Naruto lowered his head.
In an instant, Kisame erupted with an overwhelming amount of chakra, creating a massive hemispherical pool in the forest.
His appearance also changed.
The Samehada on his back disappeared, as the sword's chakra and his own intermingled and fused together.
This transformed Kisame, who already resembled a shark, into a living fish-man with a dorsal fin jutting from his head and fish scales growing from his arms.
He seemed to have no intention of fighting, instead swimming freely in the water and from time to time poking his head out, openly exuding malice.
Is this a sealing of the ground?
Five Rinnegan puppets rose from the water.
Sasori leaped down from the giant bird, landing on the water's surface, and tore open his robe, exposing his body. On his back was a gigantic puppet face, from which a scorpion tail extended like a tongue.
Their chakra surged intensely.
The first to make a move were the puppets with the Rinnegan.
One of them formed a hand sign.
"Summoning Technique."
Within the white smoke of the technique, a peculiar yet subtle amount of chakra was manipulated.
The tallest puppet raised its arm.
Using the smoke of the "Summoning Technique" as cover, in a creaking mechanical sound, the arm split apart, revealing several missile launchers, which spewed forth fiery tongues, piercing through the smoke.
Naruto brought his palms together.
"Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
Dozens of chains surged from behind him, racing towards the missiles.
The missiles flew quickly, but the chains controlled by Naruto were evidently faster.
Colliding head-on, they were about to strike.
At that instant, Pain raised both hands.
His right palm was aimed at the chains, the left at Naruto.
The technique was unleashed.
Naruto's pupils widened.
The chains were twisted by a peculiar force, brushing past the missiles.
Meanwhile, his body was pulled by an opposing force.
Chakra quivered, and the invisible struggle stirred a small airflow.
Pain was also surprised.
It was the first time using "Universal Pull" was so challenging, as if he were pulling someone deeply stuck in a quagmire.
He had to use more chakra than usual to move this individual.
Objective achieved!
Causing Naruto to crash into the missiles.
The momentum was too slow, allowing the blonde boy to respond at ease, reaching out his hand and abandoning incantations.
"Hadō No. 1, Shō."
The powerful airflow collided, causing the missile to explode prematurely, leaving only some smoke and fire to spread over him, singeing his clothes.
The Akatsuki's numbers were superior, their offensive like the wind.
Barely had the smoke emerged before several summon beasts leapt up, charging forward.
Crabs, bulls, and Cerberus—
They were all different, but they each had the same black iron rod piercing their heads, controlled by it.
Yang Kurama pounced from the right shoulder.
"Watch out!" Naruto warned.
But Yang Kurama had already grown larger, stomping down.
Such summon beasts might intimidate ordinary ninjas with their massive forms, but to the tailed beasts at the top of the food chain—
They were nothing!
Under the pressure of chakra and the Nine-Tails' body, they were instantly crushed.
However, Other summon beasts, protected by seals, vanished into white smoke before sustaining lethal damage.
Only the Cerberus remained, crushed into pulp.
From the blood and flesh, a dozen smaller one-headed dogs sprang forth.
Beyond the rods in their heads, each had one or two clay spiders on them.
Deidara clicked his tongue, formed a seal with his fingers, and whispered, "Drink!"
The clay spiders swelled, bursting with white light, exploding violently.
The pupils of the Nine-Tails dilated.
Only then did it hear Naruto's earlier warning.
Flames, smoke, and surging airwaves sent the Nine-Tails staggering, shaking, even dispersing the chakra beneath it.
The massive body fell.
Kisame grinned ferociously, leaping like a swordfish.
Naruto extended a hand, pressing against his abdomen.
The Four Symbols Seal twisted, devouring both Nine-Tails, resealing them, then releasing again immediately.
Yin and Yang Kurama reappeared on his shoulders.
"How annoying!" Yang Kurama snarled, "They laid traps within the summon beasts, so devious."
Naruto pouted.
Yin Kurama whispered, "That's because you're so dumb."
"I'm a part of you too!" they started bickering.
The Akatsuki's onslaught continued.
Aside from Kisame, the only non-flying member, Sasori, removed his mask.
With the bottom half of his face covered, he appeared human.
But fully exposed, the puppet marks were too obvious.
A jaw like a door panel dropped down, revealing a thick iron tube from which a flurry of chakra-driven poison needles shot forth.
Naruto didn't even attempt to dodge.
He let them strike, for they couldn't even penetrate his defense.
"Lord Sasori, how embarrassing for you," Deidara quipped with glee. "Truly, art is an explosion."
"Your flimsy attacks are nothing close to art."
In the midst of their banter, an imperceptible wave of chakra pressed in.
Naruto drew his blade, slicing through.
Blood gushed forth, and with a burst of white smoke, an invisible summoning beast was revealed.
Just as it vanished, a puppet wielding a dark iron rod swung down at him.
To Naruto's heightened senses, this wasn't even an ambush.
But what was this weapon in the puppet's hand?
It exuded an aura similar yet distinctively lesser than the Truth-Seeking Orbs, like a degraded, incomplete imitation.
Even fragmented power from the Sage of Six Paths carried extraordinary strength.
Clashing with the Nine-Tails' strikes, sparks flew, yet the rod remained intact.
Perhaps due to its puppet nature or the need for chakra manipulation, the puppet's physical skills were limited, easily overpowered in a few moves.
With a swift slash, Naruto severed its right arm, iron rod and all, sending them plunging into the water.
Meanwhile, another puppet, preparing to launch missiles, crouched forward.
Its head opened like a blooming lotus, revealing a mechanical core where chakra gathered, soon firing a laser.
Two fists split at the wrist with a hiss and arced through the air toward his back.
Naruto raised a hand.
"Bakudō Number Thirty-Nine, Enkosen."
The laser collided, dispersing the ripples.
In came the fists, wrapped in centipede-like clay.
The two Nine-Tails turned to face this threat, mouths aglow with energy, releasing a miniature Tailed Beast Bomb.
The attack met the fists, igniting the clay.
Yet through the smoke, two palm-sized birds fluttered out, darting forward.
The two Nine-Tails were startled.
Naruto spun around and caught them.
Deidara watched eagerly. "Blow up for me!"
But the spectacle of limbs flying he had anticipated did not occur.
Naruto opened his hand, a scroll appeared, sealing away the clay birds.
"Summoning? Sealing?" Deidara exclaimed in shock, "When did he do that?"
He only blinked, yet Naruto managed to perform both these techniques?
Naruto did not respond.
The next wave of attacks was already coming.
A torrent of sand surged, forming into sharp spikes, stabbing from all four directions: above, below, left, and right.
This was the "Sand Release" mastered by Gaara.
Naruto's senses scanned swiftly across the battlefield.
New chakra appeared next to Sasori.
It was a humanoid puppet, from which the sand release originated.
A puppet with a Kekkei Genkai?
Naruto flickered away in an instant. The sand stream pursued him, but its speed was relatively slow, unable to catch its target.
Pain raised a hand.
"Universal Pull!"
That peculiar gravitational pull reappeared.
Naruto's steps faltered under the influence.
The sand stream pounced.
From the mouths of two tailed beasts, a significant tailed beast bomb was condensed and spewed forth, colliding with the sand stream, dissipating the chakra enveloped within it.
In that fleeting moment of opportunity.
Naruto seized it, raising his hand, abandoning incantation.
"Way of Destruction No. 54, Wasteflame!"
A disc of purple flame shot out, swirling and slicing rapidly towards Pain.
In the nick of time.
A puppet with only one hand stepped out.
Biting its finger, it pressed down on the water's surface, forming seals.
"Summoning Technique!"
A large stone panda appeared out of nowhere, blocking "Wasteflame".
But.
Upon impact alone, the stone shattered.
After breaking through it, the attack continued unabated, slicing towards the severed-armed puppet.
Flames surged, engulfing entirely, turning it pitch black in an instant.
Even those "Chakra Receivers" rapidly disintegrated.
A puppet lost in combat.
But in the next second.
Another puppet waved its hand and purple flames ignited on the water's surface.
Naruto was stunned, his eyes filled with surprise as he lowered his head.
"This is the "power of the soul.""
Does the Rinnegan have the ability to control souls?
A massive purple flame forms a circle, from which a gigantic head emerges.
Its face is entirely purple, eyes also displaying the "Rinnegan," a large cloth hood with the word "King" at the center covers its head.
It opens its mouth.
A tongue resembling a "hand" extends, scooping up the severely damaged puppet and swallowing it whole.
The power of the soul nurtures, seemingly repairing and restoring it.
Sasori continues to manipulate his human puppet, the sands flow vigorously.
Deidara waits for an opportunity, mixing clay bombs among them.
Pain occasionally manipulates "gravity" to cause interference.
"Nine-Tails, I need to borrow your power," Naruto says softly, staring intently at Pain. "To deal with these eyes, I must take this seriously."
The two Nine-Tails respond in acknowledgment.
He reaches for the second sword.
Chanting the words of liberation, an intertwined force flows from "Nine-Tails" and "Asura," weaving together, shining with golden light, as four arms emerge.
"His aura just got even bigger!" Deidara grits his teeth, inadvertently lowering his flying altitude.
Konan flaps her wings, stepping back a couple of paces.
"Aren't you going to use the other mode?" Yang Kurama asks.
Yin Kurama's eyes flash brightly.
Is this the Initial Release?
It feels its power, seemingly enhanced under "Asura's" amplification as well.
Naruto shakes his head, "For dealing with them, a smaller target is better."
"Borrowed the power of the tailed beasts, did you?" Pain speaks, his tone still cold, "Quite an interesting display."
Naruto doesn't respond, casting his eyes swiftly over the battlefield.
The main attack on Akatsuki's side
is led by Pain, the puppet that can launch missiles, and Deidara.
Sasori provides interference and support.
Kisame waits for him to approach the water surface.
And crucially, there are still three individuals who haven't acted.
There's Konan, who can perform "Paper Style," along with a hefty man and a puppet with long hair down to its waist.
What are they planning?
"Wow, that move is so cool!" Deidara exclaims in awe, a hint of envy in his voice, "How did you do it?"
"Stored the power in advance within the sword."
"Can chakra really become extra hands?"
Naruto doesn't reply.
He simply clasps his hands together, golden chains lashing out.
(End of Chapter)