The opponent's strength far surpasses Hanzo's.
Nagato pondered for a moment, then followed in Naruto Uzumaki's footsteps.
If the opponent was willing to fight one-on-one, he would not deliberately choose a crowded area. Casualties were inevitable in the implementation of the Ten-Tails revival plan, but minimizing unnecessary deaths was preferable.
Not long after, the two arrived at a desolate bay, surrounded by sand dunes and seawater.
After scanning the area, Naruto nodded slightly. "How about fighting here? No prying eyes, and no one to interfere in our battle."
Compared to Naruto's nonchalant demeanor, Nagato's expression was far more serious.
From the moment they encountered each other, he had been forced into a reactive stance. Whether it was the opponent openly revealing himself as the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki or the fact that Nagato himself had been identified, the intelligence disparity was unnerving.
Could it be that his Six Paths of Pain abilities were already within the enemy's grasp?
Thinking this, Nagato manipulated the Deva Path and commanded, "Shinra Tensei!"
An invisible repulsive force erupted instantly, distorting the surrounding air. The shockwave rippled outward, shaking the terrain.
Naruto took the brunt of Shinra Tensei head-on, skidding backward by dozens of meters, leaving deep trenches in the ground.
Despite the pain in his chest, he didn't flinch. Instead, excitement flickered in his eyes.
Harnessing the Nine-Tails' chakra, a fiery-red Tailed Beast Cloak enveloped his body. With a flick of his toes against the earth, he propelled himself forward like a cannonball, closing the distance to the Deva Path in an instant.
Payne calmly extended his hand and unleashed another Shinra Tensei.
This time, Naruto was only pushed back a few meters before regaining control. He immediately counterattacked, forming a Rasengan in his palm and swinging it at Payne's head.
At that moment, the Preta Path emerged from the shadows and absorbed the Rasengan.
Seizing the opportunity, the Deva Path drew a black chakra receiver and aimed for Naruto's limbs. However, the fox tails behind Naruto intercepted the strike, forcing Payne to retreat and reassess his strategy.
After the brief exchange, Nagato's face darkened in the distance.
This was his first true battle against a full-fledged Jinchūriki, and he hadn't expected Naruto to be this formidable. The enhancements from the Tailed Beast Mode drastically increased speed and power while also diminishing Shinra Tensei's impact.
While the Preta Path could absorb chakra-based techniques, it was powerless against raw physical force.
Naruto, however, remained wary of Payne as well. The Preta Path's absorption ability was too troublesome. Without Senjutsu, conventional ninjutsu was virtually useless against it, and he wasn't certain if his Rasenshuriken could bypass it either.
After a brief pause, the battle resumed.
The Animal Path summoned an array of colossal creatures from the shadows, each towering over ten meters. The monstrous beasts encircled Naruto before charging toward him.
Am I surrounded?
Naruto smirked slightly. Empowered by the Tailed Beast Mode, he effortlessly dodged their attacks, simultaneously weaving hand seals for a Wind Release technique.
"Wind Release: Tornado Jutsu!"
"Wind Release: Sickle Weasel Jutsu!"
With a sharp command, a roaring tornado materialized, sweeping through the summoned beasts and hurling the weaker ones into the ocean.
Within seconds, most of the summoned creatures were wiped out—except for a few stubborn multi-headed dogs.
These creatures possessed the ability to split upon receiving fatal injuries. Instead of weakening them, the Sickle Weasel's slicing wind had only multiplied their numbers.
Seeing this, Naruto let the air currents lift him into the sky. Gathering chakra in his palm, he unleashed a Rasenshuriken.
The spinning sphere of destruction bloomed in midair, radiating blinding light like a miniature sun. Not only did it obliterate the split-dogs, but it also carved a massive crater into the earth, with seawater rushing to fill the void.
Shielded by the Preta Path, Payne and his forces remained relatively unharmed, yet Nagato's expression tightened in the distance.
Uzumaki Naruto was far stronger than Hanzo. Even two or three bodies of Pain wouldn't be enough to suppress him. Perhaps, all Six Paths would need to fight together.
…
Meanwhile, in a distant town, Iwagakure and Kumogakure Jōnin listened intently to their subordinates' reports. Despite being from different villages, they shared a common objective: assessing the military strength of Uzushiogakure, which had seized control of the Land of Waves.
If Uzushio's forces were weak, annexation would be an option.
If they were as strong as Takigakure or Kusagakure, an alliance could be formed to counterbalance Konohagakure's influence.
"Jōnin-sama, Uzushio doesn't even acknowledge Kumogakure's authority. Their leader expelled us immediately, and beyond that, they have the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist under their command. They appear to be a subordinate faction of Kirigakure."
Hearing this, the Kumogakure Jōnin's face darkened.
If Uzushio had been an insignificant village, he could have made decisions on his own.
But with Kirigakure involved, things were different. Despite being weaker than Kumo and Iwa, Kiri was still a major village, housing thousands of shinobi. This was now a high-stakes diplomatic situation.
Suddenly, a blinding light flashed through the window, and the ground trembled violently.
Noticing the disturbance, the Kumo Jōnin frowned. While ordinary natural disasters like earthquakes or tsunamis weren't concerning for a shinobi, the presence of chakra fluctuations changed everything.
Utilizing the Body Flicker Technique, he leaped onto the rooftops. The distant battlefield's chakra waves were overwhelming. His expression tensed.
A shinobi capable of causing such an upheaval had to be at least Kage-level.
More troubling was the fact that such battles never happened without a reason.
A confrontation between two warriors of this caliber meant that the Land of Waves harbored an individual capable of standing against a Kage-tier enemy.
What kind of hidden power did this small nation possess?
Just then, a figure in Uzushiogakure's uniform appeared before him—Shisui Uchiha. His crimson Sharingan spun ominously as he spoke.
"Foreign shinobi, you are to accompany the Uzushio Village Law Enforcement Unit."
The Kumo Jōnin hesitated but, after locking eyes with Shisui's Sharingan, ultimately nodded.
Kirigakure's involvement was one thing, but how had Uchiha entered the equation?
The situation in the Land of Waves was far more complex than he had anticipated.
His only hope now was making it back to his village alive.
On the other side, the Iwagakure Jōnin had also encountered Zabuza Momochi and a squad of Uchiha shinobi.
He, too, chose compliance.
It wasn't just the individual might of Shisui and Zabuza that unnerved them.
It was the sheer scale of the shadowy conflict unfolding right before their eyes.
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