"Your answer is destined to fail."
The Animal Path looked down at Senju Haruto from above. He could understand the young man's desire—after all, it was the same as his own, to bring peace to this world.
But to him, Haruto's vision was far too naïve.
From the very beginning, humanity had been one whole. Yet as history advanced, it had split again and again—into villages, then cities, and finally nations. Human desire was limitless.
True mutual understanding between people was impossible.
Perhaps Haruto really could unify the shinobi world by sheer force. But once unified, it would only be a matter of time before it fractured again.
As for himself, even if he would not live long after gathering all the tailed beasts, there would be others to inherit his will.
In other words, so long as the Ten-Tails' power existed, anyone could impose peace upon the world.
But not everyone could possess Haruto's strength.
He was no different from the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama—merely a fleeting figure in the long river of shinobi history.
"For the sake of the peace I speak of… I will destroy you here, Senju Haruto."
The Animal Path's voice was low, filled with grim determination.
Haruto, however, wasn't the least bit surprised.
"Pain."
Konan's brows drew together, her expression laced with worry.
She had never seen Haruto fight with her own eyes, but from the intelligence she had gathered, his strength surpassed even that of Uchiha Itachi.
Clashing with him here was anything but wise.
The Animal Path ignored her concern.
This wasn't the Leaf Village of the Land of Fire. This was Amegakure, rebuilt under his rule. Since Haruto had already infiltrated their very stronghold, there was no way he could simply be allowed to leave.
And battles between shinobi were as much contests of information as of strength.
None of the Six Paths of Pain carried Nagato's true body. That, Haruto could not possibly know.
As long as he fought with the resolve to destroy everything, he was certain he could create an opening. Exploiting the imbalance of information, he would push Haruto into a corner—then kill him.
But even as he steeled himself, the Animal Path's Rinnegan flicked toward Jiraiya.
Both Haruto and Jiraiya were formidable beyond measure. Facing them together would be no easy task.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
The situation was dire, yet the Animal Path had no other choice. His hands flashed through seals before slamming to the ground.
"Summoning, is it…"
Jiraiya muttered under his breath, biting his thumb to draw blood before summoning one of Mount Myōboku's toads in response.
Two plumes of white smoke burst into the air inside the tower.
A massive pink toad—Gamaken—and a strange giant bird appeared.
"Draw Haruto outside," Konan whispered softly after a brief hesitation.
Since Pain had decided to fight, all she could do was support him.
The great bird let out a piercing cry and dove straight at Gamaken.
Clang!
But the toad wielded not only his spiked staff but also a massive shield. The two colossal summons crashed into each other at once.
"So, it's come to a fight after all…" Jiraiya sighed, seizing the chance created by Gamaken's clash to summon Fukasaku and Shima, preparing to fuse with them and enter Sage Mode.
Against the Rinnegan, conventional means wouldn't be enough.
The Animal Path gave a faint nod to Konan, granting her leave to act as she wished. Then his hands flashed again, summoning a massive rhino that charged headlong at Gamaken.
Struggling against two giant beasts at once, the toad quickly lost ground.
But the assault didn't stop there. The Animal Path formed more seals.
This time, it was the infamous multi-headed Hellhound.
"Why… is he only using Summoning Jutsu?" Jiraiya muttered, still gathering natural energy as Gamaken stalled for time. He noticed the Animal Path's attacks—one summon after another, with no sign of stopping.
Boom! — A massive crab.
Boom! — A chameleon.
In moments, five different summoned beasts filled the battlefield.
Aside from the Hellhound that split endlessly upon injury, the others were troublesome but manageable.
"Gamaken, return."
Haruto, who had remained silent until then, suddenly spoke. His hands clapped together with force.
He unleashed the Wood Human Technique.
When Pain had once invaded the Leaf to capture Naruto, he had used Shinra Tensei to obliterate the village, embodying his philosophy of survival of the strongest.
Haruto had no intention of holding back either.
Chakra surged outward in a vast tide. From beneath his feet, thick vines tore through the ground, hardening into massive pillars of wood that rose higher and higher, shaping themselves into a towering wooden giant.
Gamaken glanced back at Haruto's colossal construct, realizing that Haruto intended to deal with the enemy personally. Staying any longer would only hinder him.
"I really am too dull-witted," Gamaken muttered self-deprecatingly before vanishing with a puff of smoke.
The Wood Human loomed over the battlefield, dwarfing every summon present.
Rumble!
Under Haruto's command, the giant's hand came crashing down, seizing the great crab and crushing its body with brutal force.
The chameleon and rhino lunged from the side, but the Wood Human swung its massive arm in a sweeping arc, knocking them away with devastating ease.
From above, the giant bird shrieked and dove straight for Haruto.
All of Pain's summoned beasts had been modified, sharing the Rinnegan's vision. Tracking Haruto's position was effortless.
But Haruto had no intention of hiding.
As the bird's wings beat furiously, Haruto brought his hands together once more.
"Wood Release: Wood Dragon Jutsu!"
With a roar, a ferocious wooden dragon erupted from the ground, its gaping maw snapping shut around the bird's wing. With a violent pull, it dragged the beast off balance, wrapping its long body around it and binding it tightly.
Now, only the Hellhound still moved freely.
The Animal Path watched intently, stunned by Haruto's Wood Release, yet he did not rush to intervene.
The Hellhound's regenerative trait was unique. The more it was attacked, the more it split. That was its true strength.
But Haruto… seemed to know everything about Pain's summons.
With raw Wood Release, he had crushed the others. But against the Hellhound, he switched tactics.
This time, he used Magnet Release.
Sand and iron filings burst from beneath the broken floor, wrapping around the beast's limbs, pinning it to the ground.
More sand surged upward, engulfing the Hellhound entirely.
Within mere breaths, the mass of sand solidified into a massive pyramid. Dense sealing scripts etched themselves across its surface.
The Hellhound was sealed.