"Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, the Nine... no, Uzumaki Naruto! And... Jiraiya-sensei."
The five Pain bodies retreated the instant the black rods were shattered, falling back among their group.
Deva Path straightened up, dusting off his clothes, then his spiral-patterned eyes turned towards the edge of the massive crater.
A man with flowing white hair supported the Fifth Hokage of Konoha as they sat there, looking down upon the impending battle between former student and current students.
"I thought you, who taught us to nurture peace and achieve justice, sensei, would support our actions." Perhaps it was meeting his old teacher again, but a trace of emotion surfaced on Deva Path's lifeless face.
The Natural Energy around him slowly dissipated, and Jiraiya's face returned to normal.
He glanced at the empty sleeve hanging limply at his side and the village's ruins before him, showing a bitter smile. "Foolish student, what kind of justice and peace is this carnage?"
"It is merely the necessary sacrifice before peace can be attained!"
Pain raised his hand, blocking the sunlight streaming down from the sky.
"Forcing death upon others with a blade at their throats, what kind of sacrifice is that?"
Jiraiya shook his head, sighing softly. "Admit it, Nagato. You are acting out of the hatred in your heart."
"Yes. I, too, am merely enacting revenge in the name of justice."
Pain stopped looking at Jiraiya on the crater's edge, turning his gaze instead to Sakura and the others.
"This revenge hidden beneath justice will inevitably breed more hatred, triggering a chain reaction of vengeance."
"Whether in the past or the future, humans are creatures who absolutely cannot understand each other. Our Ninja World is a world ruled by hatred!!!"
"Wrong. What rules this world has never been hatred. It's resources!"
Ignoring the astonished looks from Naruto and Sasuke beside her, the pink-haired girl stepped forward, walking past them towards the Pains.
Stopping before them, her piercing jade-green eyes met his without fear. "With the Land of Fire's abundant resources, we have no need to wage wars for paltry gains that don't even offset the losses."
"But your Konoha invaded the Land of Rain, destroyed our homeland!"
Konan, unable to maintain her cold demeanor, stepped forward, waving her hand as she loudly refuted Sakura.
"Wasn't it your Land of Rain's leaders who, dissatisfied with your status as a small nation, started the war?"
Sakura tilted her head. "It was your Land of Rain's people, united from top to bottom, who chose to fight for supremacy. So why now do you put on an innocent face to blame us, the victims?"
"You... I..." Konan was momentarily speechless.
"So you see it now, don't you? Everyone is divided by a chasm named resources."
"Rich nations scorn poor nations, great powers belittle small countries… poor nations resent rich ones, small countries loathe the great powers."
The girl bent forward, bringing her green eyes close to Konan's.
She raised a hand, gently tracing the outline of Konan's cheek, her smile full of mockery.
"Everyone is playing this cruel game of chasing resources, killing each other, and ultimately giving birth to monsters like you!"
Seeing Konan's shaken expression, Pain stepped forward, placing himself between Sakura and her.
He whispered a few words in her ear, and then she spread her wings, flying off into the distant sky.
"Then, what is your solution to the endless conflict in the Ninja World?" The five Pains stepped forward in unison, surrounding Sakura.
The sky grew darker still. A light drizzle began to fall, mixing with the earth to emit a muddy, metallic scent.
His Chakra connected with the rain, forming a sensory network that covered the entire Konoha Village.
He could see the Konoha's Ninjas quietly expanding their search from the village, gradually trying to locate his true body's position.
"That's a trade secret, I'm afraid I can't tell you."
Sakura's gaze was deep, not answering his question directly.
Simultaneously, the muscles in her body tensed, ready for battle.
"What a pity..." Pain sighed.
"Since words cannot persuade each other, we can only resort to force! Let the battle begin!"
With the signal given, the entire Akatsuki sprang into action.
Kisame and Raiga charged from the flanks, only to be intercepted by the faster, semi-dragonized Sasuke, and battle erupted.
The moment Obito and Deidara, who used Space-Time Ninjutsu to disengage, emerged from the spiraling spatial distortion, Naruto's fist was already there, smashing into them and sending them flying.
In the cleared central battlefield, Sakura hefted her giant sword Kumotsuna onto her shoulder, creating distance from Pain.
"Do you remember what I said six years ago in Amegakure, when Jiraiya-sensei and I were being chased and forced to flee by you?"
"Of course!"
Animal Path charged forward, slapping its hands against the empty air, unleashing four or five intricate summoning seals.
Centipede, Multi-headed Dog, Rhino, Bull... A diverse array of giant summoned creatures, also pierced by black rods and possessing Rinnegan, charged towards Sakura.
However, behind Sakura, the giant slug moved.
As a summoned creature itself, it would not allow its contractor to be attacked by other summons before its own disappearance!
It raised its massive head and spewed a gigantic stream of acidic liquid towards the charging summoned beasts.
[Sage Art: Celestial Manifestation Technique: Regression!]
A Sage Art born from the wishes of the Katsuyu Sage, one of the Three Great Sage Lands, combined with Natural Energy, possessing incredible restorative power!
It is manipulation of the fundamental elements of life, which is organic matter, and even an encroachment upon the Creator's authority over life itself!
The moment the liquid stream hit the ground, a tremendous torrent surged forth, overwhelming everything. Waves tens of meters high loomed and crashed down with imposing force.
Carrying splashing droplets and acidic mist, the raging current directly engulfed Pain's group of summoned creatures. The Senjutsu Chakra contained within rapidly eroded their bodies, causing cellular-level dissolution.
Yet, even more terrifying, after swallowing the creatures, the remaining tide did not lose momentum.
It rolled back towards the six Pain puppets, followed by the thick acidic fog pouring down upon them.
"Troublesome technique, troublesome summon."
Deva Path snorted coldly. Dazzling light erupted from his body. The repulsive force manipulated by the Rinnegan roared forth, slapping away all the acid and fog in its path, sending it cascading back towards Sakura's direction like a burst dam.
He had to admit, Sakura's troublesome and tenacious nature far exceeded his expectations.
He must kill her here, before her power grows any stronger.
Otherwise, even if he truly assembled the Tailed Beast weapon, with Sakura obstructing him, could he really succeed in implementing his plan for ultimate deterrence against the entire Ninja World?
"Haruno..."
Pain's pupils constricted sharply.
Having focused solely on the acid spat by the Katsuyu Sage, they realized the pink-haired girl had vanished without a trace.
'How? Genjutsu? Taijutsu? Sealing Technique?'
'No. It was... a fluctuation in space-time?'
'It's the Flying Thunder God Technique!'
A phantasmic light that tore through space-time flashed and vanished. The girl, wielding her giant sword blazing with intense Haki, was already slashing down before the most crucial of the Pains… the Naraka Path.
In the nearly frozen moment, Sakura's battle-hungry smile was clearly visible:
"As promised, I've come to be your enemy!"
Boom—!