The Konoha side had already prepared for this.
So, when Deidara and Sasori launched their attack, even though it was sudden, the Konoha ninjas reacted quickly. Jiraiya immediately rushed out to face Deidara.
Tsunade also appeared, her monstrous strength reducing Sasori's puppets to mere toys, smashing them with a single punch.
If it weren't for her concern for the surrounding civilians, Tsunade would have had an even greater advantage.
Meanwhile, Kakashi and the others stepped in to block the stray attacks and swiftly evacuated the crowd.
Seeing two of the legendary Sannin, Tsunade and Jiraiya, appear, the initially panicked civilians began to calm down significantly.
The title of "Sannin" still carried a lot of weight!
"Akira went into the barrier alone?"
"Is the target Sasuke or Hinata?"
"No... it's more like they're using them as bait to force Akira to come to the rescue!"
Hiashi Hyuga was intently watching the exam field, his expression full of concern.
Though he wasn't sure if Akira had gone in for Sasuke or Hinata, one thing was clear: without hesitation, Akira rushed in to save the people important to him.
That kind of loyalty was truly moving!
Pain was fast, but Uchiha Akira wasn't slow either. In terms of speed, Akira was undoubtedly one of the top in the ninja world.
Both of these nearly Kage-level figures unleashed their full speed, streaking toward the Sand Village like two bolts of lightning!
At that moment, Sasuke and Hinata were unaware of what was happening, but they noticed the arena was now covered by a giant yellowish barrier. Both felt that something was terribly wrong.
"Sasuke, someone is coming! They're moving incredibly fast, and their chakra is extremely strong!"
Just as they were unsure of the situation, Hinata, still using her Byakugan, suddenly shouted in alarm!
Hearing this, Sasuke's expression immediately changed, and he quickly prepared his Chidori, activating his three-tomoe Sharingan.
Hinata's Byakugan could see up to five kilometers! For someone like Pain, that distance wasn't far at all.
Within moments, Pain appeared, rushing toward Hinata at an astonishing speed. Even though Sasuke wasn't the target, there was no way he could just stand by and let the girl next to him—Hinata, Akira's girlfriend—get attacked!
With a burst of lightning, Sasuke's body flashed forward, his Chidori at full power, as he lunged at Pain!
"Shinra Tensei!" Pain raised a hand as Sasuke rushed at him.
A powerful repulsive force surged out, halting Sasuke mid-air and sending him flying backward!
This invisible force was impossible to dodge or counter unless one had enough strength to resist it.
After sending Sasuke flying, Pain turned his hand toward Hinata, activating Bansho Ten'in (Almighty Pull), and Hinata's body was pulled toward him, completely out of her control.
"Am I too late?" Akira pushed his Body Flicker Technique to the limit, the scenery around him blurring as he raced forward. From a distance, he could see Sasuke being thrown aside.
Even though Sasuke had intervened and briefly delayed Pain, it looked like Pain was about to make his move on Hinata. Was he still going to be too late?
But, even though Akira knew he might not make it in time, he refused to give up.
In the blink of an eye, the Kusanagi sword appeared in his hand, chakra surging through it.
While still moving at high speed, the sword extended, thrusting directly toward Pain's raised arm!
Pain glanced sideways, seeing a sharp flash of sword light. He quickly retreated, and the Bansho Ten'in technique was canceled.
At the same time, the sword slashed past where Pain had been standing. If Pain hadn't dodged, his arm might have been cut off!
Using this opportunity, Akira finally stepped in front of Hinata.
"Impressive speed. You got here quickly!" Pain said calmly as he looked at Akira.
"Your goal was to lure me here, right? Well, I'm here now," Akira responded, locking eyes with Pain.
This was the first time Akira had seen Pain in person since coming to the world of Naruto.
The sight of the pale purple Rinnegan made Akira's heart heavy.
So, this is the Rinnegan... The day had finally come when he would have to face it.
"You're right. But having leverage would have made things easier," Pain admitted. It was clear he had intended to use Hinata to force Akira into a difficult position.
"Akira!" Hinata stood beside him, clearly determined to fight alongside him.
"Akira, who is this guy? Cough, cough…" Sasuke, standing up, coughed and wiped some blood from his mouth.
The earlier Shinra Tensei had clearly left him injured.
Looking at the Rinnegan, Sasuke was also shocked.
Those eyes—those pale purple, ripple-patterned eyes—weren't those the legendary Rinnegan?
"Is that… Yahiko? How could this be!?" Outside the arena, Jiraiya, amidst the chaos, glanced at the screen. The screen now focused entirely on Akira and Pain.
Seeing Pain's face, Jiraiya was stunned, struggling to believe what he was seeing.
How could Yahiko have the Rinnegan? Wasn't that Nagato's?
Pain stood calmly, facing the three of them without the slightest hint of fear.
Thanks to the shared vision of the Six Paths of Pain, even though Pain was in the arena, he was fully aware of what was happening in Konoha.
Judging by the situation, Deidara and Sasori wouldn't last long. After all, Konoha was still the top village among the Five Great Nations.
"It seems I'll have to finish this quickly," Pain thought to himself, making a decision and raising his hand once again.
Shinra Tensei was unleashed, and the overwhelming repulsive force exploded outward. Akira felt as if he'd been hit by a speeding train, his body sent flying through the air!
The same thing happened to Sasuke and Hinata.
Previously, Akira had discussed the power levels of Kage-level ninjas with Jiraiya, estimating that their strength ranged from 10,000 to 100,000 points.
At his current state, Akira's power level was around 60,000, far surpassing the Sannin.
However, in Akira's opinion, Nagato's overall strength was close to 100,000, if not already there!
To call him one of the most powerful Kage-level figures wasn't an exaggeration.
So, even Akira couldn't withstand this Shinra Tensei. He was sent flying, his face pale, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, and he appeared to be seriously injured.
"Huh?" Orochimaru, watching the screen, showed a hint of surprise.
After transforming into a dragon, hadn't Akira's physical defense become nearly impenetrable?
Not even kunai could pierce his skin before. How was he injured now?
Orochimaru had experienced Shinra Tensei when he once tried to steal Pain's Rinnegan. From his perspective, this technique shouldn't have been enough to harm Akira!
Looking over at Hinata and Sasuke, though they were injured, they were still alive.
This meant that Shinra Tensei's power hadn't been at a level capable of injuring Akira that badly.
So what was going on? Was Shinra Tensei specifically targeting Akira? Or was Akira not in top form?
Or…
An idea popped into Orochimaru's mind, and he smiled.
Akira could predict the future, so he likely knew the Akatsuki's attack was coming.
Was this injury part of some plan?
Orochimaru believed that Akira might be pretending to be injured.
As he pondered this, it seemed more and more likely that Akira was feigning weakness.
Outside, people like Hinata, Sasuke, Hiashi, Fugaku, and even Jiraiya were all worried when they saw Akira's bloody injury.
But Orochimaru was the only one who suspected that Akira was faking it!
Whatever the others thought, after sending Akira, Sasuke, and Hinata flying, Pain followed up, raising his hand and firing several black rods at them.
"Hinata!" Akira shouted, swinging his Kusanagi sword to deflect the black rod aimed at her.
At the same time, he created a shadow clone, which he used as a stepping stone to propel himself toward Sasuke.
Landing, Sasuke's face was covered in blood, his pupils contracting as he saw Akira.
Akira had been pierced through the chest by one of the black rods, blood dripping from the wound!
To protect Sasuke, Akira had taken the hit for him.
"Akira!" Hinata screamed as she rushed toward him, seeing the black rod sticking out of his chest.
"Huh? I… I actually succeeded?" Pain stood in place, stunned.
His black rod had pierced Akira's chest, likely even striking his heart.
An injury like that—no one but Hidan could survive it.
Had he really just killed Uchiha Akira, the person he saw as a major threat?
Pain was shocked and confused.
This seemed… too easy!
*********Announcement**************
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Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 240 at patreon.com/Emik01.