"No matter who you are, if you oppose Akatsuki, you will die!" the Deva Path declared, his gaze fixed intently on Jizo, his voice low and menacing.
Banshō Ten'in!
As he finished speaking, a powerful gravitational pull erupted from his outstretched palm. Instantly, Jizo felt an irresistible force grabbing hold of him, yanking him bodily towards the Deva Path.
Not good! Beside him, Pakura's expression tightened, and she prepared to dash forward to intervene.
"No need," Kagutsuchi stated firmly, holding out an arm to stop her.
Though his body was pulled uncontrollably through the air towards the Deva Path, Jizo remained calm. His body might have lost control, but the Mangekyō Sharingan in his eyes activated as usual.
Fwoosh~
Immense Ocular Power surged from his eyes. Azure chakra rapidly coalesced around him, forming the initial stage of Susanoo: a single ribcage and one massive arm. The moment the arm formed, it swung fiercely towards the Deva Path.
Compared to the pull of Banshō Ten'in, the Susanoo's attack was faster.
Seeing the colossal Susanoo arm smashing down towards him, the Deva Path murmured lowly.
Shinra Tensei!
A powerful repulsive force exploded outwards from his body.
BOOM!
The immense force slammed into the Susanoo arm, the impact echoing violently through the air. Jizo, along with his Susanoo construct, was forcefully shoved back by the repulsive wave. He landed heavily more than ten meters away, regaining his footing.
Seeing Jizo now encased within the skeletal ribcage, the assembled Akatsuki members all showed surprise. Within Akatsuki, many had witnessed the Deva Path's power; Orochimaru and Kakuzu had even personally experienced the might of Shinra Tensei. Yet now, this Jizo had countered it using only the power of his eyes, a dōjutsu.
However, Jizo himself wasn't optimistic. Standing firm, he stared gravely at the Deva Path opposite him. That last attack... Pain clearly didn't use his full strength. The power of the Rinnegan was truly formidable – capable of such versatile manipulation using just gravity and repulsion!
Honestly, Jizo had no easy way to deal with the Deva Path. In terms of Ocular Power, his Mangekyō Sharingan was clearly inferior to Pain's Rinnegan.
With a thought, Jizo glanced back at Kagutsuchi, Pakura, and the others behind him, then pushed the Ocular Power in his eyes to its absolute limit.
VWUUUMMM!
An even more vast and powerful azure chakra began to surge and condense around Jizo. Susanoo's chakra pathways, muscle tissue, and finally, its Tengu armor manifested one after another. Soon, a sky-blue giant, dozens of meters tall, stood before them.
Jizo had gone all out from the start, directly activating Susanoo's Fourth Form.
Gazing up at the immense Susanoo, everyone present was stunned. Whether it was Pakura and her group or the Akatsuki members across from them, this was the first time any of them had witnessed Susanoo. Nagato and Konan were no exception.
Staring intently at Jizo, visible within the gem on the Susanoo's forehead, Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with intense greed. Mangekyō Sharingan... such beautiful eyes!
The azure Susanoo swung its massive longsword, cleaving directly towards the Deva Path. Seeing this, Orochimaru, Kakuzu, Sasori, and the others hastily leaped back to evade. The Deva Path also retreated rapidly.
CRRAAASSHHH!
A tremendous roar echoed as the giant azure chakra blade slammed into the ground, carving a massive crater where a section of the forest had just stood.
While the Deva Path was still airborne from his retreat, three enormous Yasaka Magatama shot towards him again – one from the left, one from the right, and one from the center.
Shinra Tensei!
The Deva Path unleashed Almighty Push once more, blasting the three Yasaka Magatama away.
Fwoosh!
The instant the repulsive force dissipated, a figure flashed into existence directly above the Deva Path. It was Kagutsuchi.
Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!
His hands had already completed the seals mid-air. A colossal wave of incinerating fire erupted from his mouth, roaring down towards the Deva Path. Faced with the massive area-of-effect attack, the Deva Path had no time to dodge.
In an instant, a sea of fire completely engulfed the Deva Path's body. The roaring flames quickly spread, engulfing a large swathe of the forest and forcing the other Akatsuki members to retreat even further.
Watching the Deva Path swallowed by the inferno, the Akatsuki members wore varied expressions. They were surprised by the sheer power of the Fire Style jutsu Kagutsuchi had unleashed, but also puzzled by the Deva Path's reaction. It seems... the Leader isn't as overwhelmingly powerful as we imagined. Why hadn't he used that powerful repulsive force just now?
Suddenly, the sea of fire at the center began to converge rapidly, flowing towards the spot where the Deva Path had been suspended. The inferno rapidly shrank, eventually vanishing into nothingness.
When the smoke cleared, another figure stood beside the Deva Path. This newcomer was round-faced and stout, also clad in the black Akatsuki cloak with red clouds.
Seeing this person, Jizo and Kagutsuchi immediately recognized him as the Preta Path of the Six Paths of Pain. He possessed the abilities of Blocking Technique Absorption Seal and chakra devouring, making ninjutsu essentially useless against him.
"What is this?" Seeing the Preta Path, all the Akatsuki members except Konan revealed shocked and questioning expressions. They had never seen this member before. And, most crucially, they saw the Rinnegan in his eyes as well.
Realizing his attack had failed, Kagutsuchi quickly retreated, landing beside the feet of Jizo's Susanoo.
Stepping slowly forward from beside the Preta Path, the Deva Path stared intently at Jizo and Kagutsuchi, his expression more serious than ever before. That coordinated attack from Jizo and Kagutsuchi... perfectly timed within the five-second interval of Shinra Tensei. Was that intentional, or a coincidence? If it was the former, it meant they knew his weaknesses before the fight even truly began. For example, now, seeing the Preta Path appear, neither Jizo nor Kagutsuchi showed the slightest surprise.
They know about the abilities of the Six Paths of Pain! That was the conclusion Nagato reached instantly in his mind.
Swish, swish, swish~
A series of sounds signaled the other Akatsuki members regrouping nearby, having dodged the earlier attacks. Their gazes towards the Preta Path were filled with unconcealed shock and questions.
"I will deal with these two," the Deva Path commanded, his eyes fixed on Jizo and Kagutsuchi for several tense seconds before addressing the others. "You four, destroy Yakugakure."
"More fresh hearts to hunt!" Kakuzu growled eagerly. "Their bodies will make perfect puppet materials," Sasori added coolly. Orochimaru and Iwamoto remained silent.
Immediately, the four figures flickered, launching themselves towards Pakura, Suijin, and the two basic clone bodies opposite them.
Jizo and Kagutsuchi paid them no mind. At this moment, all their attention was focused solely on the Deva Path. Facing the Deva Path in perfect condition, neither clone felt confident in achieving victory.
With that thought, Jizo once again commanded his Susanoo to attack the Deva Path.
WHOOSH!
The massive azure longsword tore through the air with a violent roar, descending upon its target.