In the next instant, Naruto focused. He inhaled once—deep and steady.
Natural energy flooded into his body in perfect balance. The orange pigmentation flared into existence around his eyes, sharp and vivid, his senses expanding far beyond normal limits. Every sound, every shift in the air, every movement of chakra was crystal clear.
Sage Mode.
' I wanna finish this quick, ' he thought, his grin widening.
Naruto moved first.
The moment the thought settled, his body vanished from where he stood—no sound, no warning. The space he had occupied was left empty, the ground cracking from the force of his takeoff.
The Asura Path reacted purely on instinct.
Its arm twisted unnaturally, metal plates sliding apart as mechanisms unfolded with a harsh clank. A spinning chainsaw burst from its forearm, roaring to life as it swung wildly through the air—
—but Naruto was already past it.
He appeared directly in front of Asura, his fist driving forward.
He didn't even touch him.
BOOOOM—
Natural energy detonated outward at point-blank range.
The ground beneath Asura shattered instantly, rock and soil erupting as the Pain's body was launched backward like a fired shell. It tore across the wasteland, carving a deep trench through the earth before slamming violently into a distant rock formation.
Stone exploded.
Naruto didn't slow.
He twisted mid-movement, already sensing the counterattack forming behind him.
"Shinra—"
The Deva Path raised its hand.
Naruto stomped his foot into the ground.
The repulsive force erupted.
Two invisible pressures collided—Deva Path's Shinra Tensei crashing head-on into Naruto's Sage-enhanced counterforce. The impact screamed through the land, splitting the earth between them as shockwaves ripped outward in all directions.
Naruto was pushed back several meters, boots grinding against stone as he stabilized himself, cloak snapping violently in the air.
He straightened, eyes locked onto the Deva Path.
' Five seconds, 'he calculated instantly.
He was already moving again.
The moment his boots bit into the ground, Naruto exploded forward, closing the distance before anyone could react. The Preta Path surged to meet him, hands stretched wide, chakra absorption already active—confident, almost eager.
A mistake.
Naruto didn't slow.
He stepped inside Preta's reach, past the absorbing palms, his body moving with terrifying precision.
"This isn't chakra," Naruto muttered.
He struck.
PoW!
The punch landed square in Preta's chest—not coated in jutsu, not shaped by technique—just pure, Sage-enhanced physical force. Natural energy erupted inward, bypassing absorption entirely.
The Preta Path's torso collapsed.
Ribs imploded, spine buckling as the body was hurled straight into the air, spinning helplessly before crashing back down in shattered pieces.
Two down.
Naruto didn't even look back. His senses flared again.
Black chakra receivers screamed through the air from multiple directions—launched simultaneously by the Naraka Path and the Human Path, timed to exploit his follow-through.
Naruto twisted on one heel, spun through the volley, and snatched one of the rods cleanly out of the air.
In the same motion, he hurled it back.
The rod crossed the distance in a blink.
Crunch.
It pierced straight through the Human Path's skull.
The body dropped instantly, lifeless, hitting the ground with a dull thud.
Naruto landed lightly, dust swirling around his feet. His breathing was calm. Controlled. His eyes tracked every remaining movement without panic or strain.
Across the ruined battlefield, the remaining Paths of Pain shifted positions, spreading out, their shared vision recalibrating in real time.
They were adapting.
The remaining Paths shifted their positions with eerie precision, movements synchronized as if guided by a single will. Then the Deva Path stepped forward once more, standing at the center like a commander on a battlefield.
"You are stronger than predicted," it said flatly, voice empty of emotion.
Naruto wiped a streak of dust from his cheek, his grin widening rather than fading. His Sage eyes glowed faintly as he met that cold stare.
"Yeah," he replied casually. "And I haven't even warmed up yet."
That was when he noticed it.
The Naraka Path moved.
It retreated slightly, grabbing the fallen bodies of the destroyed Paths. Black markings spread beneath its feet as it slammed its hands together.
The King of Hell emerged behind it—massive, grotesque, its mouth opening wide. One by one, the broken bodies were fed into its jaws.
Naruto's grin tightened.
' Damn… I forgot he could do that,' he thought. ' Guess I need to deal with him first.'
Before he could move—
POOF
POOF
Two massive clouds of smoke exploded into existence, swallowing the battlefield.
Naruto immediately leapt backward, creating distance as his senses sharpened.
Then—
THOOM.
A gigantic rhino burst through the smoke, earth-shaking footsteps pounding as it charged straight at him, horn lowered like a battering ram.
Above, something massive took to the sky—wings flapping violently as a drill-beaked bird circled overhead.
Naruto stared at the charging rhino.
Didn't flinch.
At the last possible moment, he stepped forward and grabbed the rhino's horn with both hands. The impact sent shockwaves through the ground, but Naruto held firm.
"Too slow."
With a powerful twist of his hips and shoulders, he wrenched the horn sideways, lifting the enormous summon clean off its feet. In one fluid motion, he hoisted it over his shoulder and slammed it into the ground.
BOOOOOM—
The earth cratered beneath the impact as the rhino dissolved into smoke.
Above him, the drill-beaked bird screamed and dove, its spinning beak drilling through the air toward Naruto's head.
Naruto leapt back just as it struck, the bird tearing into the ground instead. Before it could recover, Naruto swung his arm.
A compressed blade of wind tore through the air.
SHIIIING—
The summon was cleaved apart mid-motion, dispersing into smoke. Naruto didn't even watch it vanish.
His eyes were already locked onto the Naraka Path. He surged forward.
The Asura Path, freshly restored, stepped into his way, arm unfolding as a launcher extended from its shoulder.
BANG—
A rocket screamed toward him.
Naruto dropped low, sliding beneath it as the projectile tore past overhead and exploded in the distance. Still sliding, he closed the gap in an instant, planting his foot and rising upward—
His fist shot up, packed with dense natural energy.
BANG!
The uppercut obliterated the Asura Path's head completely. Bone and metal shattered as the body was launched backward, collapsing lifelessly into the dirt.
Naruto straightened, eyes cold now.
' Not this time, ' he thought. ' You're staying down.'
But the battlefield shifted again.
The remaining Paths moved together now—no more testing, no more isolation. They advanced as a unit, forming a moving wall in front of the Naraka Path.
And behind them, the Deva Path stood calmly, observing.
Naruto rolled his neck once more, Sage chakra surging around him as the ground cracked beneath his feet.
"So you're done playing," he muttered.
TO BE CONTINUED