The formation shifted again.
The Preta Path broke away without warning, sprinting straight toward Naruto with inhuman speed. Its arms were spread wide, fingers clawed and twitching, chakra absorption already active—ready to drain anything that even resembled chakra.
Right behind it, the Human Path followed in perfect sync, movements precise and predatory, its ripple-patterned eyes locked onto Naruto's soul as if already reaching for it.
Behind them, the Animal Path didn't move.
Hands hovered just above its chest, fingers ready to form seals at a moment's notice.
And further back—
The Pain stood still, watching everything unfold with cold detachment. Naruto took it all in within a single heartbeat.
' They're trying to overwhelm me up close while keeping Pain fresh, ' he thought. 'Good plan… but that's not gonna work.'
A grin crept across his face. Instead of retreating, Naruto stepped forward.
The ground cracked beneath his feet as he burst ahead, meeting them head-on. His speed turned the air into a violent wake, dust exploding behind him as he closed the distance in an instant.
The Preta Path reached him first.
It lunged forward, palms glowing faintly as chakra absorption flared to life, hands snapping toward Naruto's chest.
Naruto twisted his torso at the last second, narrowly slipping past the grab. In the same motion, he drove his elbow down toward Preta's shoulder with crushing force.
Preta reacted instantly, raising one arm to block. Naruto followed up without hesitation, slamming his knee into Preta's midsection with brutal power.
THUD.
The impact echoed—but Preta held.
It blocked the strike as well and shoved Naruto backward with raw force.
Naruto skidded across the ground, boots carving deep lines into the dirt as he slid back several meters. He steadied himself, eyes snapping up—
To his left.
The Human Path was already there.
Its hand shot toward Naruto's head, fingers stretching to seize his face and tear his soul free.
Naruto caught the wrist mid-motion, muscles tightening as he yanked the body toward him. He rotated his hips and drove his palm forward, natural energy compressing at the point of impact—
But before the strike could land—
The Preta Path came sprinting back in, swinging a sharp kick toward Naruto's right side.
Naruto reacted instantly.
He abandoned the attack, leaping backward in a blur, clearing both threats at once. He landed lightly several meters away, dust puffing beneath his feet as he straightened.
Naruto lifted his gaze toward the remaining Paths. Pain, human Path and Naraka Path. They watched him silently. Unblinking. Perfectly coordinated.
'So that's it, ' Naruto thought. 'That shared vision—synchronized eyesight.'
He smirked. Naruto rolled his shoulders once. "Alright," he muttered under his breath, eyes sharp and excited.
"Let's see how long you can keep up."
Naruto moved.
The ground burst beneath his feet as he accelerated, dust and shattered stone erupting behind him. In a blink, he was already inside their range.
He snapped a jab toward the Preta Path, fast and direct.
The Human Path reacted instantly, stepping across Preta's line and raising its forearm to intercept, but Naruto's fist never touched it.
BAM—
Compressed Sage chakra detonated outward. The Human Path's face dented back violently, skull cracking as the force crushed straight through its guard.
Its body was hurled sideways, tumbling across the ground in a spray of dirt and debris.
Naruto didn't even watch it land.
The Preta Path lunged immediately, hands flashing toward Naruto's chest, absorption fully active. Naruto slipped inside the reach, twisting his shoulders just enough for the palms to miss by centimeters.
Preta tried to grab again. Naruto slammed his elbow down into its forearm.
CRACK.
The limb bent at an unnatural angle. Preta staggered back a step—just enough.
Naruto drove his knee upward into its ribs, Sage strength exploding on impact.
THUD.
The Path was launched backward, skidding across the ground, but it rolled and recovered unnaturally fast, already charging again.
From the side, the Human Path was back, face crushed but still alive. Its hand shot toward Naruto's face, fingers spread wide.
Naruto caught the wrist mid-motion.
Their eyes met.
For a fraction of a second, the Human Path hesitated. Naruto pulled it in and slammed his forehead forward.
CRUNCH.
The head snapped back. Naruto followed with a short, brutal palm strike to the chest , again without contact.
BOOM—
The Human Path was blasted away, crashing into the ground hard enough to crater it.
Preta was already there again.
It leapt, both legs swinging in a scissor kick aimed at Naruto's neck.
Naruto dropped low, the kick slicing air above his head, then twisted and drove a sharp hook into Preta's side.
THUD.
Preta barely flinched. Naruto clicked his tongue.
"Still trying to eat chakra?" he muttered.
He stepped in close—too close—and snapped a short uppercut into Preta's chin.
CRACK.
The head snapped upward. Naruto followed instantly with a second punch, this one packed with dense natural energy.
BAAAM—
The Preta Path's head shattered completely, fragments flying as the body was launched sideways and slammed into the ground in pieces.
Naruto turned.
The Human Path was trying to rise. He was already there. Naruto appeared above it, feet descending like a hammer.
CRASH
The body went still. Naruto straightened slowly, dust settling around him as he exhaled once.
Naruto stood there, dust slowly settling around his feet.
Only three Paths remained.
The Animal Path, hands already poised for seals. The Naraka Path, standing slightly behind, guarding its grotesque summoning.
And at the center—
Pain. He watched him in silence.
Its expression was unreadable as always, but Naruto could feel it now—the hesitation. The calculations being made. The growing uncertainty. This wasn't how the battle was supposed to go.
The Animal Path moved.
Its hands slammed together.
POOF
POOF
POOF
Thick clouds of smoke erupted across the battlefield, rolling outward like storm fronts. The ground shook violently as massive shapes emerged from within.
A colossal multi-headed dog snarled, its many jaws snapping in different directions, each head moving independently.
Beside it, a giant ox burst forth, hooves slamming into the earth with thunderous force, horns scraping the sky.
And coiling around them, a massive centipede unfurled, its armored body stretching endlessly as it clicked and writhed.
They towered over Naruto, their shadows swallowing him completely.
The air vibrated with their roars.
Naruto didn't move.
He simply looked up, eyes calm as the wind brushed lightly against his clothes.
'…This is getting old,' he thought.
TO BE CONTINUED