Chapter 219: Kakashi vs. The Deva Path, Minato's Kekkei Genkai
West side of Konoha.
Hatake Sakumo, relying on his Swift Release, moved like a phantom. The Asura Path launched numerous tracking missiles, but it couldn't land a single hit. Instead, Hatake Sakumo's extreme maneuvers caused the missiles to repeatedly crash into each other and explode.
The Asura Path was now bare-chested, revealing six arms and four faces, with a long saw blade growing from its back. Its Rinnegan scanned the area, trying to lock onto Sakumo's figure.
Suddenly, the saw blade bent and shot out to the left.
Boom!
The ground exploded. It had missed.
A moment later, a brilliant flash of white light, and one of the Asura Path's right arms flew into the air.
A second later, one of its left arms was severed.
Hatake Sakumo struck and retreated, faking one way and attacking another, patiently waiting for opportunities to whittle down the Asura Path.
Seeing four of its six arms gone, the Asura Path suddenly pulled on its left wrist, revealing a chain of missiles, and fired them all.
This time, they weren't tracking. It was a full-scale saturation bombing.
At the same time, a mechanism opened on the Asura Path's head. Chakra light bloomed, condensing into a laser.
Rumble!
The large-scale explosion finally forced Hatake Sakumo to retreat, his figure appearing on a crumbling, ruined wall.
The Asura Path locked on immediately. The laser cannon on its head fired, blasting towards Hatake Sakumo's position. It was a precise hit, disintegrating him along with the ruined wall into dust.
Several Konoha Jōnin who had been preparing to attack cried out in shock: "Sakumo-sama!"
Suddenly, the ground beneath the Asura Path split open. Hatake Sakumo shot out, slashing upwards. A brilliant white blade of light sliced the Asura Path clean in two from the middle.
Clang!
The two halves of the Asura Path fell to either side like scrap metal.
Sakumo landed his attack but immediately retreated, leaping back to the other Konoha shinobi. He barked, "Don't approach it rashly! It's not alive, it's a puppet! Either seal it or destroy it completely!"
Hearing this, the Konoha Jōnin all began performing jutsu.
Wind Style, Fire Style, Earth Style... they blasted the two halves of the Asura Path until they were nothing but broken parts, only then did they stop.
...
South side of Konoha.
Gamabunta suddenly exhaled a puff of smoke, then opened his mouth. The Human Path rolled out onto the ground. Jiraiya followed right behind him, a relaxed smile on his face. "Heh, not as tough as Gen'ichi said!"
Gamabunta looked over towards Namikaze Minato's position. "Minato already finished off two of them!"
Jiraiya leaped onto Gamabunta's head and looked to the other side. Sure enough, on the battlefield littered with Hiraishin kunai, lay two Paths.
It was the Naraka Path and the Preta Path.
"Still as fast as ever," Jiraiya remarked.
Just then, Namikaze Minato appeared beside him. "Jiraiya-sensei, let's hurry and go after the Deva Path. That's the strongest one."
Although the Preta Path could absorb all ninjutsu, even Sage Art, Namikaze Minato, with his Flying Thunder God, had easily taken on both of them at once and won.
After all, he didn't need ninjutsu. With just his Flying Thunder God kunai, Minato's killing power was immense. His taijutsu was nothing to scoff at, not to mention that his power was massively enhanced in his Zero-Tails Sage Mode.
"Bunta, head for the Hokage Building! The Deva Path is definitely heading for the shelters and Tsunade!" Jiraiya shouted.
Namikaze Minato, however, looked up. He saw figures soaring into the sky, and then the meteor splitting apart, followed by constant roaring explosions.
"That's Gen'ichi for you," Minato smiled.
Gamabunta leaped forward. Jiraiya stared at the sky. "That guy knew about Nagato's intel long ago. He must have been preparing for this for a long time, right?"
"But... is that a Susano'o?"
"When did Gen'ichi get a Mangekyo Sharingan?"
"Could it be..."
"Gen'ichi would never do that, Jiraiya-sensei," Namikaze Minato said firmly, cutting him off.
"I think it must be from Uchiha Namiichi's eye..."
Jiraiya was stunned. "A non-Uchiha awakened the Mangekyo?"
Minato smiled. "But that's Gen'ichi we're talking about!"
...
"This is some bad luck," Shiranui Genma sighed. "If I remember right, this guy can repel any attack."
Yamashiro Aoba pushed up his sunglasses. "We can only attack during the jutsu's cooldown. That interval is extremely short."
Might Duy clenched his fists, instantly opening the Eight Gates. A green chakra aura flared to life around him. "Leave the attacking to me!"
"Uncle Duy, don't be hasty," Kakashi quickly said.
"Even with the intel we have on him, he's not simple to deal with."
"Everyone, spread out!"
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Shiranui Genma and the other two immediately leaped apart.
Kakashi's hands flew through seals, and he slammed his palms on the ground.
Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!
Four massive walls, carved with dog heads, rose from the ground, trapping the Deva Path inside.
Flash!
Kakashi leaped over the wall. The moment he landed, lightning sparked in his hands.
Storm Release: Thunder Tiger Double Kill!
Two wolves made of Storm Release lightning howled and charged out. Under the Deva Path's gaze, they swerved, tracing two arcs to attack from both sides simultaneously.
Just as they were about to hit, as expected, the thunder-wolves both disintegrated.
At that exact moment, Yamashiro Aoba and Shiranui Genma appeared on the left wall, launching a combination attack.
Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!
Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!
Boom!
Wind and fire merged, becoming a roiling sea of flames.
The Deva Path punched the ground. Boom! A pillar of water erupted from the earth and slammed into the onrushing inferno, sending massive clouds of steam into the air.
However, behind the Deva Path, Shiranui Genma leaped up from behind the wall. He opened his mouth and spat a volley of senbon, each coated in a layer of white light, shooting towards the Deva Path's back at extreme speed.
Ting!
The senbon, just about to pierce the back of the Deva Path's head, were repelled.
"Now!"
Kakashi, shrouded in lightning, vanished from his spot. As he rocketed towards the Deva Path, he thrust his hand forward. A highly condensed blue-purple lightning spear shot out, crossing ten meters in an instant.
Storm Release: Chidori Sharp Spear!
Pfft!
The Storm Release spear pierced the Deva Path's shoulder. But in the next instant, Pain raised his right hand towards Kakashi.
Universal Pull!
Kakashi's body was instantly pulled toward the Deva Path.
The Storm Release spear dissipated. The Deva Path raised his left hand, and a black rod extended rapidly from his sleeve.
Pfft!
Kakashi's body was impaled by the black rod—but he immediately burst into a shower of brilliant lightning that enveloped the Deva Path.
"A Lightning Shadow Clone, is it?"
"In that case..."
The Deva Path's peripheral vision caught movement. To his right, someone had leaped up.
It was Shiranui Genma. He inhaled and spat out intersecting, arcing blades of vacuum.
Wind Style: Vacuum Serial Waves!
"Too slow."
Just as he was about to be sliced into pieces, the Deva Path unleashed Almighty Push. The crackling lightning and Shiranui Genma's wind attack were all blown away.
"I'm here too!"
From the left wall, Yamashiro Aoba spat a fireball.
But the Almighty Push was still active. The fireball was also repelled and scattered.
"Your intel may be perfect, but against..."
Before he could finish, the Deva Path was shocked. "So fast!"
He crossed his arms, but his body was sent flying with a boom, slamming into the stone wall behind him.
It was Might Duy, who hadn't moved until now. With the Sixth Gate open, he had sent the Deva Path flying with a single kick.
"Die!"
The ground burst open. Kakashi, wielding a tanto, shot out from underground. Storm Release chakra flowed like water along the blade.
Storm Blade Ougi!
The Akatsuki robe was silently split open, followed by the chest beneath it.
Just as Kakashi's tanto was about to slice open the Deva Path's neck and decapitate him...
The blade stopped, unable to move another inch.
Kakashi's eyes widened. "Damn, just a little more?"
Just as Kakashi was about to be blown away, a blue figure appeared once more. A horizontal kick swept through the air, aimed straight at the Deva Path's head.
It was Might Duy, with the Seventh Gate open!
Almighty Push erupted!
However, to the Deva Path's shock, the sweeping leg was not repelled. The powerful repulsive force was overwhelmed by sheer, terrifying strength.
BOOM!
The dog-headed wall exploded. The Deva Path was sent flying again, crashing boom into a house, which immediately collapsed on top of him.
"Nice one, Uncle Duy!"
Kakashi, landing safely, let out a quiet breath and sheathed his blade in praise.
If it weren't for Might Duy, he probably would have been severely injured by that Almighty Push.
This Deva Path was astonishingly strong. Even after taking that kick, he seemed completely undamaged.
At this moment, Shiranui Genma and Yamashiro Aoba appeared beside them, staring at the ruins.
"Is he finished this time?" Yamashiro Aoba asked, pushing up his sunglasses.
Shiranui Genma said, "He should be. The power of that blow..."
His voice trailed off. A cold sweat broke out on his forehead. "No way..."
Yamashiro Aoba's voice was strained. "Is this puppet... immortal?"
Kakashi watched the Deva Path walk out of the dust and smoke, his voice heavy. "No, he's not. But this one is different. He's the core of the Six Paths."
Might Duy was also shocked. "Even that didn't work... In that case..."
"Captain, you all fall back. Leave this to me." Might Duy stepped forward, blocking Kakashi and the others.
Kakashi's expression changed. "Don't tell me... Uncle Duy, are you going to open... that?"
Might Duy nodded. "Only that move can handle this guy..."
He turned his head slightly, flashing a bright white smile. "Take care of Guy for me!"
"Uncle Duy..." Kakashi froze.
At this moment, the Deva Path had already emerged from the dust, his gaze fixed on Might Duy. "Pure power?"
"I didn't expect Konoha to still have a warrior like you. My apologies."
"But..."
The Deva Path raised his hand. "It ends here."
"Genma, Aoba, scatter!"
Kakashi suddenly formed the Serpent hand seal.
To the Deva Path's left and right, thick vines erupted from the ground, binding his body and arms.
But the next moment, the vines shattered.
"Hmm?"
Just as Pain was about to gather power and finish Kakashi's group, he looked up, his hand rising as well.
Two Wind Style: Rasenshuriken were howling towards him.
Almighty Push!
The two shuriken, which had been tracing an arc to bypass him, were instantly repelled and vanished without a trace.
But then, a longsword sliced down from above. Gamabunta's massive form descended from the sky. "Die!"
However, when the blade was still a short distance from the Deva Path's head, it stopped, unable to descend any further.
Clang! The massive blade was flung away, spinning several times in the air before stabbing into the ground with a ZNNNG, quivering violently.
"Dammit!" Gamabunta's body fell backward, unable to stop himself.
Namikaze Minato leaped up at that moment, throwing a Hiraishin kunai.
The Deva Path tilted his head to dodge. Minato, in mid-air, vanished. He suddenly appeared behind the Deva Path, his left hand catching the Hiraishin kunai, while his right hand held a Rasengan that was black on the outside but held a core of swirling purple fire.
BOOM!
The Deva Path pitched forward as the ground exploded, sending shrapnel flying.
"What?"
The Deva Path was stunned, but he immediately understood. "Konoha's Yellow Flash... the former Nine-Tails Jinchūriki's husband... Dammit, my body... can't move."
On his back, the Rasengan spun at high speed, easily tearing through his Akatsuki robe and then his flesh.
Minato twisted his wrist. The Rasengan swelled, and in that same instant, he vanished, reappearing by Gamabunta's side.
BOOM! BOOM!
Where the Deva Path had been, a purple light swelled into a massive sphere. Inside the sphere, purple flames raged and burned wildly.
When the light faded and the purple flames died down, all that remained on the ground was a charred corpse, its back almost completely burned through.
"Amazing!"
"So fast!"
Shiranui Genma and Yamashiro Aoba exclaimed at the same time. "As expected of the Yellow Flash!"
Kakashi let out a long breath. "As expected of Minato-sensei."
Might Duy, who had been building up his power, scratched his head. "Looks like I wasn't needed after all!"
Beside Minato, Jiraiya said in shock, "By the way, when did you learn that new move?"
Minato smiled. "I just perfected it a few days ago. It's an... unexpected Kekkei Genkai."
Jiraiya's eye twitched. "Kekkei Genkai?"
Minato nodded. "Yeah, a fusion of Lightning Style and Fire Style. I call it... Blaze Release: Zero-Tails Pitch-Black Zero-Style Purple Flame Big Ball Rasengan... Honestly, I was originally trying to fuse Wind and Lightning, or Wind and Fire... I didn't expect this to happen."
Jiraiya had a dark look on his face, momentarily speechless. Finally, he managed to gripe, "Hey, that name is way too long!"
Minato gave an embarrassed laugh.
From behind them, the half-reclined Gamabunta roared, "Hey, you two! Could you at least worry about me?!"
...
At the same time, on another battlefield.
"Finally... solved..." Uchiha Inabi panted, looking at the Animal Path's corpse.
The chameleon's ability to turn invisible was similar to Iwagakure's Camouflage Jutsu, allowing it to blend perfectly into its surroundings, hiding it from perception and masking its scent.
However, the Sharingan could see the flow of chakra.
This made the chameleon's invisibility completely useless.
...
On the Hokage Building rooftop.
The Rinne Puppet Clone that had been observing the Deva Path was a little surprised. "A Blaze Release from fusing Lightning and Fire... Interesting..."
In the 'future' he had seen when he'd 'cheated', Minato had never developed this Kekkei Genkai.
But this was normal. The 'future' he'd seen was only his intended future; it had many uncertainties.
The stronger he himself became, the more his every action could influence his surroundings, changing the future until it was unrecognizable.
The Six Paths of Pain were dealt with, and the meteor in the sky was no longer a threat.
The Rinne Puppet Clone turned its head, looking to the west.
(End of Chapter)
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