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Upon hearing the Tsuchikage's words, the Raikage offered no further response. At this juncture, eliminating the Akatsuki was the singular, overriding priority. As the Tsuchikage had rightly pointed out, the Six Paths of Pain held a distinct advantage in this confrontation.
Furthermore, because the King of Hell remained in play, even if they managed to kill the Paths, their opponents could simply resurrect them through the Naraka Path's power. Therefore, effectively and efficiently diminishing the enemy's combat strength within the shortest possible timeframe would be the decisive factor between victory and defeat.
The destructive power of the Particle Style: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu was plain for all to see. The Preta Path, struck directly by the technique, had been reduced to nothing but scattered atoms. The notion that the King of Hell could somehow restore the Preta Path from such a state was, in the Raikage's estimation, utterly inconceivable. Still, this technique was undeniably dangerous. If one of his allies were to be caught in its radius by accident, the resulting losses would be catastrophic.
"The battle is far from over," the Tsuchikage reminded him.
"I'm well aware of that!" the Raikage shot back. He kicked off the ground with explosive force, streaking through the air like a living bolt of lightning. In the blink of an eye, he had materialized directly behind the Naraka Path. The Raikage's sudden, lightning-swift assault caught the Deva Path completely off guard. With no time for deliberation, the Deva Path extended his palm, preparing to employ the Universal Pull to drag the Raikage directly into his grasp.
But at that precise instant, a dark blur flashed across his field of vision. Simultaneously, a spiraling sphere of chakra—more than a dozen times the size of an ordinary Rasengan—came hurtling towards him with devastating force.
Jiraiya?!
The Deva Path registered a flicker of genuine surprise. He was forced to immediately adjust his stance, redirecting his open palm towards Jiraiya. The Animal Path also moved in the same instant, rushing to intercept Jiraiya's attack.
The Almighty Push could repel the vast majority of ninjutsu. However, after each use, a mandatory five-second interval was required before the technique could be activated again. And the three Kage-level shinobi standing before him were not ordinary opponents. Their combat prowess was leagues beyond that of typical shinobi. They would not need five seconds to kill him. Therefore, every single deployment of the Almighty Push had to be timed to absolute, split-second perfection.
As Jiraiya unleashed the Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan, the Animal Path moved to throw himself bodily in front of the incoming Sage Art. But just then, another dark blur shot forward. The Tsuchikage, his arm sheathed in a thick layer of solid rock, materialized directly before the Animal Path and swung a devastating punch straight towards his face.
"Almighty Push!" the Deva Path roared. An immense, invisible wave of repulsive force erupted outward in all directions. Not only was Jiraiya—along with the Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan that had nearly made contact with the Deva Path—sent flying backward, but the surrounding forest was utterly devastated. Trees were ripped from the earth, roots and all, or simply obliterated by the sheer concussive force of the shockwave.
When the dust finally settled, Jiraiya had been hurled back over a dozen meters. The Raikage had fared no better, having smashed through two thick, ancient trees before finally grinding to a halt. The Tsuchikage, however, had been shielded by the earthen arm he had summoned from the ground. The stone limb had absorbed the brunt of the blast, shattering into a pile of rubble. Onoki crawled out from beneath the debris, his gaze fixed on the Animal Path lying nearby. Just moments before, his rock-sheathed fist had crushed the Animal Path's body completely. The Path now lay sprawled on the ground, utterly motionless.
"Hah... One more down," the Tsuchikage muttered, shaking off the dust and fragments of stone clinging to his body. His gaze then shifted towards the Naraka Path, and his brow lifted in mild surprise. The Naraka Path, too, lay broken and shattered on the ground.
"Lord Tsuchikage, you have your methods, and I have mine. So, what do you think? I'd say I did a decent job as well, wouldn't you?" the Raikage said with a pained, toothy grin. His expression, however, was still far from relaxed. They had succeeded in destroying the Naraka Path, the Animal Path, and the Preta Path. But three Paths still remained. Moreover, their sudden, coordinated assault—targeting the Paths other than the Deva Path—had momentarily overwhelmed the Deva Path and prevented him from mounting an effective counter.
But to assume they could simply kill the Deva Path now would be pure fantasy. So far, the Deva Path had only revealed the Universal Pull and the Almighty Push. Who knew what other devastating trump cards he might still be holding in reserve?
"What do we do next?" Jiraiya asked, clutching at his ribs. His brow was furrowed in obvious pain.
Fukasaku, who had only just managed to scramble back to his feet, immediately noticed Jiraiya's distressed state and asked with urgent concern, "Jiraiya-boy, how bad is it?"
Jiraiya forced a strained, lopsided smile. "I think some bones might be broken."
Fukasaku and Shima's gazes immediately dropped to the spot Jiraiya was clutching. A patch of blood had indeed begun to spread across his clothing. Among the three of them, Jiraiya had taken the direct, full brunt of both the Deva Path's attention and the Almighty Push. He had been the closest to the blast and had absorbed the greatest impact.
"You're..."
Jiraiya shook his head firmly. Fukasaku and Shima fell silent, but they both understood the unspoken resolve in Jiraiya's heart. Against the Deva Path, none of them—Jiraiya included—could afford to take a single step backward.
"I am a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf," Jiraiya said quietly. The Hokage's life hung in the balance, and Tsunade was occupied with treating both the Hokage and the Mizukage. Right now, he was the Leaf Village's strongest remaining combatant on this battlefield. If he retreated now, how could the Hidden Leaf Village ever hope to maintain its standing and influence in future dealings with the other shinobi villages?
"I understand. I will follow your lead," Fukasaku nodded solemnly.
After brushing the remaining dust from his robes, Onoki turned his gaze toward the distant Deva Path. "We will proceed as before. Jiraiya and I will keep the Deva Path occupied. Lord Raikage, you will handle the remaining two. However, the Deva Path will certainly not allow us to execute our plans so easily. Every one of us must be prepared for the worst possible outcome."
The Raikage clenched his fists, remaining silent. Lightning Release chakra flared to life once more, coating his entire body in a crackling, protective aura. His targets were now the Asura Path and the Human Path. The problem was the considerable distance separating the two. Eliminating both of them in a single, uninterrupted assault would be an immensely difficult feat.
"I'll do what I can... No, it won't be a problem," the Raikage amended his statement on the fly.
"Good!" Onoki nodded.
The Raikage wanted to kill both the Human Path and the Asura Path while Jiraiya and Onoki engaged the Deva Path. But that would be nearly impossible in practice. Those two would not simply stand around waiting to be slaughtered. And the Deva Path could unleash the Almighty Push at any moment. The only viable approach was to wait for the Deva Path to deploy the Almighty Push, and then have the Raikage immediately launch his assault. If the remaining two Paths attempted to shield the Deva Path, the Raikage could potentially dispatch both in a single strike. If no one intervened, then this would represent their best—perhaps only—opportunity to kill the Deva Path outright.
Of course, there was inherent risk.
Onoki was firmly convinced that, up to this point, the Deva Path had still not revealed the full extent of his power.
The moment he steeled his resolve, he began weaving hand seals. Before he could even initiate his attack, Jiraiya shot past him like an arrow loosed from a bowstring. In his hand, another Rasengan was already spinning into existence—this one even more massive than the last.
"Jiraiya... You are certainly full of energy..." Onoki allowed himself a small, grim smile as he too surged forward, his speed matching Jiraiya's stride for stride. At the same moment, his form split cleanly into two identical duplicates.
Jiraiya noticed Onoki closing in behind him, a flicker of surprise crossing his features. The Third Tsuchikage was no longer a young man. Taking the Almighty Push head-on would undoubtedly wreak havoc on his aged body. But if Onoki had chosen to charge to the front lines, then he must have already accepted the worst possible outcome. In that case... let's see who can last until the very end!
Jiraiya and Onoki had closed to within ten meters of the Deva Path when he raised his palm once more, aiming directly at the two of them.