Danzo stared at Pain with a dark expression.
"Does this guy have infinite chakra?"
They had been fighting for so long, yet Pain showed no signs of fatigue.
And he kept using that technique over and over again.
Pain didn't respond.
He simply raised his hand again—
And unleashed another Shinra Tensei.
Danzo had anticipated this.
As he was blasted backward, he threw a kunai mid-air.
His fingers were already forming a seal.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"
The kunai multiplied instantly—
One became two.
Two became four.
And in an instant, a storm of shuriken filled the air.
Pain stopped his attack, shifting focus to deflect the incoming projectiles.
With a small-scale Shinra Tensei, he blasted the shuriken clones away.
That was Danzo's opening.
He bit his thumb, smeared blood across his palm, and slammed his hand onto the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu! Baku!"
BOOM!
A massive tapir-like creature appeared, roaring as it raised its long trunk toward the sky.
Then—
It inhaled sharply, creating a violent vacuum that pulled everything toward its mouth.
Dust, debris, even Pain himself—
Everything was being sucked in.
Pain felt his body losing stability, even with his chakra anchored to the ground.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"A Baku…?"
Danzo wasted no time.
He formed another seal and took a deep breath.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves!"
A barrage of compressed air blades shot from his mouth—
Each one sharp enough to slice through rock.
With the Baku's suction enhancing them, the wind blades became even deadlier.
They streaked toward Pain like razor-sharp scythes, ready to tear him apart.
But Pain simply raised his hand again.
"Shinra Tensei!"
The next moment, an invisible force collided with the vacuum waves—
And crushed them instantly.
Danzo watched calmly as the repulsive force closed in.
"Even with the Baku's enhancement, the vacuum blades couldn't break through…"
In the blink of an eye, the force slammed into him—
And the Baku was sent flying as well.
Both of them crashed into the ruins like discarded dolls.
Then—
Danzo's body reappeared in the open space.
Pain narrowed his eyes.
"This technique again?"
He still couldn't fully grasp how Danzo was doing it, but he wasn't interested in figuring it out.
He raised his hand again.
"Universal Pull!"
Danzo felt his body lift off the ground—
Pulled straight toward Pain.
But this time, he didn't panic.
His eyes gleamed.
As he closed the distance, he suddenly activated the power in his right arm.
Wooden tendrils exploded from his arm, twisting toward Pain, ready to impale him.
But just before they could reach him—
Another shockwave erupted.
The trees stopped growing, their momentum halted mid-air.
Then—
They shattered.
The force blasted Danzo backward again—
He hit the ground, rolling nearly ten meters before stopping.
Lying on his back, staring at the sky, his consciousness was fading.
"If this keeps up… I'll die."
"Looks like I have no choice but to use it."
"At least it'll be fitting to use it against the leader of Akatsuki…"
---
Meanwhile, in a cave near Konoha—
Nagato sat hunched over, his thin, frail body covered in black rods.
His breathing was weak.
Konan stood beside him, concern in her eyes.
"Nagato… Are you okay?"
"Don't push yourself too hard."
Nagato shook his head.
"I'm fine."
Konan, still worried, pressed on.
"My clone was destroyed… and there's only one Pain body left in Konoha. Why not call off the mission this time?"
Nagato slowly shook his head again.
"No… We continue."
---
Pain scanned the battlefield, staying alert.
A moment later, Danzo's figure reappeared in a clearing.
The instant he emerged, he began forming seals.
Seeing this, Pain immediately activated Universal Pull.
But before Danzo could be dragged in, he completed his jutsu—
And exhaled sharply.
"Wind Style: Gale Blade!"
A sharp gust of wind surged toward Pain.
He had no choice but to cancel Universal Pull and dodge.
Danzo seized the opportunity to catch his breath—
And lifted the bandage covering his right eye.
Beneath it, a three-tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly—
Then morphed into a Mangekyō Sharingan.
He knew he couldn't overpower Pain with force alone.
So instead—
He planned to use Kotoamatsukami to take control of him.
But what Danzo didn't realize was—
Sakiya had been watching from the shadows.
The moment she saw his Mangekyō activate, she understood his plan.
Without hesitation, she used a holographic projection technique to distort Danzo's vision—
Then immediately activated her summoning jutsu.
-----
A tiger prowled through the wilderness, hunting a deer.
The two creatures sprinted through the trees, but the tiger was faster, gradually closing the gap.
The predator's mouth curled slightly, anticipation filling its mind as it prepared for the final pounce.
Bang—
---
Bang—
The tiger suddenly appeared inside a summoning circle, its powerful frame tense with confusion.
It blinked, staring at the unfamiliar world around it.
Where was the deer?
And why was there a giant human in front of it?
Then, the tiger locked eyes with the man standing nearby.
His gaze was strange—
And in an instant, a pattern swirled in the tiger's vision, reshaping into something… mesmerizing.
Its mind went blank.
And suddenly—
A deep, inexplicable sense of loyalty filled its chest.
Whatever this human commanded—
It would obey.
---
To Pain, the scene looked… bizarre.
Danzo had activated his Mangekyō Sharingan—
Pain assumed he was about to unleash some powerful technique.
But then—
Danzo simply stared at the empty space nearby.
A moment later, his Sharingan deactivated, and he visibly weakened.
---
In Danzo's mind, he had successfully cast Kotoamatsukami on Pain.
He had used up nearly all his chakra—
But it didn't matter.
Pain was under his control now.
Or so he thought.
Danzo allowed himself a triumphant smirk—
And then—
Agonizing pain erupted in his chest.
Pain had moved in an instant, stabbing a black rod straight through his heart.
Danzo's eyes widened in shock.
He stared at Pain, speechless.
"You…?"
Pain's voice remained cold.
"You seem to have misunderstood something. But it doesn't matter. You're about to die."
Danzo coughed up blood, his mind still unable to process what had happened.
"You… You're not human…"
Pain stared at him, expression unreadable.
"Oh? What kind of technique were you trying to use? Your face says it didn't go as planned."
Danzo barely had the strength to respond.
"What… what do you mean?"
Pain didn't answer.
Instead, he drove another black rod forward, this time straight through Danzo's skull.
Danzo's body went limp—
And he collapsed, lifeless.
_______________
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