The chakra from Konan that was attached to the explosive tags was instantly obliterated.
"So strong…"
Before her consciousness faded along with her chakra, the only thing she could feel was that Kaede's chakra seemed even stronger than Nagato's, and even stronger than 'Uchiha Madara's.'
Her real body immediately opened its eyes and turned to Nagato beside her, speaking in a low tone, "The chakra of my paper clone has vanished. The explosive tags must have been destroyed."
Nagato's eyes flickered before he shut them.
=============
Beneath Konoha.
When the countless explosive tags raining from the sky were blocked in an instant, the many Konoha ninja let out a collective sigh of relief. They quickly scattered throughout the village, preparing for battle.
After dispersing the sea of explosive tags, Kaede raised an eyebrow, sensing two chakra signatures descending from the sky, and over a hundred more approaching from underground.
"Sensor Unit, we've got enemies approaching from below."
Kaede glanced down at Hyuga Hiashi.
Hiashi immediately activated his Byakugan and summoned the Sensor Division. All of Konoha's ninja spread out in alert formation, eyes fixed warily on the ground.
The chakra underground was all identical, clearly White Zetsu clones. Kaede didn't waste time dealing with them himself and left them to the Konoha forces, instead flying upward to intercept the two chakra signatures falling from the sky.
Unlike the ones underground…
The chakra of the two descending figures, while similar to each other, was exceptionally powerful.
"Pain's Six Paths, huh?"
After a few flashes, Kaede caught sight of the two figures falling through the sky. He instantly recognized them and narrowed his eyes. In the next moment, he flashed forward, heading straight for Deva Path Pain.
Deva Path's Rinnegan also locked onto Kaede at the same time.
"So fast…"
This was Nagato's first time engaging Kaede directly, even if only via remote control of Pain.
Should he use Universal Pull first to control Kaede? Or go with Almighty Push to create space? Or maybe have Human Path attempt a surprise attack, perhaps they could eliminate Kaede with a well-timed strike?
Just as these thoughts flashed through his mind,
Kaede was already upon him.
"Shinra Tensei!!"
Nagato stopped hesitating. He controlled Deva Path Pain to raise his hand and unleash Almighty Push, while Human Path prepared to intercept any counterattack from Kaede.
If Kaede dodged the Almighty Push, he might take the opportunity to strike at Human Path, who was especially vulnerable in midair due to lacking flight capability. Deva Path had to be ready to use Universal Pull to save him, and then,
Boom!!
Nagato's thoughts came to a screeching halt.
He saw Kaede charge straight into the Almighty Push. The invisible repulsive force twisted as if it had been struck by a massive object, like a balloon warping under pressure, then it exploded.
Snap!
Kaede's hand clamped onto Deva Path's neck. With a slight twist of his fingers, Deva Path's neck was broken instantly, his entire body shattered into pieces by a violent burst of chakra.
Immediately after, Kaede reversed his grip and brought down a hand blade, releasing a golden flash that sliced Human Path cleanly in two from the middle.
Nagato fell into deep thought.
Konan, seeing his expression, also fell silent in contemplation.
A few seconds passed.
Nagato looked toward Konan and muttered, "…It must be because the main body was too far away. Deva Path couldn't receive enough chakra. That's why the Almighty Push was so weak."
Konan glanced at him and asked, "So… we go back?"
"…Yeah."
=============
Elsewhere.
Having crushed both Deva Path and Human Path, Kaede continued scanning the area, trying to locate Uchiha Obito and the remaining Pain bodies. But he sensed nothing.
Watching the fragments of Deva and Human Path fall from the sky and vanish into puffs of white smoke midair, Kaede fell into contemplation.
"That's it?"
Descending from the sky, he flew a quick circuit around Konoha. Apart from sensing the village ninja sweeping up the remaining White Zetsu underground, he found nothing else.
He landed on the roof of the Hokage Building.
Face dark, he looked out in front of him.
So… were you guys just messing around with me?
"Very well."
Kaede took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping over the village until it landed on someone. In a flash, he appeared before that person.
It was a Jonin from the Intelligence Division.
"Hokage-sama!"
The Jonin had been focusing on sensing underground movement, and Kaede's sudden appearance made him instinctively tense up. But he quickly recognized him and saluted.
Kaede calmly pulled out a Flying Thunder God kunai and tossed it to him. "I have a task for you, take this to the Land of Rain, somewhere near the newly reestablished Hidden Rain Village. No need to engage with any Rain ninja. You don't even need to go inside the village."
"Yes, sir!"
The Jonin caught the kunai without hesitation and replied immediately.
Kaede nodded. "Go. Make sure no one notices you."
"Understood, Hokage-sama."
The Jonin responded confidently. It was just placing a kunai nearby, an easy task that even a Chunin from the intel unit could handle with no issue.
After sending out this Jonin, Kaede didn't stop there. He dispatched a second ninja, a special Jonin, also carrying a Flying Thunder God kunai.
Once that was done…
He swept his senses through the underground of Konoha, confirming that the White Zetsu had all been cleared. He then gave the order to lift the alert status, and peace gradually returned to the village.
=============
Elsewhere.
Land of Rain.
The Animal Path puppet of Pain pressed one hand to the ground.
"Summoning Technique!"
Chakra symbols spread out in a flash, and with a burst of white smoke, the broken Deva Path and bisected Human Path appeared at the center of the array.
Seeing this, Uchiha Obito, seated nearby, spoke up:
"Failure, huh?"
"…Yes."
The Animal Path puppet responded in a deep voice.
Obito gave a cold snort. "The main body wasn't exposed, was it?"
Nagato had been developing his Rinnegan abilities rapidly lately and had grown overconfident. He insisted on testing Kaede's strength firsthand. A little setback would be good for him, maybe it would humble him.
Even he couldn't handle Kaede now.
Even if the Rinnegan had powerful abilities and elemental advantages, beating Kaede wasn't that simple. When the power gap reached a certain level, even natural advantages lost their impact.
"No, it wasn't."
The puppet replied calmly, "I controlled them from a very distant location, well beyond the sensory range of the Nine-Tails. I'm on my way back now."
"I'll come find you once your main body returns. From here on out, we plan our every move carefully."
With a final glance at the puppet, Uchiha Obito disappeared into a swirling black vortex.
==========
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