----
Tendo Pain pressed his palms together, and a small black sphere floated into the sky.
"Chibaku Tensei!"
Nagato had used this technique before against the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki. Even then, sealing the Eight-Tails had proven difficult. But now, he was facing not one, but two Nine-Tails hosts…
If both of them were incomplete Jinchūriki, there was still a chance. He just needed to be cautious.
"Ha!" Gritting his teeth, Nagato pushed his chakra output to its absolute limit. All of the other Paths of Pain collapsed, and their power was redirected entirely to Tendo. Blood streamed from Nagato's nostrils as his already frail body grew even more emaciated.
Konan watched him in alarm. "Nagato, is this really necessary?"
Nagato took deep, ragged breaths. His cheeks were sunken, his frail figure eerily reminiscent of an addict suffering withdrawal.
Yet, despite his condition, he grinned like a gambler making his final bet. "If I can capture the Nine-Tails, it will all be worth it!"
With his powerfully unleashed, the black sphere's gravitational pull increased exponentially far stronger than any Banshō Ten'in (Universal Pull) he had used before.
The earth within a several-kilometre radius shattered, trees were uprooted, and even chunks of terrain were ripped from the ground, spiralling toward the growing core in the sky.
Once again, the Mother Earth Pain™ technique was in full effect.
Konoha's shinobi felt the pull as well. Instinctively, they channelled chakra to their feet, clinging to the ground as if they were climbing trees.
Unfortunately, the ground gave out before they did. Entire sections of terrain, carrying multiple ninjas, were lifted into the air.
Even Neji, Tenten, and Hinata, hidden a short distance away, found themselves affected.
Tenten was already considering using Flying Raijin to get Neji and Hinata out of there.
Minato quickly assessed the situation, calculating the strength of the gravitational pull. "This is much stronger than what the Raikage described…"
Then he called out, "Everyone, use your strongest long-range jutsu to destroy the gravity core in the sky!"
Naruto, already in Full Nine-Tails Mode, was a step ahead. Balancing on a massive chunk of floating earth, he wobbled as he ascended while simultaneously charging a Tailed Beast Bomb.
Kushina did the same, standing atop Kurama's head with arms extended. The enormous fox beneath her opened its mouth wide, gathering a second Tailed Beast Bomb.
Minato entered Sage Mode, raising a colossal Sage Art: Rasenshuriken above his head.
Itachi and Shisui exchanged a glance, then activated their Susanoo, blood tears streaming from their eyes.
Two half-bodied giants emerged, one red, one green, each gaining skeletal structures, then muscle, then armour.
The red Susanoo flipped its right hand, conjuring three crimson Yasaka Magatama, the connected beads spinning in its palm, ready to be launched.
The green Susanoo did the same except with four green Yasaka Magatama.
"Yasaka Magatama!" x2
It seemed to be a standard move for Susanoo users. Even Madara had used it, throwing fourteen at once.
Gai took a deep breath. He was exhausted but hadn't reached his limit yet. "My youth cannot lose! One more Hirudora (Daytime Tiger)!"
"Eight Gates Release: The Seventh Gate Gate of Wonder, OPEN!"
Kimimaro mimicked Gai's stance. Chakra surged from his body as his complexion turned flushed, grey hair whipping wildly. A faint blue steam surrounded him.
"I might as well give it a try."
Meanwhile, Tsunade, Sakura, and Jiraiya lacked powerful long-range attacks. Instead, they leapt across the rising debris, working their way downward like playing a "Manly 100-Floor Descent" platformer.
Their plan? If they couldn't destroy the technique itself, they'd take out its caster.
After all, most jutsu had an alternative countermeasure just eliminate the person using them.
But before they reached the ground…
Two-tailed Beast Bombs, one Giant Rasenshuriken, two Yasaka Magatama Barrages, and two Hirudora shockwaves all converged on the core of Chibaku Tensei.
A blinding light erupted as if countless flashbangs had detonated at once.
Then, a deafening explosion followed.
Rock, debris, and rubble were instantly vaporized, sliced, and shattered by the sheer force of the combined attacks.
The black gravity core at the centre of it all… shattered.
The moment it broke, the gravitational pull vanished.
Everything, everyone, and every summoned creature succumbed to Newton's law of universal gravitation, plummeting back to the earth.
The shinobi, being nimble, handled the fall well.
The two massive foxes, however, landed with earthquake-inducing impact, sending tremors through the battlefield.
Itachi and Shisui deactivated their Susanoo, wiping the blood tears from their eyes.
As powerful as the technique was, its side effects were no joke. If they overused it, they'd end up with Mangekyō-induced myopia.
Gai dropped out of the Seventh Gate, exhaling heavily. Using Hirudora twice in such a short span had pushed even him to his limit.
"…Looks like my youth still needs more training."
Kimimaro, also suffering, had just used Hirudora for the first time in actual combat. The Seventh Gate's strain on his body was intense.
He even sustained minor injuries both of his arm bones broke.
For anyone else, that would be disastrous.
For Kimimaro?
"Eh, just a minor inconvenience. I'll drink some calcium and be fine."
---
Jiraiya, still in Sage Mode, was the first to land. With Fukasaku and Shima on his shoulders, he sprinted toward the weakened Tendo Pain.
With the other Paths down and Nagato overexerted, this was the perfect opportunity.
Jiraiya's hair extended, ensnaring Pain's body like living ropes.
"Nagato, it's over!"
Pain didn't respond.
Nagato himself was struggling to process what had just happened.
For years, he had believed himself invincible, able to single-handedly bring down an entire hidden village.
But now… he had lost.
Konoha's strength had far exceeded his expectations. Capturing the Nine-Tails seemed impossible.
What did that mean for Akatsuki's goal? For Yahiko's dream?
Had he been wrong?
"Nagato, let's go!" Konan urged desperation in her voice. "There will be other chances! Didn't we plan for backup options?"
Nagato's eyes flickered with determination.
She was right. There was another plan. He couldn't give up.
"Our dream… I will see it through!"
A massive tree in the forest suddenly shook and then dissolved into a flurry of paper fragments, revealing Nagato and Konan within.
Konan's paper-based camouflage was so flawless that it was nearly impossible to detect.
With one final glance at the battlefield, Nagato and Konan vanished into a whirlwind of paper.
Meanwhile, Naruto, Minato, and Jiraiya each picked up a black chakra rod from the fallen Pain bodies.
These rods were receivers, the key to Nagato's control over the Six Paths.
Using them, they could trace Nagato's location.
Naruto pondered something, though…
"Why does Konan have one on her lip? Is that a chakra rod, or just a piercing?"
----
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