"It seems unless we take down this guy, these guys will keep resurrecting endlessly."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes slightly. He thought he had taken down half of them, yet in the blink of an eye, the situation had reverted to its original state.
He was intact, and so were all his enemies.
"Fine, I've decided… I'll deal with you first!"
Sasuke locked his gaze onto the Naraka Path, then quickly formed hand seals, conjuring another Chidori.
The Six Paths of Pain formed a protective formation, shielding the Naraka Path at the rear.
"As expected, I guessed correctly!"
Sasuke sneered.
Earlier, no matter who was attacked, Deva Path hadn't moved an inch. But now, even Deva Path was guarding Naraka Path… it was clear that Naraka Path was indispensable to their group.
Although breaking through their defense was difficult, having a target made things more straightforward.
Bang!
Sasuke threw a smoke bomb, and thick white smoke instantly engulfed the Six Paths of Pain.
Since they could share their vision, Sasuke had to ensure they couldn't clearly see his movements.
"Hmm?"
Deva Path squinted at the billowing white smoke.
Suddenly, from within the thick smoke, a spear of lightning shot forth at incredible speed, its target Naraka Path.
"A petty trick."
The rotund Preta Path stepped forward, his hands radiating a bright white light, creating a powerful suction that absorbed the lightning spear once again.
However, this time, the absorption occurred unusually fast, causing Preta Path to hesitate in confusion.
Just as the lightning spear was about to dissipate, it suddenly exploded.
This wasn't an ordinary burst of lightning, but an intense flash of blinding light. When the light dissipated, Sasuke had already rushed out from the white smoke, his Chidori still crackling in hand.
"A Genjutsu?"
Preta Path realized what had happened too late, now understanding why something had felt off earlier.
"It's too late now!"
A victorious smirk spread across Sasuke's face.
He hadn't actually thrown a lightning spear. After all, it would be foolish to do so knowing it could be absorbed.
As a member of the Uchiha Clan, besides Fire Release Ninjutsu, he is most proficient is Genjutsu!
Thanks to the Mangekyo Sharingan and the cover of white smoke, Preta Path was unable to judge the situation immediately.
All the actions happened in the blink of an eye, and it was too late for the other Pains to share their vision.
Sasuke delivered a fierce kick, slamming Preta Path's head into the ground. Using the momentum, he hurled the lightning spear toward Naraka Path.
"This time, you're finished!"
Sasuke was certain of victory.
But what happened next stunned him. Deva Path didn't evade. Instead, he stepped in front of Naraka Path to shield him.
Facing the shooting lightning spear, Deva Path narrowed his eyes slightly, and his Rinnegan's rippled patterns suddenly contracted.
At the next moment, the spear stopped less than half a meter away from Deva Path. With a sudden 'pop', it disintegrated into sparks of electricity and faded away.
"How is this possible!?"
This wasn't Genjutsu. Sasuke had truly thrown a solid lightning spear this time.
He hadn't noticed Deva Path using any particular technique. If anything, it seemed as though the spear had collided with an invisible barrier in the air and shattered on its own.
"You should be proud for making me take action."
Deva Path said coldly.
But before Sasuke could respond, a deafening explosion erupted from behind Deva Path.
"What?"
Deva Path turned to look, only to see Naraka Path was struck by a lightning spear. The violent explosion formed a web of electricity, instantly enveloping the Naraka Path entirely.
The surge of lightning reduced Naraka Path to a charred husk, blood spurting from his mouth as he collapsed powerlessly to the ground… more accurately, into a massive crater of lightning.
"Could it have been hidden in the smoke..."
Deva Path quickly deduced the truth.
Sasuke smirked, "Not bad. You're not as slow as I thought."
Just now, the smoke he released wasn't just for concealing Genjutsu, as Sasuke had also hidden a pre-positioned lightning spear within it. Precisely calculated, the concealed lightning spear was the true trump card against Naraka Path.
Unfortunately, Sasuke originally wanted to kill Deva Path instantly with the lightning spear he threw later, but he never expected that Deva Path possessed such bizarre abilities.
Otherwise, his three-stage attack could have obliterated three powerful enemies in one go.
Still, with Naraka Path out of the picture, the enemy had lost their means of resurrection.
Finally, Sasuke felt less on the defensive. It is time to launch a counterattack.
"Take this!"
After stomping Preta Path's head deeper into the ground, Sasuke charged toward Deva Path, forming hand seals to ready another Chidori.
This time, he didn't transform it into a lightning spear but kept it as a standard Chidori.
He was determined to see how Deva Path would defend this time, and to uncover his technique in the process.
Deva Path's pupils contracted slightly as he growled, "Shinra Tensei!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he spread his arms, with palms facing outward. A chaotic, dark green aura formed around him like a barrier.
In the blink of an eye, the barrier erupted outward.
Sasuke, caught mid-charge, had no time to react. A massive repelling force blasted him backward, and his Chidori dissipated as his Chakra Flow was disrupted.
Bang, bang, bang!
Sasuke tumbled across the ground, bouncing multiple times before crashing heavily near the black-robed figure standing in the distance.
Seeing this, the black-robed figure asked with concern, "Sasuke, are you okay?"
"Cough, cough…"
Sasuke coughed violently as he climbed back to his feet, waving his hand to indicate that he was fine.
But his dust-covered figure betrayed his words, making it clear he wasn't entirely fine.
"What kind of ability was that just now? So strange…"
Sasuke frowned, "First, he uses immense gravitational force, and now this repulsive force. How does he have such contradictory abilities? And he doesn't even form hand seals. Is this some secret technique? Damn it!"
Frustration boiled within Sasuke's mind.
Back in Konoha, battles often revolved around the speed of hand seals. But now, facing truly powerful opponents, Sasuke finally realized how meaningless hand seals could be. These enemies didn't even need to form them, leaving no room for counterplay.
Life and death happened in an instant, so the lack of hand seals gave them an overwhelming advantage.
The black-robed figure noticed Sasuke's frustration and helped him brush off the dust on his body while explaining, "That Pain isn't as invincible as you think. You noticed that his second attack wasn't as strong as the first, right? His technique is peculiar, but it clearly has a cooldown period and requires recovery. If not, he'd be attacking relentlessly."
Hearing this, Sasuke nodded.
'Indeed, if that guy could use his abilities without limit, he would've launched a continuous assault long ago. Why else would he hold back?'
It was similar to Sasuke's lightning spear. Though powerful, its usage drained Sasuke significantly.
After understanding the situation, Sasuke regained his confidence.
'As long as there was a gap between his technique, there will be an opening to exploit.'