A few figures stood within the massive crater, as if a meteorite had struck.
At the very center—Deva Path Pain.
Nearby, Ino stood, watching the scene with curiosity and excitement. Suddenly, the badge in her hand began to glow.
She wasn't the only one.
Tsuchiya Tsukimi, Hinata, and others—their badges all floated into the air, pulsing with energy.
Pain's eyes narrowed.
"Is this what protected them?" he muttered. "A defensive technique that can counter Almighty Push?"
Before he could analyze further, Ino suddenly shouted—
"Sakiya! Come out!"
As if responding to her voice, the badges trembled.
A light emerged from each, gathering into human forms.
The glowing figures flickered, then solidified—revealing multiple Sakiya standing in front of them.
The Konoha shinobi—besides Ino and a few others—were stunned.
"What... is going on?" Kiba muttered, staring at the multiple identical girls.
Even Ino looked surprised. "That many...?"
Meanwhile, the Sakiya copies exchanged glances, looking a bit awkward at their own numbers.
The first Sakiya, the one that emerged from Ino's badge, sighed and started giving instructions.
"Alright... you, you, and you—stay. The rest, back inside."
She pointed at the ones near Toya, Tsuchiya Tsukimi, and Sakuragi.
The chosen Sakiya clones immediately protested.
The one standing next to Kiba raised her hand with a serious expression.
"Why just us three? Wouldn't one be enough?"
The first Sakiya shrugged. "I've already been outside. I just want to go back to sleep. And based on priority, you three are the best choices."
"Priority?"
The selected Sakiya clones turned to their badge owners—Toya, Tsukimi, and Sakuragi.
The three of them stared back, expressionless and slightly confused.
Then, after a moment of consideration, the three remaining Sakiya clones nodded.
"Alright then."
The other clones turned back into light and returned to the badges, leaving only three Sakiya standing in the battlefield.
Deva Path Pain watched carefully, his frown deepening.
These girls were clearly clones—but something about them seemed familiar.
Then, a memory surfaced.
During Akatsuki's internal meetings, Kisame had once mentioned a strange little girl…
Could it be them?
Pain's gaze darkened.
A technique capable of nullifying Almighty Push—and on top of that, a clone-based failsafe system?
This was no ordinary opponent.
And yet, something felt off.
The clones had barely acknowledged him—as if they didn't consider him a threat.
Deva Path Pain—God's Judgment itself—was being ignored.
By a few clones.
For the first time, he felt something rare and unsettling—
Irritation.
At that moment, Sakiya stepped forward, standing alongside Konoha's young shinobi. Without turning back, she spoke.
"Leave this to us. You focus on evacuating the wounded."
Shikamaru had already seen the combat power of Sakiya's clones. With three of them present, there was no doubt they could handle the situation.
And considering the sheer scale of the previous battle, staying behind would only get in the way.
"Alright! Let's move!"
With a quick glance at his team, Shikamaru turned and left, leading the others toward the rubble at the edge of the crater to rescue the injured.
Pain—Deva Path—didn't particularly care about their retreat.
But allowing his enemies to walk away unchallenged—without fear—was an insult to his divine authority.
His expression darkened.
"I won't let you escape so easily!"
"Universal—"
Before he could finish, a kunai charged with lightning shot toward him at high speed.
Pain's eyes widened. He barely managed to tilt his head, the kunai slicing past.
He turned back toward the three girls standing before him.
The one in the center had just lowered her hand—the very same hand that had thrown the kunai.
(Lightning-enhanced speed? This is dangerous.)
For the first time, Pain truly acknowledged them as a threat.
"Three clones… This won't be easy."
---
Meanwhile, Shikamaru and the others had begun pulling injured shinobi from the wreckage.
However, not everything had been wiped out by Almighty Push.
A massive, split-bodied ninja hound—knocked unconscious but still alive—began stirring once more.
Above, a giant summoned bird circled the battlefield, untouched by Pain's earlier attack.
It screeched, preparing to dive down and wreak havoc.
Just then—
A new force arrived.
Sakura, leading the medical unit, spotted the incoming attack.
Instead of panic, a smirk crossed her face.
With a calm and deliberate motion, she tightened her gloves.
Her pink hair swayed, and the diamond mark on her forehead glowed faintly.
"Tch... Stupid bird."
She crouched slightly, muscles tensing—
Then launched herself into the air.
The massive bird opened its beak, preparing to strike Konoha's forces—
But Sakura intercepted it midair.
With a single, devastating punch—
CRACK!
Its beak shattered under the impact.
The giant creature plummeted, its enormous body crashing into the earth below.
BOOM!
The ground split, dust and debris exploding outward.
Sakura landed lightly on her feet, shaking the dust off her gloves.
"That should do it."
As soon as the giant bird crashed to the ground, the remaining ninjas rushed in to finish it off.
Kunai! Explosive tags! Ninjutsu!
A barrage of attacks rained down on the fallen beast.
BOOM!
A massive explosion sent a cloud of smoke and debris billowing into the air.
When the dust settled—
The giant bird was completely destroyed.
Kiba, Ino, and the others stood frozen in shock.
"That… was Sakura?"
"Incredible…"
Sakura, still catching her breath, allowed herself a small, proud smile.
"This is the result of my training."
But she quickly snapped back to reality, her expression turning serious.
"No time to admire—let's get the wounded out of here!"
"Right!"
But just then—
BOOM!
A massive explosion erupted from the pit, sending a shockwave through the battlefield.
Sakura and the others stumbled back, nearly knocked over by the force.
Their eyes snapped toward the source.
A mushroom cloud of smoke and energy rose into the sky from the crater.
Sakura's heart pounded.
"What the hell is going on down there!? Who's fighting now? Wait—could it be Pain!?"
She had been so focused on the medical mission, she had nearly forgotten the main reason she was even here.
Originally, medics weren't allowed on the front lines.
But Tsunade had personally approved it.
With battlefield casualties at an all-time high, every combat-capable medic had been deployed for emergency support.
Shikamaru, still catching his breath, glanced at the pit, watching as Sakiya and Pain clashed.
He sighed.
"Yeah… Sakiya is fighting him now. We're too weak to do anything, so we prioritized getting the wounded out."
Sakura's eyes widened.
"Wait, wasn't Sakiya supposed to be at the Five Kage Summit? Did she teleport back like Lady Tsunade?"
Shikamaru scratched the back of his head.
"Uh… it's kind of a long story."
"Then let's move!"
Sakura turned, her expression set.
"We get the wounded out now. If the fight gets any worse, we do NOT want to be caught in the middle of it."
Shikamaru nodded.
"Agreed. Let's go."
_______.
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