Chapter 353: The Six Paths of Pain

Chapter 353: Chapter 353: The Six Paths of Pain

After steadying herself, Chiyo carefully sized up Sasori across from her. Her gaze then slowly shifted upward toward the ninja beast circling overhead—the one that had carried Sasori and Kakuzu down from the sky.

Flying ninja beasts weren’t particularly uncommon, but most were small and lightly built, useful only for reconnaissance. A massive ninja beast capable of carrying people through the air like this one was exceedingly rare, even across the entire shinobi world.

Chiyo also quickly noticed that the flying ninja beast overhead closely matched the description in their intelligence reports of Hiruko’s flying ninja beast.

Remembering that the reports had mentioned how the feathers of Hiruko’s flying ninja beast were explosive feathers with power comparable to explosive tags, Chiyo immediately ordered the surrounding Sunagakure shinobi, "Don’t bunch together! Spread out, quickly!"

Every Sunagakure shinobi participating in this surprise attack was an elite. The moment they received Chiyo’s warning, they immediately shifted from their assault formation into a loose defensive formation.

Sasori smiled, then waved toward the sky.

Given Sasori’s arrogant nature, there was naturally no way he would stoop to borrowing someone else’s strength to deal with his own grandmother—especially not Hiruko, someone he regarded as a rival.

Receiving Sasori’s signal, Hiruko’s Chimera Summoning Beast stopped circling overhead. With a powerful flap of its wings, it turned and flew away without looking back, heading in the direction of the Kumogakure forces.

Watching the Chimera Summoning Beast fly toward the Kumogakure forces, Chiyo’s expression darkened.

As an experienced advisor and elder of Sunagakure, Chiyo could already conclude that the Akatsuki hadn’t intercepted only their group. The Konoha and Kumogakure forces had most likely been intercepted as well.

Immediately afterward, Chiyo fixed her gaze on Sasori.

The very reason Sunagakure had joined this surprise attack against the Akatsuki was because Sasori, the man who had murdered the Third Kazekage, was one of its members. And the reason Chiyo herself had participated in this operation was to personally put an end to the grandson who had already strayed down an evil path.

Slowly lowering her hands, Chiyo said with a somber expression, "Perhaps I shouldn’t have taught you puppetry."

Sasori rolled his neck and chuckled. "Granny, you really have gotten old. In the past, you would never have shown such a weak expression."

"It’s hard not to feel a little saddened when I see what a disappointment my own grandson has become." After a brief pause, Chiyo continued, "I was the one who taught you puppetry, so I should be the one to put an end to you."

The smile disappeared from Sasori’s face as he said indifferently, "I’ve long since surpassed you in puppetry. You should know that better than anyone. I am the strongest puppet master in the shinobi world!"

Chiyo took out a string of kunai connected together by chakra threads and said, "All you did was take that forbidden step."

After saying this, Chiyo’s expression dimmed.

Because she herself had also taken that forbidden step.

In order to resurrect her son and daughter-in-law, she had developed the forbidden technique One’s Own Life Reincarnation, a technique that came at the cost of her own life.

Sasori curled his lips disdainfully. "Stubborn! Eternity is the ultimate principle of puppetry. The boundaries you old fools insist on preserving are meaningless. The path I’ve chosen is the correct one!"

Chiyo said nothing more and immediately launched more than a dozen kunai connected by chakra threads.

Standing beside Sasori, Kakuzu instantly slammed both hands onto the ground and shouted, "Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall!"

Crash!

A wall of earth suddenly rose from the ground, shielding Kakuzu and Sasori.

The dozen or so kunai Chiyo had launched struck the earthen wall with a series of metallic clangs. Without exception, every single one was blocked.

Once the Earth Style technique subsided, Sasori said to Kakuzu, "Don’t interfere in my fight with her. Go deal with the others. I want to settle things with her myself!"

Kakuzu nodded, then charged toward the group of Sunagakure shinobi.

At the same time, Sasori and Chiyo each unfurled a scroll and summoned their respective puppets.

The true battle between puppet masters had begun!

......

Inside Amegakure.

After sensing that the chaotic battle had erupted, Hyuga Kagami and Shisui left the sewers.

Now that the fighting had already begun, there was little point in continuing to wait for Shinichi to relay intelligence on how the Akatsuki were responding to the surprise attack. Rather than sitting around inside the safety of the sewers, it would be better to choose a high tower with a wide field of view, monitor the battle in real time, and keep track of the entire battlefield.

After leaving the sewers and stepping onto the streets, Hyuga Kagami quickly discovered that there was barely a single person to be seen anywhere in Amegakure.

Clearly, Nagato had already evacuated Amegakure’s civilians before the battle began.

"That’s good. Now neither side has to hold back."

With that thought, Hyuga Kagami selected a high tower with an unobstructed view and headed toward it.

As he climbed the steps, Hyuga Kagami activated his Byakugan and surveyed Amegakure. He discovered that the flames of war didn’t seem to have reached the interior of the village yet.

Following behind Hyuga Kagami, Shisui was visibly growing anxious.

As the true initiator of this operation, Shisui hoped that this surprise attack would wipe out the Akatsuki in one fell swoop, yet at the same time, he feared that the operation would fail and the village would suffer devastating losses.

As the battle erupted, these conflicting emotions only grew stronger.

After reaching the top floor of the tower, Shisui could no longer suppress his anxiety and asked, "Senpai, it’s already been so long. Why haven’t the assault forces broken into the village yet?"

Standing beside the window, Hyuga Kagami gazed into the distance as he replied, "The Akatsuki probably intercepted all three assault forces on the outskirts of Amegakure."

Shisui frowned. "There are only a handful of them. How could they possibly stop all three assault forces at the same time? Did they mobilize every shinobi in Amegakure?"

Hyuga Kagami also felt that something wasn’t right.

The Akatsuki shouldn’t have enough manpower to simultaneously hold off all three assault forces—unless Pain and Obito had both entered the battle.

Just then, a large cluster of chakra signatures appeared within Hyuga Kagami’s field of vision.

Hyuga Kagami calmly said, "They’re here."

Because they were still too far away, even Hyuga Kagami’s Byakugan couldn’t clearly distinguish the identities of the shinobi in the group. But judging from the situation, one of the three assault forces had most likely succeeded in breaking into Amegakure.

Shisui’s face lit up. "Great!"

"Don’t celebrate too soon. Only one of the three forces managed to break through. That means the one that made it inside is now isolated and outnumbered, making it an easy target for the Akatsuki to concentrate their forces against."

No sooner had Hyuga Kagami finished speaking than his prediction came true.

From the direction where that cluster of chakra signatures had appeared, a series of thunderous explosions suddenly rang out.

Clearly, a fierce battle had already erupted there.

Gazing at the towering flames and thick plumes of smoke rising in the distance, Shisui asked, "Senpai, shouldn’t we make our move now?"

Hyuga Kagami shook his head. "It’s not time yet."

The unprecedented battle raging all around Amegakure hadn’t disrupted Hyuga Kagami’s train of thought in the slightest. He knew exactly what he needed to do, and he knew exactly what his target was.

When it came to the Akatsuki, eliminating their ordinary members was largely meaningless.

To truly deal with the Akatsuki, they had to eliminate the organization’s two core figures—Obito and Nagato.

But because of Kamui and Izanagi, killing Obito was extraordinarily difficult. At the very least, with Hyuga Kagami’s current strength, accomplishing it would be extremely difficult.

Therefore, there was really only one way to deal a devastating blow to the Akatsuki right now.

Kill Nagato and seize the very foundation that gave the Akatsuki the confidence to reshape the shinobi world—

the pair of Rinnegan in Nagato’s eye sockets!

Anything short of that would amount to little more than a superficial wound to the Akatsuki.

"But..."

Shisui opened his mouth, but ultimately held himself back.

Shisui’s thinking was simple. He was the one who had set this surprise attack against the Akatsuki in motion, yet he was hiding here while his comrades risked their lives fighting outside.

That left him extremely anxious and restless.

Before long, the battle in the distance drew closer and closer to the center of Amegakure. At this point, Hyuga Kagami was finally able to clearly identify the assault force that had successfully broken into the village.

It was Kumogakure’s force.

However, something puzzled Hyuga Kagami.

The one leading the Kumogakure forces wasn’t the Fourth Raikage.

It was the Eight-Tails’ jinchūriki—

Killer B.

The ones fighting Kumogakure’s assault force were Uchiha Shinichi and Jūzō Biwa’s pair from the Akatsuki.

However, Shinichi was obviously holding back, while Jūzō Biwa possessed only the strength of an elite jōnin. Naturally, the two of them couldn’t stop Kumogakure’s assault force, allowing the battle to spread all the way into the heart of Amegakure.

"Where’s the Raikage? Did someone manage to tie him down?"

Hidden inside the high tower, Hyuga Kagami pondered the question briefly before pushing it from his mind.

He didn’t particularly care about the Raikage’s situation. With the Raikage’s strength, there was no need for Kagami to worry about him anyway.

Instead, he focused his full attention on surveying the surrounding area, searching for his true target.

At that moment, a graceful figure appeared in the skies above Amegakure.

Like an angel, she spread a pair of wings and hovered in the air, coldly watching the battle below.

Hyuga Kagami’s gaze sharpened.

"Finally, she’s shown herself!"

Konan’s appearance meant that, in all likelihood, Pain was somewhere nearby.

And judging by the fact that Konan was hovering in the air without the slightest intention of interfering in the battle below, her role was most likely to observe the battlefield.

After carefully scanning the area, Hyuga Kagami finally spotted a shinobi standing atop another high tower.

He wore the Akatsuki’s black cloak patterned with red clouds and had long orange hair tied into a ponytail.

"This is..."

Just as Hyuga Kagami was trying to recall which of the Six Paths of Pain this puppet belonged to, the ponytailed shinobi formed a series of hand seals and suddenly slammed both hands onto the ground.

Poof!

A cloud of white smoke erupted.

Immediately afterward, a gigantic hound appeared, an enormous black receiver embedded through its nose.

"The ability to summon..."

Hyuga Kagami steadied the rhythm of his breathing, his eyes narrowing.

"It’s the Animal Path!"

With Pain finally revealing himself, even Hyuga Kagami felt a trace of nervousness.

It was a feeling he hadn’t experienced in a very long time.

The appearance of the summoned splitting hound also drew Shisui’s attention to the Animal Path standing atop the tower.

"Senpai, look! The leader of the Akatsuki has appeared!"

Hyuga Kagami nodded lightly. "Mm."

Shisui hurriedly said, "Senpai, let’s attack!"

Hyuga Kagami remained calm. "It’s still not time."

Shisui looked puzzled. "Why?! Hasn’t the leader of the Akatsuki already appeared?"

Hyuga Kagami replied indifferently, "According to the intelligence Shinichi passed along, the one we’re looking at is most likely just a puppet being remotely controlled by the Akatsuki’s leader through the power of the Rinnegan."

Shinno didn’t know the details behind the Six Paths of Pain either, so Hyuga Kagami had no way to explain the true source of his information to Shisui. He could only attribute everything to Shinichi.

"A puppet!?" Shisui was startled, then said in disbelief, "But... but the eyes in his sockets really do match Shinno’s description of the Rinnegan!"

Hyuga Kagami didn’t explain further.

"Let’s wait a little longer."

The Six Paths of Pain controlled by Nagato through the Rinnegan were somewhat similar to the six elemental clones Hyuga Kagami controlled through the Tenseigan. Both could be discarded and replaced whenever necessary.

Relatively speaking, however, Nagato’s Six Paths of Pain were much closer to actual puppets. As long as he had a corpse compatible with the black receivers, he could easily replace one, making their cost far lower than Hyuga Kagami’s cloned bodies.

Therefore, destroying the Six Paths of Pain held little real significance.

The reason Hyuga Kagami hadn’t reported the intelligence on the Six Paths of Pain to the village was because someone needed to engage them head-on in a prolonged battle. Only then would he have an opportunity to launch a surprise attack on Nagato, who was hidden somewhere in the shadows.

With the appearance of the splitting hound, which could continuously multiply whenever it was attacked, the situation on the battlefield immediately changed.

Kumogakure’s assault force was quickly pushed onto the defensive. Fortunately, the Eight-Tails’ jinchūriki, Killer B, was there. Otherwise, the entire Kumogakure force might have already collapsed.

At that moment, several familiar figures appeared within Hyuga Kagami’s Byakugan vision.

Kakashi and Guy were inside a building on the ground, while Jiraiya was concealed within the very tower where the Animal Path was standing.

Clearly, all of them had been drawn there by the battle involving Kumogakure’s assault force.

Seeing Jiraiya’s position, Hyuga Kagami immediately understood what he was planning.

If Jiraiya went all out, he should be capable of holding off at least three of the Six Paths of Pain. With Kakashi and Guy assisting him, along with Kumogakure’s assault force led by the Eight-Tails’ jinchūriki Killer B, their combined fighting strength was far lower than Hyuga Kagami had originally expected.

Even so, he felt it should still be enough to keep the Six Paths of Pain occupied for a while.

"Where exactly is Nagato’s real body?"

Knowing that the critical moment had arrived, Hyuga Kagami pushed his Byakugan to its limits.

And just as Hyuga Kagami was searching for Nagato’s location, Jiraiya launched a surprise attack on the Animal Path atop the opposite tower.

His long white hair suddenly extended, winding around the Animal Path like a serpent before violently dragging him into the tower.

Boom!

However, the instant the Animal Path was pulled inside, a thunderous explosion erupted from the top of the tower.

Immediately afterward, Jiraiya was blasted out through the shattered opening at the top of the tower. He flew through the air in a sorry state before crashing down onto the ground.

Then, as the smoke from the explosion gradually dispersed, three blond-haired shinobi appeared within the gaping hole at the top of the tower.

All three wore the Akatsuki’s black cloaks patterned with red clouds.

And within their eye sockets—

were the Rinnegan.

Among the three, aside from the Animal Path they had already seen, the other two were both large, heavily built men. Judging by their appearances, they seemed to be the Preta Path and the Asura Path of the Six Paths of Pain.

At that moment, Kakashi and Guy arrived beside Jiraiya using the Body Flicker Technique.

Staring at the three members of the Six Paths of Pain standing within the shattered opening at the top of the tower, Kakashi exclaimed in shock, "How... how are there three pairs of Rinnegan?"

Jiraiya was equally baffled.

If the Animal Path’s build and appearance still bore some resemblance to Nagato, then the Preta Path and Asura Path looked absolutely nothing like him...