Boom!
A giant centipede smashed through a house and continued rampaging nearby.
Some ninja were attacking it with Ninjutsu, but their efforts proved mostly ineffective, leaving only scorch marks on its armored exterior or temporarily pushing it back.
Not far away, another monstrous creature—a vicious three-headed dog—was leaping across rooftops. While dodging attacks from Konoha ninja, it launched counterattacks against nearby enemies, clearing them out.
Animal Path stood atop a rooftop, scanning the area carefully. Finding nothing of interest, he shifted his position once more.
The Boss Summons he had summoned formed a protective circle around him, relocating with his movements and blocking or killing any ninja attempting to break through toward the center.
"Still nothing? It seems like Konoha is doing a good job protecting the jinchuriki!"
After finishing his search in one area, Animal Path turned his gaze elsewhere—toward a hospital surrounded by many people. There might be something worth finding there!
With that thought, he leapt in that direction.
[Whoosh!]
Several shuriken flew upward from beneath the houses at a sharp angle, aiming precisely at Animal Path.
Even while in midair, his field of vision stayed incredibly wide, thanks to the sight shared by his summoned beasts.
[Slash!]
The centipede whipped its tail around, positioning itself as a shield in front of Animal Path.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The shuriken struck the centipede's body with metallic sounds, leaving faint white marks before losing momentum and falling downward.
[Roar!]
The three-headed hellhound roared and charged toward the ninja who had thrown the shuriken.
In a single bound, it reached the ninja hiding behind a wall.
"Y-You... d-don't c-come... ah!"
Targeted by such a massive messenger animal, the terrified ninja clutched a kunai in shaking hands, legs wobbling as he pressed himself tightly against the wall, fear plastered across his face.
Attempting an ambush and facing direct combat were entirely different things. Throwing tools from hiding was no problem for him, but standing before such a horrifying Boss Summon robbed him completely of any fighting spirit. Pure fear filled his heart.
This was humanity's innate terror toward large messenger animals—especially one as grotesquely terrifying as this, possessing three heads and two strange, seemingly useless little wings along its back.
Without hesitation, the hellhound lunged forward. Its massive jaws clamped onto the ninja's body before violently jerking its head sideways. A red rain splattered across the surrounding buildings, ending the ninja's life with a final, pitiful scream.
Having eliminated the enemy, the hellhound resumed following closely behind Animal Path, now clearly serving as a loyal bodyguard.
The remaining ninja nearby hesitated to attack again, cautiously keeping their distance while waiting for backup.
This area had yet to receive support from powerful ninja, and obviously, Genin like them were no match for the enemy. They stood no chance at all.
Too many brave souls had already fallen in earlier fights. They were thinking individuals who didn't want to throw their lives away pointlessly. Those cruel messenger animals alone were already an insurmountable barrier; how much more so for the real mastermind who hadn't acted yet!
Swoosh!
The centipede crashed straight toward the Hospital. However, before it could make contact, a figure shot out from inside the building and threw a punch directly at the centipede's head.
It was a stark contrast in size.
Animal Path naturally saw this, and aside from curling his lips into a cold smirk, he made no attempt to stop the centipede.
Some folks just wanna die—let 'em have their wish!
In his eyes, for such a tiny human to dare attack his boss summon? That was suicide plain and simple!
But, contrary to expectations!
The moment the centipede made contact with the ninja, it suffered a tremendous impact. Its body was blasted upside down and uncontrollably hurled backward.
"What?"
Animal Path narrowed his eyes, staring at the figure who'd just punched away his summoned beast, clearly surprised.
A woman in a long green robe, golden-blonde hair loose in a ponytail, looked calm on the surface—but her eyes blazed with fury.
With that dress and such power…
"Could it be Tsunade, known for her monstrous strength?"
Animal Path recognized the identity of this ninja, but rather than showing fear, he slowed his pace, landing on a rooftop to watch calmly.
If he wanted to locate the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Tsunade herself, being of such high status, might well be the key. Someone of her caliber should know certain things.
Thinking this, Animal Path's gaze turned determined. Now then, let's capture the only female among the Sannin first!
Hmph!
On the other side, Tsunade landed on the ground, shaking her arm slightly while taking a deep breath, glaring fiercely at the figure opposite her.
Just moments ago, she had been giving Jiraiya a routine checkup inside the ward when she had barely finished replacing the medicine around his throat area before strange sounds erupted throughout the village. Not long after, the window was covered by a looming shadow.
She quickly raised her head and saw a centipede of utterly abnormal size rearing up toward her, its intent obvious.
Without a word, she dropped the medicine, smashed through the window, and immediately threw a punch at the charging centipede.
"Intruders? Could this be… Pain?"
Still puzzled about who dared destroy Konoha, Tsunade noticed an orange-haired enemy wearing a black cloak adorned with red clouds standing on a rooftop across from her. She spotted those eyes resembling onion rings along with the small black rods pierced through his face and ears.
It matched exactly with the corpse of Pain Jiraiya had brought back, consistent with his description of the Rinnegan. Instantly, she identified the enemy.
"I never imagined Akatsuki would be this brazen—invading Konoha right when Minato is away from the village!"
"Are you underestimating the Hidden Leaf, the greatest of all ninja villages?"
Tsunade cracked her knuckles, her expression turning serious as sharp popping sounds came from her joints.
"Oh? So you actually know who I am. It looks like Master Jiraiya's intelligence work has finally paid off!"
This new Animal Path was a rather short girl, but when she spoke, there was nothing soft or cute about her voice—only extreme coldness.
"Tsunade! Be careful—that's Pain!"
From behind, Jiraiya leapt down wearing his hospital gown, landing beside Tsunade. He stared with a heavy gaze at the unfamiliar Animal Path—he had never encountered this form of Pain before.
His eyes swept over the centipede that had been knocked flying earlier by Tsunade and the three-headed dog positioned at the rear. He immediately understood—the new puppets, replacements for the one skilled in Summoning Jutsu that he had previously killed and taken from Nagato.
"I didn't expect to see you here too, Master Jiraiya—it's an unexpected delight!"
The Animal Path showed slight surprise as Jiraiya jumped out from the hospital. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, her alertness rising.
"Nagato—we meet again!"
Jiraiya's voice was hoarse, though noticeably improved from before. Thanks to the careful treatment from the finest medical ninja in the shinobi world, his injuries were healing quickly. Speaking now was no longer an issue.
He called out Nagato's name directly, his gaze filled with complex emotions.
Although his former disciple had tried to kill him last time, facing her again still made him feel reluctant, unwilling to accept the reality.
Perhaps it was simply because he was someone who deeply valued personal bonds.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several ninja arrived as reinforcements from other locations, gradually encircling the Animal Path, including some powerful Anbu among them.
"The rest of you, go evacuate the civilians and the wounded first—we've got this handled!" Tsunade ordered the newly arrived ninja. Looking in the direction the Animal Path had come from, many buildings lay in ruins, so she directed the arriving forces to assist nearby areas.
With both her and Jiraiya present, clearly there was no need for others to interfere—this was the confidence of the Sannin!
"Yes!"
Seeing Tsunade and Jiraiya already on the scene, those ninja knew things were well under control here. They gave brief nods before dashing toward nearby areas.
At first, confusion during the enemy's invasion had thrown their defenses into disarray, making it difficult to deal with multiple threats within the village.
However, as time passed, the scale and strength of the great hidden village began to show. Personnel distribution and support operations grew more organized, with ninja dispatched to handle uprisings wherever they occurred.
Hiss!
Over there, the centipede struck earlier by Tsunade rose again, lifting its upper body and shaking its head—the crimson carapace gleaming brightly under the sunlight.
Zooom!
Without needing orders from the Animal Path, it shot straight toward Tsunade once more, faster than before, leaving behind a red afterimage through the air.
Countless legs cast eerie shadows beneath the sunlight, but Tsunade was no ordinary person.
"Step back—I've got this!"
Tsunade glanced at Jiraiya. Although Jiraiya's injuries were mostly healed, this minor situation was better handled by herself. She spoke a sentence to him before clenching her right fist and stomping hard on the ground with both feet.
Boom!
Countless cracks spread outward like a spiderweb across the ground as Tsunade vanished from her spot, rocketing into the air.
"Die, you stinking centipede!"
She lunged straight toward the centipede, ramming her fist directly into its underside—right where its head corresponded.
Crash!
Without hesitation, the part of the centipede that took the impact exploded instantly, including its hideous head.
Spraying green liquid rained down like a storm as the centipede never managed a single counterattack, completely obliterated in an instant by Tsunade.
Dada dada!
Tsunade didn't waste a second after landing the first hit. Twisting midair, she landed on the still-standing body of the centipede and gripped it firmly with both hands before hurling it toward the Animal Path.
Boom...
The headless centipede twitched violently without dying immediately, thrashing around wildly.
But after Tsunade flung it away, the creature entered a free fall and began writhing even more intensely.
[Summoning Jutsu]!
Facing the incoming centipede, the Animal Path made no attempt to dodge. With hand seals formed rapidly, he slammed his palm onto the rooftop beneath his feet.
A burst of white smoke appeared, summoning a massive figure to stand protectively in front of him—a stone panda bear.
Thud!
The headless centipede crashed into the panda's body but failed to move it even slightly. Instead, it rebounded sideways, flipping uncontrollably thanks to instinctive movements, crashing into a house before finally going still.
"It's definitely one of the new Pain bodies! Its abilities are identical to the previous one."
Jiraiya stared intently at this unfamiliar face whose skills mirrored exactly the Pain he had previously killed and brought back.
His suspicions were confirmed.
These Pains could not only be brought back through Resurrection techniques, but also swapped out entirely when a body was destroyed.
Roar!
The Hellhound leapt onto the rooftop and took position beside the Animal Path. It let out a threatening growl directed at both Jiraiya and Tsunade.
It recognized Jiraiya and held back from attacking recklessly. Instead, it stood guard beside the Animal Path—its three heads locked onto the pair, claws scraping anxiously against the roof tiles.
Frowning, the Animal Path regarded Tsunade, who clearly suppressed his abilities. All his boss summons were large in size, while Tsunade specialized in close combat. If she struck just once, his messenger animals would be doomed unless he used [Boosted Summoning], a technique that cost valuable ocular chakra to temporarily make them impervious to attacks or split upon taking damage.
If there were only Tsunade, that method would work well enough. However, next to her stood an even more formidable Jiraiya. Relying solely on her would obviously be insufficient!
So... call for help?
[Summoning Jutsu]!
Without hesitation, the Animal Path performed the summoning technique again.
This time, she summoned another Pain currently searching elsewhere within the village.
Shua shua!
Two figures appeared around her. One crouched halfway down to examine the ground, while the other stood upright, looking ahead.
The white smoke from the summoning quickly dissipated, revealing the full appearance of the Animal Path's summoned creature.
The Deva Path and Preta Path—both were troublesome Six Paths clones!
"Tsunade, be careful!"
As soon as the enemy began using Summoning Jutsu again, Jiraiya instantly became alert. He leapt beside Tsunade, eyes locked ahead. He feared Tsunade might recklessly wander into danger.
Upon seeing the newly arrived figures, Jiraiya narrowed his eyes and immediately relayed intelligence to Tsunade: "The one in the middle has gravity and repulsion abilities. There's about a few seconds of cooldown between each use, though I haven't pinpointed the exact duration. His powers are among the hardest to deal with—types of forces you can't possibly resist by strength alone, so avoid direct confrontation as much as possible!"
"The fat one on the left can absorb chakra, and his taijutsu is impressive too. At full power, his impact rivals your monstrous strength!"
"Yeah, got it."
Tsunade nodded. She already knew all this but hadn't tested it in actual combat yet. Now that Jiraiya reminded her, she had complete clarity.
As soon as the Deva Path and Preta Path appeared, they looked toward Jiraiya and Tsunade standing on the clearing below with perfect coordination.
"Here we go!"
Tsunade decided to take the initiative and launched her attack immediately. Now that she had the intel, it was time to test whether their capabilities really lived up to what they'd heard.
"Yeah! I'll back you up!"
Jiraiya knew Tsunade's greatest strengths came when she closed in for melee combat, so he chose to assist her.
Though not seriously hurt, the injuries did have some impact on him. Since Tsunade wanted to lead the assault, he decided to trust in her strength.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
At the same time, the two rushed straight toward the trio of Pains on the rooftop, constantly switching positions during the dash in a serpentine pattern.
It was a simple maneuver often used during charges. Though enemies could track their path easily enough, the pair could also shift unpredictably midway through the charge.
"Hmph! Think you'll still get lucky this time, Sensei!"
[Universal Pull]!
The Deva Path snorted coldly, but instead of underestimating them, he remained highly cautious inside.
After all, these were the Sannin—not some minor characters!
Last time, Jiraiya alone nearly defeated the 'Pain' system single-handedly. This time, with backup and battle intelligence, they had clearly become even more formidable opponents. However, he wasn't without hidden cards either—last time's fight definitely didn't involve his full strength.
"Here it comes!"
Recognizing the Deva Path's familiar move, Jiraiya warned Tsunade, then flashed sideways while forming the hand seal for Shadow Clone.
Poof!
A perfect Shadow Clone of Jiraiya appeared beside him. Without hesitation, the clone grabbed the original's arm and hurled him forcefully in another direction, escaping the range of Pain's abilities.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Beside Jiraiya, Tsunade swiftly picked up a large stone fragment shattered earlier during the centipede battle. Without ceremony, she directly hurled it at the Deva Path—a simple and blunt tactic.
The Preta Path didn't hesitate. It stepped forward, clenched its left fist, and punched toward the boulder flying toward Tsunade.
Meanwhile, the Deva Path reached out and grabbed a black rod, impaling Jiraiya's shadow clone that had been drawn in by his gravitational pull.
"Die!"
With the Deva Path's gravitational force gone, Tsunade quickly closed in. Her body twisted slightly as she readied her right fist, aiming straight at the Preta Path—the very moment it shattered the boulder.
A thunderous explosion rang out.
The punch tore through the air with a fierce whistling sound.
Unfazed, the Preta Path stared at Tsunade and fired off its own right punch in response.
A sharp clap echoed through the air.
Their fists collided midair with a deafening impact. Shockwaves exploded outward, tearing through the space between them.
Tap tap.
Tsunade sprang back gracefully—but something was off with the Preta Path. It stumbled heavily, staggering backward with unsteady steps.
Clearly, Tsunade had gained the upper hand in this exchange!
Roar!
Jiraiya had already maneuvered himself to Pain's flank using basic applications of Shadow Clone.
The Animal Path and its Hellhound instantly noticed Jiraiya flanking them. Without hesitation, the Hellhound lunged forward—its three monstrous mouths opening wide, revealing sharp teeth and sticky drool.
[Fire Release: Flame Bullet!]
Placing his left hand near his mouth, Jiraiya formed Hand Seals with his right hand in front of his chest, swiftly activating the Ninjutsu.
To be honest, he shouldn't be using Ninjutsu with his throat wound still unhealed—but survival always came first.
Boom…
A massive flame bullet took shape and was launched directly at the Hellhound. The intense heat scorched surrounding buildings into blackened ruins. At this point, Jiraiya couldn't afford to care anymore—property damage? Who cared? The village would cover it anyway. What mattered was wiping this enemy out now!
Bang!
The fireball struck the Hellhound, exploding into widespread flames, most of which clung stubbornly to its fur.
This was a Fire Release technique mixed with toad oil—it wouldn't easily extinguish.
Roar! Roar!
Howling loudly, the Hellhound collapsed onto the ground, writhing while emitting pitiful cries. Gradually, the stench of burning flesh filled the air.
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