Chapter 194 – Kakashi vs. Pain's Six Paths (Part 3)
The ground shook beneath them. Steel beams groaned, masonry cracked, and the air trembled with tension as Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy launched themselves into battle once more, their movements blurs of lethal intent.
Across from them, the Six Paths of Pain stood unfazed—unblinking eyes of concentric ripple-patterns watching their every move. But Nagato, controlling it all from afar, did not sit idle. He moved with urgency, his thoughts sharp, his control precise.
The battle was escalating.
The monstrous summoning beasts—toads, hounds, centipedes, and birds—lurched forward at Nagato's command. Behind the tide of claws and fangs, the Naraka Path made its move, summoning forth the grotesque visage of the King of Hell.
With a grinding groan, the massive demonic head loomed in the mist, mouth wide open like the gate of the underworld. Into this maw, the Naraka Path hurled the charred remains of the Preta Path—burned earlier by Guy's Morning Peacock.
The moment the Preta Path passed the demon's gaping teeth, its body was engulfed in a sickly purple light. As if time reversed, the burns peeled away, bones restructured, skin reformed. In mere seconds, it was reborn—good as new.
Nagato's regeneration system was terrifying. As long as the Naraka Path remained, any fallen body could be restored. No matter how brutal the blow, the Six Paths could return again… and again… and again.
Meanwhile, the Asura Path—originally a living shinobi who had turned himself into a deadly war machine long before falling into Nagato's control—now revealed its upgraded form.
Its tattered cloak fell away, unveiling a horror of engineering and anatomy fused together.
Two identical faces emerged on either side of its skull, lifeless and symmetrical.
From its back extended mechanical arms tipped with bladed fingers, each rotating with a high-pitched whir.
A jagged, metallic tail shot out from its spine, lashing in anticipation, sparking with volatile chakra.
Nagato was done holding back.
He activated his true trump card—the core of his combat strategy—Deva Path Yahiko.
This body, made from the corpse of his dearest friend, bore not only the Rinnegan, but his will. It was the face of their old dream, weaponized.
Nagato moved it to the frontlines, hovering in place, unshakable.
Guy didn't hesitate.
He had no time to waste.
The Seventh Gate was open—and every moment burned away at his life force.
If he didn't bring Nagato down soon, he would collapse.
He knew his limit. He welcomed it.
Without a word, he launched himself toward Nagato, chakra roaring from his pores like blue fire.
"Strong Whirlwind!!"
A burst of wind exploded beneath him as his leg swept into a full arc, spinning into a devastating roundhouse kick aimed straight for Yahiko's head.
The Deva Path's eyes flashed.
Repulsion activated.
A burst of invisible force surged forth, meant to swat Guy away like an insect.
But this was no ordinary man. This was Might Guy, cloaked in the chakra of the Seven Gates—his body bolstered by raw will, not chakra.
The force slowed him, but it couldn't stop him.
Yahiko floated backward, lifting into the air using Shinra Tensei, avoiding a direct clash.
Nagato, the true controller, had already retreated further into the shadows—preferring a safer vantage point now that the battle had reached its peak.
But Guy didn't stop.
He pursued Yahiko like a shadow—one heartbeat, one step behind.
Then—
CRACK!
A thunderous blow landed.
Guy's fist smashed into Yahiko's face with unrestrained force. The blow spun him midair, teeth flying from his mouth in a bloody arc.
Even the immortal puppet bodies of Pain couldn't mask the violence of that impact.
"Damn it!"
Yahiko gritted his teeth—those that remained—and unleashed Shinra Tensei again, this time with all his might.
The explosion of force tore through the surrounding buildings.
For anyone else, it would have meant death.
But Guy wasn't anyone.
"Daytime Tiger!!!"
With a roar that split the air, Guy struck.
His punch compressed the surrounding atmosphere into a singularity of force, launching a tiger-shaped shockwave that tore through space itself.
The roar of the tiger clashed with Yahiko's repulsion field.
And won.
Yahiko's full-strength Shinra Tensei was shattered like glass, unable to contain the sheer physical pressure of Guy's taijutsu.
At the last second, Nagato's reflexes kicked in.
Recognizing the threat, he forced Yahiko's body to dive, yanking it down with a surge of gravity.
The Daytime Tiger passed inches above Yahiko's head, missing him—but not without cost.
A circular patch of orange hair was vaporized, singed clean off by the edge of the shockwave.
For a moment, there was silence.
Then, Nagato's voice, trembling with rage, echoed through the battlefield.
"Yahiko!"
Of all the Paths, Nagato cherished the Deva Path the most—it was, after all, Yahiko's body.
Seeing it damaged—seeing it scarred—sparked a fury that overrode reason.
With a scream of grief and hatred, Nagato threw caution aside.
He surged with chakra, ignoring the pain ravaging his real body.
"SUPER SHINRA TENSEI!!!"
The ground trembled.
The sky dimmed.
A colossal sphere of force erupted from Nagato's hidden location—larger than anything he had used before.
And Guy, who had just finished his attack, was caught mid-recovery.
He couldn't dodge.
He couldn't block.
He was vulnerable.
"White Fang Secret Art: Silver Wolf Lotus!!"
At that exact instant, a blinding arc of silver light cut through the air.
Kakashi's blade flashed, releasing a wolf-shaped wave of chakra that intercepted the blast. Though the attack lasted only a heartbeat, it disrupted the repulsive wave long enough to give Guy an opening.
That was all he needed.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Guy pressed his thumb to his chest, eyes blazing.
Eighth Gate: Gate of Death—OPEN!
His chakra exploded—crimson steam gushed from his body, engulfing him in a bloody mist. The ground beneath his feet cracked apart, unable to contain the force now pouring from his limbs.
"Eight Inner Gates Formation!!"
This was the pinnacle of taijutsu. The cost: his life.
"Evening Elephant!!!"
With a scream that echoed across the entire Land of Rain, Guy threw his punch.
A column of compressed air erupted, forming a pillar of light that lanced through the sky—pure and unstoppable.
It raced toward Nagato's true body like a divine judgment.
Nagato's eyes widened. His mind raced.
He wouldn't make it.
He couldn't block it.
He couldn't survive it.
In that moment between life and death, his mind was flooded with memories.
His parents falling in the Second Shinobi War.
Collapsing from hunger, only to be saved by Konan.
Meeting Yahiko.
Learning peace under Jiraiya.
Founding Akatsuki.
Yahiko's death.
The dream… of a better world.
"Yahiko…"
A whisper on his lips.
He closed his eyes.
It seems… I'm coming to join you.
But then—
Snap!
Nagato's eyes snapped open.
No.
Not yet.
"Reverse Summoning!"
With a final surge of chakra, Nagato performed a reverse summoning, dragging Yahiko into place directly in front of him.
"Yahiko… it's up to you now!"
Yahiko appeared in a puff of smoke, eyes burning.
He saw the beam of destruction approaching and moved on instinct.
"SUPER SHINRA TENSEI!!!"
He thrust both arms forward.
The blast of gravitational force clashed with the beam of the Evening Elephant.
And then—
BOOM!!!
An explosion like a star going supernova engulfed the battlefield.
The shockwave annihilated the surrounding ruins. A massive mushroom cloud bloomed above Amegakure, casting long shadows across the scorched land.
Wind and fire raged in all directions.
Even rogue shinobi hiding miles away were swept from their perches, tossed like leaves in a storm.
Far below ground, deep in the Akatsuki compound, Konan had long retreated and was watching over Obito.
She felt the tremor. The whole hideout quaked.
Her fingers clenched tightly over her robe.
"…Nagato," she whispered.
"…Please be alright."
Huff… Huff… Huff…
A strained breath echoed through the crumbling ruins.
It was Might Guy.
The smoke from the catastrophic explosion slowly began to thin, rising in spiraling columns into the broken sky. The once-dim skies of Amegakure, briefly pierced by sunlight, now returned to their gloomy overcast as the dust began to settle.
Kakashi emerged from below the surface, carefully pulling himself out of a collapsed stone crevice. His robes were torn, his body bruised, but his senses remained sharp.
He had survived only thanks to a last-second Earth Release technique that buried him underground before the blast could consume him entirely. Even so, he could still feel the aftershock reverberating through his bones.
Kazane always made it look easy, he thought grimly.
Kakashi's swordsmanship had grown tremendously, but he wasn't built for explosive clashes like Guy was. His focus, his path, had always been precision, not endurance.
As soon as the ground stopped trembling, he bolted from his hiding place and sprinted to the crater's edge.
"Guy!" he called out, rushing toward the bloodied heap lying amidst cracked stone.
He dropped to his knees and immediately took hold of his friend's shoulders, lifting him gently off the broken ground.
"Guy, are you alright?"
Guy's breathing was ragged. Steam hissed off his body, rising in red trails that stung the air like embers. His skin was scalded, his limbs trembling from exertion.
But even so, he managed to force a grin.
"Haha… I'm fine," he coughed out hoarsely. "Just exhausted… not dead."
Despite the pain, there was a flicker of pride in his voice. He had unleashed the Eighth Gate and lived to speak afterward. That, in itself, was a miracle.
Then Guy's expression shifted slightly. His brow furrowed in effort as he turned toward Kakashi.
"Kakashi… check if that guy's dead, would you?" he murmured. "I'm counting on you from here."
But Kakashi wasn't so easily fooled.
The tremor in Guy's hands. The pallor in his skin. The flicker of life fading from his aura.
This wasn't just exhaustion.
There is no such thing as a free technique.
The Eight Gates didn't offer strength for free. Every gate opened was a toll paid in blood and life. Even with years of research by Kazane, Orochimaru, and Tsunade, only the first six gates had been stabilized to the point of safe use. The Seventh still shortened lifespan. The Eighth Gate of Death, even with its so-called "refinements," remained a suicide move in all but name.
Kakashi clenched his teeth as he helped Guy sit upright against a shattered wall.
I won't let it end like this, he thought. I won't bring Obito back just to lose Guy.
Guy wasn't just a comrade—he was a brother-in-arms. Someone who had always stood by his side in silence and fury alike. Kakashi had no intention of letting his story end here.
Standing tall, he raised a hand, forming a quick Wind Release technique that sent a burst of clean air forward, dispersing the lingering smoke.
His heart sank.
Standing in front of him were all Six Paths of Pain—alive and whole.
The smoke revealed Nagato, cloaked in shadow behind them, with the remaining Five Paths assembled neatly in a line. The Naraka Path loomed nearby, its grotesque King of Hell now closing its maw with a wet crunch, having just spat out a fully restored Deva Path Yahiko—completely healed, unmarred, and eerily calm.
Kakashi's breath caught.
After all that… and it did nothing?
"White Fang Secret Art: Twenty-Four Bridges Under the Moonlight!"
Furious, Kakashi moved without hesitation.
His blade gleamed, and twenty-four sharp arcs of silver light shot out, flying toward the Six Paths in precise, overlapping patterns.
It wasn't just a barrage—it was a test.
A probing strike to see if they were truly restored or bluffing.
But before the slashes could land, a massive spectral form shimmered into existence.
A blue skeletal Susanoo rose from the earth like a giant warrior, ribs expanding to shield the Six Paths as the silver arcs collided harmlessly against its dense chakra armor.
The attacks left only faint scratches—scratches that were swiftly regenerated by a fresh surge of chakra.
Kakashi's eyes narrowed as he focused on the figure standing in front of the shield.
"Uchiha… Obito!"
The truth hit him like a hammer.
The one defending Nagato wasn't just anyone—it was his lost friend, Uchiha Obito, alive and wielding Susanoo.
From behind the glowing chakra ribs, Obito Uchiha lowered his arm slowly, eye narrowing in frustration.
While Konan had feared for Nagato's life during the battle, Obito had been panicking for an entirely different reason:
His mission.
He hadn't joined Akatsuki out of loyalty. He was a mole, planted on Kazane's orders, operating as a covert agent of Konoha. His job was to feed intel back home, all while manipulating the organization's movements to weaken the Five Great Nations and tilt the balance toward Konoha's rise.
"Slowing the enemy… speeds up ourselves," Kazane had once said, grinning lazily while flipping through scrolls. "You'll be the inside blade. Do it right, and I'll get Hyuga Hiashi and Fugaku to approve your marriage to Sonoko."
That was the deal.
Now, seeing Nagato nearly killed and the Akatsuki teetering on collapse, Obito's inner monologue was spiraling.
I just got here! You're already trying to kill my boss?! That ends my mission before it even starts!
Who's going to get me my wife then?!
---
Kakashi's voice rang across the battlefield.
"Obito… I came here to bring you back to the village."
He took a step forward.
"I believe in you. I know you didn't kill that ANBU agent. Let me explain everything to Big Brother. Come home, Obito."
Kakashi's voice cracked slightly, raw with sincerity.
He hadn't given up. Not on Guy. Not on Obito. Not even now.
Obito stood still.
Then, with a sigh, he slowly lowered his Susanoo and turned toward Kakashi.
His voice was smooth and calm.
"Kakashi… haven't you realized yet?"
"I've been inside Akatsuki for some time now. I've seen things. Things Konoha doesn't want to see."
"This world… is sick."
His words hung in the air.
"And the root of the disease?" he continued. "The Five Great Nations—including Konoha."
Behind him, Nagato narrowed his eyes.
His chakra fluctuated. His fingers twitched, ready to strike.
If Obito showed signs of betrayal… he would be erased.
Akatsuki did not tolerate traitors.
But Obito kept speaking.
Kakashi and Guy stared at him in disbelief.
Every word felt foreign. Heavy. Calculated.
Obito's arms rose slowly as if reaching toward the sky.
"Kakashi… you were born into nobility. A clan. A name. You'll never understand how the rest of us live."
He swept his hand around, gesturing to the broken buildings of Amegakure.
"Look around you. The world lies in ruins. And why? Because the Great Nations keep spilling blood for land, pride, and power."
"Innocent lives are burned away in every war they start."
"What do our lives mean to you shinobi?"
He paused.
Then spoke, his voice soft yet thunderous with emotion:
"I have a dream."
"A world without war. Without suffering. Where children grow up smiling. Where everyone eats their fill. Where peace isn't a fairy tale."
He turned back to Kakashi.
"That's why I can't go back."
"Returning to Konoha would mean being just another tool for the powerful to cut down the weak."
"But here… I can help shape a world strong enough to force peace."
"Even if I have to give everything for that dream… I will."
Kakashi stood frozen.
Every word struck deep—like punches to the chest.
Behind Obito, Nagato's eyes widened.
In those words… he heard his own unspoken truth.
His own dream.
For so long, he had buried it. Hidden it. Suppressed it.
Not even Konan knew how deeply he yearned for peace.
And now Obito, without knowing, had voiced it aloud.
His heart trembled.
He felt shame for doubting Obito—this man was the real thing.
His comrade. His kindred spirit.
Kakashi took a step back.
He couldn't reconcile what he was hearing.
Was this really the same idiot who tripped on flat ground? The one who blushed when Rin smiled?
Had the Mangekyō fried his brain?