A single thunderbolt arrow pierced the heavens, shattering Pain's Chibaku Tensei in an instant.
But unleashing that technique came at a steep cost. Nagato's body was trembling, his chakra draining at an alarming rate, his life force withering. For the first time, he could see no hope.
"Is that all you've got?"
Senju Haruto cast a cold glance at the three remaining Paths of Pain.
Aside from the Deva Path, the Animal Path and the Preta Path were already little more than useless puppets.
When the Deva Path had unleashed Chibaku Tensei, Nagato had poured all his chakra and attention into it. During that moment, the Animal Path and Preta Path had been left standing motionless, unguarded.
Haruto had not wasted the chance. Manipulating the magnetic sand beneath their feet, he had ensnared them.
In an instant, the earth rose up like living chains, wrapping tightly around their ankles.
The Preta Path's ability was to absorb jutsu, but not everything could be drained away. What Haruto controlled was no ordinary magnet release—it was infused with the chakra of Shukaku, the One-Tail, granting it a sealing effect.
By the time the Preta Path realized, his body was already bound, sealed away.
Only the Deva Path remained—Nagato's most treasured puppet, the one imbued with his deepest emotions, his irreplaceable bond with Yahiko.
"Shinra Tensei!"
Just as the sand was about to engulf the Deva Path, Nagato forced out its repulsion technique, blasting everything away from its body. The puppet leapt back, retreating to gain distance from Haruto.
But Nagato knew well: Shinra Tensei, for all its might, was not invincible. Each use carried a five-second cooldown—five seconds of helpless vulnerability.
And yet, as the pressure mounted, Nagato found himself trapped in tormenting indecision.
If even Chibaku Tensei had failed against Haruto, what chance did Shinra Tensei or Banshō Ten'in have?
"…Do I use it? The Super Shinra Tensei?"
Hidden in the shadows, Nagato muttered to himself. His final card, his deadliest technique—its destructive power surpassed even Chibaku Tensei.
But the cost was unbearable. After unleashing it, he would be unable to use the Deva Path for half an hour. It was a gamble of life and death.
And worse—the range of Super Shinra Tensei was so overwhelming, it would wipe out everything. Even if it killed Haruto, it would reduce the entire village of Amegakure to dust.
"Damn it…"
Nagato cursed under his breath. This was no time for hesitation. If he failed to stop Haruto here, everything he had sacrificed, every drop of blood shed for his dream of peace, would be for nothing.
He clenched his teeth, voice trembling with fury and desperation.
"I… I must bring peace to this world. No matter the cost—Haruto must fall here!"
"Yahiko…"
He closed his eyes for a moment, recalling his past. The days of training under Jiraiya. The dream of forming Akatsuki with Yahiko and Konan. The fateful meeting with the masked man claiming to be Uchiha Madara. Yahiko's death.
Time and again, he had been stripped of choice. But now—now he would choose for himself.
"This time… I will fight! I'll strike you down, Haruto!"
Nagato roared from his hidden chamber, his voice echoing through the puppet of the Deva Path as it shot into the sky, rising high above Ame's rain-drenched village like a wrathful god.
"What is he trying to do?"
Jiraiya's eyes narrowed as he watched the Deva Path ascend. The air itself seemed to quiver with tension. Though he could not guess Nagato's precise plan, his gut twisted with dread.
Whatever it was, it had to be stopped.
"…It must be the Super Shinra Tensei."
Haruto's gaze sharpened. The Deva Path's movements sparked recognition—this was exactly how Nagato had once obliterated Konohagakure.
"But unfortunately for you, that technique takes far too long to prepare. Once your intentions are read, its danger fades away."
With that, Haruto willed his half-complete Susanoo to shift. The mighty bow of thunder dissolved into a colossal chakra blade.
And as the Deva Path reached its peak, ready to unleash its ultimate devastation—
Haruto's Susanoo swung.
The blade cleaved the sky, releasing a massive arc of sapphire-blue energy straight toward the Deva Path.
Nagato's heart lurched. He could see death barreling toward him, but retreat was no longer an option. This was the final gamble. Victory or nothing.
"…Just a little more…"
Blood streamed from his nose and mouth, his body convulsing. Yet he pressed on, hands clamped together in desperate focus. Before invoking the Super Shinra Tensei, he attempted to repel the attack with a normal Shinra Tensei.
"Clever thought… but Shinra Tensei has never been truly invincible."
Haruto's voice was calm, almost pitying.
He remembered: when Pain had fought against Naruto in Eight-Tails form, even Shinra Tensei had been overwhelmed.
Every technique has its limit. Its breaking point.
And Haruto's Susanoo rivaled the destructive force of the Tailed Beasts themselves.
The sweeping blade of chakra shattered the Deva Path's Shinra Tensei barrier as if it were glass. The strike tore through, crashing into the puppet full-force.
With a thunderous impact, the Deva Path was blasted from the sky, plummeting earthward.
"…Done."
Haruto's tone was casual, as though swatting aside a nuisance. He prepared to move toward where the body would fall, intent on tracing Nagato's chakra back to his hiding place—just as Naruto once had.
But suddenly, his path was blocked.
A towering wall of exploding tags erupted before him, burning bright with deadly seals.
Konan appeared, wings of paper unfurling behind her. With every ounce of her will, she sought to delay him, to lure him toward the sea of six hundred billion tags she had prepared.
"Not bad."
Haruto nodded faintly, acknowledging her cunning strategy.
But with Susanoo's protection, her efforts were futile. Unless it was Tobirama's pinnacle-level explosion techniques, or perhaps Deidara's suicidal detonation, no blast could pierce his defense.
The explosions thundered around him, flames and shockwaves engulfing the battlefield. Yet when the smoke cleared, Haruto's Susanoo stood unscathed.
Konan's eyes widened, her face frozen in disbelief.
Before she could recover, Susanoo moved faster than her fear. Its massive hand lunged upward, seizing her midair.
With a brutal swing, Haruto hurled her down, slamming her into the ground below.
"Konan!"
Jiraiya surged forward instantly. Though he had played little part in Haruto's battle with Pain, he would not stand idle now. Konan had once been his student. He could not—would not—allow her to die here.
Leaping beside her fallen form, Jiraiya looked back at Haruto and called out urgently.
"Leave Konan to me! Go—find Nagato!"