Pain stared at Sakiya, his patience wearing thin.
For a moment, he felt too exhausted to even argue.
Still, he forced himself to maintain his cold, godlike demeanor.
"Hmph! Foolish mortal. A god would never resort to such childish behavior."
Sakiya blinked.
"God?"
Then her expression darkened, her frustration boiling over.
"A so-called 'god' dares to hit the head of the Eye of Death?!"
Pain's face twitched in irritation.
"I didn't hit you! Your clone did!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized how ridiculous they sounded.
Even he wouldn't believe such an excuse.
Sure enough, Sakiya's fury only grew.
"Tch! Lying to me on top of everything else? You've got some nerve!"
She pointed directly at him.
"I'll show you the true power of the Eye of Death!"
Pain's expression hardened.
"True power? How can you possibly understand death if you've never experienced real pain?"
Sakiya's eyes narrowed.
"Hah! No one in this world understands death better than me!"
Pain's voice was as cold as steel.
"Then let me show you. Let me bring you to the edge of death itself—only then will you truly comprehend its meaning."
Sakiya huffed, puffing out her cheeks in defiance.
"As if a 'little god' like you could teach me anything!"
Pain didn't bother responding. In an instant, he vanished, reappearing right in front of her.
His black chakra rod shot forward—aiming straight for her chest.
But—
The rod passed through her as if she weren't even there.
Pain's eyes widened.
"An illusion?"
Sakiya smirked.
"No, this is the power of my Eye of Death! I've placed you in a separate space, slightly overlapping with reality. Everything you see here is an illusion—a world separated by an 'invisible boundary line.'"
Pain's pupil power surged.
He wasn't so easily fooled.
His Rinnegan pierced through deception, and he knew this wasn't just some illusion—his chakra wasn't being disturbed.
"If that's the case… let's test it."
Pain raised both hands, his voice low and commanding.
"Shinra Tensei."
A crushing wave of force erupted from him, tearing through the battlefield.
The ground itself shattered under the sheer power.
A powerful shockwave ripped through the battlefield, sending debris flying in all directions. The sheer force devastated everything within a ten-meter radius.
But even after unleashing such destruction, Pain couldn't detect Sakiya's presence.
Then, her mocking voice rang out once more.
"Hmph. Not bad. For a so-called 'god,' you're strong enough. But you made one mistake—you shouldn't have provoked the Eye of Death!"
Pain's expression darkened.
Here it comes.
Without warning, a crushing impact struck the top of his head.
The force was immense.
His head jerked downward, momentarily deforming from the sheer pressure before his body was sent hurtling through the air.
Pain's mind reeled from the impact, but Nagato, the true mastermind controlling him, remained fully aware.
Still midair, Pain instinctively triggered Shinra Tensei once more.
BOOM!
An even stronger shockwave erupted, tearing through the already ruined battlefield.
Yet—nothing.
No impact. No resistance.
It was as if he had been striking at empty space this entire time.
Pain adjusted mid-flight, twisting his body and landing with a thunderous stomp, stabilizing himself.
His Rinnegan scanned the battlefield.
What is this technique?
He understood one thing—if he couldn't break free from whatever illusion or space manipulation Sakiya had trapped him in, he would be nothing more than a punching bag.
Pain's fingers twitched.
"Do I need to use the full power of Shinra Tensei?"
Nagato hesitated. If he unleashed it now…
---
Meanwhile, on Another Battlefield
Elsewhere, Sasuke and Lee fought side by side.
Lee, having opened the Sixth Gate, delivered devastating blows, while Sasuke struck with precision and speed.
Together, they had successfully defeated the Preta Path.
Pain felt it—another of his bodies had fallen.
Now, all his remaining chakra was concentrated into his strongest form—the Deva Path.
His power had reached its peak.
As Pain prepared to unleash another devastating Shinra Tensei, Sakiya suddenly appeared in front of him.
She smirked.
"Hmph, I'm getting a little bored playing around with my invisible boundary trick."
Her tone was casual, but her eyes gleamed with excitement.
"So, I've decided to use something more direct—an ultimate technique, blessed by my Eye of Death, to smack you on the head!"
Pain, unfazed, shook his head.
"A god does not fall to such trivial techniques."
Without hesitation, he rose into the air, forming hand seals.
The sky darkened as he cast a series of jutsu.
"Water Release: Cumulus!"
"Water Release: Fog Gathering!"
And finally, the most critical technique—
"Rain Tiger at Will Technique!"
A light drizzle began to fall.
As Pain landed, his chakra spread through the rain, allowing him to sense everything the raindrops touched.
Now, he could confirm it—Sakiya was real. No illusion. No deception.
She grinned.
"Good! You finally acknowledge me!"
Pain remained silent, then suddenly raised a hand.
"Banshō Ten'in!"
Sakiya was instantly pulled toward him, her body lifted into the air by an invisible force. But instead of panicking, she grinned as lightning crackled around her hands.
"Lightning Release: Great Thunder Serpent!"
A massive bolt of electricity took the form of a giant python, its brilliant arcs leaving scorch marks on the battlefield as it surged toward Pain.
Sensing danger, Pain canceled his technique, letting Sakiya drop as he dodged the attack.
Sakiya landed effortlessly, unfazed.
"Now for my real move—Limitless Thunder Step!"
In an instant, she vanished in a flash of electricity.
Pain's Rinnegan struggled to track her movements.
"So fast!"
A second later, Sakiya reappeared behind him.
Pain barely had time to react—but he didn't need to.
As long as he could activate it in time—
"Shinra Tensei!"
But—
Sakiya opened her left eye, her gaze sharp as she traced the invisible threads of reality itself.
With a flick of her wrist, she sliced through the "death line" of Shinra Tensei—not with a blade, but with a lollipop.
Pain's ultimate technique disappeared instantly.
His eyes widened.
And before he could process what happened—
CRACK!
Sakiya smashed the lollipop onto his head with full force.
A lump instantly formed on Pain's forehead.
He blinked, momentarily stunned.
But he wasn't slow to react—he immediately turned, pulling out a black chakra rod and swinging it at her.
Sakiya leaped back effortlessly, dodging the attack in an instant. She grinned triumphantly.
"Hah! My Eye of Death—are you afraid of it?"
Pain hesitated, instinctively putting more distance between them.
A moment ago, when Sakiya activated her strange ability, he had felt something unsettling—a presence of death so real it sent a chill down his spine.
And worse, his Shinra Tensei had simply vanished without explanation.
This unfamiliar power made him uneasy.
_____________
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