A familiar voice sounded in his ears. Hearing this, the Third Hokage's heart settled, and he smiled, "It's not too late, you've come at the perfect time."
The other Konoha Ninjas also felt a bit relieved.
Although the Akimichi Clan's outburst was indeed unexpected, it could ultimately only deal with superficial ailments. Deep-seated illnesses like those affecting the leader of the Akatsuki organization required powerful medicine like Orochimaru's.
Seeing Konoha's morale revived and soaring again, Tendo Pain didn't care at all.
The gap in strength was clear, it was only a matter of time. In comparison, Orochimaru was the enemy that needed to be dealt with primarily.
The six pairs of Rinnegan pupils narrowed slightly, focusing entirely on Orochimaru, or more accurately, on Orochimaru and Manda.
Tendo Pain and the Animal Path stood high atop the Yatagarasu's head, looking down, as if everything was laid out before them.
Above Manda, Orochimaru's lower body had almost lost its human form, with half his body directly merged into Manda. It looked strangely unnatural.
And from the perspective of the Rinnegan, the Chakras of the two were linked, indistinguishable from each other.
"Your appearance is getting more and more disgusting."
Tendo Pain's eyes held clear disgust.
"We're both the same."
Orochimaru licked his lips and smiled, "It's all for power, what's the difference in status."
The so-called Six Paths of Pain were only human-like on the outside. Inside, they were also puppets made by Sasori. The difference was between biological modification and mechanical construction.
However, Orochimaru wasn't just saying that.
After all, he had transformed into this form to borrow Manda's power. What could Nagato gain by using Yahiko's body?
Tendo Pain's gaze sank, and he no longer argued with Orochimaru.
The Yatagarasu beneath him let out a shrill cry, its body turning downwards, launching giant eggs, each the size of a person.
"Bad, quickly dodge!"
The ninja of the Hyuga clan "saw" the violent Chakra within and shouted a stern warning. The Konoha ninjas immediately scattered.
Boom boom boom...
Explosions sounded one after another, detonating across the ground. Each blast was as powerful as an A-rank Ninjutsu.
Tendo Pain's expression changed. At almost the same moment as the explosions, a colossal figure leaped from the ground, rushing directly towards him on the bird's back.
The Yatagarasu was attacking with all its might and could not effectively evade. Tendo Pain and the Animal Path decisively jumped off the bird's back.
And at the same time, a giant snake tail slammed down ferociously.
Boom!
After a muffled thud, the Yatagarasu fell like an arrow loosed from a bow. Its sharp beak even inconveniently plunged into the ground.
This scene was quite comical, but Tendo Pain had no time to care. He stared at the giant object flying in the air, his expression slightly grim.
Among the giant summoned beasts, there were flying creatures, and even among ninjas, there were those who could float on their own.
But to bring a giant snake into the sky, this was unheard of.
However, Tendo Pain feared giant summoned beasts the least. In his eyes, these were all moving targets.
He clasped his hands together and shouted, "Chibaku Tensei..."
Before he could finish speaking, a giant snake shadow pounced over. It came with great speed, as if it had seen through his timing.
The giant tail whipped forward with a whistling wind, like a long whip. Tendo Pain's expression changed, and he pushed instead of striking with his palm.
This forced attempt at Chibaku Tensei would probably not succeed, and Tendo Pain did not want to try to endure Manda's tail strike with his bare body.
The instantly cast 'Shinra Tensei' collided with the snake's tail. After the airwaves clashed, a violent repulsive force sent both of them flying back. Manda's huge body even staggered in mid-air.
But Orochimaru quickly adjusted his posture and rushed towards Tendo Pain again, giving him no room to breathe.
The more powerful the Ninjutsu, the more time it needed to gather Chakra, whether it was 'Chibaku Tensei' or the super-special 'Shinra Tensei'.
This was Nagato's weakness.
Perhaps it wasn't a weakness. Ordinary ninjas couldn't fly, or their speed wasn't enough, so they never had the chance to touch Tendo Pain's domain. That's why Tendo Pain could maintain a flawless appearance before.
But Orochimaru was different. With the help of Senjutsu-enhanced techniques of levity and weight, he could even control Manda to speed wildly in the air. And the power created solely by its size was something no one could ignore.
Tendo Pain made sharp turns, trying to create distance several times, but Manda, despite its large size, was not slow at all. Even dodging attacks required all his effort, and he even had to rely on 'Shinra Tensei' to get out of trouble.
"Damn it!!"
Tendo Pain's face was very ugly. Although Orochimaru's attacks were all in vain and caused no damage, from the perspective of the other Six Paths of Pain, his appearance was quite pathetic.
Like a ball, he was batted around in the air by a long tail, very ungraceful.
Even a revered god, if seen in such a state, would lose all his majesty. How could he inspire fear and awe?
This loss was minor, but it fundamentally undermined his goal.
No matter how angry Tendo Pain was, having lost the initiative with that move, he could now only retreat rapidly in the direction Manda had pushed him.
...
In the open space of the former Hokage building, the atmosphere was a bit quiet as they watched the two figures flying away in the sky.
It was fine for Konoha. Although Orochimaru appeared and left in just a few sentences, he had at least taken away the strongest ninja. On the other side, the remaining Six Paths of Pain were furious.
They were all Nagato's clones. Witnessing their comrade's body being treated like this, how could they accept it?
Just as they were about to fly over on the Yatagarasu to provide support, a mudslide exploded in front of them, forcing the remaining five to scatter.
"Everyone, where do you think you're going?"
Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen waved his hand. The Konoha Ninjas surrounded the five figures, "You might as well stay here with me."
The Asura Path, the Human Path... the other Pains looked at the numerous ninjas around them, their eyes flashing with eerie purple light.
"Fine, let's get rid of you insects first."
Their momentum collided, and the battle instantly erupted.
...
On the other side, in the battlefield between the Jonin and Satori.
As the huge Chakra reaction flew across the sky, Guy immediately looked up warily, afraid it was another enemy.
"Huh, isn't that Orochimaru-sama?"
Although Guy's eyesight wasn't as good as that of dojutsu users, his dynamic vision was good. At this moment, he was stunned by this shocking discovery.
"Hahaha... die for me!"
Satori, who had been under siege, naturally saw the flaw at this moment and swooped down from high in the sky.
"Earth Release: Earth Style Wall!"
After a light exclamation, an earth wall carved with a giant dog's head rose from the ground, blocking Satori's flight path.
Satori did not evade, forming his claw into a fist. His thick forearm slammed down like a heavy hammer.
Instantly, the earth wall shattered, and rubble and dust filled the air. However, in the dispersing smoke, Guy had already disappeared.
"Konoha: Whirlwind!"
In mid-air, a green figure spun rapidly. His waist drove a whip-like leg, fiercely kicking downwards.
Although this move was accidental, years of silent understanding gave him an opportunity to land a sure hit.
However, Satori seemed to have anticipated it, and his body unnervingly shifted to the side, dodging Guy's determined attack. At the same time, he opened his other hand into claws and, following the inertia of his dive, fiercely clawed at Guy.
One could imagine that even a body forged from steel would be torn to shreds if it took this blow.
At this moment of mortal danger, Guy was exceptionally calm. With no point to leverage and nowhere to evade, he used the inertia of his body's rotation to adjust his posture. Without evading or dodging, he kicked directly into the palm of the claw.
The sharp claws grazed Guy's face at almost point-blank range, but before Satori could clench his fist, Guy had already shot out like a bullet.
Boom boom boom...
Satori skimmed low to the ground, smashing the guesthouse blocking his path into ruins, while Guy tore through several walls, finally sliding on his feet for more than ten meters before stopping.
"Guy, are you okay?"
A sound of breaking wind. Kakashi flashed to Guy's side, asking with concern.
"I feel great."
Guy bounced in place, revealing two rows of shiny white teeth. "That last blow, I finally hit that thing."
It was a bit tragic, as they had been fighting for about ten minutes. This was the first time a Konoha Ninja had managed to touch Satori's body.
Neither Taijutsu ninjas like Guy nor traditional ninjas like Kakashi could inflict any effective damage.
This monster, born from theBox of Utmost Bliss, possessed a special hostility perception. Under this ability, even the most ingenious plan would be ineffective.
"To defeat this big guy, you only need more speed."
Guy looked at the monster, which was no longer paying attention to them and was causing destruction elsewhere, his eyes full of fighting spirit.
While the ability to perceive hostility was powerful, Satori's speed was not invincible. The scene just now proved this. As long as they could catch up to him, they could inflict damage.
"But even now, his speed far exceeds our imagination."
Kakashi pressed the temple of his left eye, his three tomoe already intertwined into a shuriken pattern.
He was also looking for opportunities to strike, but perhaps because his hostility was too obvious, or because he posed too high a threat, Satori deliberately avoided him and never stayed in the same place for too long.
"I have a way to catch up to it and create an opportunity for you to strike."
Guy's expression was serious, his eyes full of determination. "If I open the Seventh Gate of the Eight Gates, I'll be confident that I can surpass its speed."
Hearing Guy say this, Kakashi was shocked. "Are you looking to die?"
It was already difficult to even open the Sixth Gate, let alone the Seventh.
"It's not time to risk our lives yet. Shisui has already taken the guard squad to seize the 'Box of Ultimate Bliss'. With his cooperation, we'll be able to act."
Kakashi said sternly, "Our mission now is to temporarily hold it back."
Guy also calmed down after hearing Kakashi's words. "Alright, I'll give this thing a fatal blow later."
The two talked for only a moment. They leaped from rooftop to rooftop, once again chasing the rampaging monster.
...
More than a dozen figures moved through the forest, like ghosts, fast and mysterious, yet leaving behind rhythmic tapping sounds on the tree trunks, like percussion instruments.
"Captain, they're just ahead."
A Hyuga ninja said in a deep voice.
"Spread out and surround them."
After Shisui gave the order, he and the ninjas beside him slightly slowed down. The entire team's formation spread out like a net towards the enemy.
Not long after, the Konoha Ninjas encountered the Kusagakure Ninja group.
"I didn't expect that after waiting for just a little while, the materials would come to me on their own."
In Hiruko, Sasori let out a cold laugh. The mechanisms around his body opened and closed, and in an instant, he entered combat form.
"Don't be too careless, this is that Uchiha Shisui. His eyes are a bit troublesome."
Kakuzu recognized Shisui's identity and naturally did not dare to underestimate him. With a wave of his hand, he removed his black cloak with red clouds, revealing his body covered in stitch marks. Black threads expanded within his body, and two mask monsters' heads emerged from his shoulders.
"Composite Ninjutsu: Flame Wind Barrage!"
The two mask monsters opened their mouths and spewed out gale-force winds and fierce flames, respectively. The wind fanned the flames, and in an instant, they expanded over a large area. The sea of fire rushed towards the Konoha Ninjas like a surging tide.
The ninjas facing the direct assault had to retreat or dodge, but they heard Shisui's light exclamation, "Everyone, get behind me."
Before the words even fell, a fierce wave of dojutsu power emanated from him, followed by a projection of dark green.
Skeleton bones stacked layer upon layer. Then came flesh and blood meridians, forming a samurai armor in a darker shade. In just an instant, a partial Susanoo, twenty to thirty meters tall, materialized.
It held a Spiral Greatsword in its hands and slashed forward. The surging airwaves immediately parted the rushing sea of fire. With this Susanoo as the arrowhead, the Konoha Ninjas, without stopping at all, charged directly towards the Kusagakure Ninja team.
Muku and the others couldn't help but change their expressions when they saw the opponent's imposing aura. Even Kakuzu, who was in 'Ji Yuan Yu Mode' and confident in his extremely tough body, didn't dare to face it head-on. He immediately retracted his Genjutsu and retreated, even though the Box of Ultimate Bliss, which he desperately needed to protect, was nearby.
After controlling the Susanoo to push back the enemy, Shisui swept the Spiral Sword in a semicircle and forcefully chopped downwards. His target was precisely the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
After seeing the size of this thing, Shisui knew that it was impossible to bring it back to the village in a short time.
Let alone that S-rank rogue ninjas like Kakuzu and Sasori the Red Sand were not easy to deal with. Even if they didn't attack head-on but only interfered, they could still delay for a considerable amount of time.
But since it couldn't be taken away, destroying it was also a good option.
Since monsters like Satori came from the Box of Ultimate Bliss, the two must have a close connection. Destroying this box, even if it didn't heavily wound Satori, would at least have some impact.
At that point, he would have the opportunity to deal with him.
With this thought, Shisui didn't hold back at all. The giant Spiral Sword struck the Box of Ultimate Bliss directly.
However, after a loud bang, the object remained completely intact.
---
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