Chapter 63: The Battle's Turning Point

Nagato, badly injured, was rushing toward Obito's location on the massive bird, while the remaining Six Paths of Pain stayed behind to fend off Hiruzen and Jiraiya. He knew that if he stayed, there was a high chance that Hiruzen and Jiraiya would take the opportunity to finish him off in his weakened state.

"Eight Gates… even a mere genin is capable of this level of power…" Nagato muttered, clutching his chest as he struggled to breathe.

On the battlefield below, Hiruzen and Jiraiya had engaged in fierce combat with the Six Paths of Pain.

"Giant Rasengan!"

Jiraiya, wielding an enormous Rasengan, lunged at the Deva Path, aiming to crush him.

"Preta Path!"

The burly Preta Path leapt in front of Deva, lifting his hands to absorb the massive Rasengan in Jiraiya's grasp. As he did, the powerful Rasengan visibly shrank, drained by the Path's chakra absorption.

Seeing this, Hiruzen swung his black-staffed Enma at the Deva Path, his strength sending the staff rocketing toward them.

The Deva Path stepped forward, stretched out his arms, and commanded,

"Shinra Tensei!"

An invisible force burst forth, sending Jiraiya hurtling backward. Yet, Hiruzen's staff held firm, blasting through the barrier and pushing the Deva Path back several paces.

"Damn, that old man is strong!" Nagato's eyes widened, realizing he had underestimated Hiruzen's strength.

"Is that all you've got?"

Hiruzen narrowed his eyes, and with a low growl, his chakra flared, amplifying his power. Muscles rippled under his armor as he swung Enma with renewed force, shattering the force field and striking the Deva Path, sending him tumbling into a pile of rubble.

With a sweeping blow, Hiruzen's staff struck Preta Path with such force that his body twisted grotesquely and fell motionless.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

A plume of smoke erupted as Animal Path summoned four colossal creatures—a three-headed hellhound, a rhino, a crab, and a chameleon. The creatures surged forward, offering the remaining Paths a momentary reprieve.

Despite the temporary distraction, the beasts were soon vanquished under the relentless onslaught of Hiruzen and Jiraiya's synchronized attacks.

Casting a glance toward Nagato, who was inching closer to the battleground where Minato and Obito clashed, Hiruzen took a deep breath.

"Hmph! Without a puppet to absorb ninjutsu, let's see how you handle this!"

Four shadow clones materialized beside him.

"Five-Elements!"

Simultaneously, Hiruzen and his clones unleashed a torrent of elemental attacks—wind, fire, earth, lightning, and water—rushing forward in a massive wave, consuming the surrounding wasteland in a violent tsunami of raw energy.

Meanwhile, Jiraiya unleashed his own technique—Sage Art: Goemon—a devastating combination of oil, fire, and wind. The deadly blast was as formidable as Hiruzen's.

The Deva Path strode forward, inhaling deeply before extending his hands.

"Shinra Tensei!"

The invisible force surged forth again, splitting apart Hiruzen's and Jiraiya's combined attacks, creating a shield that held firm against the incoming storm of jutsu.

Behind him, the remaining Paths—Asura, Animal, Human, and Naraka—scattered, aware that grouping together would only spell disaster.

But their retreat came too late.

"Sage Art: Giant Rasengan!"

From above, Jiraiya, wielding an enormous blue sphere of energy, drove it down onto the Animal Path. At the same moment, Hiruzen swung his staff at Asura Path, who was forced to halt and defend.

With immense speed and force, Jiraiya's Rasengan crashed into the Animal Path, creating a deep crater where his body lay still.

Though Hiruzen didn't manage to take down the Asura Path, he immediately turned his sights on the Deva Path, who was caught in the cooldown of Shinra Tensei and unable to react. As the Enma staff descended, a puff of smoke erupted, and the Deva Path, along with the remaining Paths, vanished.

"Damn it," Hiruzen muttered in frustration. "They broke the summoning."

Nagato, aware that his weakened state made it impossible to fully utilize the Six Paths, had chosen to withdraw rather than risk losing them all. As a bird carried him to the edge of the battlefield where Obito and Minato clashed, he breathed a sigh of relief. It would take Hiruzen and Jiraiya time to reach him here.

The moment the Animal Path dissipated, a bird vanished as well. Yet, undeterred, Nagato formed a quick series of seals mid-fall.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

In a flash, a bird reappeared, and Nagato continued to circle the battlefield.

Minato noticed Nagato lurking at the edge and immediately shifted his tactics. With a determined expression, he hurled several Flying Thunder God kunai toward Nagato.

Watching the incoming kunai, Nagato took a deep breath and clapped his hands together.

"Shinra Tensei!"

The kunai clinked and flew off-course under the expanding force of Shinra Tensei.

A glint of golden light flashed as Minato dodged Obito's Wood Release spike and appeared at a distance. Without hesitation, he unleashed another barrage of Flying Thunder God kunai, each one charged with wind-nature chakra. It was clear that his priority was to eliminate Nagato.

"Nagato is critical. I can't let him die here," Obito thought, narrowing his eyes. "But perhaps his presence could be useful. If I time this right, I can use him to finish off Sensei and secure Nagato's loyalty."

"Damn!" Nagato's face twisted in alarm as Minato's relentless teleportation closed the gap. Despite his best efforts to evade, each Shinra Tensei cooldown left him vulnerable for a crucial five seconds.

After another Shinra Tensei cooldown, Nagato sensed an attack from behind. Turning, he saw a Flying Thunder God kunai speeding toward him, filling him with an intense sense of dread.

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Pls drop some Power Stones

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