Konoha's brief calm was completely shattered.
The initial probing had ended.
The Six Paths of Pain fully deployed their formation. As the indifferent purple light in those six pairs of Rinnegan flared up, the nature of the battle began to shift.
"Summoning Jutsu."
The Animal Path Pain, that female figure with short orange hair, pressed her hands to the ground.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The earth trembled, dust soared into the sky, and three Summoned Beasts, each comparable to a small hill in size, appeared.
One was a giant rhinoceros covered in hard armor with a head like a battering ram; one was a centipede-like monster whose body constantly writhed and split, with each segment capable of acting independently; and the third was a giant flying bird.
"Spread out! Don't get surrounded!" Kakashi's sharp shout rang out.
The offensive of the Summoned Beasts was swifter than imagined.
The giant rhinoceros roared and charged, crushing trees like grass along its path, aiming directly at the area where the Konoha Ninja were most densely packed.
The centipede's body broke apart segment by segment, turning into dozens of smaller individuals that flanked and infiltrated from different directions.
The giant bird attacked from the air.
"Earth Release: Multiple Earth-Style Wall!" Several Jonin skilled in Earth Release performed the technique in unison, and several thick earth walls rose from the ground, attempting to block the rhinoceros's charge.
However, the horn on the rhinoceros's head pierced through the layers of earth walls as easily as a hot knife through butter. Its momentum slowed slightly, but it still slammed fiercely into the Konoha Ninja formation.
"Argh—!" Screams rang out.
Two Ninjas who couldn't dodge in time were sent flying directly; they were already spitting blood while in mid-air, and the sound of shattering bones was clearly audible.
Another Ninja, who barely avoided the head-on collision with a Body Replacement Technique, was struck by the air blast and flying debris from the rhinoceros, rolling away and unable to get up for a moment.
"Medical Team! Hurry!" An anxious cry came from the rear.
Almost simultaneously, the small individuals of the centipede had already latched onto the Ninjas on the flank.
These split-off bodies moved swiftly, had hard carapaces, and could spray poison from their mouths.
"Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning!" Asuma burned several of the split-off bodies into charred remains.
But more split-off bodies surged up. After chopping down two, a Chunin was ambushed from behind by a third. Poison splashed onto his arm, instantly corroding the flesh. He let out a muffled groan and slashed the split-off body in half with his backhand, but his entire arm had already begun to rapidly blacken and fester.
A comrade saw this and flashed to his side, swinging their blade to force back the other split-off bodies.
The bombs dropped from the air brought even greater pressure to the ground troops.
Kurenai Yuhi tried to use Genjutsu to interfere with the giant bird, but the effect was minimal.
Several Ninjas skilled in Wind Release and Water Release tried to intercept the bombs, but some still slipped through, causing violent explosions and craters on the ground. Many Ninjas were grazed by the explosions while dodging and immediately collapsed in Pain.
Kakashi remained calm. His Sharingan spun rapidly, the light of Lightning Blade condensing in his hand. His figure flashed, appearing before a larger centipede segment. Lightning flashed, and he annihilated it. However, more split-off bodies regenerated from the broken ends.
"Preta Path: Blocking Technique Absorption Seal."
The Preta Path Pain, who had remained in the rear without taking major action, slowly raised a hand.
An invisible suction force arrived. The Ninjutsu being prepared by several Konoha Ninja—whether it was fireballs, water dragons, or lightning—vanished like mud into the sea, their Chakra being absorbed.
"What?!"
"My Chakra..."
Meanwhile, the Human Path Pain cut into the battlefield.
His speed was extremely fast, his target clear, aiming directly at those Ninjas who had revealed openings because their Ninjutsu was broken, or who were currently tending to the wounded.
"Stop him!" Might Guy roared, forcing the Asura Path he was grappling with away with a punch, intending to rush toward the Human Path.
But would the Asura Path let him have his way? Countless mechanical parts opened, and missiles poured out like a rainstorm, tightly entangling Might Guy.
The Human Path's hand grabbed the shoulder of a female Medical Ninja who was busy bandaging a wounded person.
"Let go!" A nearby Ninja slashed over with a sword.
The Human Path did not dodge or evade, easily shattering the sword. The hand grabbing the female Ninja flashed with a faint purple light.
"Arghhhhh—!" The female Ninja let out a shrill scream, her whole body convulsing violently, as if something invisible was being forcibly ripped out of her body.
In just two seconds, her eyes rapidly dimmed and became hollow, and her body slumped softly, devoid of life.
Her Soul had been extracted.
The Ninja beside her was incensed, his eyes splitting.
The Human Path let go, his cold gaze scanning for the next target.
Casualties began to appear, and the speed was accelerating. The Six Paths of Pain's individual strength, which far exceeded the norm, combined with their exquisite and ruthless coordination, as well as some completely unreasonable abilities, began to cause substantive tearing in Konoha's defensive line.
The Konoha Jonin had not yet suffered casualties, but those bizarre abilities put a lot of pressure on them.
Kakashi's Chakra consumption was massive, and the burden on his Sharingan was becoming heavier and heavier.
And in this increasingly tragic melee, there was one figure who had not yet gone all out.
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