Two paper shuriken arced through the air from high altitude, clashing against the raised head of a clay dragon with resounding ding ding sounds.
Immediately after, Fourth-World Konan spread her hands. Making use of the dragon's bulk as it blocked those strikes—thus blocking line of sight to the dragon's back for a brief moment—she released countless sheets of paper. In the blink of an eye, they engulfed the clay dragon in a mass of paper.
"!"
Boom!!!
A thunderous explosion rang out above Amegakure; firelight flared, and the shockwaves dispersed the nearby clouds. Sunlight shone down as Konan (#4) reassembled her body from fluttering sheets of paper. She frowned slightly.
The enemy was gone. Right before the explosion, those two people vanished from the dragon's back. Their speed was so fast…
Have they already infiltrated the village? She descended rapidly. High in the air was too exposed—if the enemy possessed any sort of long-range attack, it could become very disadvantageous.
"Tch!"
The moment she landed, Fourth-World Konan sensed the enemy drawing near at tremendous speed. With no room to dodge, she activated Dance of the Shikigami; just as her body began turning to paper, she was touched. Her whole body instantly lost control, her technique forcibly interrupted.
"BAM!"
She slammed head first into the ground, creating a depression in the cement. Her forehead swelled up in a huge lump. Not being made of iron or steel, that violent collision had her head spinning so badly she couldn't think straight.
"Pardon me,"
Utakata said politely. He released a bubble that engulfed the dazed Konan (#4), then tossed his severed hand back to Link. Looking off to the side of a building in the distance—
Tendō Pain stood upon a high vantage point, staring coldly down at these intruders.
"Graawrr—!"
Suddenly, the invisible chameleon summoned lunged in a surprise attack.
"Thud!"
Utakata was sent flying, smashing into the iron piping behind him, only for his body to splatter into water and merge into the puddles of filthy water along the ground.
A Water Clone? Or was it the real Six-Tails Jinchūriki?
Tendō Pain calmly assessed, scanning the area. Down below, the multi-headed hound was pouncing on that other small boy watching from behind—
One free hand had already beaten Konan in a single blow… that technique was dangerous.
"It's been a while since I last fought in person."
Link didn't rush to dispatch the target with his shadow clones. He loosened his wrists and watched the multi-headed dog draw near, smiling faintly.
This chakra of his reminded Pain strongly of that beast from Konoha—someone who was adept with that move.
Tendō Pain saw the boy's body erupt in a massive surge of chakra and vanish from sight in a blur. The mutated hound was seized by the head, tossed straight into the sky.
The Animal Path's subsequent moves continued; a gigantic crab unleashed its Foam Blast technique, blocking Utakata's returning strike. On the nearby wall, the summoning formula flickered—an enormous bull stomped and instantly crushed the wall, charging forward in a swirl of dust without any delay.
"Crack—!"
Link seized the bull's horns with both hands, but his small physique was nonetheless carried over ten meters, slamming into the far wall.
"Crunch!"
One punch downward, and the bull's forehead caved in. Even if this was the Animal Path's enhanced summon, under the strength of Fifth-Gate Eight Gates plus Link's own powerful physique—enough to knead steel at will—its skull simply sank into its chest. With a pop of smoke, it vanished.
Meanwhile, from the darkness, the Asura Path emerged and locked its arms around Link from behind.
— Only for the puppet's head to fall right off an instant later.
"Pow!"
Its decapitated head rolled, the body clattering. Link, because his head was facing that direction, had his body forcibly reversed as well. His feet pressed against the ground, forming a stance, and with one blow, he shattered the Asura Path's head.
Its headless body staggered and collapsed with a loud clang—revealing it to be mostly mechanical components.
Link lifted his gaze toward the Animal Path, extending a single finger. Next came seals, a flick of his hand—
"!!!"
Blades of wind tore through the air.
So this is Sunagakure's secret Wind Release art… Nagato noted quietly.
The Preta Path jumped out, arms raised in front of the Animal Path.
"Splurt!!"
In an instant, Preta Path was sliced into chunks by Wind Blade, and behind it, the Animal Path lost an arm.
"My ninjutsu doesn't absorb so easily."
Link maintained a calm smile.
His ninjutsu did not operate via the standard "transforming chakra" principle. Whether Earth Release or Wind Release, he spent one-time chakra to create actual physical phenomena, not illusions or fully chakra-based constructs. So Preta Path's ability to absorb chakra-based attacks was useless.
In short, standard ninjutsu was typically formed and sustained by chakra, so Preta Path's absorption skill disintegrated them. But Link's "transformed" wind or earth had little to be absorbed, forcibly "cashing out" the chakra at once.
Konan (#4), Asura Path, Preta Path—defeated one after the other at first engagement.
Better let the Naraka Path resurrect them, Tendo Pain thought, controlling the Yahiko body from above. Those testing moves—Asura, Preta, Animal—were undone. Meanwhile, the intruders were formidable, but by no means beyond the reach of a god.
He looked down from high ground, focusing on Utakata.
As Tendo Pain was about to retake the field, the moment he realized that the "dangerous little brat" had broken away from the fight and now raced toward Nagato's location, he decided to retreat, leaving the rest to be reorganized.
…
Deep in a hidden Ame base…
"Huff—"
Nagato exhaled more rapidly than usual, controlling the Paths against the intruder who'd scattered them so easily.
So the invader apparently knows about Human Path's ability…
No, it's more like they're aware of all my Paths' abilities. A defector?
Animal Path's body is destroyed. The backup body is still…
He mulled over it. Right then, from the corridor footsteps advanced toward the locked chamber. He could sense the intruder even more clearly—shockingly fast.
That quick? He concentrated Tendo Pain's withdrawal while redirecting the bulk of his attention to guard his real body.
"Creak—"
The door opened.
"Found you at last, Nagato."
Shutting off his Eight Gates stance, Link stood in the doorway. Light from outside spilled in, illuminating Nagato's pallid features and gaunt cheeks, revealing him in the corridor's lamplight.
"Checkmate," Link said cheerily.
~~~
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