Kumogakure.
A burly man with bronze-colored skin was forming strange hand gestures, muttering incomprehensible lines under his breath. He looked like a lunatic.
Suddenly, six figures appeared around him, encircling him completely.
The arrivals were none other than the Six Paths of Pain. And the one they had surrounded—was the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, Killer Bee.
Tendō Pain frowned slightly at Killer Bee's strange movements and rap-like tone. In a cold voice, he said,
"You must be the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, Killer Bee."
Killer Bee ignored him, continuing his rap without pause.
Tendō Pain didn't waste words. He extended his hand toward Killer Bee.
"Universal Pull!"
Buzz!
A surge of pulling force erupted from Pain's palm. Caught off guard, Killer Bee was instantly dragged toward him.
Tendō Pain grabbed Bee by the throat. From the sleeve of his other arm, a black rod shot forth and stabbed deep into Bee's body.
But in the next instant—poof! Bee's body exploded into smoke. When it cleared, what remained in Pain's hand was nothing but an octopus tentacle.
Pain froze for a brief moment. Beside him, Animal Path suddenly shoved him back.
At that instant, a thunderous voice boomed from above.
A muscular man shrouded in lightning descended from the sky, his kick slamming straight into Animal Path.
Boom!
An explosion shook the gorge, crackling with lightning. Under that one strike, Animal Path was reduced to mangled flesh.
Tendō Pain leapt aside, glancing up at the newcomer. His voice was calm as he said,
"Fourth Raikage."
The Fourth Raikage, A, sized up the remaining five Pains. When his eyes fell upon their Rinnegan, his expression darkened.
"What kind of eyes are those…?" he muttered inwardly.
With the Raikage's arrival, squads of Kumogakure shinobi revealed themselves, surrounding the five Pains. The battlefield's momentum seemed to flip instantly.
Yet, not a trace of fear showed on any of the Pains' faces. Tendō Pain ignored the killing intent of the surrounding Kumogakure shinobi and instead addressed A directly.
"Where is the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki?"
A snorted coldly.
"Hmph! So it really is the Tailed Beast you're after. I didn't think you'd have the guts to come here. What now? Do you think Kumogakure is like Kirigakure or Sunagakure—that you can just come and go as you please?"
"What difference would it make?"
Tendō Pain's voice was devoid of any fluctuation. He clearly didn't place Kumogakure in his eyes at all.
Hot-tempered A couldn't stomach such arrogance. He clenched his fists, the lightning surging around him flaring even brighter. His hair stood on end, giving him a menacing aura.
"Lightning Release Armor!"
With a low shout, A vanished from sight. In the blink of an eye, he reappeared before Tendō Pain, chopping down with his hand.
"Lightning Oppression Horizontal Chop!"
But before his strike could connect—
"Almighty Push."
Buzz!
A surge of overwhelming repulsion burst forth from Pain's body. Even with Lightning Release Armor activated, A was blasted back instantly, his body hurtling through the air.
Darui immediately leapt up, trying to catch him—but A slammed into him, knocking both of them into the lake below.
The Kumogakure shinobi hadn't even processed what happened before their two strongest fighters were already downed.
But Kumogakure was the fiercest among the Five Great Shinobi Villages. Even though Pain's power seemed overwhelming, countless shinobi still charged forward without hesitation.
Most Kumogakure ninja specialized in Lightning Release. As they sprinted, they unleashed their most powerful jutsu.
Waves of raging lightning roared toward Tendō Pain.
Asura Path instantly stepped forward, his hands raised as a transparent barrier formed around him.
The Lightning Release techniques slammed into the barrier—and vanished like stones sinking into the ocean, leaving not a trace behind.
This bizarre scene left the shinobi dumbfounded. They froze in place, unsure how to respond.
But Pain didn't give them time to recover. Asura Path's arm transformed with a clattering mechanical sound, launching a barrage of missiles straight into their ranks.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions erupted one after another. Many Kumogakure shinobi were blown apart before they could even scream. Those who survived were left crippled, missing limbs and writhing in agony.
The performance was far from over. Naraka Path calmly approached the mangled remains of Animal Path. Before the terrified eyes of the Kumogakure shinobi, he summoned a massive face wreathed in violet flames—the King of Hell itself.
Animal Path's corpse was dragged into its mouth. A series of sickening crunches followed. Moments later, Animal Path emerged from the maw fully restored.
Once revived, Animal Path immediately performed Summoning Jutsu. One giant beast after another materialized, glaring down at the Kumogakure shinobi.
The psychological defenses of some shinobi shattered. They dropped to their knees, overwhelmed with fear.
Just then, the lake's surface erupted. Two massive octopus tentacles surged upward, clutching the fallen A and Darui.
Despairing shinobi suddenly reignited with hope. Someone cried out excitedly,
"It's Killer Bee-sama!"
The massive head of the Eight-Tails surfaced from the water. A and Darui leapt onto its head.
A's expression was grim. He barked angrily,
"Bee! Didn't I tell you not to come out? Akatsuki's target is you!"
This time, Bee didn't rap. His voice was unusually grave.
"This enemy… isn't one we can handle lightly. Gyūki told me… those eyes are the legendary Rinnegan—the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths!"
"What!?"
A stared in disbelief at Pain's Rinnegan.
"How can those eyes exist in multiple people at once?!"
"Gyūki doesn't know either. But there's no doubt—that's the Rinnegan!"
"Then did he say what powers the Rinnegan holds? How do we fight it?!"
"All he said was this—the Rinnegan are the Sage's eyes, with the power to destroy the heavens and the earth!"
"Damn it… what kind of sick joke is this?!"
Compared to A, Darui remained relatively calm. He spoke up,
"Raikage-sama, if the Rinnegan really is that terrifying, then hiding Bee-sama won't solve anything. The only choice we have is to fight with everything we've got!"
A's face was dark, but he gave a firm nod. He reactivated his Lightning Release Armor and charged Pain once more.
Bee extended his eight massive tentacles, instantly wrapping up the beasts summoned by Animal Path.
Tendō Pain's gaze sharpened. In a chilling voice, he declared,
"Looks like… you still haven't experienced enough pain."