The moment the two forces collided, a violent gale erupted.
Sand, stone, and debris were hurled into the air as if the land itself were screaming.
The remaining Paths of Pain abandoned their engagement with the Umbrella shinobi and calmly retreated into the distance. They understood the power of Super Shinra Tensei—or rather, Nagato did.
After all, every Path of Pain was merely an extension of his will.
At the same time, the Umbrella personnel finally reacted. Panic spread through their ranks as they fled in the opposite direction, desperate to escape the battlefield.
Many activated the Body Flicker Technique, moving as though they were fleeing from a Tailed Beast—
No.
Something even more terrifying than a Tailed Beast.
In truth, the attacks unleashed by both combatants had already surpassed the destructive power of most Tailed Beasts. Their clash was far more dreadful than any conventional jinchūriki rampage.
Shisui's strike had reached the Super Kage level.
Though it was not sustained—and he had not fully crossed that threshold—this battle had pushed him to its very edge.
Once he fully digested what he had gained today, the Super Kage realm would be well within his reach.
Shisui had already forged his own path.
Much like Might Guy's pure taijutsu route, Shisui no longer relied entirely on the Sharingan. Instead, it served only as an auxiliary tool.
During the years he had lost his Mangekyō Sharingan, Shisui had devoted himself to swordsmanship. With Naruto's guidance and support, he had finally stepped onto a unique road of his own.
The Sharingan's perceptive power refined his blade work even further.
And now, he had broken free from the shackles of bloodline-based combat power.
He had truly entered the Super Kage domain.
Sword qi tore through the land.
Smoke and dust swallowed the sky.
Within a ten-kilometer radius, everything was instantly obscured.
Some Umbrella shinobi—those who failed to escape in time—let out screams before being torn apart by the shockwaves.
Those with sturdier physiques survived, but even they were badly injured, staring in horror at the devastation before them.
They swallowed hard, glancing at the lifeless bodies nearby, and silently vowed that once they returned, they would strengthen their physical training.
To die simply from the aftermath of a battle—
That was far too terrifying.
The survivors exhaled shakily, many feeling as though they had just escaped a catastrophe.
They remembered how their limited talent had once doomed them to remain Chūnin forever. How desperation had driven them toward martial arts training instead.
It was that very choice that allowed them to break through to jōnin.
And today, it was martial arts that had saved their lives.
What stunned them most, however, was this:
Their grievous injuries were caused by nothing more than the residual shockwaves of the battle.
As the smoke gradually dispersed, a massive crater—nearly ten kilometers in diameter—was revealed.
Sword marks crisscrossed the ground.
All vegetation within the area had been completely erased.
From the depths of the crater, a voice echoed:
"You have earned my recognition."
A pause.
"But a god… is still a god."
"Did I… lose?"
Shisui lay at the center of the devastation, his body riddled with wounds. Multiple bones were shattered, and even his internal organs had suffered severe damage.
The collapse of his spirit and the strain of his final strike had drained him completely.
His vision blurred as he stared at Pain's indistinct figure.
Then—
He fell unconscious.
Pain gazed down at Shisui's fallen form and spoke softly:
"I will put an end to this war-torn world."
"This is the mission of a god."
"In a world where nations endlessly fight one another, how can war be stopped swiftly?"
"Simple. Give every nation forbidden weapons."
"Those who possess such power will inevitably use it."
"Thousands will die in an instant. Terror will spread across the world."
"People… nations… the entire world will come to understand Pain."
"That fear will become a deterrent."
"And from that moment on, there will be no more war."
"One could say that the world will finally begin to stabilize."
"Pain will force the world to grow—just as I once did."
"This world is still a child."
"To mature, it must be guided."
"To grow, it must understand what Pain is."
Just as Nagato continued his quiet monologue—
A series of clapping sounds echoed across the battlefield.
Clap.
Clap.
Clap.
"What you said sounds profound," Naruto said calmly, "but do you really believe things will unfold the way you imagine?"
"The human heart is far too complex. When too many people die, what remains isn't peace—it's hell. Even if your so-called deterrence works for a time, as you said yourself, Pain will make the world fear."
"But that isn't true peace. It's nothing more than false peace."
"If someone lives every day immersed in fear, then death becomes a release. At that point, living itself is suffering."
"That is neither peace—nor justice."
Naruto's figure entered Pain's field of vision.
He crouched beside Shisui, placing a hand against his body. A brilliant green glow spread from Naruto's palm as medical chakra flowed forth. Shisui's external injuries rapidly healed; the reason he still hadn't awakened was simply because his spirit had been completely exhausted.
In the next instant, Naruto vanished together with Shisui.
A heartbeat later, Naruto reappeared alone.
"Oh?" Pain's voice echoed coldly.
"Then are you peace and justice?"
"You wage war against the Five Great Nations. You slaughter their leaders. Is that justice?"
Hidden in the shadows, Nagato spoke through the Deva Path.
This was no longer a battle of strength.
It was a confrontation between ideals.
"I never claimed to be justice," Naruto replied without hesitation.
"Justice has never been something that can be clearly defined."
"And who says killing can't be justice?"
His voice was firm—unyielding.
"Then what difference is there between us?" Pain asked indifferently.
Naruto smiled faintly and let out a soft chuckle.
"Yes. What is the difference between us?"
Of course, what Naruto didn't say was this—
That he stood on the shoulders of an era.
That his mind carried the weight of five thousand years of civilization.
Naruto felt no hatred toward Nagato.
On the contrary, in his eyes, Nagato was someone of the same kind.
"You're right," Naruto continued.
"Justice is difficult to define. And compared to the Five Great Nations, you're far more honest."
"They've never been the ones to define justice. They're nothing but hypocritical rats, unworthy of standing on the world's stage."
"But it's a pity," Pain said slowly.
"No matter how unwilling you are, you are destined to be taken down by me."
"You will become a stepping stone toward peace."
"You and I are the same kind of people," Pain continued.
"I can feel the Pain within you."
Naruto couldn't help but laugh.
Is he trying to use Talk no Jutsu on me?
But in the end—
Talk no Jutsu was decided by strength.
Naruto's aura suddenly sharpened, like a blade being drawn from its sheath.
Pain immediately sensed the shift.
Against an opponent like Naruto, all six Paths of Pain gathered together, positioning themselves around the Deva Path.
He had already expended a tremendous amount of chakra using Super Shinra Tensei.
However, during the exchange of words, he had recovered a portion of it.
The atmosphere turned heavy.
The clash between the two—
Was about to begin.
(End of Chapter)
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