The air rippled violently!
Naruto was blown away dozens of meters, only managing to halt himself mid-air once the waves subsided.
The two Nine-Tails were in a disheveled state as well; most of their power was within Naruto. They dug in with claws and tails, biting down on Naruto's shoulders to avoid being swept away.
"Naruto, you should have restrained your reiatsu earlier," Yang Kurama complained.
Both foxes bared their teeth but were not blown away.
However, when they had bitten onto Naruto's shoulders, Naruto wasn't hurt at all, but their jaws ached from the effort.
Naruto remained silent.
He expanded his senses.
Several kilometers away, Karin's presence was evident; her aura was stable, untouched by the chaos, and moving away from the "battlefield."
Relaxed, he used Shunpo to return.
"He's unscathed?" Pain spoke up.
Naruto chuckled, "Such an exaggerated technique."
"You've flattened everything within kilometers," Pain said coldly, raising his hand. "This is the power of a god."
"Did you think that was a compliment?" Naruto laughed, shaking his head.
Pain paused, his raised hand still.
"If you focused such an attack more precisely, you might have injured me," Naruto said softly, sensing the energy within the puppet opposing him.
Life, soul, chakra — nearly depleted.
The receiver hummed with resonance, the chakra flow stuttering.
"You've lost your ability to fight now," Naruto stated, raising his blade, "Such an attack has drained you."
"Then this is the end."
With her blue-purple hair whipping through the air, Konan fiercely shouted, "Don't even think about it!"
In response, paper shurikens, as sharp as a storm, sliced through the air.
But Yang Kurama's tail swung, sending them flying.
"You intend to stop me?" Naruto questioned her.
Konan raised a hand, "Pain has bought so much time."
"Let's show you my technique!"
Chakra swirled.
"Divine Paper Technique."
Nearby trees, rocks, and even part of Kisame's water sphere crumbled like paper sculptures, paper fragments swirling around Naruto, enwrapping into a sphere.
These sheets of paper weren't ordinary white paper.
They were "Explosive Tags."
Konan gathered all the chakra within her, a hint of doubt flickering in her gaze.
Casting this technique seemed almost too smooth.
The speed that even Sasori and Deidara couldn't catch up with was effortlessly attained by her.
Another thought emerged.
Perhaps
it was due to the effects of Pain's technique, making him appear unscathed but not as nonchalant as he claimed.
"This is my strongest secret technique," Konan murmured softly, her tone unwavering. "I originally prepared six billion explosive tags."
"However."
"You were unwilling to enter the Hidden Rain Village voluntarily, wasting my efforts."
"Just now, I only managed to gather one billion, but this amount should suffice."
"Bury you for me!"
She cried out resolutely, clenching her hand into a fist.
But no explosion came; instead, a sharp pain pierced her chest.
Konan looked down, a golden blade piercing her heart, striking from behind.
"Is this all you prepared at the start of the battle?" Naruto spoke in a disappointed tone, "I thought you'd show me something as intriguing as the Rinnegan."
Konan turned back, catching a glimpse of Naruto's face from the corner of her eye.
"You realize it, don't you."
"My abilities surpass your understanding."
"Yet you resort to such conventional tactics."
Pain's voice was choked, no longer cold but struggling and angry: "You bastard!"
"You actually killed Konan."
Naruto withdrew the blade.
The blue and purple-haired body fell.
"Meet her again in the Pure Land." He whispered, stepping forward swiftly, slashing towards Pain.
The mechanical puppet countered, chakra surging within, the black cloak with red clouds tearing, just like Naruto. It sprouted six arms, going even further, its head extending to reveal two additional faces on either side.
It struck with its many weapons, each arm twisting into a different form of weaponry.
From the back, akin to Sasori, emerged a serrated "long tongue."
"A flashy display," Naruto commented.
With two quick strikes, he sliced off its arms, as two other arms joined in a prayer gesture, golden chains danced, tightly binding the mechanical puppet.
Another hand covered its head.
Forgoing incantation.
"Destructive Art 31: Red Flame Cannon."
Scarlet light erupted, gushing from the palm.
It disintegrated the puppet.
Subsequently, the fiery force diminished slightly, yet maintained its speed, continuing towards Pain.
The other puppet, which had consistently refrained from action, finally stirred.
It moved instantly, positioning itself in front of Pain, raising its arms.
The "Red Flame Cannon" struck.
It didn't explode, nor did it ignite.
The red fireball pushed the puppet back, nearly reaching Pain.
However, during this process, it gradually dissipated.
Naruto watched with amazement.
This ability reminded him of the Truth-Seeking Balls.
Yet, its expression seemed even stronger, perhaps due to the Rinnegan?
It could absorb energy, whether chakra or soul power.
Absorbing soul power was burdensome for the puppet—brief contact left its palms seared, flesh slipping off and exposing bone.
Energy would be absorbed.
What about slashing attacks?
Naruto dropped the mechanical puppet he was holding, flash-stepped forward, and slashed with his blade.
The remaining two puppets were caught in a pincer attack.
In disarray, after a few strikes, these puppets lost combat capability and plunged into the water.
In the empty pool, Kisame was nowhere to be seen.
Naruto detected the chakra trail moving away and asked, "Who will go?"
"Let me stretch a bit," Yin Kurama followed Naruto's gaze, "It was always the other me before."
"Now it's my turn."
Yang Kurama nodded.
Yin Kurama pounced downward, his body rapidly enlarging, and slammed a paw onto the ground.
"Truly astounding," Pain remarked, raising his hands, "Since evolving into a deity, you're the first to corner me so."
"But this ends now."
He brought his palms together, though not in prayer.
The power of the Rinnegan surged.
A walnut-sized black orb gradually surfaced.
"Have you ever heard the legend of the Sage of Six Paths?" Pain spoke, posing a question.
Naruto did not answer and swung his sword forward.
"The moon was created by the Sage of Six Paths."
"And the technique he used was this one."
Pain tossed the small, black sphere in his hand.
It floated in the air, swelling as the wind hit.
Similar to the "Universal Pull," the power surged, but the "gravity" emitted by the black orb far surpassed that technique.
Naruto's body was dragged, unable to move forward.
Pain lifted his head, channeling all his chakra through his Rinnegan to form the technique faster.
The roaring gravity cracked open the ground, pulling up soil and rubble, gradually accumulating around the black sphere, forming a ball.
Naruto, much like the stones, was drawn in.
Even Kisame, who hadn't fled too far, the pursuing dark Nine-Tails, and the falling corpses all became part of the "sphere."
Only Karin, who had escaped far enough after "Super Shinra Tensei" was activated, wasn't within its pull.
The golden body was pinned by massive rocks, his face slowly covered by small, fragmenting stones.
The two locked eyes.
Pain raised his arms high, shouting, "Naruto Uzumaki!"
"Feel the pain, ponder the pain, accept the pain."
"And after that, understand the pain!"
"Chibaku Tensei!"
With the final words, Naruto's eyes were filled with dirt.
The land within nearly a ten-kilometer radius was hollowed, forming a massive pit.
Above it, a stone sphere, a third smaller in diameter, about six to seven kilometers long, hovered.
Naruto Uzumaki was sealed within.
Rain Village.
In that extremely dark room.
"Naruto Uzumaki is a formidable foe." Nagato spoke softly, looking at Jiraiya, lying on the ground, densely pierced with black rods, suppressed by the "Rinnegan's power," "He nearly reached the pinnacle of what a human can achieve."
"But ultimately, he's still a step away from a god."
Jiraiya was shocked, "You killed Naruto?"
"I merely sealed him." Nagato shook his head, his tone heavy. "It was he who did it."
"Who killed Konan."
Jiraiya was taken aback, his gaze distant. The image of that girl with blue-purple hair gradually surfaced.
Nagato sighed, "Jiraiya-sensei, accept your fate."
"Gods should not be defied."
Jiraiya closed his eyes, remaining silent.
In the Hidden Rain Village, atop the statue of Pain.
"It seems the battle is over," Uchiha Itachi said, staring at the stone sphere, his tone somber. "The leader has captured the Nine-Tails."
"Incredible power indeed."
"Ninjas can achieve such feats."
The masked Uchiha turned, descending with a soft remark, "Those are the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths."
"Let's go."
"We should deal with Jiraiya, or it'll be hard to explain to Nagato."
He didn't finish his words.
A tremendous wave of energy radiated out, even from such a distance, it sent shivers down their spines, a mental gust that felt like thorns on their backs.
The masked Uchiha hurriedly turned back.
Uchiha Itachi followed, his eyes filled with astonishment.
The stone sphere formed by the power of the "Rinnegan" was trembling violently, with a force surging within.
The next moment, the stones shattered and crumbled to dust, falling like rain.
Golden light burst forth.
Nine tails pierced through the sphere, breaking out.
Followed by a massive sword.
Entirely crimson, its size astonishing, fit only for a giant. Razor-sharp and immensely powerful, it cut through the stone sphere with mountain-splitting might.
Even after breaking through, its force didn't diminish, swiftly piercing through Pain's body.
The sky, stained black by spiritual pressure.
A sword as wide as Pain's body, lifting him high, hanging under the sun.
"Boom"—
Another golden sword slashed out from the other side of the sphere, obliterating the remaining restraints.
Revealing the enormous form within.
The brilliantly golden Nine-Tails, with two heads and six arms.
Nearly a hundred meters tall, blotting out the sky.
Naruto stood poised, his gaze icy, locking onto Pain.
"An impressive move."
"But you're too weak."
(End of Chapter)