The moment the shockwave from Almighty Push dissipated, Inoiki's senses flared again.
Another threat.
Most wouldn't have noticed—this summon was invisible. But not to him.
The chameleon, Inoiki thought.
He could feel it clearly, its chakra presence like a ripple in still water. Observation Haki let him track what others couldn't see, and right now, the chameleon's tongue was darting toward him like a spear.
Without hesitation, Inoiki acted.
The short swords scattered by the earlier blast now floated midair—momentarily inert. He seized control of them once again, commanding both the offensive array and his defensive shield.
The shield reformed instantly and whipped sideways, intercepting the invisible tongue mid-lunge. At the same time, Inoiki leapt backward, retreating from his current position.
But as his feet hit the ground, he felt a presence behind him.
Preta Path.
He was trying to flank him, aiming to drain Inoiki's chakra on contact. But Inoiki didn't need to look—his Observation Haki had already alerted him.
Without turning, he created two ice swords midair behind him, their crystalline forms forming in an instant. They shot backward like darts, targeting Preta Path with lethal precision.
Simultaneously, the rest of his floating short swords repositioned above the chameleon. With one mental command, they snapped back into place—reassembling in midair into a single, massive sword.
And then it dropped.
The chameleon, sensing danger, tried to flee. But it was too late. Inoiki's control was absolute—the blade plunged down like a divine judgment, piercing the summon's body with terrifying force. The creature let out a gurgled screech as the giant sword tore through it, pinning it to the stone below.
Dead. Instantly.
From the side, Deva Path reacted—extending his hand in another attempt to stop the weapon using Universal Pull. The gravitational force hit the sword mid-descent, causing it to tremble slightly in the air.
But it wasn't enough.
The sword remained locked in Inoiki's control, steady and true, buried deep within the corpse of the now-visible chameleon.
A clear message echoed through the battlefield:
Inoiki was not going to be taken down easily.
While the Deva Path strained to wrench control of the giant sword with Universal Pull, the Animal Path made its move.
Perched atop the massive drill-beaked bird, it surged forward at blinding speed. The summon shrieked, wings slicing through the air as it closed the distance to the embedded blade, its massive beak angled to strike and deflect the sword in a last-ditch attempt to protect the chameleon.
But they were too late.
The chameleon had already begun to fade, its body flickering and dissolving into smoke as the summoning contract was forcefully broken. The creature was dead—beyond saving.
Just as the bird lunged, Inoiki acted.
The giant sword, still buried in the earth, instantly broke apart again—shattering into dozens of short swords in midair. Like a swarm of steel, they surrounded the drill-beaked bird in a rapid, spiraling formation.
Before the Animal Path could react, four of the swords speared directly into its body, pinning it to the back of the giant bird. The rest of the blades plunged into the summon itself, embedding deep into its flesh.
Then, the second phase of the attack.
Lightning.
A surge of chakra crackled across the metal blades. Inoiki had channeled a pulse of electricity through every sword, and in an instant, the massive bird convulsed violently—its muscles spasming under the electric current. A deafening screech echoed as its body seized, then vanished in a puff of chakra smoke.
De-summoned. Instantly.
The Animal Path's body, shredded and lifeless, fell from the air and slammed into the rocky earth below with a dull thud—motionless.
At the same moment, Preta Path was facing his own threat.
Still believing the ice swords behind him were chakra constructs, he extended his hand to absorb them, expecting the technique to dissolve upon contact.
But these swords weren't ordinary ninjutsu.
They didn't vanish. They didn't melt.
Instead, they drove straight through his outstretched hand and plunged into his body. Ice burst from the wounds, freezing tissue and joints from the inside. The Preta Path staggered backward, unable to absorb the attack—because it wasn't made of raw chakra. It was natural. Precise. Brutal.
Inoiki didn't hesitate.
The moment Preta Path was struck by the ice swords and froze in place, his body rigid and vulnerable, Inoiki seized the opening. With one clean, calculated motion, he slashed downward with the blade in his right hand.
Steel met flesh.
The sword sliced clean through, cutting Preta Path in half at the torso. Sparks flew as frozen blood and ice fragments scattered across the rocky ground. The body collapsed in two distinct pieces, its chakra severed—neutralized for good.
Across the battlefield, the Deva Path moved swiftly toward the fallen Animal Path, with the Human Path trailing behind. Their priority was clear.
The Animal Path was more than just a body—it was the summoner, the linchpin to their entire arsenal of monstrous creatures. And now, it lay in ruins, punctured and lifeless at the edge of the battlefield. As Deva and Human Path reached it, they were too late to prevent the consequences.
All at once, thick clouds of white smoke erupted around the field.
The ox, the centipedes, the panda—all of the Animal Path's monstrous summons—vanished one after another in rapid succession. The battlefield, once crawling with beasts, was suddenly empty.
Inoiki watched as the creatures evaporated into nothing, one by one.
One summoner down, he thought. And the tide begins to turn.
With Preta Path destroyed and Animal Path rendered useless, the formation of the Six Paths had been weakened. But Inoiki knew better than to get comfortable.
Deva Path was still standing—and that meant the real fight was far from over.
----
Several kilometers away from the battlefield, Nagato observed the fight through the eyes of the Paths of Pain. The tension was mounting, and then—something unexpected occurred.
Nagato's eyes narrowed. "What?"
Konan turned toward him. "What is it?"
"Preta Path couldn't absorb the attack from Inoiki," he said, his voice edged with disbelief.
Konan's expression shifted—clearly surprised. "He couldn't absorb it? But why? Can he also…?"
Nagato remained silent for a moment, thinking it through, analyzing the outcome.
Then he understood.
"No… It was my mistake," he admitted. "That wasn't a chakra-based ninjutsu. Inoiki didn't create those ice swords with conventional chakra flow. He formed them directly from nature—true elemental manipulation, not molded chakra."
Konan's eyes widened slightly. She was beginning to piece it together.
Nagato continued, his voice more composed now. "It's his Kekkei Genkai. He can manipulate natural elements—like ice—not just through chakra conversion, but by remotely influencing the environment itself. Preta Path was trying to absorb something that wasn't chakra-based. That's why the technique bypassed the absorption ability completely."
Konan nodded, now fully grasping the implications. "And he doesn't use hand seals either. According to our intel, Inoiki can form elemental constructs instantly—swords, barriers, projectiles—all drawn directly from the surroundings."
"Exactly," Nagato said. "They behave like ninjutsu, but they aren't ninjutsu. Preta Path's ability won't work on anything he creates."
Konan's expression turned grim.
That made Inoiki far more dangerous than they had anticipated.
----
The Deva Path and Human Path reappeared on the battlefield, flickering into view with speed and precision. Human Path moved immediately, bending down to retrieve the broken, lifeless body of the Animal Path.
But the moment his hands touched the corpse, Inoiki's trap triggered.
The short swords—those very same blades that had just pierced the giant drill-beaked bird and forced its de-summoning—sprang to life again. Hovering in the air for only a breath, they shot forward like a storm of daggers, all targeting the exposed Human Path.
Deva Path, having anticipated this, had arrived with Human Path not to fight—but to protect.
He acted instantly.
Almighty Push.
A massive surge of repulsive force erupted from him, blasting outward in all directions. The short swords were caught mid-flight and flung violently away, spinning into the distance with shrieking speed. The attack consumed a significant burst of chakra—more than usual. The pressure wave was stronger, more desperate. Deva Path wasn't taking chances.
But as the shockwave faded, the true attack began.
Beneath the Human Path, the ground suddenly buckled and warped.
The terrain twisted unnaturally, as if reality itself had turned. Cracks split open, and from within them, giant hands of earth surged upward—thick, jagged, and alive.
Before Human Path could retreat, the stone hands closed in, wrapping around his body and seizing him from below with crushing force.
And now, Human Path was immobilized.
Deva Path's head turned sharply. He knew the danger.
The Human Path was not built for combat. Its strength was in extracting souls, gathering intel—never direct battle. And now, pinned and vulnerable, it was in Inoiki's crosshairs.
----
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