Tendō Pain had completely fallen into madness.
He was someone who treasured bonds above all else. The person he had become was shaped by Yahiko's death, and now the last of his companions had fallen before his eyes.
There was no way he could stay calm.
The remaining Six Paths of Pain collapsed to the ground one after another. Only the Deva Path remained standing, hands locked in seals.
"Everyone! Take Konan and get out of here!"
Chakra surged wildly into the black receivers embedded in the Deva Path's body. His presence swelled, and the ground around him began to tremble.
Hearing their leader's command, the Akatsuki members abandoned the fight. One of them grabbed Konan, and the group retreated at full speed.
Then the Deva Path spread his arms.
"Super… Shinra Tensei!"
Boom!
A devastating repulsive force erupted outward. Houses, earth, and stone were obliterated the instant they touched the shockwave, reduced to fragments and dust.
This was the Deva Path's full-power Shinra Tensei.
In the original destruction of Konoha, this very technique had leveled an entire village. Its power was beyond doubt.
All of Namikaze Kirito's Wood Clones were blown away, reverting into twisted logs as their chakra dispersed.
Kirito's real body, suspended in midair, was struck as well. The repulsive force expanded in every direction without a single blind spot.
The sphere created by Chibaku Tensei crumbled completely.
Wanting to test the strength of the force, Kirito steadied himself in the air and threw a punch forward.
The power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit surged to its limit.
Boom!
Crack…
The impact sounded like glass shattering. A thunderous roar was followed by a piercing screech as vibration and repulsion collided, tearing the surrounding air apart.
The Deva Path stared in disbelief.
"What kind of power is this? Namikaze Kirito… what secrets are you hiding?"
Though he hadn't been born with the Rinnegan, Nagato had carried it since Yahiko's death and come to see himself as the chosen one.
He called himself a god, believing it was his duty to bring peace to a broken world.
Until now, reality had seemed to support that belief. The formation of Akatsuki had gone smoothly, aside from a few minor setbacks, and their plans had advanced without major obstruction.
But after meeting Namikaze Kirito, everything had changed.
He was being overwhelmed on every front. In terms of raw power, he was outmatched, and his most precious companion had just fallen before him.
How could he accept that?
"Impossible! Namikaze Kirito—someone who's never known true pain—how can you possess such strength?!"
"I am the true god!"
As he shouted, the Deva Path's face twisted. Far away, in a hidden cave, Nagato's frail body convulsed as he screamed in agony.
The black receivers piercing his body trembled violently.
With the increasing chakra output, strands of his hair turned white.
To defeat Namikaze Kirito, he was willing to burn even his life force.
Back on the battlefield, the storm clouds over Amegakure were blown away by the shockwaves. Rare sunlight poured over the village.
Yet the streets were empty.
Before the battle, Nagato and Konan had evacuated the civilians, unwilling to let their war harm innocent lives. Even after everything they had become, they still longed for true peace.
Only the core members of Akatsuki remained.
That was why no one else witnessed this catastrophic clash.
"God?" Kirito's eyes sharpened. "I've never seen a god. But I know one thing—God isn't a puppet controlled by hidden strings. That's worse than being a doll."
White light flared around his fist as the Tremor power reached its peak.
Boom!
The confrontation finally ended.
Amegakure lay in ruins. The remaining five Paths of Pain were reduced to ash. The Deva Path's black cloak was shredded, his body battered and unsteady.
In the distant cave, a quarter of Nagato's hair had already turned white.
He had lost.
Even sacrificing his vitality hadn't been enough to secure victory.
High above, ten thousand meters in the sky, a massive clay bird carried the Akatsuki members. They watched in stunned silence.
This battle was far beyond their reach.
Konan had regained consciousness and gazed downward, worry filling her eyes.
"…Namikaze… Kirito…"
The Deva Path spoke his name in a strained voice, purple Rinnegan locked onto him.
Kirito, by contrast, showed no signs of distress. His current power had already reached—perhaps even surpassed—that of the legendary First Hokage, Senju Hashirama.
"I can give you the peace you seek," Kirito said calmly. "Follow me."
"Follow you?"
A cold sneer crossed the Deva Path's lips.
"I am a god. Why would I follow a mere human? Just because you defeated me, Namikaze Kirito?"
His hands formed another seal.
Kirito's eyes narrowed.
"In your condition, using that technique could kill you. Think carefully."
"Heh… your knowledge is terrifying, Namikaze Kirito. So you even know about this. It doesn't matter. If I can't achieve my dream, then death means nothing!"
"Show me, Namikaze Kirito—do you truly have what it takes to change the world!"
"Summoning Jutsu… Demonic Statue of the Outer Path!"
Boom!
A vast cloud of white smoke exploded outward. From within it emerged the legendary husk of the Ten-Tails.
Its withered, bark-like skin covered a body larger than any tailed beast. Strange patterns coiled around it. Its monstrous face was lined with fangs, and ten sealed eyes rested upon its head.
Once all the tailed beasts were gathered, it would awaken as the complete Ten-Tails.
Even as an empty shell, its presence was overwhelming.
In the distant cave, Nagato's hair had turned completely white. His skin was wrinkled, his eyes dull and lifeless. His vitality was nearly spent.
Summoning the Demonic Statue once had already pushed him to the brink.
Now, with his chakra exhausted, he had called it forth again for battle.
He was burning the last of his life to continue fighting.
"…You're stubborn," Kirito murmured, a trace of pity in his gaze.
He wanted to save Nagato. But the man before him had already chosen to stake his life on this final clash.
If words could no longer reach him…
Then there was only one path left.
They would settle it in battle.
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