Behind Tendo Yahiko stood five other figures, arranged with two on the left and three on the right. They were none other than the Six Paths of Pain: the Human Path, Asura Path, Preta Path, Animal Path, and Naraka Path.
Together, they formed the infamous Six Paths of Pain.
Kai stared intently at the six figures before him, his expression unusually grave. He spoke slowly, "The Six Paths of Pain..." He had considered the possibility of encountering Black Zetsu, but he hadn't expected to face the Six Paths of Pain instead. Uchiha Obito, masquerading as Madara, had only recently begun moving in the shadows, and yet he had already aligned himself with the Akatsuki.
"You know of me?" Tendo Yahiko, standing in the sky, narrowed his Rinnegan eyes in curiosity. But the curiosity quickly faded, replaced by indifference. "Mitarashi Kai, I will give you a choice: join the Akatsuki or die." His Rinnegan pulsed, its concentric circles contracting rhythmically.
"Nagato," Kai said calmly, his eyes fixed on Tendo Yahiko. "Is the Rinnegan the source of all your confidence?"
Hearing Kai's words, Tendo Yahiko's indifferent expression was replaced by one of surprise. "How do you know that? No matter—it won't matter once I capture you and read your mind."
Suddenly, the Asura Path stepped forward from behind Tendo Yahiko. Its wrists and shoulders split open, revealing a barrage of missiles that shot straight toward Kai.
Gentle Fist: Exploding Rotation!
The missiles launched by the Asura Path were deflected by the powerful shockwaves generated by Kai's Exploding Rotation, unable to even approach him.
Super Giant Rasengan!
A massive sphere of chakra formed in Kai's hand. Without hesitation, he hurled it toward the Six Paths of Pain standing in the sky.
The Six Paths of Pain made no attempt to evade. Just as the Super Giant Rasengan was about to collide with Tendo Yahiko, a large, orange-haired ninja stepped forward to block the attack. The corpulent figure raised his hands to absorb the incoming chakra sphere.
The Super Giant Rasengan dissolved like a stream of water, absorbed entirely into the hands of the large ninja.
Preta Path.
"Preta Path, huh? Truly troublesome," Kai remarked, his tone calm, his face showing no hint of concern. "Since you're the most problematic, I'll deal with you first."
Divine Descent!
In the blink of an eye, Kai appeared directly in front of the Preta Path.
Steel Fist: Yang—Molten Collapse Punch!
This devastating technique wasn't a ninjutsu in the traditional sense. Although it utilized the principles of Lava Release, its essence was rooted in taijutsu. As such, it couldn't be absorbed by the Preta Path, which specialized in neutralizing chakra-based techniques.
Before the Preta Path could react, Kai's molten fist had already pierced through its skull.
"You dare defy the will of a god!" Tendo Yahiko's eyes flashed with fury. Although the Preta Path could be revived using the Naraka Path, as it was merely a reanimated corpse, the act itself was an affront to Nagato, who saw himself as a deity.
Shinra Tensei!
Kai suddenly felt an immense force pressing against him, violently hurling him backward. He crashed heavily into the ground.
"Repulsive force, huh? What an enviable ability," Kai muttered, frowning as he gazed at Tendo Yahiko in the sky. By all logic, his Tenseigan should have allowed him to manipulate gravitational forces as well. Yet despite years of development, his Tenseigan seemed to lack this capability entirely.
"Mitarashi Kai," Tendo Yahiko declared coldly, "those who defy a god can only meet death!"
"A god? You're not even a false god!" Kai's aura surged dramatically, his eyes darkening to a deep crimson.
Sage Mode—Fully Activated!
The Six Paths of Pain were undeniably super-kage-level opponents, forcing Kai to take them seriously. Without hesitation, he activated his Sage Mode to its fullest extent.
Seeing Kai unleash Sage Mode, Tendo Yahiko's expression grew more serious. The Animal Path behind him quickly formed hand seals, summoning a host of massive creatures into Konoha.
Giant crabs, the Hellhound, a rhino, a centipede, and a bull—all of them began wreaking havoc in the village.
"Kai! Who are they?!" Hiruzen Sarutobi, wielding the Monkey King Enma transformed into a staff, confronted the Hellhound. His voice was filled with urgency as he shouted toward Kai.
Kai could see a large number of Konoha ninja rushing toward the battlefield, led by none other than Mitarashi Shishio, the head of the ANBU.
Kai had no time to answer Hiruzen's question. Instead, he issued a direct command: "Old man, you and Uncle Shishio deal with the summoned beasts. Leave these six to me."
Seeing the determination in Kai's eyes, Hiruzen nodded. He was well aware of Kai's strength and chose not to argue. With a swing of his staff, he struck at the Hellhound's head. Meanwhile, Mitarashi Shishio launched an attack on the giant crab.
Wood Release: Tree World Birth!
Under the amplification of Sage Mode, the trees from Tree World Birth grew to towering heights of several hundred meters, each trunk nearly ten meters thick. Within this dense forest, both Kai and the Six Paths of Pain appeared minuscule.
Wood Release: Tree Binding Death!
The trees from Tree World Birth began transforming into sharp, spear-like branches, relentlessly stabbing toward the Six Paths of Pain.
Much like Flowering Tree World Descent, Tree Binding Death was a large-scale ninjutsu developed by Kai based on Tree World Birth. Within its range, even tailed beasts would be skewered half to death by the relentless assault of wooden spikes.
Although Tendo Yahiko countered with Shinra Tensei, the technique had intervals between uses. Meanwhile, the attacks from Tree Binding Death were continuous and unyielding.
Before long, every member of the Six Paths of Pain, except for Tendo Yahiko, had been pierced by several wooden spikes.
Faced with the unrelenting assault of the wooden spears, Tendo Yahiko realized that if this continued, even he would eventually be impaled. A flash of anger crossed his Rinnegan.
Super Shinra Tensei!
An overwhelming force erupted from Tendo Yahiko, centered on himself. The sheer magnitude of the repulsive force obliterated not only the wooden spears aimed at the Six Paths of Pain but also the entire forest created by Tree World Birth. Even a significant portion of Konoha was reduced to rubble in an instant.
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