The Adamantine Chains swung toward the three who had yet to make a move.
But...
The purple-faced figure spat something out.
The puppet that had been swallowed earlier had completely repaired itself in a short time, including the severed arm, which was fully restored at that instant.
As soon as it reappeared, it immediately began a summoning technique.
The crab, chameleon, and bull that had been injured by the Nine-Tails were summoned once again, standing before the three at the rear.
Pain raised his hand, unleashing the power of the Rinnegan.
"Shinra Tensei."
The repulsive force surged forth, flinging them away once again.
Sand followed closely, with the great river churning, and within it, explosions of clay occurred one after another, though they were not particularly powerful. Amid the sand waves, bubbles emerged as if "boiling," causing the smell of gunpowder to fill the air.
Deidara shouted in excitement, clearly enjoying this state.
Naruto pondered.
Summoning, attacking, support, and even healing—these six puppets almost displayed all tactical elements.
So the remaining two are likely for sealing and defense?
The reason they haven't acted yet is to create an information gap, to deliver a fatal blow to me?
If that's the case...
Naruto's gaze shifted to the purple-faced figure.
With just one glance, they were all on high alert.
Deidara waved his hand, and the mouth on his palm busily spat out several bird-shaped clay figures, which flew and landed on the summoned beasts.
Even Sasori manipulated his puppets under the protection of the sand.
A flash of golden light.
The summoned puppet's hands trembled, flinging out black rods.
But Naruto used a flash step, appearing behind Sasori.
"Sasori-san, be careful!" Deidara exclaimed in alarm.
Just as he was shouting the warning...
With a "crack," Naruto's hand pierced the outer puppet, reaching for the body within.
From the demon face, iron spikes resembling a scorpion's tail shot forth.
Naruto, however, paid no heed.
"Your first target is actually me..." Sasori was surprised.
"Collaborating with that blonde brat to hide the poison gas in the gunpowder smoke," Naruto said softly, his hand stirring within the puppet. "Did you really think I wouldn't see through such a trick?"
He opened his mouth and spat out a golden chakra that enveloped a viscous purple "liquid," expelling it from his body.
Mayuri's poison-concealing methods were far more subtle than this.
Sasori's emotions surged violently.
Deidara exclaimed in shock.
"I've seen many who have modified their bodies," Naruto gripped something. "But you're the first who completely abandoned your human body to fixate on a lifeless object."
"And the dumbest."
The outer puppet cracked open, revealing what was inside—a youthful-looking male with red hair and delicate features.
From within his body, several mechanisms activated, clamping onto Naruto's arm, while chakra threads intertwined with the golden light.
But it didn't hinder anything.
Naruto tightly grasped the core inscribed with "Sasori."
"This is... eternal art," the red-haired youth spoke, his tone still calm despite his lethal point being seized.
Naruto whispered, "Art is best appreciated, not used for battle."
He forcefully yanked it out.
The core was extracted.
The red-haired body immediately lost all ability to move.
Akatsuki's "Sasori of the Red Sand," deceased.
"Sasori-san!" Deidara shouted, gritting his teeth as he reached for his waist and then threw forcefully.
"Secret Technique, C3."
The clay took the shape of a human.
Pain raised his hand and pressed down.
"Shinra Tensei."
The repulsive force accelerated its descent.
In the water, Kisame also finally found an opportunity.
"Water Release: Five Feeding Sharks."
Along with Kisame himself, six sharks leaped out of the deep water, charging in to kill.
Naruto had long been prepared, with chakra surging violently in his lowered hands.
"Bakudō #73. Tōzanshō (倒山晶, Inverse Mountain Crystal)."
A downward-pointing triangular blue crystal appeared instantly, enveloping his body.
Explosions, collisions, and chakra strikes—fire and water merged, emitting steam mixed with the smell of gunpowder.
But even with these two full-power attacks...
They barely scratched the "Tozanshō," only dirtying two of its sides.
Deidara's pupils dilated in disbelief.
This...
This was the first time after mastering the "Secret Technique" that he encountered something so indestructible.
Was the blast yield not enough?
Naruto walked out from within.
He ignored Kisame—an opponent with no anti-air capabilities had no place in this battlefield.
He flash-stepped in front of Deidara.
Pain raised his hand.
"Banshō Ten'in"!
He tried to pull Naruto's body away.
But...
Naruto in his "Shikai" state was completely different from before.
The powerful chakra repelled the gravitational pull.
It was now insufficient to move Naruto, enhanced by the Nine-Tails and the Ashura-boosted chakra.
Naruto swung his sword.
Deidara opened his mouth, and a clay clone lunged forward.
But the golden chains swept from the side. Even under Pain's influence, the wide-range attack still struck the clay clone. It fell off the bird with a splash, sinking into the water.
The substitution tactic failed.
The high-ponytail youth, however, grinned: "I've always said, Sasori-san's art is worthless."
"But..."
"The only one who can criticize his art is me!"
"Now, explode for me!"
With his voice, an explosion rang out.
However, the explosion this time did not occur inside Naruto as Deidara had envisioned. Instead, it happened behind him, enveloped by golden chains of chakra.
The gravitational pull from Pain had absorbed it, preventing Deidara's technique from harming him.
"The poison gas from that red-haired guy couldn't even enter my body." Naruto's blade pierced Deidara's chest as he spoke softly. "Why would you think that such an obvious chakra bomb would be absorbed by me without any defense?"
Deidara gritted his teeth.
"You won't belittle my art." Using his last bit of strength, he pressed his hands together. "If that's the case..."
"Then let your death be the greatest tribute to my art!"
"I will create the ultimate art!"
This was his final technique.
"C0: Ultimate Art of Self-Destruction."
Above where the blade was inserted into his left chest, a large mouth appeared, biting down on the clay.
Chakra surged, turning his body semi-transparent. Flesh and bone were entangled by "black lines" emerging from the mouth, greedily consuming his life force.
This condensed "chakra" emitted an extraordinarily powerful energy wave.
Pain moved forward, shielding his puppets and Konan.
Naruto did not evade; he simply extended his hand, pressing it against Deidara's chest.
"Four Symbols Seal."
Runes spread out, carving sealing scripts.
The dense sealing technique encased the "black chakra," cutting off its interaction with the outside world.
Deidara looked down.
Naruto withdrew his sword, inserting his hand into the wound to grasp the black substance.
"I don't intend to disparage your art," Naruto said calmly. He then activated another "Four Symbols Seal," this time targeting the substance itself rather than Deidara. "Whether it's the puppets or your explosions, they're quite interesting."
"But since it's art..."
"It's better suited for a place outside the battlefield."
He pulled the substance out, carefully adding another layer of sealing before storing it in a scroll.
Below Deidara, the clay bird dispersed, and his body fell, sinking into the water like Sasori's.
"Now that the two troublesome ones are taken care of," Naruto turned his gaze, "next is..."
Pain instantly moved in front of Konan.
The summoned beasts, mechanical puppets, and even the chubby puppet that had yet to act all moved to protect her.
But Naruto's target was...
The purple-faced puppet guarded by a single black-rod puppet.
This one, capable of healing the "puppets," was the thing that needed to be destroyed the most.
Naruto flash-stepped forward.
The puppet with the purple face suddenly spoke, asking out of nowhere, "Uzumaki Naruto, what is your secret?"
"To tell..." Naruto began, but after just three words, he paused, his gaze filled with disbelief as he stared at the purple-faced puppet.
"You realized so quickly?" Pain spoke softly. "As expected of the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki."
"Your tactical intent is good."
"But who told you that this thing only has the ability to heal puppets?"
Naruto gritted his teeth.
Inside the purple-faced puppet, a power was surging, akin to the force within the "Shinigami" from before.
Natural energy, soul energy, and chakra.
But its presence was even more vivid than the "Shinigami."
The moment after he answered, a surge of natural energy, nearly identical to the kind found in Hidan and at the "Falls of Truth," began to well up.
It was a manifestation of power that approached the level of a "rule."
After refusing to answer, this "rule" compelled his body to involuntarily try to stick out his tongue.
This entity controlled by the Rinnegan...
Was it once a god?
Naruto gritted his teeth, mobilizing his chakra, soul energy, and natural energy to resist it.
The summoned puppet swung its black rod at him.
Naruto paid it no mind.
Two Nine-Tails turned back, their mouths opening to gather tailed beast bombs.
But...
Two black rods stabbed forth, lacking sharp edges yet easily piercing the tailed beasts' bodies.
"Naruto!" the Yang Nine-Tails shouted in alarm. "Be careful!"
"These things can suppress chakra—"
Before it could finish, two more black rods pierced Naruto's body.
These items, akin to a degraded version of the "Truth-Seeking Balls," possessed similar properties. While they didn't show it during the clash, once embedded in the body, they immediately sealed the surrounding chakra points, disrupting the flow of chakra.
His tongue extended uncontrollably.
The puppet's mouth opened, its arm-like purple tongue darting out.
Another long-haired puppet, which had remained inactive, walked up to Naruto.
"Uzumaki Naruto, you are a very powerful ninja," Pain spoke as the long-haired puppet placed its hand on Naruto's head. "To make Akatsuki pay such a heavy price."
"But..."
"Humans are still humans; they cannot challenge the might of a god."
"This is where we part."
"May you experience endless suffering in hell."
The long-haired puppet's hand emitted soul energy, passing through Naruto's body to grasp his soul.
Pain was taken aback.
This was one of the Rinnegan's abilities, called "Soul Extraction," which could pull out an opponent's soul, though the speed depended on the strength of the opponent's chakra.
Naruto's chakra was exceptionally strong, so theoretically, the extraction should have been slow.
Yet, the speed he was sensing now was absurdly fast—easier than extracting a Genin's soul.
~~~
Naruto's Soul Form!!!
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