"Please!"
Sasuke said reluctantly.
"Got it."
The black-robed figure seemed to have been waiting for this moment.
In a flash, she appeared at Sasuke's side, her hand glowing with a gentle green light.
In the next instant, Sasuke's wounds began to heal at a visible speed. The emptiness in his body and the pain in his Sharingan rapidly subsided, returning him to peak condition.
"Rest well. This won't take long."
The black-robed figure said softly. Her tone was gentle when speaking to Sasuke, but as she turned her gaze toward Deva Path, it became icy cold, "How dare you harm my future husband? Your time has come. Face your judgment!"
"I…"
Deva Path had just opened his mouth to respond when a powerful force smashed into his face, sending him flying backward.
Before anyone could register what had happened, the black-robed figure was already standing where Deva Path had just been. She remained in place, her fist still raised from the strike.
"What an amazing Taijutsu!"
Sasuke's eyes widened in shock. Even with his Sharingan, he couldn't keep up with the black-robed figure's movements.
'Such a single, straightforward attack had caused more devastation than my Susanoo.'
'As expected of her.'
"Sure enough, you're the real threat here!"
Deva Path staggered to his feet, and seemed to have made a decision. He suddenly clasped his hands together and shouted, "Chibaku Tensei!"
A small black sphere formed in front of him and ascended into the sky, radiating golden light. The light extended outward like threads, casting a fan-shaped glow over the ground.
Boom, boom, boom!"
The earth began to quake violently.
The solid ground beneath their feet fractured like thin paper, splitting into countless crevices. Rocks and debris shot upward, converging rapidly around the black sphere. As it grew in size, the sphere became enveloped in layer upon layer of earth and stone, swelling to an enormous mass.
Deva Path spread his arms wide, summoning even larger chunks of rock from the ground.
"Is this all you've got?"
The black-robed figure stepped forward and launched themselves toward Deva Path again.
Deva Path, who had anticipated this, stretched out an arm and used Shinra Tensei to repel the black-robed figure before she could close the distance.
"Hah!"
After seeing clearly where the black-robed figure landed, Deva Path let out a low shout and clasped his hands together again.
This time, it wasn't the ground but an entire mountainside that shattered and ascended, hurtling toward the sky.
The black-robed figure, who is standing atop one of the rising boulders, was carried upward.
Boom, boom, boom!
The rocks crashed into the black sphere in the sky, embedding themselves into its growing mass.
Finally, what had started as a pebble-sized orb expanded into a massive stone sphere over a thousand meters in diameter. It pierced through the clouds, resembling a miniature moon.
"It's over!"
Deva Path roared, clasping his hands tightly as he attempted to compress the massive sphere further, aiming to trap the black-robed figure inside permanently.
But before he could succeed, a cracking sound was heard coming from the huge stone ball.
At the next moment, light emanated from countless cracks across the giant sphere's surface.
Boom!
The massive sphere suddenly exploded spectacularly.
and the man in black robe kept stretching his arms.
The black-robed figure emerged, her arms extended. It seemed she had physically torn through Chibaku Tensei without the aid of any Ninjutsu.
"Hiss!"
Sasuke was stunned and couldn't help but gasp.
'Wow, she is too strong!'
Sasuke, who had fought Deva Path to a standstill and even struggled against him, watched as this terrifying opponent was reduced to nothing more than a plaything in the black-robed figure's hands.
The disparity between people can be staggering, a gap so vast it's like comparing different worlds.
"This… How is this possible!?"
Deva Path's eyes widened in disbelief.
"As you said, it's over!"
The black-robed figure emerged from the explosion, descending rapidly. From within her cloak, a slender arm extended outward.
In the blink of an eye, the delicate arm became covered in scales, expanded several times over, transforming into a claw as massive and sharp as a great beast's weapon.
'Have you ever seen a palm technique that falls from the heaven?'
Sasuke couldn't help but recalled a question Naruto asked long ago.
Back then, Sasuke merely smirked and shook his head. Now, however, he found himself shouting excitedly, " I've seen it! I truly have now! So this is... the legendary Buddhist Palm!" (T/N: Kung Fu Hustle Reference. For those who don't know this film, just watch it. You won't regret it.)
"Boom!"
The colossal claw slammed directly onto Deva Path's body.
"Shinra Tensei!"
Deva Path strained to unleash the Shinra Tensei.
But in an instant, the arm expanded again, pressing down with even greater force.
"Futile!"
Boom!
The massive claw shattered through the Shinra Tensei's repulsive force, slamming Deva Path into the ground with brutal finality.
Dust and debris erupted in all directions, a fierce storm sweeping across the battlefield. Even Sasuke, standing dozens of meters away, felt the sting of flying grit against his face.
Needless to say, Deva Path, who was struck directly, had suffered immensely.
…
Meanwhile, in an overgrown area concealing a hidden cave.
"Ah… Huff… huff!"
Tied to the huge machine was a skinny man with red hair. He suddenly opened his eyes, gasped violently for air. His body was covered with sweat.
It is worth mentioning that his eyes are the same purple Rinnegan as Pain.
"Nagato, are you alright?"
Konan asked anxiously.
That's right, this red-haired guy hiding in the cave was none other than Nagato, the true controller of Pain whom Sasuke had been hunting!
"All the Pains… have been defeated!"
Nagato said weakly.
"How… how can that be..."
Konan was utterly stunned, unable to process the enormity of what she'd just heard. After all, this was the Six Paths of Pain.
…
On the other side, Sasuke anxiously approached Deva Path to assess his condition.
"This is bad. Why'd you have to kill him?" Sasuke frowned, looking at the utterly destroyed body of Deva Path.
The black-robed figure retracted her scaled arm and explained calmly, "I will not let anyone who hurts you go."
"Uh…"
Sasuke was at a loss for words. After all, everything she did was for his sake.
"Still, if he's dead, how will we figure out where Pain's true body is hiding? "
Sasuke doesn't want to leave such hidden danger.
The black-robed figure explained, "Konan didn't join the battle earlier, and then she retreated westward. Likely, she's gone to regroup with Pain's true body."
"Really? Then let's head there immediately."
Sasuke exclaimed in relief.
The black-robed figure waved her hand and said, "No rush. I've already marked her, so we can pursue her at any time. For now, I need to confirm something."
As she said that, the black-robed figure began rummaging through Deva Path's body, eventually pulling out a thick, black rod.
"As I thought, this is the receiver that controls Pain. Let me see if I can reverse the signal and pinpoint the true body's location."
"Alright!"
Sasuke nodded heavily, looking forward to the outcome of the black-robed figure's experiment.
Holding the receiver, the black-robed figure began to glow with a radiant green light...