Naruto’s Strongest Force [translation]

Border of the Land of Fields

Even though the sand cushion flew slowly, being in the air meant there were no obstacles in the way.

After about an hour, Natsuki spotted a figure standing on the trees in the distance—it was Deva Path.

As Natsuki and Konan approached, he landed his sand cushion nearby and walked toward Deva Path.

"Uchiha Natsuki, finding you has been quite an effort," Pain said, his tone calm and confident.

"That's not how you ask someone for help," Natsuki replied lazily.

Over the years, Nagato's Rinnegan had only made him more arrogant, convinced of his own divinity.

Sure enough, the classic line came next.

"To disrespect a god is unforgivable!" Pain's voice carried an air of absolute certainty and pride.

But Natsuki didn't buy into this.

Digging a finger in his ear, he said casually, "I know this is just your Deva Path Path corpse. Call out the other five."

Pain's brow furrowed. He felt as if all his secrets were laid bare. Natsuki needed to be dealt with immediately.

Konan, visibly shocked, couldn't help but ask, "How much do you actually know?"

Pain raised a hand.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

In quick succession, the other five Paths of Pain appeared, landing around them.

"No matter how many secrets you know, I'll get them out of you," Pain said coldly.

Natsuki cracked his neck and smirked. "Let me beat you back to being a normal person first, then we'll talk."

The air grew tense and heavy.

Pain had never been able to get a clear read on Natsuki. Apart from knowing he possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan, everything else about him was a mystery.

Not willing to waste time, Pain attacked first.

Suddenly, an invisible force pulled Natsuki straight toward Deva Path.

Banshō Ten'in!

The other Paths moved into position.

The Animal Path began summoning creatures. The Asura Path's arm started to transform.

The Human Path and Preta Path moved to intercept, while the Naraka Path stood back, observing the battle unfold.

As Natsuki was pulled toward Deva Path, his expression didn't change. He had already anticipated a fight with Pain and was prepared.

His first objective was clear: take out the healer!

Pain's formation made it obvious. The Preta Path was positioned to absorb Natsuki's chakra, while the Human Path would extract his memories.

While being pulled through the air, Natsuki adjusted his posture. Using his left hand, he blocked the Human Path's grab.

At the same time, his right hand, covered in Four Symbols Seal markings, pressed against the Preta Path's arm.

The sealing script spread from the Preta Path's hand across its entire body, disabling its chakra absorption.

Natsuki then kicked the Preta Path hard, sending it flying.

Using his left hand to deflect another attack, he drew the Kusanagi sword with his right.

Though intended for Sasuke, Natsuki had grown quite accustomed to using it himself.

Clang!

A sharp, grating sound echoed as the Kusanagi sword severed both of the Human Path's arms.

All of this happened mid-flight.

Each move was executed fluidly, as if rehearsed a thousand times.

After countless hours of training in the dream space, Natsuki's combat skills were polished to perfection.

With a horizontal slash of the Kusanagi sword, Natsuki advanced.

Nagato hadn't expected Natsuki to act so quickly. The Preta Path was sealed, the Human Path's arms were cut off, and now Natsuki's blade was speeding toward him.

Shinra Tensei!

The repelling force of Almighty Push erupted.

Natsuki instantly recognized the technique as Shinra Tensei from the shifting air currents. He quickly activated Susano-o.

Despite his quick reaction, the repelling force slammed into Susano-o the moment it formed.

Natsuki and his Susano-o were violently hurled backward by the impact.

While flying through the air, Natsuki deactivated Susano-o, stretched his body to recover, and quickly formed hand seals.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

As he performed the seals, the Four Symbols Seal markings spread across the Kusanagi sword in his other hand.

Using his ability to multitask, Natsuki unleashed both the fireball and the sword simultaneously.

A massive fireball shot toward Pain. Deva Path leapt aside, letting the fireball skim past him.

However, concealed within the fireball, the Kusanagi sword shot out, aimed directly at Deva Path.

The blade was covered in sealing techniques, and it struck directly into the face of the Hell Path.

The Hell Path didn't make a sound, falling backward without resistance.

Nagato instantly lost the connection to the Hell Path.

Pain's expression froze. This Natsuki! He knows the abilities of the Hell Path!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three deafening explosions sounded as three massive summoned creatures appeared on the battlefield.

Meanwhile, the Asura Path had already launched its missiles, aiming right at Natsuki's landing point.

The sky suddenly lit up.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The missiles from the Asura Path caused massive explosions.

Within the thick smoke, a skeletal Susanoo firmly shielded Natsuki.

Natsuki instantly deactivated the Susanoo and threw several shuriken, targeting the Deva Path.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Claw Red!"

Flames shot from Natsuki's mouth, instantly wrapping around the shuriken. The flaming shuriken scattered like a blossoming flower, flying toward the Deva Path.

The Deva Path raised his hand.

"Shinra Tensei!"

A powerful repulsive force sent all the shuriken flying away.

Natsuki grabbed a kunai, preparing to throw it again.

Suddenly, a massive multi-headed dog charged in from the side, snapping its jaws toward him.

Natsuki abandoned the idea of stabbing the dog with the kunai. This creature seemed to split apart when struck.

His left hand lit up. "Contract Seal: Release!"

With a hand glowing with sealing techniques, Natsuki struck the dog's head.

Bang! The summoned beast disappeared in an instant!

A sharp bird cry echoed through the air.

The Eight-Span Crow swooped down, creating intense wind pressure as its sharp beak, like a drill, aimed straight for Natsuki.

The moment it was about to hit Natsuki—

"Susanoo!"

Boom!

The Susanoo formed a massive skeleton, blocking the Eight-Span Crow's attack.

Susanoo swung a fist downward, smashing the Eight-Span Crow into the ground.

Across the field, the Animal Path began weaving signs again—another summoning technique!

Bang!

A gigantic centipede emerged, crawling menacingly.

As expected of the Animal Path. It lived up to its reputation.

The Asura Path fired another wave of missiles, striking the bones of Susanoo.

Inside the Susanoo, Natsuki remained unharmed and began weaving hand signs.

The Asura Path's energy cannon charged at close range, aiming directly at Susanoo's bones.

Natsuki opened his mouth—

"Water Style: Water Severing Wave!"

A sharp water blade shot out, slicing the Asura Path's arm and the Animal Path's body in half at the same time.

Without even a groan, the Animal Path collapsed to the ground.

The massive centipede charged forward with a thunderous sound, but it turned into a puff of smoke before it could reach Natsuki.

Natsuki was just about to finish off the nearby Asura Path when—

A sudden force surged toward him!

Another Shinra Tensei!

This time, Natsuki chose to withstand it directly!

Boom! A massive explosion echoed as Susanoo transformed into its full flesh form.

The overwhelming repulsive force struck Susanoo like a crashing wave hitting a mountain.

Susanoo delivered a powerful punch, completely destroying the Asura Path, reducing it to a pile of broken parts.

Natsuki deactivated the Susanoo and landed gracefully on the ground.

On the battlefield, only the Human Path, whose hands were severed, the sealed Hell Path, and the Deva Path Pain remained.

Without a word, Pain clasped his hands together. The Human Path collapsed. The sealed Hell Path also fell.

Nagato, now controlling the Deva Path alone, felt stronger than ever. His control, chakra flow, and jutsu power were all heightened.

Even though only one Path remained, his confidence was unwavering.

Natsuki let out a light laugh. "So, it's time to get serious, huh?"

As the tension between Natsuki and Nagato escalated, Konan couldn't hold back anymore.

"Stop it! Both of you, stop fighting! This battle is meaningless!"