Golden chains swung through the air, targeting the three who had yet to make a move.
But.
The purple-faced head spat them out.
The puppet that had been swallowed earlier was now fully repaired in a short span, including the hand that had been severed, all restored in an instant.
The moment it appeared, it immediately initiated a summoning technique.
The crab, chameleon, and bull that had been injured by the Nine-Tails were called forth again, positioned in front of the three at the back.
Pain raised his hand, unleashing the power of the Rinnegan.
"Almighty Push."
Repulsion surged forward, once more sending them flying.
Sandy waterfalls pursued, the river churned, with interior clay repeatedly detonating, though not powerful, they bubbled like boiling under the waves of sand, filling the air with the smell of smoke.
Deidara shouted excitedly, clearly enjoying this kind of state.
Naruto pondered.
Summoning, attacking, supporting, and even healing—these six puppets showcased almost all the tactics possible.
So, the remaining two are likely for sealing and defense?
Why haven't they acted yet? To create a false sense of security for a fatal move?
If that's the case, Naruto's gaze fixed on the purple human face.
Just one glance made them extremely tense.
Deidara waved his hand, the mouth on his palm busily spitting out bird-shaped clay figures, which landed on the summons.
Even Sasori manipulated his puppet, protected by the sand falls.
A flash of golden light.
The summoning puppet trembled both hands, flicking out black rods.
But Naruto quick-stepped, appearing behind Sasori.
"Master Sasori, be careful!" Deidara was startled.
As he was speaking to warn, "Crack" went the sound as Naruto's hand pierced through the puppet's exterior, grabbing towards the inner body.
A metallic strip, resembling a scorpion's tail, shot from the ghost mask's mouth.
Naruto, however, ignored it.
"Your first target was actually me," Sasori was surprised.
"Cooperating with that blond brat, using the smoke to hide the poison," Naruto whispered, his fingers stirring within the puppet, "Do you really think I wouldn't see through such a trick?"
He spat.
Golden chakra enveloped a glob of thick, purple "liquid," expelling it from the body.
Mayuri Kurotsuchi's methods of hiding poison are much more covert than this.
Scorpion's emotions fluctuated violently.
Deidara exclaimed.
"I've seen many people who have modified their bodies," Naruto said, gripping something, "but you're the first to completely abandon a human body, choosing instead to fix yourself in something inanimate."
"And also the most foolish."
The outer puppet cracked open, revealing the contents inside—a young man with a youthful appearance, red hair, and a handsome face.
Several mechanisms were triggered from his body, gripping Naruto's arm, while chakra threads intertwined with a golden light.
But they posed no obstacle.
Naruto held tightly onto the core inscribed with the word "Scorpion."
"This is... eternal art," the red-haired youth spoke calmly, even as his fatal point was grasped.
Naruto softly replied, "Art is best used for appreciation, not combat."
He pulled forcefully.
The core was extracted.
The red-haired body instantly lost all ability to move.
Akatsuki's "Scorpion of the Red Sand" was dead.
"Master Scorpion!" Deidara shouted angrily, his teeth gnashing as he reached for his waist, then swung his hands forcefully.
"Secret Technique, C3."
The clay was shaped into human figures.
Pain waved his hand, pressing down.
"Shinra Tensei."
Repulsive force propelled it downward at greater speed.
In the water, Kisame finally found an opportunity.
"Water Release: Five Feeding Sharks."
Including himself, six sharks leapt from the deep water, attacking aggressively.
Naruto was prepared, chakra surging violently from his downturned hands.
"Binding Way Number 73: Inverted Crystal Mountain."
A blue inverted triangular crystal appeared instantly, enveloping him.
Explosions, collisions, and chakra strikes mingled fire and water, spewing steam mixed with smoke.
But even the full-force attack from these two
failed to cause much damage to the "Inverted Crystal Mountain," only smearing two of its surfaces.
Deidara's pupils widened in sheer disbelief.
This was the first time he'd encountered something so unyielding since mastering his 'secret technique.'
Was the power insufficient?
Naruto emerged from within the fray, ignoring Kisame, deeming him ineffective without aerial attack capabilities on this battlefield.
In an instant, he moved in front of Deidara.
Pain raised a hand.
"Almighty Pull!" he commanded, attempting to draw Naruto away. But
this was a Naruto in a completely different state from before.
The gravitational pull was repelled by his powerful chakra.
It wasn't enough to unsettle the combined force of the Nine-Tails and Asura-amplified chakra enveloping Naruto.
Naruto swung his blade.
Deidara spat out a clay substitute, launching it forward. But golden chains swept across, even as Pain's influence retained some control, choosing the widest attack range to envelop the clay effigy, which dropped from the bird with a splash, sinking into the water.
The tactic of using substitutes had failed.
The high pony-tailed youth grinned, "I've always said Scorpion's art is dreadful."
"Only I can truly deny his art!"
"Explode for me!"
Deidara shouted, a blast echoing forth.
However, the explosion wasn't inside Naruto as he planned, but rather behind him, where golden chains wrapped in chakra had been drawn by Pain's gravity, diverting the technique's harm from him.
"Not even that red-haired guy's poison gases can get into me," Naruto remarked softly, as a blade sank into Deidara's chest, "So why do you think?
Such a glaringly obvious chakra bomb would be absorbed by me without defense?"
Deidara gritted his teeth, "No one can belittle my art," mustering his last strength, he clasped his hands, "In that case."
"Let your death be the greatest tribute to my art!"
"I shall create the ultimate art!"
he declared for his final technique.
"C0 · Self-destruct."
A massive mouth emerged atop the left chest where the blade was inserted, biting into the clay.
The chakra surged, causing his body to become semi-transparent. Flesh and bone were wrapped in the "black threads" originating from the mouth on his chest, greedily devouring his life energy.
These condensed "chakra" emanated a shockingly powerful energy flux.
Pain stepped forward, shielding his puppets and Konan.
Naruto did not evade but merely reached out, pressing his hand against his chest.
"Four-Symbol Seal."
The runes unfurled, inscribing spells.
A dense array of sealing techniques cut off the interaction between the "black chakra" and the outside world.
Deidara lowered his head.
Naruto drew his blade from the wound, inserting his hand to grasp the black mass.
"I do not mean to undermine your art." His tone was calm as another "Four-Symbol Seal" was formed, not targeting Deidara this time, but the mass itself. "Whether puppets or your explosions, they're intriguing."
"But since it's art,"
"It would be more fitting away from the battlefield."
He pulled the mass out, carefully sealing it with an additional layer before storing it in a scroll.
Beaneath Deidara, the clay bird dispersed, sending his body plummeting, sinking into the water alongside Sasori's.
"Now, with those two troublesome foes dealt with," Naruto turned his head, "the next target is"
Pain moved instantaneously, arriving before Konan.
Summoned beasts, mechanical puppets, and even the plump puppet that had yet to act, moved to protect her.
But.
Naruto's target was
the purple-faced large-headed figure guarded only by the Black Rod Puppet.
This entity, capable of healing "puppets," was the true threat to be destroyed.
He stepped forward swiftly.
The puppet housing the purple head suddenly spoke, abruptly posing a question, "Naruto Uzumaki, what is your secret?"
"I'll tell," Naruto replied.
Barely finishing those three words, he hesitated, eyes filled with disbelief, staring at the purple-headed puppet.
"Realized it so quickly?" Pain whispered, "Truly befitting of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."
"Your tactical objective is commendable."
"But who told you that thing only has the ability to heal puppets?"
Naruto gritted his teeth.
Within the massive purple head surged power equivalent to that which resided in the body of the entity named "Death God."
This power comprised natural energy, soul strength, and chakra.
Yet, its presence appeared more animated compared to the "Death God."
The earlier questions, after being answered, suddenly triggered natural energy dynamics akin to the kind found in both "Hidan" and the location known as the "True Waterfall."
It was an embodiment of power that nearly resembled a "rule."
Upon refusing to answer, this "rule" compelled the body, making it impossible to resist sticking out the tongue.
Was this creature controlled by the Rinnegan once a deity?
Naruto gritted his teeth, mobilizing his chakra, soul energy, and this surge of "natural energy" to fiercely counter the attack. The summoned puppet, wielding a black rod, swung it towards him.
Naruto remained unfazed.
The two Nine-Tails turned, mouths wide open as they began to coalesce a tailed beast bomb.
Yet, two black rods pierced through, lacking blades but easily slicing through the tailed beast's body.
"Naruto!" Yang Nine-Tails gasped, "Watch out!"
"This thing suppresses chakra," it attempted to continue.
But before it finished, two more black rods struck, embedding into Naruto's body.
This object, a degraded version of the "Truth-Seeking Ball," contained properties similar to it. In battle, they showed no remarkable ability, but when embedded in the body, the chakra pathways around the black rods were immediately sealed, scattering the chakra.
He couldn't control his tongue from protruding.
The Yama King opened its mouth, tossing out a purple tongue akin to an arm.
A long-haired puppet, which had remained motionless until now, approached Naruto.
"Uzumaki Naruto, you are indeed a formidable ninja," Pain spoke as the long-haired puppet placed its hand upon Naruto's head, "Such a formidable one, that you made the Akatsuki pay a terrible price."
"But"—
"People are ultimately just people; they cannot challenge the majesty of gods."
"This is farewell."
"May you experience endless suffering in hell."
In the hand of the long-haired puppet, soul power surged, reaching through Naruto's body and grasping his soul.
Pain hesitated.
This was one of the abilities of the Rinnegan, known as the "Soul Absorption Technique," capable of extracting an opponent's soul. However, the extraction speed should depend on the chakra strength of the opponent.
Naruto's chakra was exceptionally strong, so the extraction should be slow as expected.
Yet, what he felt instead was an absurdly swift speed, even easier than dealing with a Genin.
(Chapter ends)
(End of Chapter)