watched wide-eyed as the Deva Path's figure tumbled backward in disgrace, crashing heavily into the distant ruins with a deep thud, kicking up large plumes of smoke and dust.
"This..."
Jiraiya's understanding of Hyūga Kawa's strength was still rooted in the time before they went to the Land of Demons.
Seeing this scene now, he was utterly dumbfounded.
"That mark on Kawa's face, could it be Sage Mode?" Jiraiya murmured, looking at Hyūga Kawa emerging from the rock wall.
Shikkotsu Forest?
Or Ryūchi Cave?
However, in the brief silence caused by this shock, an unforeseen change occurred!
A pitch-black sphere, only the size of a fist, seemingly capable of devouring all light, silently flew out and ascended from the billowing smoke where the Deva Path had crashed...
"What is that?"
Almost at the same time, everyone observing the battlefield.
Whether it was Jiraiya and Kakashi nearby, or the remaining Leaf Ninja in the distance, they all simultaneously turned their bewildered gazes towards the eerie black sphere in the air!
Even Yahiko had never seen Nagato use this ability in his world.
The black sphere hung quietly, its surface devoid of any sheen, like a miniature black hole, emitting a cold, dead, and bizarre fluctuation!
The next moment, a chilling transformation occurred.
Crack! Snap!
The ground visibly and rapidly began to fracture!
Countless rocks and fragments, large and small, and even the Leaf Ninja standing on the ground...
As if losing gravity, they all broke free from the ground's restraint, lifted into the air, and began converging toward the black sphere overhead!
The smoke and dust were pushed aside and dispersed, revealing the Deva Path's figure.
His black cloak with red clouds was now torn in several places, stained with dirt and grime, looking quite disheveled.
"Tsk tsk."
From the shadow beside the Deva Path, a dark figure slowly emerged, chuckling: "Pain, you look quite a mess. Do you need my help?"
"Kage?!"
Seeing that figure, both Jiraiya and Kakashi's faces instantly changed.
At that moment, a roaring sound also came from the distance. The two subconsciously turned their heads to look.
They saw a white figure appear in front of Might Guy, who was in mid-air.
Is that an Arrancar of the Espada level?
"Hmph."
The Deva Path also saw the scene in the distance. He glanced coldly at the 'Kage' beside him, knowing that the Akatsuki's actions had been exploited by this guy again. He let out a cold snort.
His Rinnegan showed no trace of panic, only greater coldness and greater resolve.
He clasped his hands together in front of his chest, his Rinnegan locked onto Hyūga Kawa, who was charging at him again...
"This ends now."
His voice was frigid. He abruptly roared: "Planetary Devastation!!"
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