"Hmm?"
A terrifying killing intent suddenly enveloped Pain.
"Watch out!"
The moment Konan shouted those words, the ground beneath Pain's feet violently exploded.
A giant snake covered in pitch-black armor burst from the earth. It opened its hideous, massive maw, attempting to swallow Pain and Konan whole.
"Almighty Push!"
Pain spread his arms without a moment's hesitation. The horrific repulsive force sent the giant snake and Hidan flying backward together.
Konan, meanwhile, had activated her ninjutsu ahead of time. A pair of wings made of paper sheets materialized on her back, allowing her to soar into the sky and evade the strike.
A crimson Rinkaku extended from beneath Simu's trench coat, catching the airborne Hidan.
Has the chakra in his body been interfered with?
At the moment of contact, Simu felt the incredibly chaotic chakra within Hidan. The cause was likely the black rod lodged in his body.
Hidan gritted his teeth and yanked the black rod out. "That bastard... he better pray I don't catch him," he snarled.
If he could just get a drop of that man's blood, he would definitely use the Cursed Jutsu: Death-Controlling Blood to make him suffer!
Pain, too, was sizing up the suddenly appearing demon snake. Its entire body was encased in an exoskeleton as hard as steel. Its head featured a grotesque bone mask, and a single eye on it emitted an intense, crimson light.
Konan flapped her paper wings to maintain balance in mid-air. She stared at the demon snake and guessed, "Is it a summoned beast?"
Pain shook his head. "I didn't sense the release of a Summoning Jutsu."
As they speculated, Simu launched his attack without hesitation.
The Evil-Faced Ghost Snake let out a terrifying roar. Its massive body moved with speed that defied its size, charging at Pain and Konan like a bolt of lightning.
A mysterious creature capable of using ninjutsu...
Pain, with his Rinnegan, possessed incredible insight. He saw almost instantly that the Evil-Faced Ghost Snake was using Earth Style ninjutsu to reduce friction with the ground and boost its speed.
"If this is the extent of your strength, I am truly disappointed."
Pain's voice was ice-cold. He raised his palm once more, and a blast of Almighty Push scored a direct hit!
Before this technique, even the tens-of-meters-long Evil-Faced Ghost Snake could not escape being repelled.
"What a troublesome ability," Simu muttered, pushing up his glasses.
Immediately after, he saw Pain raise a palm again, aiming directly at him.
"Universal Pull."
A terrifying gravitational force yanked Simu forward. Six slender, crimson Rinkaku and a thick Bikaku sprouted instantly, stabbing deep into the ground. However, this did little to slow the speed at which he was being dragged.
Pain opened his hand and lifted a pitch-black rod, aiming it straight for Simu's heart.
If he collided at this speed, Simu's heart would surely be skewered.
Right then, a smile appeared on Simu's normally calm face.
The ground beneath Pain's feet shattered as a pitch-black Bikaku · Centipede, laced with crimson, lunged upward.
Stabbing the ground to slow down had merely been a distraction. The true objective was to launch a surprise attack from underground.
Faced with this sudden strike, Pain was forced to use the Body Flicker Jutsu, vanishing from the spot.
Watching Pain reappear in the sky, Simu narrowed his eyes. "That's the fastest Body Flicker Jutsu I've ever seen."
As he spoke, a pair of pitch-black wings grew from his back. Simu adjusted his glasses and said, "Taste this move. Ninja Art: Dancing Feather Kill."
These pitch-black feathers, shimmering with a metallic sheen, suddenly shot out. They enveloped the levitating Pain like a violent rainstorm.
"Pain..."
Konan prepared to help, but Pain raised a hand to stop her.
"If I need your help for an attack like this, our dream would be nothing but a joke."
Pain raised both hands. The incoming feathers acted as if they hit an invisible wall, being ruthlessly repelled about a meter away from him.
Wary of Pain's repulsive force, Simu formed a hand sign again.
"Ninja Art: Twin Snake Devour."
The Evil-Faced Ghost Snake that had been repelled earlier suddenly lunged into the air. Simultaneously, the ground broke open again as a second Evil-Faced Ghost Snake charged out. One from the left, one from the right—they flanked Pain.
Furthermore, countless crimson Rinkaku sprouted from the sides of their bone masks, forming a giant net in mid-air that trapped Pain inside.
Within the crimson net, two abyss-like maws closed in on Pain from both sides!
Even against such an assault, Pain's expression remained unchanged. He slowly opened his eyes, and the purple light emanating from them was breathtaking.
"Since it has come to this, I will let you understand the meaning of a true..."
"God!"
"Almighty Push!"
He threw his arms open. A terrifying white light blossomed instantly. A vast repulsive force erupted from the man like an unstoppable tsunami, drowning and tearing apart the crimson network.
The two giant demon snakes were completely consumed by the blooming white light!
This time, Pain was determined to show his true power. His chakra erupted without restraint, the repulsive force nearly destroying everything in its path.
The air was violently compressed, the ground shattered, and even light itself seemed distorted.
Everything was gone!
The shockwave from the attack pushed outward for several kilometers, turning the entire town into ruins in an instant.
Only that one figure remained standing high in the sky, those majestic eyes looking down upon the earth!
Amidst the debris, a figure emerged from the ground.
"With this kind of power, they couldn't possibly survive, no matter how strong their vitality is, right?" White Zetsu muttered as he looked at the town that had been completely leveled.
"Yeah. We came to recruit new members, and it ended up like this."
Black Zetsu shook his head, clearly feeling regretful that they hadn't been able to recruit Simu and Hidan.
After all, capturing the Tailed Beasts would be far too slow if they relied on Pain alone.
"Hmm?"
Pain, floating in the sky, suddenly frowned.
At the edge of the ruins, Simu's figure slowly stood up.
"That truly is... an incredible power."
He was covered in blood. Around him lay the remains of his Kakuhou, which had been crushed under the extreme pressure after being fully deployed for defense.
Additionally, a shriveled insect was attached to his back.
This was a new species he had created recently using the genes of the Uzmaki Clan.
The Blood Bag Insect.
It could store a massive amount of life energy to be used in emergencies.
However, even though Simu had deployed all his Kakuhou for defense and used the Blood Bag Insect to restore his life, his body had still suffered heavy injuries.
This was proof enough of the enemy's overwhelming strength.