Among the countless corpses wrapped in paper, one man finally managed to draw a breath.
"I will ask one more time: where is Naruto Uzumaki?" Konan's voice rang out.
"Go to hell..."
With those final words, Konan executed him. Elsewhere, the other Pains were also conducting interrogations to find information on Naruto.
On the roof of the Hokage Residence, Tsunade slammed her palm down. "Summoning Jutsu!"
A massive Katsuyu was summoned forth.
"Starting now, follow every shinobi and every civilian in Konoha immediately!" Tsunade commanded. "Accept my chakra and heal all the wounded!"
"It seems the village is in the midst of a crisis..." Katsuyu's voice drifted out.
"Enough, hurry!"
"Understood!" With that, Katsuyu began to divide incessantly, seeking out every single Konoha shinobi.
Tsunade looked out at the explosions rocking the vicinity of Konoha, her expression resolute. "No matter what happens, I will protect this village! I stake my name as Hokage on it!"
…
Boom!
In a corner of Konoha, a massive explosion erupted, the shockwave of Almighty Push. The immense repulsive force instantly blew Choza Akimichi and Choji away.
Everything in the vicinity was reduced to ash. Kakashi lay pinned within the ruins, his face covered in blood, appearing to have sustained grevious injuries. He was no longer capable of continuing the fight. Beside him, the Asura Path lay collapsed on the ground.
"I know you aren't a Shadow Clone. I am going to kill you beyond a shadow of a doubt. It's over." The Deva Path looked down. "To be safe, I won't get too close."
Using attraction, Pain levitated a nail from beneath his feet and aimed it directly at Kakashi's Sharingan.
"Hmph. Know pain."
Crack!
The nail appeared to pierce through Kakashi, who lost consciousness. Seeing this, the Deva Path leaped away, preparing to head elsewhere to inquire about the Nine-Tails' whereabouts.
Choji, sensing Pain's departure, gritted his teeth and forced himself up.
"Dad... Kakashi-sensei..."
Choji moved to tend to Choza's body, tears of regret and sorrow streaming down his face. Seeing his father die before his very eyes left Choji in agonizing pain, his features twisting in grief.
"Dad... to protect me... Pain, I hate you! I hate you so much!"
Just then, Kakashi's voice reached him.
"Save the crying for later, Choji..."
"If you can still move, hurry and report Pain's abilities to Tsunade-sama! We must formulate a counterstrategy immediately."
Seeing Kakashi's battered and bloodied state, Choji's pupils shrank. "Kakashi-sensei..."
"Forget about that for now. Go... run!"
"But... I..."
"Don't let Choza die in vain!"
At that moment, the Asura Path actually managed to crawl back up. Despite being mortally wounded and unable to last much longer, it was a final surge of life after being struck by the Lightning Blade.
Kakashi saw the target of the Asura Path's missiles: Choji.
"Run! Choji!" Kakashi roared, though his voice was incredibly hoarse.
There was no other choice. Choji had to trust Kakashi's words. Looking at his father's body one last time, he ignited his fighting spirit and began sprinting toward the Hokage Residence.
The Asura Path fired its last tracking missile, locking onto the fleeing Choji. Choji sprinted with all his might, but the tracking missile was already closing in.
Choji's body couldn't outrun the missile. Kakashi watched the scene, knowing he was at his absolute limit. His chakra was completely depleted; if he used Kamui one more time, it would surely mean his death.
But the vital intel... the sparks of Konoha must be preserved!
Watching Choji's retreating figure, he decided to use his remaining strength to protect Konoha. This use of Kamui would drain his chakra entirely and take his life.
Kakashi opened his eye once more. Kamui activated. Just like with Deidara's arm, the missile was warped into the Kamui dimension and vanished instantly.
"It looks like... this is the end for me."
Kakashi had finally exhausted his chakra and died right there.
Witnessing this, the Asura Path finally realized the truth: the Deva Path's nail hadn't missed earlier; Kakashi had used his ocular jutsu to teleport it away. And now, that same ocular jutsu had made the missile vanish into thin air.
…
Kanon stepped out from the ruins as the Deva Path approached her with a calm expression.
The Deva Path looked behind Kanon. There lay Yugao Uzuki, pinned to the ground by a kunai, her Anbu mask shattered. Her body and face were covered in deep gashes; she was dead beyond a doubt.
Kanon walked calmly to the Deva Path's side. "Senpai, have you found the location of the Root?"
"No. Nor have I found any news of the Nine-Tails," the Deva Path said flatly.
"Where are you going now?"
In response to the question, Kanon simply raised a slender hand and pointed toward the distant Hokage Residence.
"Oh? The Hokage?"
"Whether it's Naruto, whom you seek, or Danzo, whom I seek, the Hokage must know where they are."
"An excellent suggestion." The Deva Path nodded. Seeking out the Hokage of Konoha was indeed the best course of action. "Let's go. We'll find the Hokage."
Before Pain could finish, a flash of white light erupted from Kanon's fingers, the Chidori Sharp Spear. In a single instant, it pierced through a wall, impaling Shino, who had been preparing a sneak attack.
"Come out, Shino Aburame," Kanon said coolly.
Shino emerged from behind the wall, coughing up blood while clutching his chest. He was supported by several other Aburame clan shinobi.
"Kanon Uchiha..." Shino managed to cough out.
Kanon looked at the Aburame clan before her with a mocking gaze but said nothing.
"Shall I kill them?" Pain asked indifferently.
"Kill them," Kanon agreed.
In an instant, the two struck together. Almighty Push and Majestic Destroyer Flame were unleashed upon the Aburame shinobi simultaneously.
…
Deep beneath Konoha, at the headquarters of the Root, all members of Root remained hidden. Leading them, Danzo spoke softly. "With this, Tsunade's era is coming to an end."
"But we cannot simply hand the Nine-Tails over to the Akatsuki."
"That possibility has been ruled out. Until the chaos above subsides, we will remain submerged underground!"
One Root ninja asked, "Shouldn't we go to their aid? Even if Danzo-sama leads everyone, if Konoha and its people vanish, it will be meaningless."
Danzo merely replied with cold indifference. "Tsunade is the Hokage. Since she has already utilized the Katsuyu jutsu, they won't be wiped out entirely. While there may be some casualties, they are a necessary sacrifice for me to become Hokage."
…
As if sensing Kakashi's death, Tsunade sat in the Hokage Residence, her pupils trembling, unable to believe the truth.
Tsunade bit her lower lip. She stood up from the center of the formation, leaving the surrounding guardian shinobi wondering what she intended to do.
"T-That..."
Tsunade gritted her teeth and spoke flatly. "Katsuyu has reached most of the people in the village."
As she spoke, she slammed her fist into the wall. The wall of the Hokage office roof shattered instantly; her immense Monster Strength made the ground tremble.
"My apologies. Please continue..."
Just then, Choji, who had managed to escape back, arrived at Tsunade's side.
"Tsunade-sama! I've figured out the ability of one of the enemies!"
Tsunade wiped a tear from the corner of her eye and nodded to Choji. "Go on."
"He's male, appearing to be between twenty-five and thirty years old. He has six piercings on his nose and seven on his ears. His ability involves using Ninjutsu similar to gravity and repulsion; he can pull targets to himself or repel any Ninjutsu attack."
"Repel? Everything?" An Anbu agent asked in shock.
"Yes. However, after using that jutsu, there is an interval of about five seconds before it can be used again."
"Only five seconds..."
Tsunade nodded to Choji. "Your report is excellent. This will significantly reduce casualties. Relate this information to everyone via Katsuyu!"
Hearing Tsunade's command, Choji gritted his teeth. "Team Choza confronted two enemies to cover Kakashi-sensei... except for me, they have all likely been sacrificed..."
Tsunade nodded slowly, her eyes quivering. "Go to Choza. Get him to the hospital immediately. There might still be time to save him."
"What?! Then... Dad..." Choji's pupils shrank.
Before he could burst into tears, Ino arrived as well. Choji looked at Ino's pale face, unsure of what to say.
"What is it?" Tsunade asked, sensing something wrong.
Ino lowered her head, sobbing. "Team Yamato failed to kill Kanon Uchiha. Lee, Captain Yamato, Neji, Tenten... everyone except me has been killed. Yugao Uzuki-nee is likely..."
Tsunade's pupils contracted to their limit. She immediately reached out to sense their presence; sure enough, the signatures of Team Yamato had all vanished.
Tsunade's body trembled as she collapsed onto the ground, tears falling from her eyes.
"Go to Choza... now..." Tsunade whispered through gritted teeth.
"Yes..."