At this moment, Kaito faced the real deal with only mild surprise at their arrival, showing no signs of panic.

Because.

He had already spotted his great-grandmother in the bushes.

Well... not the kind you see when you're about to die.

Even Nagato, though speechless, felt a slight flicker of interest in the person before him—though just barely.

First, he was astonished by the man's audacity. Second, he was curious about the source of his intel.

He had previously considered the possibility of imposters for Sasori and Kakuzu. All those seemingly reckless actions were actually pushing the Akatsuki Organization into the spotlight, turning the Shinobi World's hostility toward them.

It had to be said...

It was quite intriguing.

The most bewildered and enraged people on the scene weren't the two Pains—real or fake—but rather the shinobi from other villages. Seeing their comrades killed by Konoha ninja, they were practically fuming with rage.

The Konoha side, however, was utterly confused, especially the Root operatives under Danzo's command.

One moment, they had been preparing to seize the eyes. The next, they suspected these were Danzo's men sent to eliminate shinobi from other villages. Now, it seemed these operatives might have been bait to lure out the Akatsuki Organization.

Once they realized this, the Root ninja couldn't help but marvel inwardly.

As expected of Lord Danzo!

To have foreseen things to this extent...!

Just look.

Flying Thunder God + Shadow Shuriken Technique.

This was unmistakably one of their own!

With this realization, the Root operatives slowly shifted their positions toward the earlier imposter. Seeing this, the other Konoha shinobi also began gathering behind their "comrade," their gazes fixed on him as if he were their pillar of strength.

"Shinobi of Konoha?"

Pain swept a calm glance over the crowd, his eyes lingering on the strange kunai in the distance for a long while.

Finally, his gaze settled on the imposter.

"Continue."

His tone was icy, revealing neither anger nor amusement.

At this moment, Pain...

Simply wanted to see what the impersonator before him would do next.

Though their eyes met as equals, everyone present felt as though they were being looked down upon—his arrogance was palpable.

Hidden in the shadows, Hikari had already dispelled her Transformation Jutsu. She pushed aside the bushes, about to step out, but Kaito gestured for her to retreat.

Hearing Pain speak, Kaito's expression took on an enigmatic edge. With a flourish, he raised his blade, pointing it straight at Pain and Konan in the distance.

"Attack."

No need for excessive words—he wanted to test whether, at his current level, he could measure up against this mid-game boss.

"Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu!"

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

"Summoning Jutsu—!"

The Root operatives, convinced he was one of Danzo's trusted men, unleashed their signature techniques at his command.

The remaining shinobi from other villages, seeing Konoha shift their assault, scattered into the forest, their will to fight completely shattered.

As ninjutsu and shuriken rained down from all directions, Pain's gaze remained fixed on that lone figure. Slowly, he raised his right hand and murmured a single phrase.

"Almighty Push."Time and space seemed to freeze in that moment. All attacks halted ten centimeters before Pain, then were reflected back by an invisible force.

The Root shinobi who had charged to the front were less fortunate—their ninjutsu had barely been unleashed before being engulfed by the rebounding attacks.

The field was instantly filled with agonized wails and screams, the air thick with the nauseating stench of blood and scorched flesh.

"Almighty Pull."

Pain activated his Samsara Eye's power again. As the gravitational pull dragged nearby enemies toward him, several Black Rods slid from his sleeves.

"Ah—"

The screams of Konoha shinobi never ceased as they were pulled toward Pain. Upon reaching him, their chests were impaled by the Black Rods.

They struggled weakly, moaning in agony.

With their last ounce of strength, they reached out, hoping to at least touch their enemy with a kunai in their final moments—to die with some semblance of purpose.

But...

Pain stood motionless. Not a single attack from the Konoha shinobi landed on him before their consciousness faded, and they bid farewell to this world forever.

In less than thirty seconds, Pain had slaughtered every Konoha shinobi on the scene.

Only Kaito, who had retreated beyond ten meters, remained unaffected by the Samsara Eye's push and pull.

Pain held a Black Rod at his side, blood dripping from its tip. The massive stains on his Akatsuki robe made the crimson clouds appear unnaturally vivid.

He stared coldly at the impostor before him for nearly a full minute before speaking slowly.

"Do you wish to incite war among the Five Great Nations?"

As his words fell, the power of Pain's Samsara Eye surged. With a poof, the Transformation Jutsu on Kaito—standing in the distance—dissolved, revealing his true six-year-old form.

This left both Pain and Konan momentarily stunned.

Tap—

Almost simultaneously, Uchiha Hikari stepped in front of Kaito, her Kaleidoscope Sharingan glowing red as she fixed a death glare on the two Akatsuki members.

"Something like that."

Kaito had no habit of hiding behind women—even if it was his great-grandmother. Feeling slightly uncomfortable, he stepped forward to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Hikari.

Pain, upon seeing the "Samsara Eye" glowing red in the boy's gaze, had been about to speak.

But he fell silent.

After a long pause, he finally spoke with restrained anger, "Uchiha... take that thing off your eyes..."

"Now."

Hikari: ?

Expecting an imminent battle, Hikari shot Kaito an utterly bewildered sidelong glance before involuntarily shuffling a step away.

As if standing next to him was somehow mortifying.

Ignoring her, Kaito blinked twice. "Let's fight first, talk later."

"You dare challenge a god?"

Pain's voice was icy, dripping with disdain for the six-year-old. At the word "god," Hikari's toes curled inward.

She was beginning to suspect that cases like Kaito's might not be as rare as she thought.

Kaito didn't respond. Instead, he charged straight at Pain, sword in hand. Konan stepped forward, raising her sleeve as a swarm of paper shuriken fluttered toward the boy.

"Amaterasu."

But before the papers could reach him, Hikari's eyes narrowed. With a whoosh, black flames erupted, reducing the papers to ashes.A streak of blood seeped from her eyes as she stared fixedly at the woman, her words laced with warning and threat.

"This is their fight."

"Konan."

Pain shook his head, accepting the brat's challenge. Konan gave Pain a worried glance but eventually retreated to the rear, locking eyes with the Uchiha girl.

At that moment, Kaito had already closed the distance.

"Almighty Push."

A repulsive force erupted. Kaito's vision blurred as his body was yanked backward, as if a rope had been tied around his waist and pulled with tremendous force.

Anticipating this, Kaito shouted,

"Runtu!"

Whoosh—

Runtu flashed to Pain's feet, leaping into the air with claws bared, aiming straight for his face.

The speed was so fast even Pain was taken aback, but his reflexes were faster. He raised both hands—

One toward the puppet in midair, the other toward the six-year-old brat.

"Almighty Pull."

Before Runtu's attack could land, his neck was seized in an iron grip.

It seemed Pain had already deciphered the brat's Ninjutsu—the ability to swap places with the dog.

Kaito, still flying backward, suddenly felt an immense force dragging him forward.

Pain spoke dismissively, as if neither the boy nor the dog were worth his attention. Glancing at the puppet now in his grasp, his Samsara Eyes seemed to see through everything in this world.

"Your Ninjutsu… before a god…"

"...is utterly meaningless."

...

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