In midair, a figure hovered without any external support, radiating an invisible aura of pressure. When he opened his eyes, a pair of mysterious purple Rinnegan eyes glared down at Anya below.
"Your path ends here."
Anya stared at the Rinnegan he had searched for so long and felt a sense of irony. Sometimes, the harder you chase, the more it slips away. But the moment you stop looking, it appears out of nowhere just to toy with your nerves.
Anya coldly said, "I don't have time for you today. Get lost."
"I am Pain. I am God. You've really made me lose it."
Anya held the blade across his chest, his gaze turning icy. "One last time. Get out of my way."
High in the air, Pain didn't bother to reply. His Rinnegan flared wide open, the very center of his pupils displaying an eerie void from which soul-deep fury radiated outward.
"Universal Pull."
A sphere resembling a black hole appeared in Pain's hand. As he gathered Chakra, a powerful gravitational pull surged toward Anya, dragging his body uncontrollably toward Pain's location.
Meanwhile, another warrior with the Rinnegan manifested weapons across his body, waiting along the inevitable path of Anya's pull, ready to deliver a fatal strike.
Anya's Chakra felt as if sealed, unable to mount any effective resistance. His body shot forward like a magnet pulled toward the deadly weapons of this other Pain.
Just as his body was about to make contact—
*Zheng...*
A ringing blade sound rang out, and the Blade of Indifference unsheathed itself.
The Chakra, previously suppressed like a dammed-up force, erupted with apocalyptic intensity. At that moment, the long-prepared [Draw Technique] boiled over like a rising tide, finally erupting in a volcanic explosion without restraint.
*Shua!*
Blade light flashed, and in an instant, countless blades filled the heavens and earth. A mighty aura, spreading like mercury through cracks, radiated outward from Anya in all directions.
This Pain had no time to react before being overwhelmed by countless blade lights, shattered into pieces.
Simultaneously, The Supreme Blade behind him unsheathed itself. After the first strike of the Draw Technique, the blade tip pointed straight into the sky, an awe-inspiring chill spreading infinitely. The blade and its wielder became one, radiating a bloodthirsty aura as starlight shot into the heavens. The blinding blade light, like a fleeting shadow, tore through the heavens in one unstoppable stroke—an overwhelming force forming the ultimate killing blow.
Although Anya had not fully integrated all Eight Great Sword Techniques, the transitions between blade arts had become smooth and effortless. Eager to return to Konoha, Anya chose to appear weak before launching an instant killing strike, combining the [Draw Technique] with [Breaking the Blade], aiming to finish the opponent in the shortest possible time.
Sensing the sudden eruption of astonishing power from Anya, Pain's expression turned grave. He immediately canceled Universal Pull, raising both hands without hesitation to unleash his strongest attack against the incoming Anya.
"Shinra Tensei."
Centered on Pain, the same jutsu used earlier to attack Anya's Warhawk Puppet activated once more.
Two mighty forces clashed, nearly obliterating everything around them. The air between them nearly turned vacuum-like from the intense pressure waves, with countless streams of energy and sword beams colliding and annihilating each other.
Anya's expression remained calm as a surge of soul power erupted from his mind. Looking closely, the Six Blades technique he had just launched spun rapidly through the air before reshaping itself into armor and attaching itself to the Blade of Indifference.
"Zzzz..."
The blade's tip violently collided with the air currents, sparking like friction, locking both forces in a stalemate.
"Haa!"
Pain's eyes flared wide open as he poured an overwhelming surge of chakra into his attack, pushing the Rinnegan to its absolute limit.
Anya's body crackled with electricity, his cellular activity intensifying. The cool sapphire glow of the Blade of Indifference flickered and then burst into brilliant radiance. A storm of energy swirled around the clashing blades before exploding outward with incredible piercing force.
The perfected Lightning Blade Art compressed his Lightning Release energy inward, concentrating it into a single point stronger than a fully-charged Sword Art: Draw Technique. This unparalleled penetrating force struck Pain directly in the chest. Right behind, the reformed Six Blades immediately pinned every Black Receiver attached to Pain's body. Both bodies plummeted downward from high above.
From the moment Anya unleashed the Universal Pull, he had already taken full control of the fight. Daring to fight me head-on? Until today, only the Third Raikage had the guts to try.
Back in Konoha village, Minato stood face-to-face against the Masked Man.
The Nine-Tails had already thrown Konoha into chaos, yet Minato could not break free. He knew — unless he took down this mysterious enemy who also wielded space-time ninjutsu, he wouldn't get far at all.
Only someone capable of completely eliminating the Anbu personally loyal to the Third, breaking through the village's highest secrecy barrier, knowing about the weakening of the Nine-Tails' seal during Kushina's childbirth, and even managing to release and subdue the Nine-Tails — someone unaffected by Konoha's barriers, freely entering and leaving — could accomplish such feats. In all he'd seen or learned, there was only one man who could pull that off.
Minato frowned tightly and asked, "Are you Madara Uchiha? No, he should've been long dead."
The Masked Man sneered, "Who knows? That may not be entirely true."
"At this point, who you are doesn't matter anymore," Minato continued. "But tell me, why target Konoha?"
The Masked Man gazed up at the stars, then spoke coolly, "You could say it was both sudden impulse and long-planned moves — for war, yes… but also in the name of peace."
Finishing those words, the Masked Man drew a chain from his body and moved to kill the Fourth Hokage as swiftly as possible.
After their first clash, Minato was certain — they both wielded space-time ninjutsu. In such a confrontation, speed decided everything — whoever reacted faster would win.
Resolute, Minato rushed forward, wielding his special Kunai. Instantly, the Masked Man turned intangible to evade. As both passed through each other, the Masked Man materialized once again.
At the very moment the chains snapped shut, threatening to bind Minato, he activated the Flying Thunder God technique, narrowly dodging the trap.
After this round of probing, Minato felt newfound confidence settle deep within his heart.
This time, he hurled a kunai straight at the Masked Man's head.
The Masked Man raised both hands and once again turned intangible. A split second after the kunai passed his head, his hand shot out to grab Minato. At that moment, a triumphant thought crossed his mind: "I've won."
[Rasengan] flared to life in a brilliant cobalt-blue. Mid-air, Minato spun one hundred and eighty degrees and came down with a powerful rotational strike, slamming the Rasengan straight into the Masked Man's back. The impact smashed him into the ground, creating a deep crater. At the same time, the Flying Thunder God marking adhered to the Masked Man's skin.
[Flying Thunder God — Second Step].
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