Nagato's expression darkened.
He had assumed Jiraiya's arrival would at least force Fujimoto Tōma to divide his attention, maybe even deal with one or two of the Paths of Pain. Instead, Tōma had deliberately kept Jiraiya out of the fight, and Jiraiya himself seemed to trust him completely.
Did they really believe the Sixth Hokage could handle him alone?
That thought irritated Nagato more than he expected.
"Hmph. Fujimoto Tōma," the Deva Path said coldly. "I admit your strength is impressive. But before the power of a god, all resistance is meaningless."
For the first time, he activated the Deva Path's ability.
"Universal Pull!"
Tōma should have been dragged forward.
Instead, the figure standing there dissolved into drifting fragments.
"…An afterimage?" the Deva Path muttered, his Rinnegan tightening.
All six Paths scanned their surroundings at once.
Then they saw him, standing atop a nearby tree.
But it was already too late.
Tōma finished forming seals and looked down at the five remaining Paths below, his tone calm and almost conversational.
"Have you ever seen real godspeed?"
"Swift Release: True Godspeed."
He vanished.
Not blurred. Not distorted.
Gone.
Even the Rinnegan failed to track him.
Nagato's instincts screamed danger.
"Almighty Push!"
An invisible wave of repulsion exploded outward from the Deva Path.
But to Tōma, none of it mattered.
In his perception, the world had slowed to an absurd crawl.
Leaves hung motionless in midair. Dust froze where it drifted. Even the movements of the Paths of Pain felt stretched across eternity.
There was a saying: the faster you move, the slower time feels.
Right now, only Tōma existed at normal speed.
He stepped forward.
Once.
A Rasengan formed in his palm and pressed lightly into a body.
Then again.
And again.
And again.
"Rasengan: Quad Strike."
Tōma returned to his original position, snapped his fingers, and waited.
Snap.
The world resumed.
In the same instant, four bodies slammed into the ground as if crushed by an unseen giant. The Animal Path, Human Path, Naraka Path, and Preta Path were driven deep into the earth, each impact kicking up a separate cloud of dust. Behind them lingered faint afterimages of Tōma and the spiraling Rasengan that had buried them.
"What…?" The Deva Path stared, genuine confusion flashing through his Rinnegan.
What had just happened?
Then Tōma's earlier words echoed in his mind.
True godspeed.
Nagato's eyes narrowed. As impossible as it sounded, there was no other explanation.
He quickly realized something else as well.
The Paths worked best together. Against someone like Tōma, who could scatter and dismantle them instantly, their abilities were awkward at best.
The Human Path needed to grab its target. Impossible.
The Preta Path absorbed chakra, but it hadn't even had time to react before being smashed into the ground.
The Naraka Path existed to repair the others. Now it had no chance to do so.
And once the Animal Path fell, its summons lost all purpose.
With the Animal Path defeated, the five summoned beasts vanished in puffs of smoke, leaving their opponents momentarily stunned.
"…Already?" Gamabunta muttered, staring down at the battlefield.
"Tch." Manda snorted and dismissed himself without another word.
"Unbelievable," Gamabunta said quietly.
"Did… did foolish me actually help?" Gamaken asked, looking toward Tōma below.
"That was way too short," Gamariki said. "Next time, let's do this properly."
"All right," Gamabunta concluded. "We're done here."
The toads dispersed, leaving only Katsuyu behind.
Unlike the others, Katsuyu felt no surprise at all.
Even as a fragment, she carried the memories of her main body. She had watched Tōma train in Shikkotsu Forest. She knew exactly how terrifying he had become.
In her judgment, Tōma had already surpassed the First Hokage.
Perhaps the path itself wasn't inherently overwhelming.
Perhaps it was overwhelming only because Fujimoto Tōma was the one walking it.
With that thought, Katsuyu gently dispersed as well.
Below, Jiraiya stood frozen, eyes wide.
He hadn't even blinked.
And yet four Paths of Pain had already been defeated.
By Rasengan.
So this was Tōma's level now… far beyond anything he could have imagined.
Jiraiya swallowed hard. If he had intervened, even with Sage Mode, he would have been nothing but dead weight.
As for Tōma himself, he quietly endured the tearing pain spreading through his body.
Yeah… True Godspeed really isn't something to spam.
For this kind of speed, he joked inwardly, he'd need something absurd like reinforced armor and an upgraded body to match. As things stood, his flesh couldn't withstand it for long.
Still, even now, pulling off something like a six-hit Rasengan combo wouldn't be impossible.
The reason he hadn't struck the Deva Path was simple.
That repulsive field had activated just in time. Even at godspeed, forcing his way through it would have been risky.
Nagato's reflexes had saved him.
For now.