The gentle morning light in the Royal Palace of the Land of Water fell upon the two embracing in their sleep.
Shun lay on his side, his arm steadily wrapped around Kurotsuchi's waist, his breathing even and steady.
Kurotsuchi curled up in his arms, her short black hair scattered messily on the pillow, her black eyes tightly closed, a satisfied smile still on her lips.
These past few days, Shun had almost canceled all his duties, focusing on accompanying Kurotsuchi, who had recently joined his harem.
Their intimacy grew day by day, no longer the shy probing of their first meeting, but rather a familiar dependence on each other.
"Mmm..."
Kurotsuchi slowly opened her eyes in the morning light. As soon as she stirred, she was pulled even tighter.
She looked up and met Shun's deep, gentle gaze. "Good morning, Shun."
With the soft, sleepy voice of someone just waking up, she gently stroked his cheek.
Shun pressed a good morning kiss on her lips. "Morning, Kurotsuchi, won't you sleep a little longer?"
"No, we should get up."
Seeing his slightly aggressive gaze, Kurotsuchi shook her head, her legs instinctively curling up.
Shun saw the anticipation in her eyes and reached out to ruffle her short black hair. "Alright, let's get up and wash up."
After they washed up and just reached the palace entrance, a hurried figure rushed over, it was a messenger ninja from the Land of Water.
He knelt on one knee, his face grave. "Shun-sama! Urgent military intel! Akatsuki's Six Paths of Pain suddenly attacked the border defense line, and your support is needed!"
"Pain's invasion?"
The gentle aura around Shun vanished, replaced by a chilling killing intent.
The "grand show" he had agreed upon with Nagato had begun on schedule.
Kurotsuchi instinctively tightened her grip on Shun's hand, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes. "Shun, I'm coming with you."
Shun turned to look at her, a flicker of hesitation in his eyes, and gently patted the back of her hand. "The border is dangerous, stay in the palace, I'll be back soon."
Kurotsuchi shook her head, her tone carrying a hint of stubbornness. "No. I am already yours, your battlefield is my battlefield. Moreover, my Earth Release and Lava Release Ninjutsu can also help, I won't hold you back."
Shun looked at her determined eyes, and a warm current surged through his heart.
He no longer refused, reaching out to pull her into his embrace, and whispered in her ear, "Alright, stay by my side, don't leave my sight."
"Mm."
Kurotsuchi nodded vigorously, hugging his waist tightly.
Moments later, their figures appeared above the border.
The wind howled in their ears, and Kurotsuchi clung tightly to Shun's embrace.
The border defense line was already a sea of flames. Collapsed defensive structures, scattered weapons, injured ninjas, and the cold figures of the Six Paths of Pain stood out starkly in the smoke.
"Shun-sama!"
Seeing the golden stream of light speeding towards them, a glimmer of hope simultaneously flashed in the eyes of the border ninjas.
Shun, holding Kurotsuchi, landed steadily in the center of the defense line.
He shielded Kurotsuchi behind him, and his Mangekyo Sharingan instantly activated, scarlet patterns rotating in his pupils, causing the movements of the Six Paths of Pain to pause slightly.
"Shun, your death is nigh."
Deva Path's voice was cold and emotionless.
He floated to the same height as Shun, and all Six Paths of Pain simultaneously turned towards him, forming a powerful sense of oppression.
Shun's lips curved into a cold arc, his eyes full of disdain. "Pain, we didn't have enough fun last time. This time, I will completely destroy you all."
Deva Path pushed both hands forward. "More words are useless. Die!"
Shinra Tensei!
A massive repulsive force instantly erupted, sweeping towards Shun, tearing up the ground in its path, shattering rocks and broken wood.
Kurotsuchi instinctively clenched her fists, wanting to activate an Earth Release jutsu for defense, but Shun stopped her with a raised hand.
"Step back."
Shun's voice was steady and powerful.
He stepped forward, golden Chakra covering his entire body, and forcefully withstood the repulsive force of Shinra Tensei. His feet were firmly rooted to the ground, the rocks beneath his feet cracking in a spiderweb pattern, yet he did not retreat a single step.
"What?"
A barely perceptible ripple flashed in Deva Path's eyes. He hadn't expected Shun to be able to withstand Shinra Tensei with just his physical body.
"Pain, it's my turn."
Shun's figure instantly vanished from its spot, reappearing before Deva Path the next second. It was just a heavy punch, seemingly carrying world-destroying power, aimed at Deva Path.
Deva Path reacted extremely quickly, immediately activating Bansho Ten'in to draw Shun in before attacking. But Shun's power was too immense, the pulling force of Bansho Ten'in could not move him at all.
The punch struck Human Path.
Crunch!
Human Path's body was split in half, its faint purple Chakra dissipated, and the corpse fell to the ground.
Asura Path's missiles, Animal Path's summoned beasts, Preta Path's Chakra absorption, and Human Path's soul extraction—a dense barrage of attacks blocked all of Shun's escape routes.
Shun's eyes narrowed, and the golden Chakra around him surged. Susanoo's skeleton instantly unfolded, covering his entire body, transforming into a complete Susanoo.
The golden Susanoo, a thousand meters tall, wielded a massive Chakra longsword, appearing like a war god descended amidst the smoke.
Shun controlled the Susanoo, sweeping its longsword. A golden slash roared out, instantly severing all of Asura Path's missiles, and the summoned beasts were also split in half, their corpses scattered on the ground.
Preta Path tried to absorb the Susanoo's Chakra but was caught by the slash and its body was torn apart.
Human Path's soul extraction had not yet been activated when it was gripped by Susanoo's palm. With a gentle squeeze, it turned to dust.
Shun controlled the Susanoo, pointing its longsword at Pain. "It's useless. Today, no one can save you."
The golden longsword, with a sharp whistling sound, slashed towards Animal Path.
Deva Path tried to activate Shinra Tensei again to stop it, but he was struck by Shun's other hand, and Animal Path's body exploded.
In just a few minutes, five of the Six Paths of Pain had been destroyed, leaving only Deva Path.
The smoke gradually cleared, and Shun's Susanoo slowly retracted.
He turned to look at Kurotsuchi behind him, the coldness in his eyes instantly fading, replaced by a gentle expression. "Kurotsuchi, are you alright?"
Kurotsuchi shook her head, quickly walking to his side, her face full of admiration. "Shun, you're amazing."
Shun held her hand, his gaze turning towards the distant sky. "This is just the beginning, the true power of the Land of Akatsuki has not yet been revealed."