Seeing what had just happened, the Deva Path didn't dare exchange any more words with Ryo. Without hesitation, he flew straight toward Dragonite.
Although the Naraka Path could indeed repair the bodies, it still consumed chakra to do so.
And even if Dragonite didn't destroy the Naraka Path first, the constant need to repair bodies like this would soon deplete Nagato's chakra reserves entirely.
Whoosh—
Dragonite sensed the Deva Path approaching and turned to face him.
But just as the Deva Path moved in, the other Paths—aside from those just knocked back again by Dragonite—also charged forward together.
Dragonite furrowed its brow, sensing the shift. Its eyes sharpened with focus.
"Shinra Tensei!"
As the Deva Path closed in, several black Truth-Seeking Balls were summoned and launched toward Dragonite under the repelling force of Shinra Tensei.
And that wasn't all—the other Paths unleashed their attacks as well.
Dragonite, however, didn't charge recklessly. With a powerful flap of its wings, it blinked away with Extreme Speed, tracing a sharp Z-pattern through the air.
Then, with a focused gaze locked onto the Deva Path, a terrifying energy began to build in its throat.
The Akatsuki members watching nearby widened their eyes.
"That move is—?" Deidara and Sasori glanced in shock toward Itachi and Kisame.
The latter two frowned, recognizing the move immediately. After all, it was the same Hyper Beam that had nearly wrecked them the last time.
But Dragonite didn't care what they thought. Once the energy was fully charged, it blasted the beam straight at the Deva Path.
The Deva Path's eyes filled with disbelief.
From this attack, he could sense the presence of death.
But before he could react, the energy beam was already right in front of him.
Boom!
A massive explosion rocked the ground.
Even Ryo and the others, some distance from the impact, could feel the tremor through the earth.
Even the Pokémon House behind them began to sway ever so slightly.
At the blast zone, the earth erupted. Trees were sent flying into the air, and a vast mushroom-shaped cloud of smoke formed above.
The attack was so intense that even the ambient temperature spiked sharply.
Eventually, the tremors stopped. The heat began to dissipate.
Dragonite, finished with the attack, stared into the lingering smoke. Deep in its eyes, there was a glimmer of surprise.
…
Meanwhile, deep in the mountains outside Konoha.
In a hidden cave, Nagato—sheltered there—suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood. His already frail body weakened even further.
His face turned pale, as if he might collapse at any moment.
"Nagato!" Konan, who had accompanied him, rushed over in worry.
Nagato waved her off weakly. "I... I'm fine."
Konan didn't buy it. She gently patted his back, eyes full of concern.
How could he be fine after coughing up blood and becoming this frail?
"Nagato, how is it? Can you still continue?" she asked once he looked slightly better.
Cough cough—
Nagato coughed again, his expression darkening. "We lost... I've lost contact with all six Pains."
That last attack from Dragonite—he wasn't sure even the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path could have taken it head-on.
One blast had wiped out all of the Paths.
Konan trembled as she heard this, her eyes filled with disbelief.
She knew better than anyone just how powerful the Six Paths of Pain were.
With the Rinnegan, they were capable of destroying even one of the Five Great Ninja Villages—not just some minor hidden village.
And yet now, all of them were down? Cut off?
"What about Yahiko's body?" she asked, heart sinking.
If all the Pains were destroyed… then Yahiko's body—the Deva Path—must have been lost too?
Nagato shook his head. "No. I managed to redirect enough chakra to it in time. Though it couldn't withstand the attack, the body should still be intact."
He had realized the moment he saw Dragonite charging its attack that it was far beyond what the Pains could handle.
So he had sent the remaining Paths to shield the Deva Path.
If not for them, even Yahiko's body might have been destroyed.
Still, even with those sacrifices, the Deva Path was badly impacted by the redirected chakra. He had lost all control over it.
Konan sighed in relief but still looked at Nagato worriedly. "Nagato, let's leave. Let's walk away from this whole thing."
Nagato went quiet for a long moment, then slowly shook his head. "No. If we walk away now, our entire plan will fall apart."
Their goal had always been to use overwhelming power to shock the world into peace.
To do that, they needed to gather the Tailed Beasts and combine them into the most powerful entity, forcing the world into submission.
But Ryo's strength had made Nagato feel truly uneasy. With someone like that around, his plan was doomed to fail.
"Please, Nagato… forget peace. Let's just live." Konan's voice trembled.
Someone who could take out all six Paths this easily—even if Nagato went himself, he might not win.
Unless he gambled with his life. Again.
And if he did, he'd die. Even if not right away, he wouldn't last long.
"How can I give up?"
Nagato's expression turned grim. "This was Yahiko's dream. No matter what, I have to carry it out!"
"So that's worth dying for?! Nagato, wake up!"
Konan cried out in desperation.
Nagato fell silent once more.
But soon, his eyes regained their fire.
"I will fulfill Yahiko's dream—no matter what!"
With that, he wheeled himself toward the cave's exit, casting a long, deep glance in the direction of Konoha.
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