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"Why didn't you say this earlier?!" Gamabunta's grumbling voice boomed across the battlefield.
"I'm just clumsy, that's all!!"
The split hound lunged and sank its teeth into Gamaken's arm."Damn it, that hurts! How the hell are we supposed to deal with this thing?!"
All three great toads were on the defensive now, too wary to strike back at the multiplying beast.
"I might be clumsy," Gamaken groaned, "but I'll just have to hold on for now!"
Naruto's worried eyes darted toward them."Boss!!"
But the monstrous summoned bird circling above had been waiting for that moment. With a sharp cry, its long beak thrust downward, aiming straight for the distracted Naruto.
Naruto's reflexes kicked in. He sprang high into the air, narrowly avoiding the strike.
At that instant, Animal Path Pain appeared, black staff in hand, and stabbed toward him. Naruto's kunai flashed out just in time, clashing against the black rod with a shower of sparks.
The two fought midair, exchanging blows in a dizzying flurry—more than ten strikes traded in the span of heartbeats.
"You're slowing down."
"Looks like your sage power's fading."
"Was it that last move that burned through your chakra?"
Tendo Pain's voice was calm, almost mocking, as he watched Naruto struggling.
Naruto panted hard. "Damn it… Sage Mode's about to run out!"
He clenched his fists. Before it fades completely… I've got to take this one down at least!
From the sidelines, Fukasaku shouted, "Ma! You know what to do—cut off the Rinnegan's link!"
"Got it, Pa!"
Gamabunta swung wildly, but the more he attacked, the more the hound split. One fresh clone barreled into him, knocking the boss toad flat.
Fukasaku hopped over. "Bunta, listen carefully!"
"Huh? What now?!"
"I'm throwing you over to Naruto!"
Bunta froze, staring. "Throw me? What the hell, Old Man?!"
Fukasaku pressed his palms together. "Just pay attention to what I say next!"
Up above, Shima soared into the air."Here I come, Pa!"
"Sage Art: Wind Release – Sandstorm!"
Her mouth unleashed a roaring gale, whipping sand and dust into a raging storm that swallowed the battlefield.
Though small, Fukasaku's strength flared with terrifying force as he hoisted the massive Gamabunta high.
The storm blotted out the sky. Darkness fell, sight vanished—but through the natural energy around him, Naruto could feel every presence clearly.
"Frog Kumite!"
His fists struck with invisible force. Animal Path Pain couldn't even defend, battered blow after blow until her body finally crumpled to the ground.
The dust cleared. Gamabunta came crashing down, his huge blade slamming into the earth.
"Where did he go?!" Tendo Pain scanned the field, eyes sharp.
Then—darkness again. A strange space opened, revealing two swirling spheres of brilliant blue.
"Twin Rasengan Barrage!"
The spiraling orbs slammed into Animal Path Pain, sending her flying.
Gamabunta exhaled a thick mist. Hidden in Shima's storm, he had swallowed both Naruto and Pain whole—just to give Naruto the chance for a decisive strike.
"In his mouth?!" Tendo's eyes widened in shock.
Nearby, Gamaken and Gamahiro held their ground as the multiplying hounds suddenly burst into smoke and vanished. The monstrous bird above dissolved with a pop as well.
Gamabunta opened wide, spitting out Naruto and Pain's lifeless body.
Naruto staggered, chest heaving. The orange markings around his eyes faded—the Sage Mode was gone.
Tendo tilted his head. "Your sage arts have worn off?"
Naruto straightened, glaring at the remaining two Pains. "Even in Sage Mode, the Wind Style: Rasenshuriken… I can only manage two of them."
Shima landed beside him. "Pa, Naruto's Sage Mode is gone!"
"I know!" Fukasaku barked.
"It's risky," Shima pressed, "but we've got to fuse with him now!"
"Impossible!" Fukasaku snapped. "The Nine-Tails inside him makes that too dangerous."
"But Naruto's found his own way around it."
Tendo's voice cut in smoothly. "If you're going to act, now's the time."
He lunged forward at lightning speed.
Naruto tore the giant scroll from his back and sprinted aside.
Gamabunta swung his blade at Tendo, but the body of Pain leapt lightly onto the toad's massive form, darting across him with infuriating ease.
Naruto used the distraction to retreat further.
Bunta roared and attacked again and again, but every strike missed. Tendo vaulted from the toad's body and landed directly in Naruto's path.
"Over here, Naruto!" Fukasaku shouted, hopping to his side.
"Throw it to me—I'll handle it!"
Naruto hurled the giant scroll toward him, then braced himself as Tendo rushed in.
Outside, in the "real" world of the broadcast…
Naruto scratched his nose with a sheepish grin. "With all these toads backing me up… guess I really am a Toad Sage now, huh?"
Sasuke scowled at his smug face, annoyance written all over him.
In the other villages, shinobi watched in growing unease. Konoha's Nine-Tails jinchūriki had mastered terrifying sage arts—something they hadn't expected.
Onoki, the old Tsuchikage, narrowed his eyes at the screen. "That brat with the Nine-Tails… he's holding his own against Pain himself."
"And Deidara, that fool—betraying the village…"
Somewhere, Deidara sneezed. "Tch. Somebody's badmouthing me, un." He smirked. "But catching the Nine-Tails isn't going to be easy, not even for the leader."
Dragon Ball World
In the afterlife, Vegeta was fuming."Why are all these nobodies making the rankings, when they're clearly weaker than me?!"
He turned away. "I'm going back to train. Without stronger opponents, this is just a waste of time."
Goku scratched his head. "Strange powers from other worlds… but honestly, they don't seem that tough. Maybe next time it'll be my turn. I'd love a real fight against someone strong!"
One Punch Man World
Saitama sighed. "So it's all these otherworld strong guys, huh? Shouldn't I be up there by now?"
Looking bored, he shuffled out of his apartment. Genos watched him go, eyes serious."Master Saitama… I think it'll be your turn very soon."
One Piece World
At Marineford, Sengoku's stern gaze fixed on Pain. "That man reeks of evil. No sense of justice at all."
Garp chuckled. "You're overthinking it, Sengoku. He's from another world. He's not even a pirate."
Back on the battlefield, Naruto clashed with Tendo Pain again, fists and feet colliding. But it was clear—Naruto was on the back foot, forced to block and dodge, unable to land a blow.
"Kid, step aside!" Gamabunta roared. "I'll take over!"
Naruto gritted his teeth, straining against the pressure. "No! I need to get Sage Mode back! If you're caught in my Rasenshuriken, it'll tear you apart too!"
Bunta hopped back reluctantly. "So you are pushing yourself…"
Naruto stood tall, facing Tendo. "I can only recharge Sage chakra twice more. That means, at best… four Rasenshuriken." His eyes hardened. "Before that, I have to finish this!"
Fukasaku unfurled the scroll. Intricate markings spiraled across it, with a single large kanji—Person—at the center.
"It's time, Naruto!"
He formed hand seals. "Reverse Summoning Jutsu!"
Back at Mount Myōboku, one of Naruto's clones disappeared in a puff of smoke. A heartbeat later, it was drawn into the scroll, summoned to the battlefield.
"Got him! Release the clone!"
While Naruto was still dodging Pain's relentless strikes, he glanced at the incoming clone—and released it.
Boom!
The instant it vanished, a torrent of natural energy surged back into his body. The orange pigmentation flared once again around his eyes.
Pain's black rod lunged for his chest—but this time Naruto's hand shot out, brimming with power.
With one crushing strike, he shattered the weapon into pieces.
"..."
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