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"How do you know those three names?" the Deva Path demanded.
"Is that supposed to be a secret?" Midorima countered.
"Was it Jiraiya?!"
The Deva Path filled in the blanks on his own, which saved Midorima the trouble of fabricating an explanation. Midorima pressed on. "War will never truly disappear, no matter what. As long as there are people, there will be selfish desires, and conflict will be everywhere... Believing that you can end conflict through conflict itself—that is nothing but naivety. And more importantly, do you even know the true identity of this so-called 'Uchiha Madara'?"
Those words made both the Deva Path and Hiruzen freeze. The identity of "Uchiha Madara" was something that, in the eyes of many, remained wrapped in layers of profound mystery. Hiruzen, even more so, desperately wanted to know who was truly pulling the strings behind all of this.
"You know?" Hiruzen asked.
"No." Midorima shook his head. "Until he takes off that mask, there's no way for me to know who he really is. Besides, I'm not a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village, so I have even less of an idea who from the Leaf might fit the profile..."
He had to distance himself clearly and decisively. The last thing Midorima wanted was to become a thorn in the Leaf's side after dealing with the Akatsuki. Having an outsider who knew the Hidden Leaf Village inside and out would probably keep Hiruzen awake at night—unless Midorima died right here. Still, Midorima wasn't arrogant enough to make an enemy of the Leaf. Against the Akatsuki, the five great shinobi villages would lend their aid. But if he ever faced the Leaf alone, the other villages would be more than happy to kick him while he was down—offering no help whatsoever.
"The circle of suspects should be narrowing. Even Kakashi might already have a hunch," Midorima explained.
"Kakashi?"
"If that ambush in the Hidden Sound Village was orchestrated by the Akatsuki, then the fact that Kakashi survived can only mean one thing—someone in the Akatsuki knows him. As for who, I'm not yet certain. But at that time, Itachi was still in the Leaf. The only person with a connection to the Leaf would have to be Uchiha Madara. Don't bother telling me that the ambush in the Sound Village wasn't the Akatsuki's doing."
The Deva Path didn't answer. Instead, he simply extended his hand toward Midorima. In an instant, Midorima was pulled irresistibly forward, hurtling toward the Deva Path. At the same time, the Deva Path raised his right hand. From within his sleeve, a black rod gleamed, and he thrust it viciously toward the oncoming Midorima. The tip of the rod was wickedly sharp, capable of piercing straight through a human body without the slightest resistance. This was something the Deva Path had witnessed countless times before. But this time, the rod merely pressed against Midorima's abdomen and did not penetrate. When he looked again, he saw that Midorima's skin had turned a deep, dark black.
Earth Release: Earth Spear? Hiruzen was visibly surprised by the sight. It seemed Midorima had mastered more than just a single ninjutsu.
Clearly, the Deva Path also recognized the problem. He had used this very technique to kill more than one person, and never before had it failed to inflict a mortal wound. But his reaction was swift. Realizing he couldn't damage Midorima directly, he didn't hesitate for even a moment. He immediately unleashed Almighty Push, blasting Midorima far backward. As the Deva Path prepared for his next attack, to his utter shock, Midorima materialized directly in front of him once more.
"How did you—" the Deva Path began, astonishment flickering in his voice.
"You have your methods, and I have mine! You just unleashed a whole string of attacks on me. Now, it's my turn." In the very instant he had been repelled by Almighty Push, Midorima had activated his "Instant" technique, crossing space and time to appear directly before the Deva Path. In that split second, he had already formed a Rasengan in his right hand and slammed it squarely into the Deva Path's body. The Rasengan's destructive power was immense to begin with, and with Midorima currently cloaked in his tailed beast state, its might was utterly devastating.
Midorima had envisioned this single blow punching straight through the Deva Path, after which he would have a long conversation with Nagato. So-called negotiation was, at its core, a matter of relative strength. If you couldn't beat your opponent to the negotiating table, there was no way this fight would ever end. Still, considering Nagato's disposition, Midorima didn't hold out much hope for any peaceful resolution.
Yet this Rasengan only sent the Deva Path flying back a little over ten meters. Upon landing, the Deva Path remained on his feet and had not lost his ability to fight.
"Agh..." Midorima felt a headache coming on. The Deva Path's resilience was far greater than he had imagined.
"You can't kill me. You simply don't have the ability," the Deva Path said coldly, his eyes fixed on Midorima. "However, it seems I may have underestimated you. But you no longer have any chance at all!"
As he spoke, a dark figure streaked through the air and landed directly in front of the Deva Path. Midorima's eyes widened slightly at the sight. The Animal Path!! Hiruzen, too, was completely stunned. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could get a word out, he saw the Animal Path rapidly weaving hand signs. The other four Paths of Pain descended from the sky and positioned themselves before the Deva Path.
"How are you here?! Weren't Jiraiya and the others still fighting you?!" Hiruzen demanded fiercely.
"Them? A few summoned beasts were enough to keep them tangled up. Jiraiya is a bit more troublesome, but as long as we kept our distance from him, we could be summoned here. Right about now, they're probably still searching for us." The Animal Path spread his hands. "As for me... I've been following you ever since you left. You just never noticed."
Midorima's brow furrowed deeply, a weight settling in his chest. Even Kakashi would have struggled immensely against the Paths of Pain, especially now that he had lost his Sharingan—his combat strength even weaker than it had been at the same point in the original story. The one wildcard Midorima hadn't fully accounted for was Jiraiya. But since the Hidden Leaf Village was currently under attack, Jiraiya would likely only come after the crisis in the village was somewhat alleviated.
"Lord Hokage, are you still able to fight?" Midorima glanced back at Hiruzen.
Hiruzen's beard was now flecked with white, and his age was clearly no small number. His strength had undoubtedly waned compared to his peak. Still, he was the Hokage regardless—his power was not to be underestimated.
"Don't bother asking whether I can or can't. I am the Hokage. There is no path of retreat for me," Hiruzen stated.
"I'll handle the Deva Path. You deal with the others. Can you manage?" Midorima asked.
Hiruzen opened his mouth but hesitated. He had just clashed with the Animal Path and the Preta Path not long ago. Holding his own was possible, but defeating them would likely take considerable effort. But now was not the time for hesitation. Hiruzen was about to reply when, all of a sudden, a powerful gravitational force seized his body and yanked him violently toward the Deva Path.
"Damn!" Hiruzen hadn't anticipated a sudden attack like this. He prepared to mimic Midorima and use Earth Release: Earth Spear to harden his body and withstand the Deva Path's strike. But at that very moment, a massive bull materialized out of nowhere and charged straight at Hiruzen.
Midorima was badly startled by the sight. He instantly used his "Instant" technique, appearing directly in front of the charging bull. Summoning every ounce of his strength, he seized the beast by both horns and, with tremendous force, hurled it spinning into the air.