This time, facing the Susanoo's assault, the Deva Path did not evade.
Shinra Tensei!
Once again, a powerful repulsive force erupted from the Deva Path's hand.
BOOM!
The immense force slammed directly into the massive sky-blue longsword. The repulsion destabilized the Susanoo, forcing it several steps back and knocking the chakra blade completely from its grasp. The sword flew over a hundred meters before landing heavily in the distance, slicing a small hill clean in two upon impact.
Atop the Susanoo, Jizo, having finally stabilized the construct, wore an exceptionally grave expression. Compared to the previous Shinra Tensei, the force of this one was significantly stronger.
Swoosh! The moment Shinra Tensei ended, a figure flickered through the air again – Kagutsuchi, swinging his longsword as he charged towards the Preta Path.
The Preta Path moved forward to intercept.
Seeing this, a calculating glint flashed in Kagutsuchi's eyes. He abruptly changed his sword's trajectory, executing a swift horizontal slash aimed right at the approaching Preta Path.
Clang! A kunai materialized in the Preta Path's hand, perfectly angled to parry the strike. The two then clashed dozens of times mid-air before Kagutsuchi, leveraging his superior brute strength, sent the Preta Path flying with a powerful kick. Boosted by the 'cheats' of the Fujinhoin and the Body Activation Secret Technique, all of Tatsuya's clone bodies possessed astounding taijutsu prowess.
The instant Kagutsuchi kicked the Preta Path away, a powerful gravitational pull emanated from the Deva Path.
Banshō Ten'in!
Facing this technique, Kagutsuchi remained unfazed. A powerful gale was already rushing through the air as Jizo, commanding the Susanoo, attacked once more. Faced with the Susanoo's enormous incoming fist, the Deva Path was forced to abandon Banshō Ten'in and rapidly retreat.
BOOM!
The mighty punch slammed into the earth, creating another massive crater. Kagutsuchi reappeared at the edge of the crater amidst swirling dust.
Thus, the battle continued – the Deva Path and Preta Path engaged in a fierce back-and-forth against Jizo and Kagutsuchi.
Meanwhile, the other four Akatsuki members had engaged their own opponents.
Kakuzu faced Suijin. Iwamoto and Sasori each took on one of the basic clone bodies. Orochimaru confronted Pakura.
Guren and the other Yakugakure shinobi could only watch from a distance, prepared to offer support where possible.
"Tsk tsk! A female ninja, quite skilled too!" Orochimaru observed Pakura, his voice smooth. As he spoke, several large snakes shot out from his sleeves, lunging towards her – his signature Hidden Shadow Snake Hands.
Pakura dodged nimbly, simultaneously throwing several kunai, trailing explosive tags, towards Orochimaru.
Clang! Orochimaru drew the Kusanagi Sword from his waist and deflected them one by one. The kunai landed nearby, erupting in a series of violent explosions.
Ding! Ding! Ding! The figures of Orochimaru and Pakura blurred as they clashed intensely in close combat. Orochimaru's taijutsu and swordsmanship were exquisite, constantly aiming for Pakura's vitals. However, Pakura's physical abilities had been greatly enhanced over the past two years by the simplified version of the Fujinhoin Tatsuya had applied to her. Wielding only a kunai, she fought fiercely against Orochimaru, holding her own.
Soon, they had exchanged over a hundred blows in pure taijutsu. Seeing he couldn't gain an advantage through taijutsu alone, Orochimaru's expression grew slightly more serious. Forcing Pakura back with a quick strike, he began forming hand seals.
Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!
A violent gust of wind erupted from Orochimaru's mouth, blasting directly towards Pakura. Caught mid-air, Pakura was thrown off balance by the sudden gale.
Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!
At that exact moment, Orochimaru unleashed another technique, spewing a powerful stream of fire. Pakura, still recovering her balance, rapidly formed hand seals.
Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique!
A straight line of fire shot from her mouth to meet Orochimaru's attack. The two fire jutsus collided with a fierce explosion. Scattered firelight filled the air as Pakura's technique was dispersed by Orochimaru's more powerful blast, but she used the brief interval created by the clash to evade successfully. The two continued their fight, evenly matched.
While Orochimaru and Pakura battled fiercely, the fights on either side of them were equally intense.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Facing Kakuzu, who used Earth Release: Earth Spear to harden his body and add weight to his fists, Suijin couldn't gain the slightest advantage. Kakuzu was not only powerful but also ancient, possessing extremely rich combat experience. Even Suijin's superior speed couldn't be fully leveraged against him. After several minutes of fighting, both were still locked in a taijutsu stalemate. From their combat stances, it was clear neither intended to use ninjutsu just yet.
Kakuzu held back because the overall situation remained unclear; he wasn't ready to exert his full power. The key to this battle clearly lay with the Deva Path and Jizo. Their strength obviously surpassed everyone else present; only the outcome of their fight could truly sway the battle's course.
Suijin, on the other hand, knew he faced an old monster. As a newly created clone body, unable yet to utilize Ice Release, he couldn't realistically defeat Kakuzu alone. Achieving the clone's maximum potential required considerably more time for refinement. Thus, the two remained deadlocked in a taijutsu standoff.
The battles involving Sasori and Iwamoto against the two basic clone bodies were taking place on the same flank. Sasori, hidden within his Hiruko puppet, fought evenly against one clone body. Iwamoto, however, was being completely overwhelmed by the other. Whether in taijutsu or ninjutsu, Iwamoto was no match for Tatsuya's basic clone.
BOOM! After more than ten minutes of fighting, the clone seized an opportunity and sent Iwamoto flying with a powerful punch. Iwamoto sailed through the air directly towards where Sasori was engaged with the other clone.
Earth Style: Rising Earth Spears!
The clone fighting Sasori swiftly dodged aside, then formed hand seals. Sharp rock spears erupted from the ground, impaling the airborne Iwamoto and severely wounding him.
Seeing Iwamoto pierced by the earthen spears, Sasori, still within Hiruko, showed no intention whatsoever of rescuing his fellow Akatsuki member.
The two basic clone bodies moved simultaneously, flanking the heavily injured Iwamoto to press the attack. Seeing this, Sasori lashed out with Hiruko's long, segmented tail, striking towards the clones. The front clone used the Body Flicker Technique to dodge, deliberately positioning the injured Iwamoto – who had just managed to break the rock spears restraining him – directly between itself and Sasori's oncoming attack.
Hiruko's tail struck without hesitation, impaling Iwamoto clean through. The tail's momentum didn't stop, continuing past Iwamoto's body towards the clone behind him.
Cough! Cough! Large amounts of blood spurted from Iwamoto's mouth. He turned his head, looking towards Sasori, seemingly wanting to say something, but the deadly poison coating the tail silenced him forever. Iwamoto died at the hands of his own Akatsuki comrade.
"I'll hold him off. You go help her." Watching Sasori kill Iwamoto without a second thought, the two clone bodies weren't the least bit surprised. One spoke quietly to the other. With the clone bodies' taijutsu capabilities, one was sufficient to handle Sasori while he was inside Hiruko.
"Got it!" the other clone replied, then immediately flickered away, heading towards the ongoing fierce battle between Pakura and Orochimaru.
On the current battlefield, among those fighting on Yakugakure's side, only Pakura was truly alive. Tatsuya's clones could be "revived" if destroyed, but if Pakura fell, she would be gone for good.