Chapter 36: The Naïve Six Paths of Pain

"What incredible speed!" A glint of surprise flashed in Pain's eyes.

Though the Rinnegan was indeed more powerful than the Sharingan, it lacked the extraordinary dynamic vision of the latter. The Sharingan's ability to track motion was in a league of its own. Yet, Deva Path wasn't alone on the battlefield, the Naraka Path was there too. Though Naraka Path had distanced himself initially, he still remained within the Rinnegan's shared field of vision.

Together, they barely managed to track Akira's attack trajectory.

Without hesitation, the Deva Path reached into his wide sleeve, producing black receivers. Gripping it firmly, he thrust it forward to counter the blindingly fast, lightning-charged Akira.

Clang!

The sharp clash rang out as Akira's sword descended, its immense force sending Deva Path flying over ten meters back. Before he could fully recover, Akira was upon him again, his leg crackling with lightning as he delivered a powerful kick to Deva Path's shoulder.

Boom!

With a resounding impact, the Deva Path was sent crashing into a rocky outcrop. Even with the pouring rain, dust and debris were thrown into the air.

The commotion drew the attention of Yamanaka Juro, Aburame Shiga, and Hyuga Kaori, who were locked in battle with the Animal Path.

Though the Animal Path's summoned beasts were formidable, the trio managed to hold their ground through teamwork. They'd even gained a slight upper hand at the start. Shiga's Parasitic Beetles had infiltrated the Hellhound, breeding rapidly and draining its chakra from within, effectively neutralizing its ability to split endlessly. With Kaori's Byakugan revealing the position of the camouflaged chameleon, it fell swiftly under the combined attacks of Yamanaka and Hyuga clan techniques.

However, the Animal Path wasn't defeated so easily.

With a puff of smoke, a massive rhino and Giant Drill-Beaked Bird emerged onto the battlefield.

"Trouble…" Juro muttered, unable to distinguish whether his face was covered in sweat or rain. Against foes like these, his Mind Body Switch Technique was all but useless.

"Our mission is to stall him, keep him from interfering with Akira!" Shiga adjusted his sunglasses. A swarm of insects burst from his body, forming a cloud that rose toward the sky, targeting the crow that circled above, dropping explosive eggs.

Gazing at the Animal Path standing atop a colossal crab, Kaori's eyes gleamed with frustration. Her Gentle Fist seemed almost useless against the thick-skinned summons.

"We'll just have to hold out as best we can!" Juro said, resigned. "These giant beasts are a nightmare for us."

Meanwhile, having just kicked the Deva Path away, Akira narrowed his eyes.

"This Path's body is tougher than expected!" he thought to himself. Deva Path's speed and strength were no match for his own, but Deva Path's durability was remarkable.

Akira realized that simply using taijutsu might not be enough to bring down the Deva Path. "Fine," he muttered, "let's bait him into using Shinra Tensei."

Quickly forming seals, he unleashed,

"Wind Release: Compressed Tempest!"

Akira exhaled a dense, silvery sphere of compressed wind that shot forward, exploding outward in a storm of razor-sharp wind blades that sliced through the earth, tearing the rain and the ground apart in its wake.

"Such a large-scale Wind Release…" In the debris, the Deva Path's eyes narrowed as he clasped his hands together.

"Shinra Tensei!"

With a powerful gesture, an invisible force radiated outward, obliterating the windstorm and leaving a wide crater where he stood.

"Not good!" Suddenly, the Deva Path's face shifted, and he dashed toward the Hell Path.

By then, Uchiha Akira had already reached the Naraka Path and was launching a fierce assault. Among the Six Paths of Pain, only Deva possessed truly formidable taijutsu and an incredibly resilient body. The other Paths lacked such enhancements and could be severely damaged by conventional jutsu.

Electricity crackled as Akira's sword descended in a lightning-swift strike. With a flash of light, Naraka Path's body was cleaved, rendered inoperative.

"Damn it!" From a cave miles away, Nagato let out a low growl.

"What's wrong, Nagato?" Konan asked, concerned.

"Nothing," Nagato replied, voice steady but with an edge. "I was careless, and Naraka Path was destroyed by Uchiha Akira."

Konan frowned. "Nagato, perhaps we rushed into this. We should have waited until all Six Paths were ready."

"It's fine, Konan. It was just a lapse in focus. From here on, I'll handle him seriously."

Hearing this, Konan fell silent, leaving him to concentrate.

Back on the battlefield, Kaori, Shiga, and Juro were struggling to fend off the onslaught from the massive summoned beasts. The sheer size and power of these creatures made them formidable adversaries.

"Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!" Kaori's hand thrust forward, sending a powerful shockwave into the sky that intercepted one of the crow's explosive eggs, detonating it mid-air.

A hint of satisfaction appeared on Kaoru's face. "Akira took down one of them!"

"Finally, some good news," Juro said with a weary smile. His attempts to use the Mind Body Switch Technique on the summons had yielded nothing but silence, as though he was targeting something lifeless.

Chasing the crow, Shiga's normally stoic face flickered with surprise.

"Uchiha Akira's strength is astonishing. He's only just begun and has already taken down one of the Rinnegan bearers…" Behind his sunglasses, Shiga's gaze sharpened.

On the other side of the field, Deva Path stared at the defeated Naraka Path, his calm facade cracking as fury surged within him. The one who called himself a god could no longer hold back.

In an instant, he extended his hand toward Uchiha Akira.

"Bansho Ten'in!"

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