"Shinra Tensei!"
A sharp, metallic hum filled the air as a powerful shockwave erupted from Pain. Everything within a five-meter radius was blasted away, including the three massive lightning beasts that had been attacking from different directions.
Pain had deliberately held back on the power of his attack to shorten the cooldown for the next one.
But before he could prepare his next move—
Three flashes of lightning appeared.
One in front.
One behind.
One above.
Three Sakiya clones surrounded him in an instant.
Pain reacted immediately, pulling several black rods from his sleeve and striking out in different directions.
Each Sakiya clone dodged instinctively.
—The one above twisted mid-air and flipped away.
—The one behind performed a backflip to evade.
—The one in front leaned all the way back, shifting into a low stance that resembled a yoga pose to avoid the strike.
Pain narrowed his eyes.
"So they know… They won't let themselves be touched by my rods."
The black rods, formed from his chakra, could disrupt energy flow upon contact. Though Nagato wasn't the best at using them, they were still a deadly threat to clones.
Taking advantage of the momentary dodge, Pain immediately lunged at the Sakiya clone in front, forming another black rod and thrusting it forward with lethal precision.
But—
The clone was faster.
She flipped backward, using the momentum to push herself further away, completely avoiding the attack.
Pain clicked his tongue.
And that's when the two other Sakiya clones behind him attacked.
Pain instantly realized he wouldn't be able to physically keep up with their speed.
His Rinnegan glowed.
"Shinra Tensei!"
The moment the repulsive force surged out, the three Sakiya clones simultaneously activated a defensive technique—
"Kinetic Buffer!"
A layer of compressed air formed in front of each clone, acting like an invisible shock absorber.
As the repulsive force struck—
The air walls compressed like springs, absorbing the impact before releasing it back in a controlled push.
From an outsider's perspective, it looked as if the clones had taken the full force of Shinra Tensei without moving an inch.
Then—BOOM!
The air in front of them burst apart, but the clones had already used the recoil to escape.
Pain's frown deepened.
"What technique is that?"
Sakiya didn't answer.
She watched Pain carefully, knowing that their chakra was running low.
Unlike Pain, whose strength increased the fewer bodies he had left, her clones had a fixed amount of chakra and couldn't regenerate.
And if Pain decided to unleash a full-powered Shinra Tensei, their Kinetic Buffer wouldn't be enough to counter it.
The battle was at a stalemate.
But not for long.
Pain hesitated, contemplating whether to unleash a full-powered Shinra Tensei to eliminate the clones in one go.
But then, he recalled—
His previous attack hadn't broken their defensive technique.
If he wanted to destroy them, he would have to unleash a Super Shinra Tensei—a devastating technique that could level an entire battlefield.
Was it worth it?
Pain's sharp gaze locked onto the three Sakiya clones.
They weren't attacking. Were they running low on chakra?
Breaking the silence, Pain spoke.
"What's wrong? Have you realized that resistance is futile?"
The three Sakiya clones simply shook their heads in unison.
"No," one of them said calmly.
"We've decided to use our most powerful technique."
Pain's expression tensed slightly.
Their strongest technique?
Based on their previous attacks, their ninjutsu was already highly advanced.
If they were serious about using their ultimate move…
I need to be ready for anything.
Pain mentally prepared to counter with Super Shinra Tensei if necessary.
But outwardly, he remained composed, his face showing no emotion.
"No matter what technique you use, it will be meaningless before a god."
The three Sakiya clones ignored his words. Instead, they exchanged glances and nodded.
Then—
They slammed their hands onto the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Pain's eyes narrowed as he felt their chakra surge.
His Rinnegan glowed, ready for the impact of whatever they were about to unleash.
But then—
As he saw the summoning circles form on the ground, his expression flickered with confusion.
"A summoning jutsu?"
Was their strongest technique… a summoned beast?
-----
Kakashi moved swiftly down the road, his body weary from battle. He carried the "sleeping" Sakiya on his back, pushing forward with urgency.
Then—
Bang!
A sudden burst of smoke erupted, and in an instant, Sakiya vanished.
Kakashi felt his back lighten and came to an abrupt halt.
"Huh?"
His eyes widened in surprise.
-----
Back on the battlefield, Pain had gathered his strength, preparing to unleash a devastating attack.
But before he could act, a cloud of white smoke rose from the summoning circle.
As it cleared, a familiar girl appeared—asleep in the center of the circle.
Pain stared, his mind struggling to process the scene. His expression wavered between disbelief and irritation.
"This… is their strongest technique?"
Silence fell over the battlefield.
The girl remained motionless, peacefully sleeping on the ground.
One second… two seconds… a full minute passed.
The three Sakiya clones exchanged glances.
"Uh… the main body seems to be asleep?"
"Huh? Is she dead?"
"Idiot! If she were dead, we'd be dead too!"
"Wait, aren't you insulting yourself?"
"No! I'm insulting you!"
Pain's eye twitched. The attack he had been holding back was now completely dismissed.
"Are you kidding me?" he muttered, exasperated.
The three clones waved their hands in unison.
"No, no! Just give it a second! Our strongest summon is just… malfunctioning."
With that, the three Sakiyas jogged over to the sleeping girl, poking her experimentally.
"Nothing's happening… she might actually be dead."
"Idiot! We already established we'd die too if she was!"
"There you go insulting yourself again!"
"I'M INSULTING YOU, STUPID!"
Before their bickering could continue, something large appeared before them.
A massive wooden mallet.
The clones paused, staring at the Sakiya holding it with a cheerful smile.
"What… are you doing?"
"Waking her up!"
The other two lunged to stop her.
"WAIT—"
"HOLD ON—"
WHAM!
The mallet came down hard on the sleeping Sakiya's head.
A loud smack echoed across the battlefield.
The impact left a comically large lump on her head, steam rising from it.
The two clones covered their mouths in horror.
"Oh no… did we just kill the original?!"
One of them snapped out of it, flicking the other on the forehead.
"IDIOT! If she were dead, WE'D be dead too! She's just… more unconscious now!"
Then—
The sleeping Sakiya stirred.
The clones flinched.
Pain, who had been watching silently, was now completely dumbfounded.
"Did they… just wake up their own original form?"
Sakiya slowly sat up, rubbing the massive lump on her head.
Her eyes were groggy.
"Ughhh… why does my head hurt?"
The three clones broke into cold sweats before vanishing into light particles.
Leaving only Pain standing there. Staring.
Sakiya blinked, dazed, then looked at him.
"Wait… did you hit me on the head?"
___________
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