"Good."
"Pain—"
"Let me see… where your limit lies."
The fire of battle—
Ignited instantly.
If Shenyue Yuan had eyes—
Everyone would have seen it.
That flame—
Exploding.
…
Equality of All Beings—activated.Target: Pain.Synchronization—complete.
…
BOOM—
The rain crashed down.
What had once drifted quietly in the clouds—
Now fell like a collapsing sea.
…
"…."
Pain's pupils trembled.
He lifted his gaze.
The sky—
Had changed.
…
Konan and Orochimaru turned sharply—
Instinctively—
Toward Shenyue Yuan.
…
Raindrops slid across his face.
He stepped forward.
Pulled the black cane from the ground.
And—
Everything changed.
…
That calm, ordinary confidence—
Gone.
In its place—
Something vast.
Something absolute.
He stood there—
As if fused with the world itself.
Every movement—
Like the breath of heaven.
…
This…
This was it.
Yuan felt it clearly.
This power—
Was nothing like before.
Danzo?
Irrelevant.
This—
Was something on an entirely different level.
…
His body—
Transformed.
Strength—
Beyond limits.
Enough to dominate the entire ninja world.
…
At this moment—
He was the Deva Path.
…
Konan's voice trembled.
"…How can someone…"
"…increase their power to this level…"
"…in an instant?"
"This is completely different…"
Orochimaru stood frozen.
"…He really is a genius…"
A flicker of regret passed through his eyes.
He shouldn't have exposed him so directly.
…
This place—
Was no longer safe.
Not for him.
…
Konan frowned.
If Yuan truly possessed power on Pain's level—
Then Root…Konoha…
All of it—
Would be meaningless.
So why would someone like this—
Serve Konoha?
And if he joined Akatsuki—
Wouldn't that make things even more unstable?
…
No.
She rejected the thought immediately.
This had to be a trick.
A strange ability.
Just like his earlier communication.
Orochimaru thought the same.
It has to be fake.
It must be.
"He can't be that strong…"
"He's just a kid…"
"There's no way…"
…
But—
Pain saw differently.
…
He didn't even need to look.
And yet—
He understood everything.
The world—
Had always bent to his will.
But now—
That balance…
Was broken.
…
Half the world's power—
Favored him.
The other half—
Favored Shenyue Yuan.
…
A second Deva Path—
Had appeared.
…
Pain lowered his gaze.
Locking onto Yuan.
This test—
No longer needed to continue.
But—
He felt it.
That overwhelming will.
That solitude.
That hunger—
Of one who stands without equal.
…
"…What have you experienced?"
Pain's voice sharpened.
"What power…"
"…allows you to stand at my level?"
This time—
They resonated.
Not in ideology—
But in strength.
…
Nagato had long stood—
At the peak.
Alone.
Unchallenged.
But now—
Through the rain and mist—
He saw it.
Another summit.
And upon it—
Stood Shenyue Yuan.
…
That—
Ignited him.
…
"You said it first."
Pain raised his arm.
Cold.
Commanding.
"Then show me."
"Your limit."
…
His palm—
Opened.
Space—
Distorted.
"Universal Pull."
…
A terrifying force—
Exploded outward.
The rain twisted violently—
Dragged inward—
Like a collapsing vortex.
A storm—
Condensed into a single point.
…
Konan and Orochimaru—
Held their breath.
Watching.
…
Yuan didn't resist.
Not even slightly.
He allowed the force—
To pull him forward.
Dragged—
Straight toward Pain.
…
Of course.
This was the classic sequence.
Pull—
Then repel.
For most—
That alone—
Was death.
Organs shattered.
Bodies torn apart.
…
But Yuan—
Didn't care.
Not anymore.
…
"Shinra—"
Pain began.
…
But at that exact moment—
"EAT THIS!!!"
Yuan roared.
Mid-air—
His black cane ignited.
Flooded with chakra.
Blue light surged—
Violent.
Unstable.
He swung—
Downward.
…
A single strike.
Simple.
Direct.
But carrying—
Enough force to shatter mountains.
…
CRASH—
Space trembled.
…
Pain's pupils contracted.
His invisible force—
Collided with the strike—
And—
Canceled out.
…
WHOOSH—
Yuan landed.
Water exploded beneath his feet.
No retreat.
Only advance.
…
Another strike—
Falling.
Faster.
Heavier.
More brutal.
The cane vibrated—
Slicing through the air—
As if tearing space itself apart.
…
Pain saw it clearly.
Speed.
Power.
Perfectly matched.
…
At that moment—
Nagato realized something.
If Konan had been the one to test him—
She might not have survived.
…
"…Hmph."
Pain's sleeve shifted.
A black receiver rod slid into his hand.
"You have a weapon…"
"…so do I."
…
The clash—
Was inevitable.