BOOM!
The southern gate of Konoha shattered with a thunderous crash.
Dust rose like a storm into the gray sky. Screams echoed in the distance as villagers scrambled for safety. The earth cracked beneath their feet, trees splintered like twigs under an invisible hand, and the air itself seemed to quiver.
From the chaos, a shadow descended, calm and unyielding.
Kakashi stood in a tall building, his dark coat fluttering like dark wings. Dust swirled around him. His Mangekyo Sharingan burned with power.
Ahead, the Six Paths of Pain stood in a perfect semi-circle. Black rods protruded from their bodies, each a weapon, a conduit of godlike power.
Animal Path. Asura Path. Human Path. Preta Path. Naraka Path.
And above all, the Deva Path, poised and imposing like a god.
The sky darkened, clouds roiling above the village in silent judgment.
"Kakashi Hatake, you stand alone. Why resist god? Why resist fate?" Deva Path stepped forward, voice hollow, echoing with finality.
Kakashi tilted his head, a faint breeze ruffling his hair. Calm. Controlled.
"I'm not alone," he said, voice low. "I am fate."
As his words fell, the Animal Path raised her arms.
The earth trembled. A centipede the size of a house erupted from the ground, screeching. Behind it, a rhinoceros smashed upward, then a multi-headed bird burst from a cyclone of chakra and smoke.
They charged as one.
Kakashi didn't flinch.
Then, clap.
Space bent, and Reality folded.
The centipede shimmered and vanished, as if it had never existed.
Kakashi flickered, disappearing and reappearing behind the bird mid-air. His body moved like smoke. With a calm hand, he pressed a seal scroll onto its back.
Poof. Sealed.
He landed as the rhino surged toward him. A small black tag dropped from his hand.
Vines erupted from the cracked earth, wrapping the beast in living chains of Wood Style. It roared once before the vines squeezed, lifting and pinning it against the jagged canyon wall.
"One down." Dust settled. Kakashi exhaled softly.
Asura Path leapt forward, his metallic body transforming, missiles launched from his back, chakra blades flashing, energy lasers slicing the air.
Kakashi's eyes flared.
Tensei.
Time froze. One second stretched long like eternity.
In that moment, he moved with precision. Explosive tags were placed on Asura Path's shoulders, chest, and neck.
Time resumed.
BOOM.
Metal rained down as Asura erupted into shards, pieces scattering across the battlefield.
Preta Path lunged, trying to absorb the energy.
Kakashi phased sideways using Shukujitsu, materializing behind him. A glowing chakra seal pressed against Preta's back flared violently.
Preta stiffened, his power blocked.
Kakashi lifted a hand, palm glowing with intertwined Wood and chakra energy. He struck. The spine snapped with a sickening crack.
The body fell.
"I upgraded," Kakashi murmured.
Soon, the Human Path glided forward silently. His hand reached toward Kakashi's head, fingers poised to rip out his soul.
"You want my soul?" Kakashi's smile was slight, almost a teasing smile on his face.
The hand touched his forehead.
Instantly, Human Path was trapped in a world of illusion.
Konoha burned. Pain floated above it, victorious. Blood coated the streets.
But it wasn't real.
A Mangekyō Genjutsu that he had created, Kakashi's Mirror World enveloped the Path. He froze, staring at the nightmare of destruction.
Kakashi moved behind him, drawing a kunai in one fluid motion.
A single stroke severed the black receiver along his spine.
The body collapsed. Three Paths down.
The ground shook violently.
"Shinra Tensei!" Deva Path raised his hand.
A massive shockwave erupted, ripping through the village streets. Trees snapped, buildings crumbled, air itself folded.
Kakashi raised a hand.
Tensei.
Time paused. One second.
He stepped past the wave, wind frozen like still water.
Reappearing behind Deva, he placed a chakra tag along his spine with precise care. Then he stepped back.
Time resumed.
BOOM.
The pulse tore through Deva Path's back, hurling him across cracked earth.
Kakashi's dark coat fluttered as he straightened.
"You can stop gravity," he said softly, "but you can't stop time."
Naraka Path moved.
Its mouth opened, revealing the King of Hell statue, which began pulling energy, reviving the fallen Paths.
Kakashi's eyes flared once more.
He threw a kunai. It vanished mid-flight, it warped through space.
Thunk.
The weapon pierced the statue's throat, shattering the revival node.
The statue shuddered violently and cracked into pieces.
Naraka Path collapsed like a puppet with cut strings.
Deva Path, wounded, floated above the ruined streets.
"You can't reach me here," he said, voice distant.
"You're right." Kakashi smiled faintly.
Above the village, the clouds roiled. A streak of lightning split the sky.
RRRRRRRUMBLE.
A massive Kirin formed in the storm, a white-and-blue bolt stored and summoned with precise preplanning. Kakashi raised his hand, calling it down like divine judgment.
The lightning screamed across the clouds, crashing toward Deva Path.
BOOM.
When the light faded, a charred body plummeted. Deva Path was gone.
Kakashi stepped forward, boots crunching over fractured streets. Blood and debris littered the ruined gate. Smoke lingered, thin as a memory.
He walked among the dust, calm, steady, surveying the aftermath.
The black rods of fallen Paths hissed, melting into nothing under the heat of residual chakra.
Kakashi lifted his gaze. The clouds parted. Warm sunlight fell across the destruction, bathing the village in gold.
A gentle breeze passed through, carrying the scent of scorched earth.
He raised a hand slowly toward the sky, then lowered it again. Victory was silent, absolute.
…
Across the village, massive trees and walls of Wood Style shielded survivors.
Tsunade knelt at the center, her hands glowing, eyes closed. Her chakra shield enveloped civilians, holding them safe amid the shattered streets.
She exhaled, a faint smile breaking across her face.
"It's over," she whispered, voice barely audible. Relief trembled through it.
In the shadows beyond the protective walls, Black Zetsu slithered, half-melted into the dirt.
"God is dead." His voice was cold and unreadable.
The words carried weight, final and heavy in the quiet aftermath.
…
Kakashi walked to the center of the gate, surveying what remained of the battlefield.
Not a Path remained standing. Not one rod, one machine, one pulse of hostile chakra survived.
He lowered his hands, letting the residual energy settle.
Silence reigned. Only the wind whispered through the broken stones and twisted trees, carrying the echo of a fight the world would never forget.
Kakashi's gaze turned skyward. The storm clouds were gone. Sunlight reflected in his eyes.
He spoke softly to himself, though his voice carried like the echo of lightning. "We're just getting started."