"Kakashi-sensei, look over there!"
"The Akatsuki are fighting each other!"
Yamato, covered in wounds beside Kakashi, pointed to the battle raging in the distance.
"Such strength! It's a good thing they're fighting each other. If not…!"
Yamato hissed, shaken. He had thought Konan, who had defeated him so easily, was one of the strongest Akatsuki members. But he never expected there to be so many others who were comparable to, or even stronger than, her!
"It's not infighting," Kakashi sighed, unsure how to explain. "It's Menma…"
"Menma?" Yamato looked confused. "What does this have to do with him? Wasn't he sealed away?"
Kakashi shook his head, offering no further explanation. "Come with me. We need to protect Naruto."
If this were before he learned the truth about his father's death, Kakashi would have fought to the death to protect the village and everyone in it. But now, knowing the scheming and treachery, filled with resentment, he only wanted to protect the people he actually cared about.
Therefore, Kakashi planned to help Menma, to try and secure a way out for those he cared about — like Guy, Yamato in front of him, and the other ninjas he was on good terms with.
"Go to Naruto's side…" Yamato's face fell as he looked at the battlefield ahead, a scene of epic destruction. The battlefield was right around Naruto; how the hell were they going to cross it? They'd probably be caught in the crossfire and killed the moment they entered!
"What are you thinking?" Kakashi grabbed Yamato's arm. "Of course, we'll use Earth Release to get underground."
Yamato had no choice but to follow. Soon, the two dug their way to the ground beneath Naruto and emerged from the earth.
At the same time, opposite them, a pitcher plant also sprouted from the ground.
"Huh?"
White Zetsu exclaimed in surprise upon seeing Kakashi and Yamato.
"Black Zetsu, there's actually someone as clever as you, knowing to sneak up from underground to steal someone!"
Hearing White Zetsu still had the mind to marvel, Black Zetsu growled, "Shut up, you idiot! Take Naruto and get out of here!"
As he spoke, the Mayfly Technique activated, and Naruto's body rapidly sank into the ground.
"Oh no!" Kakashi leaped out of the ground, shouting, "Yamato!"
Yamato reacted immediately, forming hand seals. "Wood Release!"
Whoosh!
Several wooden pillars instantly sprang up from the ground beneath Naruto, lifting his sinking body back up. Kakashi grabbed Naruto's clothes and pulled him into his arms.
"Damn it, failed," Black Zetsu muttered. Seeing his plan defeated, he retreated into the ground without looking back.
Meanwhile, on the distant battlefield:
Seeing Black Zetsu's defeat, Pain suddenly raised his hand and unleashed a maximum-powered Shinra Tensei. After blasting away the four Paths fighting them, he summoned the other five back to his side.
Seeing her Edo Tensei puppets blasted away, Konan immediately retreated to Pain's side.
Seeing Pain suddenly retreat, Menma also stopped attacking.
"Oh? Giving up now?"
Pain ignored Menma's question. Instead, he clapped his hands in front of him and whispered to Konan, "That Menma guy isn't using his full strength; he's just stalling for time. Anyway, if this continues, we have no chance of winning. Konan, you leave first. I have no choice but to use that last move."
As he spoke, the five Paths of Pain surrounding him all collapsed limply, as if struck by lightning. At the same time, a terrifying surge of chakra erupted from Pain's body.
"I understand."
Konan nodded, wrapped the other five Paths of Pain in white paper, and quickly moved away.
The other five Paths of Pain collapsed because Nagato concentrated his chakra on Pain alone, because the ninjutsu he was about to unleash required more than one-sixth of his chakra.
"They escaped?" Seeing Konan leave with the five Paths of Pain, Zabuza and the others were all puzzled.
Menma frowned as well. He hadn't expected Nagato to still unleash his ultimate attack even after he'd held back so much. He had originally planned to leave the Pains to the unsealed main body as a celebration, but now it seemed he had to intervene.
"You four leave. I'll handle this."
After saying this to Zabuza and the others, Menma instantly appeared before Pain, his black Susanoo sword slashing down.
However—
Whoosh!
An invisible repulsive barrier appeared, firmly blocking the Susanoo sword. At the same time, a gap appeared in Pain's clasped hands, and a black sphere of gravity, formed from highly concentrated chakra, emerged!
"It's Chibaku Tensei!"
Menma had thought Pain was about to unleash Shinra Tensei, but it turned out to be Chibaku Tensei! If it's Planetary Devastation, then it proves that Pain's true form, Nagato, is very close to here!
"You know Planetary Devastation?"
Nagato hadn't expected Menma to know this ninjutsu. But he was only surprised for a moment before completely separating his hands.
"But it doesn't matter anymore. No one can escape this ninjutsu."
As the words fell, the gravitational black sphere rapidly rose into the sky. In the blink of an eye, it merged with the sun in the sky!
The next moment, a terrifying aura filled the entire world, as if a cataclysmic disaster was about to descend!
"You really know how to cause me trouble."
Menma's smile vanished, and a cold voice came from his mouth. "Susanoo in full armor, the calamity of divine fall."
Whoosh!!!
Golden-red chakra and jet-black ocular power suddenly erupted from Menma's body, growing against the wind. In an instant, it transformed into a colossal golden-red giant clad in jet-black armor, wielding a longsword of gold, red, and black!
Majestic and awe-inspiring!
"Is this your full power?" Pain roared. "But unfortunately, I am stronger than you!"
With Pain's roar, the gravitational sphere, overlapping with the sun, finally exploded. Instantly, countless blinding beams of light, almost tangible, erupted from the black sphere. Large amounts of rubble, soil, and dust from the ground were lifted into the sky by gravity! Even the ground began to crack, and buildings crumbled, pieces flying into the sky!
"Stronger than me?"
Menma laughed, just about to control his Susanoo to unleash a few Tailed Beast Ball sword energies at the sky, when he heard a familiar burst of maniacal laughter from behind.
"Hahaha… Perfect, absolutely perfect! This is what it feels like to be unrestrained, to have complete control over my body! No one, no one can ever limit me again! Hahaha!!!"
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