"Calling yourself a god? How arrogant."
Blown back, Zabuza flipped in mid-air and landed firmly on the wall. His gaze toward the Pain members was filled with icy killing intent. He was already seething with anger at Hanzo. Now, he'd been humiliated by Pain, even after borrowing the Nine-Tails' power!
"Boss, can I kill them?"
Zabuza, no longer holding back, asked before making his move. Menma, who had been watching the show, chuckled and shook his head. "Same as before. Kill them if you can."
Hearing this, the veins on Zabuza's brow bulged, his anger burning fiercely. Menma's words clearly reminded him of his embarrassing encounter with Hidan. Back then, he wanted to kill Hidan, but Menma was certain he couldn't, uttering those exact words. The scene was repeating itself, and Menma still believed he couldn't kill Pain!
"Then this time, boss, you might have made a wasted trip!"
Boom!
The wall beneath Zabuza's feet shattered. He shot out like a missile, leaving a white shockwave and sonic boom in his wake. As he moved, all the Pains present turned their Rinnegan eyes toward him.
Then, the Asura Path Pain suddenly leaped out. One hand conjured a serrated blade to block Zabuza, while the other split open layer by layer, revealing gleaming missiles that launched toward him!
"Naive!"
Facing the incoming missiles, Zabuza's Nine-Tails Chakra Cloak tail swept out, blocking them. At the same time, his Executioner's Blade sliced across the Asura Path Pain's neck without hesitation.
Whoosh!
Crack! Crack!
The head of the Asura Path flew high into the air, mechanical pipes protruding from its neck, sparks flashing.
"It's not human?"
Before Zabuza could even react, the Preta Path had already closed in. Taking advantage of his landing, it opened its arms and embraced him. However…
Splash!
The Zabuza being embraced was merely a Water Clone Technique! As the Preta Path absorbed its chakra, it instantly turned into a torrent of water, spilling onto the ground.
But Zabuza, who had dodged, was unaware of this. As he landed, his hands quickly formed hand seals.
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
A massive torrent of water, like a burst dam, surged forth instantly. It created a terrifying tsunami, collapsing the entire house and carrying debris toward the remaining five Paths.
The Preta Path, who had just attacked, stood alone at the forefront, arms outstretched. A ring of white ripples emanated from its body! The water that his hands touched was rapidly absorbed and dissolved as if swallowed by a whale. In the blink of an eye, the towering tsunami had completely vanished.
"This is Chakra Absorption?"
Surprise flickered across Zabuza's face. It reminded him of a terrifying ninja sword—Samehada.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
As Zabuza was still in shock, the Hell Path at the back slammed his hand on the ground, and instantly a portal with a blue face and fangs rose up. The Preta Path in front grabbed the Asura Path's severed neck and threw it into the portal's gaping maw. The next second, the portal's massive mouth began to chew rapidly, making crunching sounds. Following this, the unharmed Asura Path emerged.
"It can even revive?"
This was the first time Zabuza had ever seen such a bizarre ninjutsu! But before he could continue his astonishment, Pain, who hadn't yet made a move, stepped forward.
"Although I don't know which Tailed Beast's Jinchuriki you are, for the sake of creating a new world, I will accept the Tailed Beast within you."
As he spoke, Pain raised his hands again.
"Banshō Ten'in!"
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Instantly, an overwhelming force of gravity enveloped Zabuza's entire body. He didn't even have time to resist before he was sent hurtling toward Pain's hands!
At the same time, the Animal Path, who had remained motionless, pulled two black rods from its sleeve. Then, with a sudden thrust, it pierced Zabuza's body as he flew toward it! In an instant, Zabuza felt the Tailed Beast chakra within him being suppressed!
Finally, the Preta Path reappeared, blocking Pain's hand. It caught Zabuza, who could no longer dodge, and pulled him into its arms.
"Damn it, is this their true strength?!"
Defeated, Zabuza felt his chakra rapidly disappearing. His eyes darted around, searching for Menma's figure. Although it was humiliating, he truly needed Menma to save him again.
"He's not a Jinchuriki?"
"Strange. Then why can you use Tailed Beast chakra?"
With the Preta Path's absorption, the chakra maintaining the Nine-Tails Chakra Cloak was drained in less than ten seconds. And Pain's forces found neither the Tailed Beast's presence nor its seal within Zabuza's body. Their gazes shifted past him to the figure still sitting on the ground, watching the spectacle from afar.
Suddenly emboldened, Zabuza taunted the Six Paths of Pain.
"Of course I'm not a Jinchuriki. But I advise you to let me go, or I won't plead for you when the boss intervenes!"
"Boss? You mean your helper?" The Pains' Rinnegan eyes all turned toward the distant Menma, but their actions didn't stop.
"Gods cannot be defeated. I have transcended mortals through suffering, becoming a god."
As he spoke, the Human Path of Pain placed a hand on Zabuza's head, preparing to pull his soul out to obtain information about the Tailed Beast's chakra.
Suddenly—
"Pain, watch out!"
Konan, with a pair of enormous paper wings behind her, called out from mid-air. The five Pains who had been intently watching Menma's pupils suddenly contracted. Then they quickly released Zabuza and surrounded the Deva Path!
At the same time, Pain opened his arms, his urgent voice emanating from his mouth.
"Shinra Tensei!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
A tremendous repulsive force rapidly spread outward. The golden-red figure that had been obscuring his vision appeared beyond the repulsive force, revealing his true form!
It was Menma, wearing a four-star mask, his entire body covered in swirling golden-red chakra patterns! Behind him floated eight gigantic tails like fiery lotuses, blotting out the sky.
"You are the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki?"
Pain's words received no answer. What greeted him was a fox tail, sharp as a blade, breaking through the repulsive force!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
In an instant, aside from the Deva Path Pain who could no longer approach and the Preta Path Pain who could absorb chakra, fine lines appeared on the other four Paths of Pain clinging to the perimeter. Then, their limbs shifted, recreating a scene like collapsing building blocks.
To ensure a safe journey to Hidden Rain, Menma had allocated a full third of his chakra to this shadow clone. This allowed the shadow clone to potentially unleash up to eight tails!
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