In truth, Nagato was acutely aware that the Kazekage's primary objective in appearing here was none other than his own Rinnegan.
Confronted by an unprecedentedly formidable adversary of this caliber, if he allowed him to systematically dismantle the Six Paths of Pain and strip away his tactical defenses piece by piece, their side would face absolute and definitive defeat.
Even if Nagato chose not to weigh the stakes for Jiraiya's sake, he was bound to secure a strategic retreat for his sole lifelong companion, Konan.
Thus, he resolutely executed the summoning of the Outer Path Statue, willingly sacrificing his remaining lifespan alongside the bodies of the Six Paths of Pain to awaken the unified, absolute power of the Rinnegan.
Before the eyes of those present, Nagato's withered, emaciated hair steadily regained its vibrant, crimson luster.
One by one, he forcefully ripped out the myriad of black chakra receivers embedded across his physical frame. In this exact moment, Nagato's lifeforce flared with an astonishingly robust, overflowing vitality.
"The innate vitality of the Uzumaki lineage... is truly a terrifying thing."
Nagato risked everything, successfully channeling the disparate elements of the Six Paths into a singular entity, effectively restoring himself to his absolute physical zenith.
Though this operational window was strictly limited by time, it provided him with ample leverage to inflict immense, catastrophic trouble upon Shiraishi.
"Jiraiya-sensei..."
"Nagato, you..."
"I leave Konan in your care."
Wielding the absolute, fully realized output of the Rinnegan, Nagato now simultaneously commanded the chakra absorption mechanics of the Preta Path, the raw ballistic payload of the Asura Path, the localized spatial summoning of the Animal Path, the instantaneous biological restoration of the Hell Path, and the absolute gravitational sovereignty of the Deva Path.
Analyzing raw individual capacity, Nagato's integrated form was vastly superior to the fragmented Six Paths of Pain.
In the original timeline of history, it was precisely the absolute sealing properties of Uchiha Itachi's Totsuka Blade that ultimately broke the Impure World Reincarnation variant of Nagato.
Facing an opponent of this caliber, Shiraishi displayed zero hesitation. The Sword of Heavenly Path erupted with the blinding radiance of the Core Punisher, driving its beam directly toward Nagato's position.
Yet, the latter merely pressed a single palm flat against the concrete terrain, instantly upheaving a titanic wall of solid earth that absorbed the core impact of the light blast.
"The Kazekage possesses the ability to unleash a specialized beam that briefly suppresses Kekkei Genkai properties; this stands as the single most problematic variable within his known arsenal."
Observing Jiraiya's visible confusion, Konan provided a soft, rapid strategic briefing. This specific thread of combat intelligence had been secured and delivered directly by Zetsu.
To Zetsu, Shiraishi's continued existence represented an unmanageable threat and a completely unpredictable wild card—an entity vastly more difficult to manipulate than Uchiha Madara. Consequently, he had dedicated immense operational resources toward archiving Shiraishi's diverse capabilities.
The Core Punisher stood as Shiraishi's most foundational tool of absolute suppression!
A light that suppresses bloodline limits?
Yet, before the thought could fully register, Shiraishi smoothly pivoted his longblade. The razor-sharp edge instantly generated a targeted gravity field, cleanly shearing the colossal earthen barrier into microscopic dust.
"Concurrently, the Kazekage maintains absolute mastery over a highly specialized form of localized gravitational manipulation."
"Does this Kazekage command any secondary attributes beyond these?"
"An immense, unknown volume..."
Before Jiraiya and Konan could finish their strategic data exchange, Uchiha Kaede and Deidara launched a synchronized, high-velocity descent from the sky, forcing the duo to immediately break formation to engage them independently.
Among the splitting vanguard, Konan intercepted Deidara, while Jiraiya locked directly into a high-stakes, comprehensive engagement with Uchiha Kaede.
"Uchiha Kaede!"
The brutal assassin who had claimed the life of his master—a rogue shinobi whose sheer malevolence across Uchiha history was eclipsed strictly by Uchiha Madara himself. Based on Jiraiya's current deduction, this entity was highly likely a specialized, autonomous split-clone of Shiraishi.
This was because when Shiraishi, Uchiha Kaede, and Deidara operated within the same immediate proximity, the underlying biological and energetic resonance connecting the three entities mirrored the exact systemic blueprint of the Six Paths of Pain.
This stood as Jiraiya's absolute, instinctual evaluation.
"Just another version of the Kazekage?"
Kaede's expression remained perfectly unreadable. Yet, that microscopic shift in his eyes confirmed Jiraiya's theory.
Simultaneously, Kaede's hands materialized two independent spheres of black, burning solar energy, radiating an overwhelming aura of absolute destruction.
"Forcibly shifting the narrative focus... as expected of the Third Hokage's personal disciple. In truth, when has your precious Konoha ever bestowed genuine benevolence? Your history is built strictly upon an endless foundation of paranoia and systemic hatred."
At the explicit mention of the Uchiha clan's violent eradication, Jiraiya fell silent. Concurrently, a secondary Sage marking abruptly unfurled across his forehead.
The Secondary Sage Crest?
This was a highly specialized, archaic Ryuchi Cave senjutsu seal. Resembling a pristine flower blooming across his flesh, it unleashed an endless, crushing reservoir of natural energy that saturated Jiraiya's muscular system.
Orochimaru... you absolute bastard, what on earth did you engineer before you fell?!
Kaede could distinctly perceive the residual energetic signature of Orochimaru radiating from Jiraiya's frame. He internally cursed that legendary instigator, who managed to leave behind so many operational backdoors even from beyond the grave.
"My esteemed Fifth Kazekage, I require immediate access to the Sharingan Orb. Otherwise, I will be entirely incapable of containing a Jiraiya bolstered by the dual convergence of two separate Sage lineages."
The moment Kaede's request echoed across the field, Shiraishi precisely flicked his wrist, hurling the specialized Sharingan Orb directly into his proxy's torso.
In an instant, innumerable Sharingan eyes split open across Kaede's flesh in a dense, interlocking pattern, causing Jiraiya's posture to turn exceptionally stern.
The explicit details regarding how the Third Hokage had perished had been meticulously documented by the Hidden Leaf's Anbu vanguard. The absolute pivot point governing that tragic defeat had been this exact, bizarre secret technique utilizing thousands of shifting Sharingan.
To think this critical, high-tier ninja tool had been quietly archived and preserved by the Kazekage all along...
With the complete network of the Sharingan fully operationalized, a colossal, towering Susanoo erupted from behind Kaede's frame.
The twin spheres of dark solar energy coalesced into two massive blades of absolute black flame, gripped tightly within its massive palms as it assumed a towering, monumental stance across the sky.
Following this transformation, six distinct Tomoe patterns materialized across the firmament, each independent crest housing its own open Sharingan—an explicit indication that the Susanoo's structural properties were actively augmented by six separate, specialized bloodline traits.
Confronted by a Susanoo of such monumental proportions, Jiraiya immediately initiated a high-tier summoning sequence, bringing forth Gamabunta.
"Jiraiya, this specific adversary is by no means an ordinary obstacle."
"I am counting on your assistance, old friend."
As elite summon beasts hailing from Mount Myoboku, they instantly quantified the catastrophic nature of the current battlefield.
Alongside Gamabunta, the Two Great Toad Sages, Fukasaku and Shima, manifested upon his shoulders.
Although Jiraiya's current internal balance prevented him from directly drawing natural energy through them, the two elders could channel massive amplifications directly into Gamabunta's physical frame.
Sparks violently erupted across the terrain as Gamabunta collided head-on with the armored Susanoo, the resulting explosive concussions tearing across the surrounding sectors.
Meanwhile, Konan and Deidara remained locked in a high-frequency standoff. Though the destructive payload of Dust Release was absolute, Konan's paper-based methodology was infinitely versatile, preventing either side from securing a decisive advantage.
Despite her intense psychological anxiety regarding Nagato's physical condition, Konan was pinned down by Deidara's relentless, high-pressure explosive nets, leaving her completely incapable of diverting her focus to provide assistance.
The absolute crucible of this entire conflict rested entirely upon whether Nagato, with his integrated Six Paths power, could successfully suppress the Kazekage.
Up to this current juncture, the absolute threshold of Shiraishi's hidden methodologies remained entirely unquantified, eluding even Zetsu's rigorous espionage networks.
Unlike the Third Hokage, who relied on the mastery of a thousand conventional, standardized jutsu, Shiraishi's techniques were far less numerous, yet every single variant he deployed was exceptionally problematic, rare, and difficult to counter.
According to the established records of the modern ninja world, from the exact historical date he began operating under the moniker "Aoki Shiraishi," his absolute power levels had grown progressively profound, inscrutable, and mathematically impossible to measure.
Yet, Shiraishi had to internally acknowledge that the current version of Nagato possessed the genuine capacity to threaten his life.
Gripping the Sword of Heavenly Path firmly within his palm, Shiraishi loosed an endless sea of silver butterflies that fluttered outward to saturate all four quadrants of the field.
While these silver butterflies functioned as a highly responsive sensory and detection grid, Shiraishi's true killing blow was by no means limited to this passive matrix.
"Secret Art: Quad-Elemental Spheres!"
Under Shiraishi's precise cognitive command, four distinct spheres of specialized elemental energy—Lightning Strike, Azure Flame, Abyssal Cryo-Flame, and Wild Volt—coalesced into a floating ring behind his back, continuously discharging a horrific, overlapping offensive torrent.
Concurrently, the brilliant butterfly scales generated by the Sword of Heavenly Path drifted inward, seamlessly attaching themselves across Shiraishi's chest and torso to structure a unique, dragon-crested helmet and an armored battlesuit of pure spiritual force!
"Is that... Sage Mode?"
Perched upon Gamabunta's shoulder, Elder Fukasaku's expression turned deeply grave. It was completely incapable of tracing the absolute depth of Shiraishi's power beneath that armored carapace, yet the divine, unyielding aura radiating from his frame confirmed beyond all doubt that this was indeed Sage Mode.
To be precise, it was the absolute, fully realized state of the Dragon Seal Sage Mode!
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