Now I can actually fight.
Renjiro activated his Mangekyō simultaneously; emerald chakra exploded outward as his Susanoo began forming around him. The progression was swift and terrible; first the skeletal structure, its ribs curving around him like a cage of light, then the musculature, its forms powerful and defined, then the armour, its plates gleaming with impossible detail, then the helmet, its visor hiding his face, and finally the weapons, their edges sharp enough to cut mountains. Unlike an ordinary Susanoo, Renjiro's was intertwined with glowing Adamantine Sealing Chains; they coiled around its arms, torso, and weapons like living restraints, their links pulsing with Uzumaki power. Several chains slammed into the mountain, causing entire sections of the cliff to collapse.
The Paths momentarily stopped, and even Pain recognised that Renjiro's chakra output had dramatically increased.
Yeah, he's definitely an Uzumaki.
Renjiro activated his perfected visual perception. The battlefield effectively slowed as he simultaneously tracked the Deva Path, the Asura Path, the Animal Path, the Preta Path, the Naraka Path, and the Human Path. He realised the biggest advantage of the Six Paths was shared vision; normally, attacking one Path exposed the attacker to the others. But his perfected kinetic vision allowed him to process every sightline simultaneously; he began predicting attacks before they occurred, and his EMS effectively turned the Six Paths' greatest tactical advantage into something far less useful.
Nagato recognised that Renjiro's perception was fundamentally abnormal, almost close to his. The Paths spread across the battlefield, with the Asura Path beginning to load multiple weapons, the Animal Path preparing several summons, the Deva Path remaining at the centre, and the remaining Paths positioning themselves to cover Renjiro's blind spots. Renjiro noticed immediately and thought: Six bodies. One vision. Then I'll give them more things to watch than they can process.
The Asura Path opened its mechanical body, and multiple launchers emerged. High-yield missiles fired simultaneously, and laser-like chakra weapons accompanied the barrage. The mountain was consumed by explosions, and Renjiro didn't move. Instead, he activated his right-eye Mangekyō ability.
A spectral green entity manifested beside him. The Flame Phantom emerged from his right eye, its appearance completely different from the Susanoo; smaller, more ethereal, almost ghostlike, with green Mangekyō chakra constantly flowing through its body. The Phantom glided directly into the missile barrage; explosions passed through it without damaging it. The Paths initially appeared confused, but Renjiro explained internally that physical attacks weren't interacting with its spectral form.
The Flame Phantom reached the incoming missiles and opened its spectral jaws. Chakra Devourer activated; instead of consuming the physical missile, it consumed the chakra powering it. One missile abruptly became inert and fell from the sky, then another, then another. The Phantom began consuming the entire barrage, and the stolen chakra flowed through it back to Renjiro. His reserves visibly replenished, and his Susanoo became even more powerful. Nagato realised the problem; his Asura Path was effectively feeding Renjiro ammunition.
Renjiro sent the Flame Phantom through another wave of attacks. It devoured the chakra from the Asura Path's weapons, and the Asura Path's arsenal began shutting down. Renjiro used the newly acquired chakra to reinforce his Susanoo, forming a massive chakra blade with Fūton spiralling around it. The weapon became an extremely thin, high-pressure cutting edge, and he identified the Asura Path as the easiest target to remove first.
He activated Hiraishin, and his Susanoo disappeared in a flash. The Asura Path attempted to track him, but Renjiro appeared behind it. The Asura Path began deploying another weapon, but it was too late. Renjiro's Fūton-infused Susanoo blade cut through its mechanical body; the Asura Path was sliced cleanly in half, mechanical components scattering across the ground. Renjiro immediately placed sealing formulas across the destroyed pieces, preventing the body from reconstructing its weapons.
The Animal Path responded immediately, summoning the giant multi-headed dog. The creature charged, each head snapping toward Renjiro's Susanoo. Renjiro allowed it to approach, recognising that conventional destruction was pointless; the creature regenerated and multiplied after being struck. He switched tactics, activating Hiraishin and teleporting above the summon.
His Susanoo blade descended, and Fūton compression dramatically increased the cutting force. The multi-headed summon was bisected, and its bodies began attempting to reform. Renjiro immediately deployed Adamantine Sealing Chains; they wrapped around the regenerating heads, pinning each one to the ground. Sealing formulas spread across the chains, and the summon thrashed violently. Renjiro gradually suppressed its chakra, and the Animal Path realized he was specifically developing counters to their abilities rather than simply overpowering them.
The Deva Path finally moved. The Rinnegan focused directly on Renjiro, and Banshō Ten'in activated. Renjiro and the entire Susanoo were violently dragged through the air; black receiver rods from the other Paths were positioned along his trajectory. The trap was obvious; pull Renjiro directly into an impalement formation. He didn't panic; his EMS tracked every rod, and he understood that Nagato expected him to rely on physical movement.
He briefly considered using visual genjutsu but immediately dismissed the idea. His reasoning was clear; the Rinnegan was Nagato's primary ocular system, and Nagato's perception was fundamentally different from ordinary shinobi. Attempting direct ocular domination against the true wielder of the Rinnegan was too uncertain. He decided: No genjutsu. No unnecessary gamble. Kill the Paths physically and spatially.
As Banshō Ten'in dragged him toward the receiver rods, Renjiro activated Hiraishin. Rather than teleporting himself alone, he teleported the entire Susanoo. The enormous emerald warrior disappeared from the trajectory and reappeared behind the defensive formation. The remaining Paths turned simultaneously, realising that Renjiro had bypassed their formation entirely.
Renjiro identified the Naraka Path as the critical support unit. He understood that its ability could restore damaged Paths; therefore, the Naraka Path must die first. He didn't give it time to summon the King of Hell. Susanoo's blade swung, and the Naraka Path attempted to escape. Hiraishin placed Renjiro directly in its path, and the blade cleaved through Naraka Path. Adamantine Chains immediately bound the remains, and he sealed the body before it could be repaired or restored.
The destruction of Naraka Path changed the battlefield. Nagato realized he had lost his primary resurrection mechanism. Asura Path was destroyed, Animal Path was effectively neutralised, and Naraka Path was destroyed. Three Paths remained operational. Renjiro had demonstrated superior spatial mobility, exceptional visual perception, a regenerative chakra source through the Flame Phantom, Susanoo, Adamantine Sealing Chains, and the ability to identify and eliminate support units. For the first time, Nagato recognized Renjiro as a threat capable of dismantling the Six Paths systematically.
The Deva Path signalled the remaining Paths, and they stopped attacking individually. The Preta Path moved beside the Deva, the Human Path took the opposite side, and the Animal Path withdrew behind them. The remaining Paths formed a tight defensive circle, their shared vision becoming concentrated. No more scattered attacks, no more isolated bodies; Nagato had adapted.
Renjiro looked across the battlefield. The destroyed bodies remained scattered behind him. His Susanoo stood over the mountain like an emerald giant; the Flame Phantom floated beside him; Adamantine Chains coiled around the Susanoo. He realised that Pain was no longer testing him; Nagato was preparing to escalate.
Nagato, who was in a remote location, looked visibly strained from controlling the Paths; blood began running from his nose and mouth, and his chakra network was being pushed beyond its normal limits. Yet his eyes remained fixed on Renjiro through the Six Paths. He recognised that conventional techniques wouldn't work; the Six Paths alone couldn't overwhelm Renjiro's combination of Hiraishin, EMS, Susanoo, Flame Phantom, and sealing.
He decided to stop fighting conventionally.
The clouds above the mountain began moving unnaturally; wind reversed direction, and lightning flickered through the storm. Renjiro's EMS detected an enormous chakra concentration as the Deva Path slowly raised both hands. The other Paths spread around him, and the atmosphere became oppressive. Rocks began lifting from the ground, and the mountain itself began trembling.
Nagato channelled a massive amount of chakra into the Deva Path. The chakra output dwarfed everything Renjiro had seen from the Paths so far. Deva Path's Rinnegan glowed intensely, and Renjiro's perfected vision registered the scale of the technique. For the first time, his expression changed from confidence to genuine caution. He realised that this wasn't another Shinra Tensei or Banshō Ten'in; Nagato was preparing something on an entirely different level.
The Deva Path rose into the air, both hands extended toward the storm clouds. The clouds began spiralling toward a central point, and massive chunks of the mountain started tearing free. Trees, boulders, weapons, and debris began floating upward. Renjiro's Susanoo braced itself, the Flame Phantom returned to his side, and Adamantine Chains tightened around the Susanoo.
He looked upward, his internal voice carrying the weight of his uncertainty.
Shit, why the hell would he want to use that against me?!!
Cut to Nagato. His eyes widened, his chakra surged violently, and the Deva Path spoke:
"You will know pain."
=====
Bless me with your powerful Power Stones.
Your Reviews and Comments about my work are welcome
If you can, then please support me on Patreon.
Link - www.patreon.com/SideCharacter
You Can read more chapters ahead on Patreon
Latest Chapter on Patreon: Chapter 951-Emergency Council(1)