"Fire Release – Great Fireball!"
From the front, Jiraiya didn't remain in place. Instead, he quickly followed behind Minato and the others, charging toward Pain as well.
Seeing Tsunade force Deva Path to use "Shinra Tensei," his eyes lit up. Without hesitation, he unleashed a jutsu.
With both hands currently channeling natural energy, he performed hand seals using the soles of his feet with assistance from the two frog sages riding on his shoulders.
Because of his extreme proficiency with the "Great Fireball," it required relatively few hand seals, allowing him to complete the technique in one smooth motion.
The fire release combined with a large amount of oil spewed from the frogs' mouths, enhancing the technique's power by multiple levels.
Like an ocean of flames, it surged forward, covering the sky and earth.
Deva Path never expected Jiraiya to launch an attack at this moment. "Shinra Tensei" was still on cooldown, and Preta Path, which could absorb jutsu, was occupied by Guy. With no choice, he hastily dodged sideways.
Asura Path, who had been providing long-range attacks from behind, moved in sync with Deva Path.
Together, they leaped leftward, landing beside Animal Path, barely escaping the sea of fire.
BOOM!
The fire release shot far ahead, instantly dividing the battlefield in half.
On the left side were Deva Path, Asura Path, and Animal Path who had dodged over.
On the other side were the remaining Pains.
This separation of Pain fit perfectly into Jiraiya's plan.
Before releasing the jutsu, he had already considered this possibility.
If the technique couldn't directly hit enemies, then at least it would divide the battlefield, restricting their vision. After all, the six pairs of eyes provided vision that was just too overwhelming and seriously disadvantageous for battle.
Separating the Pains allowed two groups to deal with them more easily and securely gain victory.
He himself and Tsunade would handle the more powerful Deva Path while Minato and Guy used this opportunity to reduce the number of Pains.
Jiraiya had also specifically separated Preta Path, which could absorb chakra, to Guy's side.
He hoped Guy would fight in his signature taijutsu style. Against taijutsu specialists, Preta Path's abilities would become temporarily weakened.
"Jiraiya!"
Tsunade, having just been blasted away, quickly landed beside Jiraiya, her hands raised cautiously, ready for combat.
"Be careful and follow my lead. I'm almost ready."
Jiraiya nodded slightly, suddenly dashing forward with a burst of acceleration. "I'll go first!"
Although his hands were occupied, the two frog sages perched on his shoulders acted as his hands. Because of this, Jiraiya still had the courage to face Pain head-on. And Tsunade standing nearby gave him even more confidence.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
They had been partners for many years, sharing great chemistry. A single glance was enough to say everything.
Without hesitation, Tsunade immediately synchronized with Jiraiya's pace.
[Summoning Jutsu!]
Animal Path struck again. In a puff of white smoke, a towering red muscular ape, seven or eight meters tall, blocked their path forward.
"Tsunade!"
Jiraiya slightly frowned, then looked toward Tsunade, who was half a step behind him.
"Got it."
Tsunade immediately quickened her pace, overtaking Jiraiya and rushing forward to meet the giant ape ahead.
Roar!
The muscular ape pounded its fists against the ground several times the moment it appeared, then charged at the two on all fours.
Pain's summons were clearly strong—and above all, extremely shocking.
But Tsunade didn't hesitate.
In the entire shinobi world, when it came down to raw strength, she believed no one could surpass her—even if the opponent was a summoning beast.
[Monster Strength Fist!]
Seeing the ape enter her ten-meter range, Tsunade suddenly accelerated with small, quick steps, clenching her right fist slightly backward.
The ape raised both arms and slammed them downward toward the tiny figure in front of it. As for the punch coming from the opponent, it completely disregarded it, only wanting to land its own blow—even willing to trade hits directly.
Boom!
Tsunade's fist struck first, and within that fraction of a second—less than half a second—it had already decided the outcome.
The ape's stomach caved inward, then flew backward at a speed much greater than when it had charged in.
And as it flew back, a massive bloody hole tore open in the lower abdomen where Tsunade hit, spilling blood across the ground and revealing those [Black Rods] implanted into its body through modifications.
Swoosh!
Keeping his pace steady, Jiraiya darted past Tsunade, face cool as ever.
Tsunade was handling the path ahead, so he himself had no need to worry about any threats along the way.
"Jiraiya, get ready. It's almost done!" Fukasaku shouted suddenly, narrowing his eyes while standing on Jiraiya's shoulder.
With their help speeding up Jiraiya's absorption of natural energy, the time needed to enter Sage Mode had been significantly reduced.
"I can feel it."
Jiraiya slowly widened his eyes; his pupils had changed significantly—an obvious precursor to entering Sage Mode.
"If you insist on going down this path, then let me, your teacher, properly teach you a lesson. A student's mistakes are ultimately caused by his teacher's negligence!"
Jiraiya suddenly leapt high, twisting his body midair to dodge the many missiles fired by the Asura Path.
"That move should be ready again by now."
Jiraiya calculated timing in his mind. He and Minato had practiced this coordination thoroughly—everything clicked perfectly now.
"First, I'll force you to drop your defenses. Let me show you what Sage Art truly is! This is my anger as a teacher, Nagato!"
Perfectly dodging all the missiles, he landed firmly on the ground, sliding forward due to inertia.
"Shima, Fukasaku, use that move!"
"Alright!"
The two frogs shouted in unison.
[Sage Mode!]
As Jiraiya spoke, his hands hovering in front of his chest split apart, while frog-like markings and eye features instantly appeared on his face.
"Just in time."
[Sage Art – Goraimon!]
Boom!
Frog oil combined with Fire Release and Wind Release created a powerful triple-element technique rushing toward the three figures ahead.
Tap.
Deva Path took one slight step forward, extending both hands in front of his chest.
[Shinra Tensei!]
"Whoosh!"
After exchanging several feints and probing strikes with the Human Path and Naraka Path, Minato suddenly dashed toward Guy using the Flying Thunder God technique.
Before the fight began, he had already left a mark on Guy's arm to allow for rapid reinforcement during battle.
Sure enough, his sudden appearance startled Preta Path, who had been fighting Guy.
And just as Minato launched his attack, Jiraiya's Fire Release ninjutsu split the battlefield, forcing both the Human Path and Naraka Path to leap aside and preventing them from quickly pursuing Minato.
Meanwhile, the instant Minato appeared, Guy didn't stop attacking—in fact, he accelerated his assault.
With the Third Gate open, Guy's speed shot past anything Preta Path could keep up with.
This made it extremely hard for Preta Path to respond effectively, forcing him into a mostly defensive stance.
Fortunately for Preta Path, his durability was extremely high. Although Guy possessed sufficient speed thanks to the Third Gate, his attacks lacked adequate power. At most, he could only engage Preta Path in mutual containment where neither side could overcome the other in the short term—Guy just appeared to have gained some advantage superficially.
However, Preta Path changed tactics upon Minato's arrival, striving desperately to disengage from Guy and move toward the Human Path and Naraka Path.
Unfortunately, Guy wasn't stupid—he understood Minato's purpose in coming over here probably aimed to eliminate one of Pain's bodies first, removing this chakra-absorbing enemy from the battlefield.
So Guy kept up the pressure without giving Preta Path even a moment to catch his breath.
Thus, the stalemate was about to be broken.
[Big Ball Rasengan!]
Seeing Guy exerting himself fully, Minato didn't hesitate.
In his right hand formed a spiraling sphere nearly half a meter in diameter, emitting a faint glow.
Similar in principle to the standard Rasengan, this version packed several times its original power.
The instant the Rasengan solidified, Minato launched forward through the gap Guy created by shifting slightly aside.
"Hmph!"
Although occupied by Guy, Preta Path still maintained part of his attention on Minato's entry.
Therefore, the moment the newcomer used Guy's body as cover to strike, Preta Path noticed immediately.
He swung his left hand down from chest level while shooting out his right arm toward the Rasengan, fingers curled like claws, from which a faint suction force seemed to emanate.
"Bang!"
Guy's foot landed on Preta Path's shoulder but was directly resisted by Preta Path using his strength.
At the same time, Preta Path countered by throwing an upward punch into Guy's calf to absorb some impact force.
Taking that hit was no small feat for Preta Path either; his body sank as both feet were driven deep into the ground.
"Crackle crackle crackle."
Minato's Rasengan hit Preta Path's palm, but within a very short time it was completely absorbed, as if snow had melted under the first warm rays of spring sunshine.
The powerful ninjutsu vanished without a trace, completely swallowed by Preta Path like snow melting in spring sun.
"Again!"
"Guy's initial strike failed to land properly, so mid-air he twisted his body and launched another kick straight towards the enemy's chest.
Boom!
A hand appeared right in front of Guy's foot—the Preta Path's left hand from earlier.
He reacted quickly, lowering his arm to block while simultaneously grabbing hold of Guy's leg.
Meanwhile, Minato, who had been holding the Rasengan, ended up gripping hands with the enemy after his technique got absorbed.
The Preta Path had expected the disappearance of the ninjutsu to make Minato retreat, but was caught off guard when his opponent pressed forward instead.
So as a precaution, he tightened his grip, locking hands firmly with Minato.
At that moment, Minato's eyes gleamed.
Knowing this enemy could absorb jutsu, Minato's decision to use a Rasengan merely served as a feint. His real goal was to immobilize the enemy together with Guy to set up follow-up attacks.
Now both of the enemy's hands were occupied—his objective had been achieved.
"Hmm?"
The Preta Path first hesitated, then sensed danger. But at this moment, both his hands were either actively or passively restrained. Even if he managed to free them quickly, it seemed already too late.
Swish!
Minato yanked the enemy forward forcefully; Guy simultaneously pushed hard from the opposite direction.
Caught between these two opposing forces, the Preta Path immediately lost balance and spun halfway around.
"Got him!"
Their movements synchronized perfectly, completely catching the Preta Path off guard as Minato's decisive follow-up attack was already underway.
[Big Ball Rasengan Barrage!]
At the same time, another Minato appeared behind the Preta Path—he was descending from mid-air, each hand crackling with an enormous Rasengan.
This Double-Handed Rasengan was Minato's enhancement built upon the Big Ball Rasengan, specifically developed for greater power.
Of course, the drawback of this jutsu was significant—it was usually effective only against enemies whose movements were restricted or who lacked the speed to match Minato's.
[Bang!]
The Preta Path's eyes widened in shock, blood spilling from his mouth as he toppled forward and crashed hard into the ground.
At this point, the Minato and Guy on the front line also withdrew their limbs and stepped back one pace.
As the Preta Path crashed downward, several meters of earth shattered beneath him, and he instantly became incapacitated.
In the blink of an eye, Minato and Guy coordinated perfectly and eliminated the Preta Path.
Looking at the Preta Path now buried and 'broken' into the ground, the Minato who moments ago stood behind him with both hands on the enemy's back dissolved into a puff of white smoke.
That was a pre-prepared Shadow Clone placed by Minato early on. The Preta Path, engrossed in battling Guy, hadn't noticed this detail. Therefore, he was taken down by this sudden finishing move.
Against Minato and Guy, even a single Preta Path stood no chance.
If their opponent's abilities had remained unknown, it might have extended the battle. But now, having identified the enemy's weaknesses and powers, they only needed one opportunity to secure immediate victory.
[Ping!]"
Minato suddenly sidestepped backward, deflecting a Black Rod coming from afar with a kunai and flicking it aside so it stabbed into the ground.
Looking over, Minato saw the Human Path and Naraka Path already rushing across to the other side of the fire.
That Black Rod just thrown as a hidden weapon must have been launched at the moment those two attacked the Preta Path.
Since they couldn't gain an obvious advantage against Minato and Guy in close combat, they dared not continue fighting nearby, choosing instead to stay at a distance and throw ninja tools to disrupt them.
At the exact moment the Preta Path was 'eliminated,' those two quickly made their way toward their companions on the opposite side.
The Fire Release technique Jiraiya had previously unleashed had gradually extinguished, weakening its effect of dividing the battlefield.
At this point, Nagato realized the original purpose behind Jiraiya's jutsu earlier, and he immediately reconsidered his strategy, knowing very well he could not afford to disperse his forces.
So even as he watched the Preta Path go down, Nagato guided the Human Path and Naraka Path toward the other side.
After all, these two Puppets were usually support units—there was little chance of beating someone like Minato. It was safer for them to stick close to the Deva Path.
As for the temporarily destroyed Preta Path, it wasn't a big issue.
…
"I underestimated them a bit. The deep roots that let Konoha stand above the Hidden Villages aren't something simple."
[Sage Art] struck toward Jiraiya, and Nagato muttered from the shadows.
He originally believed that possessing the Rinnegan would let him easily crush Konoha, yet the reality proved otherwise—he found himself struggling badly against the Hidden Village known as the strongest in the Shinobi World.
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