"My only purpose is to gather intelligence. I'm sure you're aware that Konoha and the Seireitei are enemies."
"I see. It seems you have given up on your student, Uzumaki Naruto. In that case, you can watch as I kill him," Pain nodded coldly.
"Kill Lord Naruto? What a daydream!" the controlled Haku scoffed, his eyes filled with disdain. "With your level of strength, defeating Lord Naruto is impossible."
"Oh? But I can kill you at any moment, yet the 'invincible' Lord Naruto you speak of has not appeared," Pain said, stepping forward. A black rod materialized in his hand and shot towards Haku's heart.
A demonic hand materialized, swatting the black rod away. Black mist swirled, and countless ghostly figures emerged from the ground.
Crack. The black rods binding Haku were devoured by the shadows.
With the sound of crisp footsteps, a white-haired Shion slowly approached from the distance. Each step was light, yet she covered ten meters in the blink of an eye.
"You've done well. Leave the rest to me," Shion said calmly, arriving at Haku's side.
"Be careful. His black rods can absorb a certain amount of Reiatsu," Haku warned, feeling his own spiritual pressure draining away.
"Don't worry. He will die here," Shion said, her face impassive. Her white hair billowed behind her as countless ghostly figures appeared, and the world was suddenly filled with the wails of the damned.
The sandstorm halted outside the Seireitei's border. The face of a demon loomed in the sky, blotting out the sun as an eerie wind began to blow. Jiraiya couldn't help but pull his cloak tighter, his eyes wide with terror.
"Controlling demons... after her Shinigamification, the priestess of the Land of Demons might be even stronger than Minato!" He took several steps back, only to find a black, demonic hand shooting up from the ground and grabbing his ankle. Nearly scared out of his wits, he obliterated the hand with a Rasengan and leaped onto a distant rock.
Both the rock and the ground were covered in a cold, black aura that seeped into the soles of his feet. The flow of chakra in his body was disrupted by at least ten percent.
"This is a level of power that no ordinary Kage-level shinobi can handle. But to defeat the Rinnegan... it will still be difficult," Jiraiya swallowed hard.
"The priestess of the Land of Demons, now the goddess of the Seireitei, Shion." Pain seemed completely unfazed by her Reiatsu, giving her a cold glance.
The next moment, an unimaginable amount of chakra erupted from his body, scattering Shion's ghostly figures and the demonic face in the sky, revealing the sun once more.
As Shion's expression turned grim, Pain stretched out his hand. "Hand over the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Otherwise, you die."
"Die? Hahaha, you've got a lot of nerve, kid!" A wild laugh suddenly echoed from the horizon. A wave of red Reiatsu stained the sky crimson. From the distant main hall, a figure shot out, landing beside Shion in an instant. Their spiritual pressures merged, shattering Pain's chakra.
"I'm not too late, am I?" the young Nine-Tails grinned.
"Right on time." With the Nine-Tails sharing the burden, Shion breathed a sigh of relief, her expression grave as she looked at Pain. "He's after you."
"I know. Probably wants to collect the Tailed Beasts to do something evil," the Nine-Tails said with a sinister smile.
"Those eyes..." The Nine-Tails noticed Pain's eyes and paused, his playful expression vanishing, replaced by one of extreme gravity. "I can't believe someone actually possesses those eyes. Shion, be careful. This guy is not easy to deal with. If we're not careful, we could get wrecked."
After his Shinigamification, the Nine-Tails had thought he was strong enough to stand at the pinnacle of the shinobi world. He might not be as strong as Naruto, but he could at least protect himself. But upon seeing those eyes, he knew he had underestimated the Rinnegan. Neither the First Hokage nor Madara Uchiha, who had so easily dealt with him in the past, had possessed such a Kekkei Genkai. It was a testament to how difficult an opponent Pain would be.
"None of these six are human. They're puppets. This must be a visual jutsu of those eyes," the Nine-Tails said in a low voice.
Under the influence of his and Shion's Reiatsu, the sandstorm above the Seireitei was pushed back beyond its borders. The boiling red and white spiritual pressures began to compress the space around Pain.
"What terrifying power! The current Nine-Tails is far stronger than before, and this priestess is no weaker than him. It seems that even without Naruto, the Seireitei is a force to be reckoned with in the shinobi world." Cold sweat beaded on Jiraiya's forehead. He retreated several more steps, his own chakra flaring to protect him from the pressure. He noticed that although the entire Seireitei was under immense pressure from the clash of Reiatsu and chakra, an invisible barrier of spiritual pressure covered the city, shielding it from all the force. This way, the residents wouldn't be affected.
"This must be Orochimaru's research," Jiraiya thought, his eyes flickering as he mentally compared himself to Pain and the others. "If I use Sage Mode and go all out, my chakra would be on par with theirs."
Jiraiya took a deep breath, his gaze fixed on the battlefield.
Faced with the combined might of the Nine-Tails and Shion, Pain raised his hand dismissively. "The Nine-Tails and the priestess. Stronger than my intelligence suggested, but still weak."
"Almighty Push."
In an instant, a force capable of destroying everything erupted from Pain's palm.
"Look out!" The expressions of the Nine-Tails, Shion, and Jiraiya all changed drastically.
"Earth Style: Multiple Mud Wall Jutsu." Several mud walls rose up in front of Jiraiya.
"Modified Multiple Tailed Beast Bomb." Two Tailed Beast Bombs shot out from the Nine-Tails' hands.
"He can fire Tailed Beast Bombs so easily? And two of them?!" Seeing this, Jiraiya nearly cursed out loud, his eyes practically bulging out of their sockets. The destructive power of the Nine-Tails' Tailed Beast Bomb was immense, capable of wiping out a large area in an instant. The reason the ninja villages feared the Tailed Beasts was because of their sheer destructive power. Their individual combat abilities might not be that intimidating—any skilled Kage-level shinobi could hold their own against one, or even seal it—but their capacity for mass destruction was something every village feared. If these two Tailed Beast Bombs were to land on Konoha, thousands could die.
What shocked Jiraiya even more was that the red Tailed Beast Bombs twisted in mid-air, forming a red shield in front of the Nine-Tails and Shion.
"Holy crap, since when do Tailed Beasts play such fancy tricks?" Jiraiya couldn't help but say, looking at his own uncreative mud walls. It was common knowledge that the Tailed Beasts' use of chakra was crude. Their attack methods were beast-like, which gave ninja many openings. But the Nine-Tails' exquisite control of Reiatsu now stunned him. He realized he could no longer view the Nine-Tails with his old assumptions.
Boom. The Almighty Push slammed into the red Reiatsu shield, creating a deafening sound as the ground beneath the shield cracked and split. The shockwave continued, shattering two of the mud walls. The final wall was covered in cracks before it crumbled, revealing Jiraiya's horrified face.
Gulp. He swallowed hard. Just the aftershock of the Almighty Push had completely destroyed his Multiple Mud Wall Jutsu. He couldn't imagine how terrifying a direct hit would be.
"Demon Hand." The space behind Pain distorted, and several demonic hands shot out, grabbing the Animal Path. A black hole opened, and a pair of blood-red eyes glowed with a bloodthirsty light. A hellish roar echoed, shaking one's very soul. Jiraiya felt his eardrums were about to burst, and the image of a demon flashed in his mind.
Crack. The Asura Path extended weapons from all over its body, severing the demonic hands. The Animal Path formed hand seals.
"Summoning Jutsu."
A large green bird and a two-headed dog appeared out of thin air, baring their fangs at Shion and the Nine-Tails.
Swish. A red phantom flashed, and the Nine-Tails appeared in front of the two summons, throwing a Tailed Beast Bomb from each hand.
Boom. With the explosion, the two summons were instantly vaporized, and the Animal Path above was sent flying by the shockwave.
The Asura Path reacted, slashing at the Nine-Tails, but its blade couldn't even scratch him.
"You think a weapon like that can hurt me? You're getting a little ahead of yourself." As he spoke, a violent wave of Reiatsu swept out. The Nine-Tails' right hand formed a claw and dug into the Asura Path's body.
"You're pretty tough!" the Nine-Tails laughed, increasing his power.
The remaining Paths of Pain immediately moved to attack him. Several black rods shot towards his body. Having been warned by Haku, the Nine-Tails knew the rods could seal his Reiatsu, so he couldn't let them hit him. Several ghostly figures appeared, deflecting the black rods, while a newly formed demon engaged the other Paths.
Screech! With a piercing sound, the Asura Path was torn apart by the Nine-Tails and fell to the ground. The Zanpakuto in the Nine-Tails' hand transformed into a red light that merged with the world. His speed suddenly increased, and he shot towards the Deva Path.
"Shion, my abilities don't work on puppets. I'll leave them to you. This one's mine."
"No problem."
The Nine-Tails and Shion quickly divided their tasks.
"Naive." Although the Asura Path had been destroyed, Nagato showed no signs of panic. The strength of the Nine-Tails and Shion was indeed beyond his expectations, but he possessed the Rinnegan.
The Nine-Tails threw another Tailed Beast Bomb at Pain and then closed the distance. Seeing that Pain didn't dodge or block, the Nine-Tails' temper flared.
"Underestimating me like that? I'll blast you to pieces with one Tailed Beast Bomb."
Tough talk was one thing, but reality was harsh. The Preta Path moved in front of the Deva Path and, with outstretched hands, completely absorbed the Tailed Beast Bomb.
"Universal Pull."
A powerful gravitational force threw the Nine-Tails off balance, pulling him straight towards a black rod.
"What a strange ability!" The irresistible pull of the Universal Pull alarmed the Nine-Tails. He had to unleash his full Reiatsu to barely break free. But before he could catch his breath, several of the Deva Path's black rods were already upon him.
"Almighty Push." As the Nine-Tails struggled to dodge, a blinding light erupted from the Deva Path. In an instant, everything around them was destroyed, and the Nine-Tails was caught in the explosion.
Dust flew everywhere, and the sandstorm began to swirl above the Seireitei again. It was clear that the Reiatsu of the Nine-Tails and Shion had weakened.
"This guy..." The Nine-Tails was on one knee, clutching his arm. The red Reiatsu surrounding him was fading. He looked at Pain with a wary expression. The world seemed to fall silent, with only the sound of the wind.
Shion was also in a tough spot. Faced with Pain, who could deal damage, control the battlefield, and even heal, her Shikai was proving to be ineffective. The demons she summoned were easily dealt with. No matter how she controlled them or used tactics to launch sneak attacks, Pain saw through it all. After just a few exchanges, she discovered a terrifying fact.
"The vision of these Paths is shared. That means they have almost no blind spots!"
It was hard to believe that all of this was the ability of a single pair of eyes.
"This is not looking good. Pain is so strong!" Jiraiya hid, watching the battle intently. "The central Deva Path has the ability to control repulsion and attraction. The chakra-infused black rods can block the flow of Reiatsu. One Path can interfere and even repair the others. There's also one that's good at summoning and puppetry. The six Paths are a perfect combination of offense and defense, and they even share their vision. They have almost no weaknesses. If the Nine-Tails and Shion don't have another trick up their sleeves, they will definitely lose," Jiraiya quickly recorded the information.
"I can't believe there's someone in the shinobi world besides Naruto with such terrifying strength," the Nine-Tails lamented. "If I could use my Zanpakuto's ability, I wouldn't be in such a sorry state."
The Nine-Tails' Shikai required the malice of a living being to activate, so it was completely useless against the puppet Paths of Pain. Otherwise, he wouldn't be having such a hard time.
"But, compared to Naruto, he's still a bit weak," the Nine-Tails' words sparked a mix of curiosity and dissatisfaction towards Naruto in Nagato's heart.
Pain took a step forward, his tone indifferent. "In that case, let the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki come out. Don't hide in the back."
"Planetary Devastation." An even more terrifying gravitational force erupted, pulling the Nine-Tails into the sky. Countless grains of sand and rubble from the ground flew up, encasing him in a giant sphere.
"The gap between the Nine-Tails and Pain is that big?" Jiraiya swallowed again.
"That damn fox is completely countered." Seeing the Nine-Tails trapped, Shion could no longer remain calm. A burst of purple Reiatsu sent several of the Paths flying back. A purple Zanpakuto materialized in her hand. Her expression became solemn, and strange purple stripes appeared on her face. Her voice became deep and ethereal.
"Bankai: Advent of the Demon World."
As she spoke, the Zanpakuto dissolved into purple ripples that spread across the world. The blue sky turned purple, and dark purple mist rolled in. A giant black hand could be vaguely seen reaching through the clouds. The yellow sand turned into a churning sea of dark purple blood, with countless demonic hands reaching out from within. The rock Jiraiya was standing on was covered in a dark purple ooze that pulsed with unsettling veins.
Whispers and murmurs echoed in the air.
Shion's white hair flew behind her, her body covered in dark purple tattoos, her pupils now the same color. Demonic figures danced wildly behind her. A distorted, warped voice came from her lips: "Welcome to the world of demons."
The sand, the air, everything was filled with a cold, sinister Reiatsu. Even a veteran Kage-level shinobi like Jiraiya felt a bone-deep chill. It wasn't a cold that came from the outside, but one that seeped into him from within, all-pervasive and inescapable.