"Cough… cough…"
The Deva Path of Pain landed heavily from midair, breathing unevenly.
Rainwater streamed uncontrollably down his black cloak patterned with red clouds, soaking it through. What once fell in droplets now merged into thin rivulets, clinging to the fabric and dripping to the ground.
Those Rinnegan eyes—once vast and imposing—had visibly constricted.
He stared at the small figure standing below him.
Coldness and killing intent coexisted in his gaze, yet buried deep within was something he could not fully suppress—
Shock.
Chibaku Tensei.
At his current level, this was one of the strongest techniques he could unleash.
A power capable of sealing tailed beasts—one that, if used at full capacity, could even erase a nation.
And yet—
This technique had been seen through almost instantly.
Its core destroyed with nothing more than a single, overwhelmingly direct strike.
A strike delivered not by technique superiority, but by raw force.
Was this truly something human hands could achieve?
For the first time, the Deva Path felt his understanding of power collapse.
Above the ruined battlefield, Uchiha Kai casually shook his slightly numb right hand. His palm was swollen, faintly red.
Forcing rules to yield through sheer physical output…
Even for him, that had been pushing it.
"But why hasn't Pain dropped any rewards yet?"
Kai frowned slightly.
"Don't tell me breaking Chibaku Tensei doesn't count as a defeat…"
"Or is it because the ten-minute conversation condition still hasn't been fulfilled?"
After a brief pause, he descended calmly, restraining his presence just enough to avoid provoking another immediate clash.
Looking straight at the self-proclaimed god before him, Kai spoke casually:
"Hey. You're the one calling yourself a god, right?"
"Now… how about we chat for ten minutes?"
Silence.
Pain: ?
Konan: ?
Nagato: ?
Jiraiya: ...
Itachi: …as expected.
The first three were stunned. The latter two were simply exhausted.
Especially Itachi.
He covered his face with one hand, muttering helplessly:
"It's happening again… this habit of his…"
Ever since childhood, Kai had loved talking.
Talking mid-fight.
Talking after fights.
Talking to enemies who clearly did not want to talk.
And more often than not—those people ended up talking anyway.
Zetsu's expression twisted awkwardly.
He wanted to mock Kai.
But he also really didn't want to get hit again.
So he muttered quietly instead:
"This guy… of all people, he wants to chat with that one?"
"Pain barely speaks once a month…"
But then—
Everyone froze.
After a short moment of silence, the Deva Path lowered his chin slightly and answered:
"…Very well."
That single word detonated like a bomb.
Zetsu's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
Konan's wings stalled mid-air.
"W–What?!"
"Nagato… agreed?"
"He knows prolonged conversation worsens his condition—how could he accept this?!"
Her thoughts shattered.
So badly that she forgot to maintain flight, dropping straight into the muddy water below.
Splash.
She scrambled upright, soaked and stunned, staring in disbelief.
In the center of the ruins, Kai and the Deva Path were already talking.
Mostly Kai talking.
About nothing in particular.
Random ideas.
Odd metaphors.
Utter nonsense at times.
The Deva Path responded occasionally—short, clipped answers.
The scene looked absurd.
Like an introvert trapped in a forced conversation with an overenthusiastic extrovert.
Ten minutes passed.
[Conversation with Deva Path Pain completed. Attempting to copy trait…]
[Copy failed.]
The moment the system message appeared, Kai's smile vanished.
His expression went completely still.
"…Hmm?"
Pain tilted his head slightly.
"You stopped. Continue."
He could feel his chakra recovering.
The backlash from losing five Paths had stabilized.
Whether he chose to fight or retreat now—he finally had the option.
But Kai wasn't listening.
Above them—
The sky changed.
Boom.
Boom—!
Thunder rolled.
Not artificial.
Not chakra-generated.
Real thunder.
Konan's face drained of color.
"Lightning…?"
"That's impossible."
"In all these years… since the Rain Tiger technique enveloped Amegakure—there has never been thunder."
The constant rain suppressed atmospheric collision.
Lightning should not exist here.
Yet now—
It did.
She rushed forward, instinctively positioning herself in front of the Deva Path.
"Something's wrong."
"It's him," Pain said quietly, looking upward.
"No hand seals… yet he's influencing natural lightning."
"Once again… he exceeds expectations."
Even Kai was surprised.
Then the system responded.
[Detected: High-Level Rule Fragments ×5]
[Initiating fusion…]
Kai blinked.
"…What?"
Before he could react—
The fusion began.
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