"So young, yet possessing such tremendous power," the Asura Path of Pain observed admiringly, watching how Gaara had skillfully neutralized the threat from the Preta Path. "You successfully defended against the attack while being distracted by the Preta Path's ability and even orchestrated an effective counterattack."
"I don't need your praise," Gaara replied icily as sand danced violently around him.
Now that the Preta Path was out of the way, there was no need for restraint. Based on his observations, this opponent had the power to reduce Sunagakure to ruins with a single strike. Gaara needed to be especially cautious—the fire of anger burned within him.
Gaara's sand coiled like living serpents, forming a protective wall before bursting forward in a torrent aimed at the Asura Path.
[Continuous Fire - Sand Drizzle!]
The Asura Path reacted swiftly and decisively. [Shinra Tensei - Almighty Push!] Another powerful repulsive force sent the sand projectiles flying. But Gaara kept up his relentless assault, attempting to corner Pain in a desperate position.
Before the Shinra Tensei could cool down again, Pain could only scramble to evade Gaara's attacks. As Gaara watched Pain frantically dodge his precisely orchestrated assaults, he found himself puzzled—why didn't he use Shinra Tensei again to neutralize the onslaught?
[Shinra Tensei - Almighty Push!]
The Shinra Tensei activated once more.
But why hadn't he used it earlier? Why did he choose *now* of all times?
Rather than taking advantage of the opening to reposition or close in on Gaara for a counterattack, Pain did neither.
He simply kept evading until deciding to activate Shinra Tensei again.
Moreover, after every use of Shinra Tensei, he paused for a few seconds instead of immediately following up with another attack to cover himself.
[Universal Pull - Gravitational Snare!]
This time, he still didn't launch an immediate follow-up attack, letting precious moments slip away.
Gaara was yanked upward from the ground, flying straight toward Pain. At that moment, his sand wrapped around him like a glove, nullifying the technique. By the time he passed through the thick layer of sand, the effect of Universal Pull had already worn off.
Pain missed yet another opportunity to press the advantage.
But Gaara would never make such a mistake.
Yet before he could complete the hand seals and finish off his opponent, a voice rang out—one he believed he had silenced at the start of the battle. [Summoning Jutsu!]
Gaara sharply turned his head and saw the Chikushōdō, fully intact, standing there. Not only that, but the Naraka Path—the last remaining one who hadn't entered the battle—and a massive demon skull sinking underground were clearly completing their tasks.
Was it repaired? He had completely destroyed the Chikushōdō at the beginning of the fight. And now it stood there unscathed, as pristine as it had been at the start of the fight.
The newly restored Chikushōdō summoned back the Asura Path, the Human Path, and the troublesome Preta Path, as though they'd never been ensnared in subterranean traps set with precision.
"Now you understand, don't you?" declared the Asura Path as the Six Paths of Pain resumed their standard battle formation. "You can destroy this body, but in the end, I will always return."
"Possessing recovery abilities doesn't make you divine."
"Gaara said, sweat poured down his forehead.
This fight was an ultimate test for him.
He knew that if the battle had taken place in Amegakure, he would have already been defeated.
Rain could only hinder him further. But now, he finally understood more.
No wonder the Naraka Path hadn't joined the battlefield—battlefield healers never fight personally; that was a basic rule of warfare.
The Asura Path stepped forward, unleashing its tremendous power. His head split open, revealing a massive Chakra Cannon that fired a concentrated beam of pure chakra at Gaara.
Gaara's sand defense held against the deafening explosion, but he also had to retreat quickly.
His sand armor was scorched, large pieces flaking off his body. The Preta Path seized the chance to capture him, but instead of activating an ineffective absolute defense, Gaara propelled himself upward using his sand.
He needed space—distance from the Asura Path's powerful attraction and repulsion abilities, and Pain's other dangerous techniques.
But Pain wasn't about to let him escape so easily.
The Animal Path summoned an enormous, bizarre-looking bird with a drill-like sharp beak, rapidly carrying the Asura Path into the sky toward Gaara.
From the air, the Asura Path launched fierce attacks on Gaara, a relentless barrage of chakra shockwaves leaving Gaara struggling to dodge without a moment to mount a counterattack.
While moving at high speed through the air and coordinating attacks, Gaara was at a disadvantage.
Finally, Gaara sensed his opportunity. He suddenly raised his arm and swiftly performed hand seals.
On the ground, Pain and the others watched as Gaara summoned a massive amount of sand from the earth itself, trapping and encasing the airborne Animal Path and Asura Path within it.
[Desert Coffin: Layered Funeral!]
Gaara stayed vigilant, watching the other Paths on the ground to prevent interference with his sealing.
He saw the Preta Path vanish inside a puff of smoke. The Animal Path then summoned the Preta Path inside the sand prison.
In this case, he couldn't completely destroy the trapped enemies.
Any sand entering the Preta Path's range would become ineffective. Therefore, Gaara made another choice.
He mobilized all his strength, waving his arm and hurling the massive sand prison far beyond the village walls of Sunagakure, denying the Preta Path any chance to interfere.
After flinging the sand prison far beyond the village, an exhausted Gaara refocused his attention on the Asura Path, the Human Path, and the Naraka Path. From six against one at the start, it had become three against one now—the odds were looking better.
"The next one..." Gaara murmured softly.
However, before he could catch his breath, the Human Path and Naraka Path suddenly collapsed onto the ground, as though their power had been cut off, vanishing in clouds of smoke.
They had been summoned by the Animal Path, leaving only the Asura Path to face Gaara alone.
"Clever... Master Jiraiya's intel must've helped you understand my powers," the Asura Path said.
"Didn't I already tell you…? You're not taking Shukaku today."
Gaara replied firmly, 'Sunagakure will never walk away. No matter how many buildings you destroy, no matter how many lives you take, you won't make us surrender. Our village is like this land itself—our harsh environment has forged an unyielding will. Trying to drain our strength is nothing more than a futile effort, like trying to drain the desert of every grain of sand.'
Standing at Ground Level, Asura Path narrowed his eyes at Gaara.
"This is far from over. Don't mistake this for victory. I will return," he threatened. "The sands of Sunagakure will once again run red with blood. Eventually, you will experience agonizing pain."
Gaara maintained steady eye contact calmly, unflinching in the face of intimidation.
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