HELL CRABS. BULLS. SPLITTER DOGS.
The monsters summoned by the amplified summoning jutsu of the Animal Path swarmed the Susano'o, a frenzy of claws and teeth.
The most troublesome was the Splitter Dog. No matter how many times the Susano'o's massive blade cleaved it in two, it wouldn't die. It just multiplied.
These abilities of the Rinnegan Six Paths… Sasuke thought, his mind racing as he maneuvered the towering warrior. Aside from the Deva Path and the Preta Path, I barely developed the others in my past life. The Animal Path? Never used it. I didn't expect these summonings to be such a pain…
How about this?
SHIIING!
— Kagutsuchi: Hail!
Black flames, like buckshot, erupted from the 'Black Flame Magatama' condensed in the Susano'o's palm. They sprayed outward, igniting every last summoning.
The Preta Path Pain landed beside the burning Splitter Dog. It raised a hand, the Absorbing Barrier shimmering into existence to devour the Amaterasu flames.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Oh? Going out of his way to save that mutt. He values it highly."
— Susano'o Shunshin!
WHOOSH—!!!
Sasuke and his ethereal giant vanished, reappearing directly above the Preta Path, a crushing fist descending toward its skull.
The Preta Path couldn't absorb the Susano'o. That was a verified fact.
SWISH—!!
At the last possible instant, the Preta Path's head jerked down. The colossal fist slammed into empty air behind it.
"Huh!?"
A flicker of surprise, then his gaze snapped to the long-haired Pain observing calmly from a distance.
Ah.
"Those Rinnegan… share vision, don't they?"
Then use an attack no amount of vision can dodge.
He released the Susano'o. A backflip, mid-air. His right hand swept over the summoning seal on his left arm in one fluid motion. SWISH! A giant windmill shuriken spun into the air above.
"He's realized the shared vision," the Preta Path noted, a hint of contempt in its tone. "But… a windmill shuriken? Pathetic."
BUZZ.
Still, it maintained the absorption with one hand. The other dropped a black rod, ready to parry.
THUMP. THUMP. THUMP. THUMP. THUMP…!
But from the summoning seals inscribed on the spinning, rising shuriken—a secondary summoning erupted. A sky-obscuring swarm of giant windmill shuriken, linked by razor wire and crackling with Raiton chakra, rained down on the Preta Path's position like a thunderstorm!
— Shuriken Copy Summoning Seal Technique: Lightning Flash Rain of Cuts!
"What…!?"
The Preta Path's eyes widened. It tried to abort the absorption, to dodge. Too late. Against that metallic downpour from above, its single black rod was a pathetic joke.
CRUNCH-SLICE-CRACK-SHRIEK-CRUNCH!!!
A rapid-fire cacophony of severing steel. The Preta Path's bulky frame was dismantled into chunks. It slumped, a lifeless heap.
"ARRROOOO—!!!"
The Splitter Dog let out a final, fading howl and vanished in a puff of white smoke.
BOOM!!!
A sonic crack. Sasuke's palm blazed with lightning as he shot toward the long-haired Pain like a thunderbolt.
The Human Path observed. "Utterly unreasonable. But…"
SWISH—!!
Sasuke's charge stopped dead.
The hidden chameleon materialized, its long tongue lashing out, wrapping around Sasuke's torso and yanking him into the air.
"Ah, the chameleon that ate its user and turned invisible. Perfect concealment of form and chakra. Even my eyes couldn't see through it…"
Before Sasuke could form a hand seal to break free, the long-haired Pain—the one whose abilities he didn't know—was already upon him. Its attack method was brutally simple: a bare hand, reaching for Sasuke's chest.
"It's over…"
FWOOP.
The moment that hand touched his sternum, a sudden, soul-deep chill exploded in Sasuke's mind.
"This feeling… is it…!!!"
— Human Path!!!
Instinct took over. His back split open. With a wet, slithering sound, a fresh, new him erupted from the husk and leapt to the ceiling.
"..." The Human Path Pain stared at the discarded 'snakeskin' in its grasp, brow furrowed deeply.
The Great Snake Style substitution technique. Not surprising in itself. The issue was the timing. At the exact moment the Human Path tried to extract the soul. Did he… know the Rinnegan's abilities?
He quickly dismissed the thought.
Hah… Impossible. The Rinnegan is an eye opened by me, Nagato. Refined over long years into this perfected Six Paths of Pain technique. It cannot be so easily seen through!
Sasuke clung to the ceiling, gaze locked on the long-haired Pain.
"That's the Human Path, no doubt. In my past life, because Naruto found that power too cruel, I never used it. But this direct method of killing… it's lethally efficient. When I regain the Rinnegan, I'll reclaim this path."
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The Animal Path summoned again. The slain Bull, Hell Crab, and Splitter Dog returned to the stage. A giant centipede joined them.
CRASH—!!
The ceiling Sasuke stood on was shattered upward by the centipede's charge.
SWISH!
Sasuke flipped down, landing lightly. "If I don't take out the Animal Path itself, this is endless…"
The Susano'o rose. A massive arrow notched onto its great bow.
TWANG!
But the Animal Path's chameleon was already fading, turning invisible to flee. Its foot caught on something.
The Animal Path stared at the 'tree root' coiling around the chameleon's ankle. Wood Release? Did he plant it when the tongue grabbed him? This guy…!
Sasuke's voice was cold. "The same trick won't work on me twice."
Using the root, dragged above ground by the chameleon, for precise targeting. The great arrow shot true.
CRUNCH—!!!
At the last millisecond, the Animal Path jumped from the chameleon's mouth.
WHOOSH! A second arrow followed instantly.
The Animal Path formed seals mid-air. The moment its feet touched ground, both palms slammed down.
— Summoning Jutsu!
BOOM! A panda-shaped shield-wall erupted, barely blocking the second arrow. At the same time, the pre-summoned beast horde, within the confined underground space, closed in on Sasuke for the kill.
Another drawn-out battle loomed… BUZZ! A whirring sound. A windmill shuriken skimmed the ground, curving around the panda shield, appearing right before the Animal Path's eyes.
It evaded the sightlines of both the Human Path and the summons… This god-like shurikenjutsu… it's no different from Itachi's!
POOF!
The shuriken transformed back into Sasuke. Wood from his arm ensnared the panda shield. A whip-like spin, and he was right in the Animal Path's face.
A black rod slid from the Animal Path's sleeve, stabbing forward.
SWISH! Sasuke twisted, a minimal, perfect dodge. His free hand, blazing with a clean, sharp Chidori, plunged into the Animal Path's chest.
"I… utterly underestimated him…"
THUD. POOF. POOF. POOF. POOF…!!
With the Animal Path's death, all its summoned creatures vanished in puffs of smoke.
The wood retracted into his arm.
Sasuke stared down the now-isolated Human Path. The Susano'o reappeared. Another giant arrow was drawn.
"..."
The Human Path didn't even struggle. It stood still, letting the arrow pierce through its body, pinning it mercilessly to the stone floor.
Three Paths of Pain, annihilated. Sasuke looked up at the hole in the structure's roof, waiting.
SWISH. SWISH. SWISH…!!
Three shadows dropped down in quick succession. The bald, most muscular Pain—the Asura Path—immediately raised its mechanical arm. Its wrist opened. Countless missiles, trailing flames, spiraled down from the air.
BOOOOOOM—!!!
A tidal wave of fire and explosion swallowed Sasuke whole.
"The Asura Path…"
The flames dissipated. Within the dark purple, crow-tengu armored Susano'o, Sasuke's eyes glinted.
There… standing beside a Pain with a wrinkled, elderly face, was a massive, purple-flame-wreathed King of Hell. The King's mouth was chewing. And from it… the three slain Paths stepped out, unharmed.
"The Naraka Path…"
Sasuke murmured, his gaze finally locking onto the figure standing before the five resurrected Paths. A face cold, detached, yet undeniably handsome.
"So… that's the most troublesome one. The Deva Path."
The Deva Path led, the five others following a step behind.
— "The Six Paths of Pain," its voice echoed, devoid of all warmth, "greet you."
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