What unsettled Pain wasn't just the abnormal speed at which the soul was being extracted—
—but also the strange substance leaking out of Naruto's body.
Those black, viscous, unknown fluids drifted and gathered slowly in the air.
This was an unprecedented phenomenon.
He looked up.
Though it was still daytime, the sky darkened suddenly, as if tainted by those strange substances.
His heart thudded with unease.
It wasn't just the oppressive force from Naruto's growing aura.
It was a sensation deep within, like facing a natural predator—a primal warning that screamed danger.
A feeling he hadn't experienced since he "evolved" into a "god."
Perhaps extracting this person's soul was a bad idea.
And just as that thought surfaced—
The long-haired puppet had already reached out and completely torn Naruto Uzumaki's soul from his body.
Konan's pupils widened in disbelief.
That soul…
…it was entirely different from any other that had ever been pulled out using the Human Path.
In the past, when Nagato used this technique, the extracted souls were murky purple, mixed with chakra—"wrathful spirits" too distorted to discern.
But Naruto's soul still retained his appearance. Even his clothing remained intact.
A black Shinigami robe, a white haori.
In full view of everyone, Naruto—now a soul—was entirely unaffected by the Human Path's control.
"That's enough help." He gently grasped the puppet's wrist and spoke softly. "From here on, I'll handle things myself."
The remaining half of his soul stepped out of his body without the slightest hesitation.
His physical body, golden-haired and lifeless, fell downward.
The two Nine-Tails avatars stepped off it and landed on Naruto's spiritual shoulders.
Naruto stretched out a hand.
Golden chains whipped out, wrapped around his own body, and sealed it into a scroll.
"What are you?" Pain finally looked shaken, his tone incredulous.
Resurrection was something he could accept.
After all, the Rinnegan had the power to revive the dead.
But a soul that, even after being torn from the body, retained immense strength—
That was beyond comprehension.
Naruto looked down at himself. "If someone like you dares call yourself a god…"
"…then without question—"
"I am the Shinigami, Uzumaki Naruto."
He swung his blade.
The black, viscous liquid boiled, stretching across the sky in shadowy lines, twisting the entire world into a surreal haze.
The pressure surged.
The Rinnegan puppets groaned under the force, creaking from the strain.
Konan's face was especially pale.
Kisame's smirk froze, and his swimming slowed dramatically.
This pressure—it was far greater and far clearer than before.
Naruto looked through the water, into the depths of the earth.
The power of the Sage of Six Paths—at this moment, it was incredibly distinct to his senses.
Yet unlike its usual habit of seizing souls without hesitation—
—it simply lingered, watching.
Back during his first confrontation with the Sage of Six Paths—
The Truth-Seeking Orbs shattered chakra with ease, but failed to immediately destroy Naruto's spiritual power.
That's when he began to suspect—
Perhaps "chakra" and "soul" were two fundamentally different forces.
But he didn't know the technique to separate soul and body.
Of course, Soul Society had such technology.
Kugo Ginjo had mastered it.
But as a squad captain, visiting the world of the living required extensive procedure. Naruto had only been on missions there twice, and had never used a "Gigai." Naturally, he'd never bothered to learn such a seemingly "useless" technique.
Even during his time in the ninja world, though he'd studied it, it was never a high priority.
Now—
His hypothesis was confirmed.
Naruto flicked his wrist. "As thanks, I'll let you witness this power firsthand."
He slashed.
A Rinnegan puppet raised a black rod in defense.
Sparks exploded.
The rod remained intact, but the puppet's body couldn't bear the weight—whether from spiritual pressure or overwhelming force—it collapsed under both.
Pain was shocked.
After leaving his body, Naruto's power hadn't decreased. In fact, it had grown even stronger.
"Surprised?" Naruto stabbed through the puppet, slicing it in half, his tone cheerful. "Even I didn't expect this."
"My body as an Uzumaki is already far stronger than the average shinobi."
"But—"
"It's still weaker than my soul."
In his physical state, chakra and spiritual power worked together—but chakra took the lead.
Even though he could use chakra to channel Ghost Path or Shinigami powers—
There was always an unforeseen loss of power through that "conversion."
But now, in spirit form—
Even though his soul still contained chakra, his Death God abilities were now driven entirely by soul power.
With no "conversion" loss, his spiritual pressure was fully unleashed.
The purple-faced entity twisted its hand-like tongue.
It tried to activate its "Law Power" using chakra to manipulate natural energy.
But—
"Shut your mouth!" Naruto shouted, smashing it with spiritual pressure.
The purple-faced creature's jaws clamped shut under an invisible force.
Its chakra-bound soul energy and natural power crumpled under Naruto's pressure, like a small stream vanishing into the ocean.
Even the puppet in front of it buckled, falling to its knees on the water's surface.
Pain's heart sank.
Using the Human Path was a terrible mistake.
But who could've imagined—
That someone's physical body could be a limiter on their true strength?
Naruto turned toward Konan.
She hovered at the edge of the battlefield, her hands maintaining a constant seal.
Pain had always protected her—not just out of comradeship—
—but because the technique she was preparing could turn the tide of battle.
Naruto raised a hand and chanted:
"Bones of beasts across the starry sky!""Towers, red crystals, iron wheels.""Motion is wind, stillness is void."
Spiritual pressure surged into his palm. Golden lightning crackled, distorting the air, leaving fractured scars in the sky.
What immense power!
In perfect form!
Even the residual winds whipped the lake into parting waves.
Konan tried to flee.
Golden chains shot forth, wrapping around her.
She released the seal she had maintained, attempting to switch to Paper-style ninjutsu.
But—
The chains locked down her chakra as well.
"The clashing of spears resounds through the phantom city!" Naruto finished his chant.
Lightning fully condensed.
On his shoulder, the two Nine-Tails avatars focused their chakra, aligning with his target.
"Hadō #63: Raikōhō — Thunder Roar Cannon!"
The golden lightning blasted forth.
Tailed Beast Bombs fired alongside it, spiraling around the beam in a twisted helix.
Konan struggled violently.
But her strength was like an ant trying to move a mountain—completely ineffective.
Pain raised a hand. "Then behold the true power of a god."
"No—that technique—" Konan realized something.
But her warning came too late to stop the chakra surge.
Naruto turned.
The Rinnegan erupted with overwhelming power.
All the chakra from the puppets was recalled—
—condensed into one body.
"Ultra Shinra Tensei!"
From Pain's palm, repulsive force exploded outward.
The Thunder Roar Cannon and Tailed Beast Bombs were forcefully redirected and hurled far away.
But the technique's true might went far beyond that.
Naruto's soul was thrown back uncontrollably.
Kisame's water prison was caught in the blast—flattened by half.
And the entire area in front of Pain—facing the Land of Fire—was leveled.
Trees uprooted, hills flattened—
What had been forest and rolling terrain—
Was now barren wasteland.
Rain Country, Amegakure
Two men with Sharingan stood atop the Pain statue, watching the distant battlefield.
"What a terrifying ability," said the masked man. "The title of 'god' is certainly not undeserved."
"Will the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki survive that?" asked Uchiha Itachi calmly.
The masked man shook his head. "Who knows?"
"Someone's coming," Itachi looked down at a Rain ninja. "Hiding in the shadows…"
"It's Jiraiya, isn't it?"
The masked Uchiha said nothing.
"Shall we stop him?" asked Itachi.
The masked man shook his head. "Let's wait."
He felt uneasy.
If someone could push the Rinnegan to such extremes—
—it seemed unlikely that "Uzumaki Naruto" would die so easily.
"Let him meet… Nagato."
Most of Akatsuki's forces had been pulled to the front lines for this battle with Naruto.
There were a few elite guards left, but they weren't strong enough to detect Jiraiya.
After a careful search—
Jiraiya, controlling a Rain ninja with his "Toad Shadow Binding Technique," entered a dark, unlit room.
But—
Jiraiya could see.
A massive life-support apparatus housed an emaciated man, his back covered in black rods.
His hair was crimson red, and within his sunken sockets—
—his eyes shimmered with faint violet light, engraved with rippling concentric circles.
"Jiraiya-sensei, since you're already here, you might as well come out," he turned his head and looked at the Rain ninja, his gaze landing on a shadow on the ground.
Jiraiya stepped out, expression grave. "Nagato… it really is you!"
Nagato spoke weakly. "I didn't expect you to make it this far, Jiraiya-sensei."
"But even if you have…"
"What can you do?"
Jiraiya clenched his teeth. "What happened to you all…?"
"What made you do this?"
Nagato's tone remained calm. "It was war."
"Many people here died, including Yahiko…"
"Those wounds made me grow."
"They forced me to evolve—from a man… into a god."
"Jiraiya-sensei… do you intend to stop a god with the weak, fragile body of a mere human?"
(End of chapter)