The battle was intense.
The originally calm lake became turbulent, with muddy waves churning just like the ocean.
Despite the fierce battle, Jokichi wasn't in a hurry to intervene.
Although Isobu was taking a one-sided beating, its defense was quite strong.
That carapace, which seemed as if forged from black iron, granted it defensive capabilities far exceeding the other Tailed Beasts.
Although Pain was formidable, capturing Isobu using only standard ninjutsu would be impossible in the short term.
Unless he used the life-draining Almighty Push or Planetary Devastation.
The reason Jokichi didn't rush to intervene was that he was searching for Nagato's main body.
The Paths of Pain were merely puppets controlled remotely by Nagato.
Even if they were destroyed, they could be restored using the Naraka Path's abilities.
Furthermore, Nagato's legs were immobilized.
Dealing directly with the main body, as long as he was careful not to let his chakra get absorbed, would be much simpler than fighting the Six Paths of Pain.
Even if he was accompanied by Konan, it would still hold true.
Taking the initiative to attack versus passively receiving an attack.
The advantages and disadvantages between the two were worlds apart.
Jokichi didn't want the identity of Yato being Jokichi to be exposed, so he took off the false mask and changed back into his usual attire.
Then, he put on the First Fast Man shoes, equipped the scouter, and began searching through the forest.
Nagato could control the Paths of Pain from a considerable distance remotely.
Last time on the ocean, the scouter failed to detect his main body.
This meant his remote control range exceeded 50 kilometers.
But it absolutely couldn't exceed it by too much.
Otherwise, in the anime, Konoha's Jonin couldn't have searched for and deduced his location so quickly.
Wearing the First Fast Man shoes, Jokichi moved rapidly through the forest without making a sound.
He passed right by a bird without being noticed.
Although both Konan and Nagato possessed very powerful long-range sensory methods.
While focused on the battle with the Three-Tails, it was very difficult for them to detect such a silent individual.
However, after circling the forest once.
Jokichi didn't find Konan and Nagato, but he did find Black Zetsu.
That guy was currently on the branch of a large tree by the shore.
The upper half of his body had emerged from the tree, watching the battle, and occasionally exchanging a sigh or comment with White Zetsu.
This unexpected surprise made Jokichi very happy for a moment.
After all, Black Zetsu was something that fell off Kaguya Otsutsuki.
Could his body tissues be used to forge a nine-tomoe Rinne Sharingan?
Even if not a nine-tomoe Rinne Sharingan, Yomotsu Hirasaka or All-Killing Ash Bones would be great too!
Just thinking about those insanely overpowered things made Jokichi's heart flutter with uncontrollable excitement.
No, no.
Can't get too excited, I'll be discovered.
Jokichi, well aware of Black Zetsu's sensory abilities, tried hard to calm himself down.
Then he slowly edged closer to Black Zetsu bit by bit.
However, after closing the distance to about a dozen meters, Jokichi didn't dare to get any closer.
Even while watching the battle, that guy hadn't relaxed his vigilance toward his surroundings.
The area nearby was covered in spores.
No matter which way he approached, he would step on them.
Then, Black Zetsu, with half his body already merged into the tree, would just slip away in a flash.
This guy could move rapidly along the roots within the leylines.
Even a slight shift in gaze would allow him to escape.
So, how should he get close and catch him?
Use Wood Release?
While doing so would indeed bind him immediately, he didn't know if this guy could escape through the trees grown by Wood Release.
After all, Wood Release originated from the Divine Tree.
And the Divine Tree was the incarnation of Kaguya Otsutsuki, which in a roundabout way also meant it was the incarnation of Black Zetsu.
The possibility of him being able to do such a thing was very high.
Therefore.
Jokichi's eyes focused.
He took out three oddly shaped kunai, with formula runes written on their handles.
"I'll just use the Flying Thunder God teleportation. Let's hope that guy doesn't just bolt the moment he sees the kunai."
Jokichi raised his hands, and the three kunai tore through the air, flying toward Black Zetsu.
But when they were still seven or eight meters away from Black Zetsu, a vine suddenly shot up from the ground, swatting them away.
As a camper who had hidden for countless ages, even when acting as an onlooker, Black Zetsu constantly paid attention to surrounding safety.
When the kunai were thrown, emitting the whistling sound of tearing air, Black Zetsu detected it immediately.
From the sound, he could tell they were kunai, but he wasn't sure if explosive tags were attached to them.
Therefore, Black Zetsu used Wood Release to block them.
The three kunai flew high into the air, spinning in the sky, and were about to fall after reaching their peak.
And Black Zetsu just happened to turn his head to look.
"Flying Thunder God: Second Step!"
"Whoosh!"
Jokichi instantly crossed a distance of over ten meters, appearing in mid-air where the kunai were spinning.
Holding a birdcage in his hand, he threw it at Black Zetsu.
"Jokichi!?"
Black Zetsu turned pale with fright and immediately fled through the tree.
Having watched Jokichi's entire battle with Pain on the ocean, he knew full well that he couldn't survive even a single exchange against him.
"As if I'd let you escape!"
Jokichi sneered coldly, his hands forming seals.
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Spear."
The ground surrounding the tree Black Zetsu had merged into suddenly erupted with five or six long spears made of ore.
They pierced through the tree roots in a crisscrossing pattern, forcing the Black Zetsu inside out.
"Why did I have to run into this guy!"
Black Zetsu's panicked face was filled with deep incomprehension.
Could it be that Konoha learned of the Three-Tails' location and sent him to recover it?
While thinking, Black Zetsu rolled onto the ground and immediately burrowed underground to escape.
But before he could act, a shadow fell over him from the sky.
Black Zetsu looked up, only to see a giant birdcage falling down.
"Boom!"
The wooden birdcage landed on the ground, actually producing the massive boom of a heavy object crashing down.
Zetsu raised his right hand, and tree roots and vines sprouted from it, intertwining around his right arm to form a giant hammer.
He then smashed it fiercely against the wooden bars of the cage.
"Bang!"
The giant hammer struck it, erupting in a massive roar.
Zetsu felt an immense force rebound through the wooden hammer.
His entire body was bounced back, only stopping when he crashed into the wooden bars on the opposite side.
The birdcage, however, remained completely unscathed, without a single trace of damage.
"Stop wasting your energy."
Jokichi arrived in front of the birdcage, laughing lightly.
"The Cage of Fate cannot be destroyed. If you can't find the method to get out, you won't be able to come out for the rest of your life."
"You."
Zetsu's face looked very grim.
Just as he was about to say something, a violent explosion suddenly occurred on the lake surface.
The two subconsciously looked over.
They saw that beneath waves over 300 meters high, Isobu's massive body was flying in the air.
The Deva Path knelt on it, his right hand pressed against its carapace.
The next second, the giant mud turtle actually twisted and shrank, being completely sucked into the Deva Path's body.
It was then sent back to Nagato's main body via the wireless transmission of the black rods.
"Pain, save me!"
Black Zetsu yelled in pleasant surprise.
But all six Paths of Pain wore indifferent expressions.
The Deva Path glanced at him, then fixed his gaze on Jokichi.
"I have just become a Jinchuriki and haven't gotten used to this power yet. Next time, I will seek you out to settle the score." [lol]
After speaking, a burst of smoke exploded around their bodies.
All six Paths of Pain were summoned back by Nagato's main body.
Black Zetsu looked despairing.