A special thank you to my patrons:
—Shahzaam, Jacob Mooe, kevin Williams, Jose Sierra, Pasang Sherpa, Acedia, kurtis newman, Nhoxious, Little Sand, sediaz, Targaryen, King Scales, Kurgarraz.
This story is complete, you can read the rest of the chapters ahead of everyone on p@treon.
P@TREON - [email protected]/lessaservantofcosmos
(just replace the "@" with "a")
ps: Please support me on P@treon. I can really use your help!
-------------------------------------------------------------
Tsunade pressed her right hand firmly against her left arm, her exhaustion written plainly across her face.
She had initially assumed that after clashing with so many Kage-level shinobi, the Deva Path's strength would be utterly depleted. Even if she couldn't kill him, she had hoped she could at least rescue the trapped commanders. But the course of events had defied all her expectations. Even after that ferocious, grueling battle, she still could not gain the upper hand against him.
Other shinobi, having heard the commotion, had rushed to her aid and encircled the Deva Path. Yet the Deva Path, keenly aware of his increasingly desperate situation, had gathered every last ounce of his power and unleashed a devastating, wide-scale Almighty Push. That single, desperate, all-or-nothing strike had inflicted far greater damage on the Allied Shinobi Forces than anyone could have imagined. Dust and sand had blotted out the sky.
The air itself had become thick and unbreathable. For a moment, Tsunade genuinely believed the heavens were collapsing upon them. Her eardrums rang with a maddening, ceaseless roar, and her eyes stung so fiercely she could not open them. She felt utterly lost, adrift in a sea of chaos and destruction. She had no idea who was still standing beside her, nor even where Pain had positioned himself. In such conditions, mounting any kind of effective defense was impossible.
But the Deva Path did not strike. The massive stone sphere still hung suspended in the sky, but it had not drawn any closer. If anything, the immense repulsive force of the blast had driven her further away. The Deva Path stood directly beneath the floating sphere. Within a radius of several dozen meters around him, not a single person could rise to their feet—not even Killer B or the others who had rushed to reinforce the line.
The Deva Path's upper garments had been shredded to tatters, revealing a powerfully muscled torso studded with black chakra receivers. His gaze was fixed on Tsunade, and he had not looked away for even a moment.
"Does he... not feel even the slightest hint of exhaustion?" Tsunade murmured to herself, her gaze drifting involuntarily towards the sky. They had thrown everything they had at him—the Third Tsuchikage, the Fourth Raikage, the Fifth Mizukage, Jiraiya, Might Guy—so many elite warriors launching a relentless, coordinated assault. And yet, they had failed to deal him a fatal blow. He was still capable of standing against the entire Allied Shinobi Forces. Pain... and the Akatsuki... Just what kind of people were they?
Tsunade cradled her injured wrist. In the course of her confrontation with Pain, her wrist had been severely damaged, to the point where she could barely lift her arm. With the enemy still looming before her, there was no time for even the most basic treatment. And Pain was unlikely to grant her the opportunity regardless. However, the Deva Path seemed not to notice her as she rose from the rubble. Seizing the brief window, Tsunade quietly began healing her arm, all the while keeping a wary eye fixed on Pain.
The Deva Path stared at her but made no move to attack.
"What... is he waiting for?" Tsunade wondered, her unease growing.
Even after she had finished treating her arm, the Deva Path still had not launched another assault. It was as though she did not exist. Tsunade swept her gaze rapidly across the surrounding area. The wide-scale Almighty Push had left the majority of the shinobi reeling, many unable to recover in the short term. The weaker fighters had been knocked unconscious outright. Others, struck by flying debris or crushed beneath shattered trees and broken stone, had suffered catastrophic injuries. Their situations were dire beyond words.
After his prolonged battle against Jiraiya and the others, the Deva Path was running on fumes. Now, it all came down to who could endure the longest. Tsunade gritted her teeth, her eyes never leaving Pain. His upper garments were tattered, yet he showed no signs of faltering. There was no visible indication of weakness whatsoever. Faced with an opponent unlike any she had ever encountered, Tsunade could only steady herself with such thoughts.
Fortunately, thanks to the Eight-Tails' protection, Killer B had escaped serious injury. Kakashi, too, had weathered the onslaught. The Allied Forces still possessed the capacity to fight back. But as Tsunade surveyed the battlefield, she realized that fewer than ten combatants remained in any condition to resist. If they hoped to turn the tide, their only chance was the arrival of a second wave of Allied reinforcements by ship.
Tsunade and Killer B exchanged a brief, wordless glance. Years of battlefield experience allowed them to understand each other's intentions without the need for speech. Tsunade, as the foremost medical ninja, was far more valuable in a supporting role than as a frontline fighter. Killer B, Jiraiya, and the others, by contrast, were better suited to direct assault. Thus, through those fleeting, shared looks, a battle plan was swiftly formed: the others would launch an all-out offensive, with Tsunade providing support from the rear.
The others were in equally dire straits, but they had no path of retreat. They fanned out, preparing to mount one final, desperate assault on the Deva Path. But at that very moment, a woman with striking purple hair suddenly appeared beside Pain.
"What's this? Is she another of Pain's allies?" Tsunade's mind reeled. The woman's attire was unmistakably that of the Akatsuki. She was clearly a member of the organization.
"Lady Tsunade, we cannot afford to wait any longer!" Kakashi shouted.
Tsunade nodded, her gaze locked onto the Deva Path and the newly arrived woman. "I know. All shinobi still capable of fighting... attack with everything you have!"
Killer B surged forward first, flanked by the Eight-Tails, closing the distance to Pain and the woman at blistering speed. But the moment he saw the Deva Path raise his palm, he instinctively threw himself aside, terrified that another Almighty Push was about to be unleashed.
Yet this time, no shockwave came. The Deva Path toppled backwards and collapsed onto the ground. The stone sphere in the sky immediately disintegrated, and the figures trapped within—Jiraiya, the Third Tsuchikage, and the Fourth Raikage—descended gently to the earth. Their expressions, however, were far from relieved. Even these Kage-level warriors had been left visibly drained and haggard after their prolonged imprisonment within the sphere.
"Are you all right?" Tsunade asked, casting a quick, concerned glance over the three of them. Seeing that they had suffered no severe injuries, the weight pressing on her heart finally began to lift.
"We'll survive, for now," Jiraiya replied, forcing a weak smile. It was obvious that being trapped inside that sphere had been an exceedingly unpleasant ordeal.
Moments later, Jiraiya's attention shifted to the unfamiliar woman standing nearby. He froze, his expression shifting from confusion to shock. "Konan?!" he blurted out.
"What?!" Tsunade was equally stunned. She studied the woman's face more closely, comparing her to the memory of the young girl she had known so long ago. At last, recognition dawned on her. It was indeed Konan.
"Konan, stop this madness. Collecting the tailed beasts is utterly pointless!" Tsunade called out.
Konan knelt beside Pain's still body. Her fingers drifted gently across his cheek. Cold. Rigid. Devoid of warmth. How bitterly ironic. Yahiko had already been dead for so long. His body should have been cold all along. It should have collapsed ages ago. But now, seeing Yahiko's body fall meant something else entirely—something she could not bear to accept—had happened.
"Nagato... is dead..." Konan whispered, her voice barely audible.
"What did you say? I can't hear you," Tsunade called out, raising her voice.
Konan rose to her feet and turned to face Tsunade.
Jiraiya instinctively took two steps forward, hoping to draw Konan's attention. "Konan, don't be so stubborn! You have to stop this!" he shouted.
"Nagato... is dead..." Konan said, her gaze shifting to Jiraiya. "In his final moments, he used the summoning technique to transport me here, to Pain's side."
"Nagato?" Jiraiya was momentarily stunned. Then, the question burst from his lips. "How did he die?"
"He was murdered... by Uchiha Madara," Konan replied, her voice hollow.
"Uchiha Madara?!"
The gathered shinobi exchanged bewildered, startled glances, their expressions a mix of shock and disbelief.