After finally breaking free from the harassment of the three Pain paths, Isshiki was about to move when he suddenly felt his whole body tighten. Several white centipedes, each as long as a person, had wrapped themselves tightly around his waist.
Meanwhile, the ground had become crawling with a dense army of white clay spiders and grasshoppers.
"Finally caught you," Deidara's cheerful laughter rang out.
Then he raised his index and middle fingers.
"Katsu!"
*Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!*
A continuous series of massive explosions followed, the towering flames burying Isshiki within them.
"I told you to be careful, Deidara! We're underground, I don't want to be buried alive and eat dirt," Hidan exclaimed, appearing in front of Deidara while brandishing his bloody scythe.
He was clearly worried the ceiling would collapse and trap them underground forever.
"That's still better than someone who hasn't landed a single effective attack," Deidara retorted, making Hidan screech in absolute frustration.
"That guy isn't dead yet. Be careful," Nagato warned the two who were continuously bickering. Even after being ambushed by Deidara's clay bombs, Isshiki's presence showed no sign of weakening.
"Hahaha! See, you didn't kill him either!" Hidan roared with wild laughter.
"Tch, even the improved C1 version couldn't finish him off? It seems more Art is needed!"
As he spoke, Deidara shoved his hands into the pouches at his waist, which were filled with the special clay he used to make his bombs.
As the smoke settled, Isshiki reappeared on the spot, completely unscathed.
Well, not completely unscathed. Burns and abrasions had formed in multiple places on his body, and his clothes were tattered. Aside from looking somewhat disheveled, however, he genuinely didn't seem seriously injured.
"He's still alive after that... truly tenacious," Sasori remarked, controlling the Third Kazekage puppet.
As Deidara's partner, he knew well the lethal power of the clay bombs. Even a single, unassuming little spider could easily pulverize the hardest rock.
And Deidara had used an improved version, with even greater explosive power.
"Dance of the Shikigami!"
Not giving Isshiki a moment to catch his breath, the attack from the Akatsuki's discipline committee member arrived. A whirlwind of paper sheets filled the air, tightly covering his entire body.
And beneath each of those white paper sheets were hidden countless explosive tags.
This was no mere paper whirlwind, it was a whirlwind of pure explosives.
Then, the papers covering Isshiki lit up simultaneously. An explosion, even more powerful than Deidara's clay bombs, erupted, this time cleanly engulfing half of the building complex.
The entire underground world shook violently, and dirt rained down from the ceiling above.
"Help! It's gonna collapse!" Hidan shouted with exaggerated movements, scrambling for cover. Yet, a sharp glint flickered in his eyes as he moved toward Isshiki along a peculiar, evasive trajectory.
"COOL!!! Now THAT is Art! Hmm!" The happiest person in the Akatsuki was undoubtedly Deidara, who cheered excitedly.
"It seems Konan really agrees with my artistic philosophy! Hmm!"
"Mere mortals... You insects have truly infuriated me," Isshiki's furious scream echoed from within the scorching flames.
The towering flames were being slowly drawn into a black vortex in the palm of his hand.
When Isshiki reappeared before everyone, his appearance had drastically changed. Not only were the black markings on his face more numerous and deeper, but a curved horn had also sprouted from his head.
It wasn't just his appearance that changed, Isshiki's chakra had surged, multiplying several times over. An intimidating aura that made one shudder enveloped his entire body.
Sensing the dense chakra radiating from Isshiki, Nagato's expression shifted drastically.
"Everyone... prepare to go all out."
But just as Nagato finished speaking, before Isshiki could even act, Black Zetsu let out a terrified shriek. His eyes were fixed intently on the horn on Isshiki's head, as if he had seen something absolutely horrifying.
Then, pointing a trembling finger at Isshiki, he screamed hysterically, "It's them... it's them... It really is them!"
"What's wrong with you, Black Zetsu?" White Zetsu looked at his teammate, completely baffled.
If even White Zetsu didn't know what was happening with Black Zetsu, the other Akatsuki members were even more clueless.
A single thought flashed through everyone's minds simultaneously, 'What's his problem?'
"Mother... they're here."
But Black Zetsu completely ignored White Zetsu's call. He detached himself from White Zetsu's body without a word and plunged headfirst into the ground, disappearing without a single trace.
"What's up with Zetsu?" Deidara asked, stunned. "Why'd half of him just run off?"
It was the first time he'd ever seen Zetsu completely split in two.
Even the usually reserved Kakuzu cursed, "Useless trash."
"I always said that guy couldn't be relied on."
While no one expected much fighting from their intelligence operative, this kind of outright flight was just incredibly pathetic.
If Naruto were here, even he wouldn't be able to resist a sharp jab. 'And you claim the vast earth is your incarnation? You should just quit the group. It's embarrassing.'
The Akatsuki members were momentarily stunned by Black Zetsu's erratic actions, but Isshiki wouldn't let this perfect opportunity slip.
He took a single step forward, arriving directly in front of White Zetsu. Before his opponent could react, Isshiki's hand pierced straight through his chest.
"Not sure what your ability is, but it's better to deal with you first."
Isshiki's gaze then shifted to the Six Paths of Pain.
"I've found your weakness."
As the words left his mouth, Isshiki appeared before the Six Paths. He pushed his hands forward, and countless Black Receivers appeared around him, shooting forth like a volley of deadly arrows.
A dense rain of Black Receivers descended from the sky, covering the entire earth.
Nagato controlled the Six Paths through these Black Receivers, they acted as conduits. But if an opponent attacked using the exact same Black Receivers, the Six Paths' coordinated movements would be disrupted.
This was the fatal weakness of the Six Paths puppets.
"Once I take you out, the rest will be much easier."
Isshiki swiftly eliminated the most versatile and troublesome of the opponents, the Six Paths of Pain. Especially with the Naraka Path defeated, Nagato would have a much harder time utilizing the Six Paths again.
Without the hindrance of the Six Paths, the remaining Akatsuki members were no match for him.
Facing Isshiki, who had fully activated State Two, the Akatsuki were destined to lose.
"My time to shine has come!"
Perhaps because he'd dealt with the Six Paths and let his guard down, or perhaps it was a burst of sheer luck even Isshiki failed to notice, but at this critical moment, a figure silently closed in behind him.
A crimson scythe swept down fiercely toward Isshiki's exposed back.
Isshiki felt a gust of wind at the back of his head and turned to evade, but he was a fraction too slow. Failing to dodge completely, a tiny, hair-thin cut appeared on his back, and a single drop of blood clung to the tip of Hidan's scythe.
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