"Shinra Tensei!"
The Deva Path of Pain quickly retreated as his chakra exploded outward. In an instant, the flames that had been consuming his entire body were blown away by the powerful repulsive force.
The sudden burst of fire had not discouraged Nagato from continuing his test, but this time he wouldn't allow the Deva Path to get too close to the blazing mountain.
Konan's brow furrowed with concern. "We're still several hundred meters away from those flames. How can the temperature be this intense?"
"The Flame Mountain constantly releases terrifying heat. That area is far too dangerous to approach carelessly," Nagato replied, his voice steady despite the situation.
The sight before them was indeed overwhelming. Konan had always maintained complete confidence in Nagato's abilities, but witnessing the sheer power of this Flaming Mountain caused doubt to creep into her mind for the first time.
Perhaps Shihouin Naraku wouldn't be as easy to defeat as they had initially thought.
"Shinra Tensei!"
This time, the Deva Path aimed his palm directly at the Flaming Mountain itself. The terrifying repulsive force erupted instantly, sending a massive shockwave blasting toward the sea of flames.
The barren wasteland, already scorched beyond recognition by the incredible heat, was torn apart by the hurricane-like force. Gravel and chunks of earth flew through the air as a clear chasm appeared in the ground, extending all the way to the base of the Flaming Mountain.
The blazing flames proved unable to resist this tremendous force and were instantly scattered and blown away, leaving a huge, obvious gap in the sea of fire.
However, as soon as the Deva Path lowered his hand, the ocean of flames that covered the entire mountain began to surge violently. The gap filled itself in the blink of an eye, and the fires grew even higher and more intense than before.
Nagato and Konan, observing from their position further back, saw this scene clearly. Though they had expected Shinra Tensei wouldn't be entirely effective, neither had anticipated it would prove completely useless.
The energy contained within this sea of fire was simply too powerful. Hoping to extinguish it using Shinra Tensei alone was nothing more than a foolish dream.
Growing somewhat frustrated, Nagato controlled the Deva Path to attack once more.
"Shinra Tensei!"
"Shinra Tensei!"
"Shinra Tensei!"
Every five seconds, the Deva Path would unleash another powerful Shinra Tensei. The terrible repulsive force carved clearly visible, wide chasms across the wasteland with each blast.
But that was all the attacks accomplished. The flames surged like ocean waves, filling each gap caused by the assault in the shortest time possible.
What made matters worse was that as the number of attacks increased, both Nagato and Konan began to feel the temperature around them rising rapidly. It wasn't their imagination.
Even the Deva Path found himself retreating step by step, moving further away from the Flaming Mountain, though his relentless attacks never ceased.
"That's enough, Nagato," Konan advised with growing concern. "If you retreat any further, you'll be completely out of attack range, and the power of Shinra Tensei will be greatly reduced."
Hearing this, Nagato had no choice but to control the Deva Path to stop his assault. The distance was indeed becoming too great, and there was no point in continuing this particular test.
But at that precise moment, disaster struck.
The sea of fire that blanketed the entire mountain seemed to have been angered by the Deva Path's repeated attacks. The terrifying energy that had been building and accumulating finally began to release itself.
A clear, piercing bird cry echoed across the wasteland, and from within the sea of fire, a massive red phoenix was born. The dancing crimson flames formed a pair of magnificent wings that flapped once, creating a powerful hurricane that swept across the area.
The beautiful phoenix spread its wings wide, soared high into the sky, and circled majestically above the sea of fire.
Then the raging flames below began to riot completely. They spewed forth toward the Deva Path's location as scalding air spread outward and the fires from across the entire mountain began to gather and concentrate.
"What's happening?" Neither Nagato nor Konan had expected such an unexpected development.
Seeing the massive wave of flames rushing toward him, the Deva Path quickly retreated to avoid the attack. At the same time, the rapidly rising temperature once again set his tattered Akatsuki cloak ablaze.
"Shinra Tensei!"
While the Deva Path used his repulsive force to blow away the flames consuming his body, he also blasted away the waves of fire that were sweeping over him. The next second, an even larger sea of fire with greater momentum came crashing down upon him.
The phoenix soaring high in the sky flapped its magnificent wings and dove downward at tremendous speed, targeting the Deva Path directly.
As the beautiful divine bird beat its wings, dazzling fireballs appeared throughout the sky and began falling like a devastating rainstorm.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The Deva Path moved with incredible speed. Even though the sea of fire and the rain of fireballs attacked him simultaneously, he managed to dodge each assault.
Though the situation was undeniably embarrassing, he had indeed avoided being struck directly.
The phoenix swooped down with red flames dancing brilliantly across its wings.
"I've been waiting for you!" the Deva Path roared. "Shinra Tensei!"
Repulsive force exploded outward as a whistling shockwave rose into the sky like a tidal wave, instantly striking the phoenix's body.
The attack was so powerful that most of the phoenix's form was blown apart. Flames danced through the air, creating a display as beautiful and spectacular as exploding fireworks.
If this had been a normal living creature, such a blow would have definitely eliminated its ability to resist.
But the phoenix was not a normal form of life. It was merely a spirit born from the sea of fire itself. It possessed no consciousness, no soul—the only thing it contained was the violent essence of flame itself.
The Deva Path dodged with lightning speed as the half-destroyed phoenix crashed into the ground below.
A violent explosion erupted like a devastating blast, with terrifying energy pouring out in all directions without discrimination.
At the same time, another sea of fire spread outward from the impact point.
The explosion and the rapidly expanding flames connected together, and the growing sea of fire instantly swallowed the Deva Path completely.
"Damn it!" Nagato cursed through gritted teeth.
"No!" Konan cried out in distress.
Both watched helplessly, but it was far too late to do anything to help.
"Shinra Tensei!"
The repulsive force suddenly erupted from within the flames, causing the earth itself to shake. The powerful force pushed away the sea of fire, forming a circular gap in the center of the inferno.
But the sea of fire continued surging forward, attempting to fill the gap, though it was temporarily held back by the continuing repulsive force.
This time Nagato didn't dare take any chances. The Deva Path leaped upward quickly, and after the five-second cooldown period ended, he used his repulsive force to launch himself directly into the air and away from the deadly sea of fire.
The Deva Path's escape didn't mark the end of the assault. The enraged sea of fire continued roaring and releasing infinite energy, rushing outward for nearly a thousand meters before it finally began to gradually subside.
The ocean of flames seemed to be retreating as the gorgeous fires began shrinking back toward the Flaming Mountain. The raging inferno never completely stopped, as if it were gathering strength for the next explosive attack.
"Damn it all!"
Nagato suppressed the anger that had nowhere to be vented as he looked at the Deva Path, who had fallen before him. This puppet, created from his dearest friend's body, had suffered extremely serious damage.
Even though the flames hadn't lasted very long, the Deva Path's entire form had been severely burned.
His left shoulder and arm had been completely reduced to ashes. The portion below his left knee had disappeared entirely. Large numbers of red marks and blisters covered the surface of his skin, and some areas were completely charred, leaving behind brown and black cracked folds.
Most importantly, the Deva Path's face had been completely burned beyond recognition. His original appearance could no longer be seen.
"Yahiko!" Konan cried out in anguish, looking at her dear friend's miserable condition. The sight brought back unbearable memories from their painful past.
Though Konan didn't blame him directly, Nagato couldn't hide his deep regret. He had been too confident, too arrogant in his approach.
He should have abandoned the attempt the moment his puppet first caught fire. It was his own stubbornness that had caused these irreparable consequences.
"Crack!"
Konan, who had been silently shedding tears, and Nagato, who was consumed with regret, looked up to see the Deva Path's remaining hand break apart and smash to the ground due to the severe burns.
The scene was truly heartbreaking to witness.
Since Nagato was unable to move from his hidden location, Konan had to act herself. She quickly sealed the heavily damaged Deva Path into a storage scroll.
The two stood in silence for a long time, neither wanting to speak.
Finally, it was Konan who broke the silence. "Let's go back."
"Yes," Nagato replied quietly.
They fell silent once again.
However, before turning around to leave, both Nagato and Konan looked back at the Flaming Mountain that still stood in the distance. The blazing fire remained exactly as it had been, as if nothing had happened at all.
Only the gaps, deep craters, and smoke scattered across the wasteland showed that the devastating battle had truly taken place.
On the journey back, Nagato found himself constantly thinking about the true extent of Shihouin Naraku's strength.
After personally experiencing the terrifying power of the Flaming Mountain, Nagato began to wonder whether such a feat was truly something a ninja could accomplish.
As the owner of the Rinnegan, Nagato was familiar with the legends of the Sage of Six Paths. The ancient stories described the miracles left behind by the Sage, such as the bright moon hanging in the night sky, which was said to be one of his creations.
Nagato had always been skeptical of these tales because, with the help of his Rinnegan technique Chibaku Tensei, he could also create a massive sphere of rock suspended in the air, similar to the moon.
The reason for his doubt was obvious—the sphere he created using Chibaku Tensei was vastly different from the actual moon.
Comparing the two naturally led to confusion in Nagato's mind.
But after witnessing the Flaming Mountain firsthand, Nagato began to wonder if it was simply his lack of power that prevented him from creating something on the scale of the moon.
If that were the case, then Shihouin Naraku's strength was truly terrifying to contemplate.
No! I am the god who will create the new world!
Shihouin Naraku must have used some other power to create that miraculous Flaming Mountain. His strength couldn't possibly surpass my own.
Nagato suppressed the doubt rising in his heart and reaffirmed his belief that he, as the possessor of the Rinnegan, was a god capable of judging the entire world.
No one could surpass him!
At the same time, both Nagato and Konan solidified their intention to kill Shihouin Naraku.
No matter how powerful Shihouin Naraku might be, his current abilities posed a massive threat to Akatsuki's plans.
Combined with the damage inflicted on the Deva Path this time, Shihouin Naraku had sealed his own fate.
"Achoo!"
Meanwhile, at the Konoha camp, Shihouin Naraku couldn't help but sneeze.
"Hmm? Who's thinking about me? Or is someone talking behind my back?" Naraku turned his head and looked around, his eyes narrowing slightly as he tried to figure out who might be plotting against him.
The Konoha shinobi walking nearby were almost frightened by Naraku's intense gaze. They hurriedly greeted him and quickly moved away.
"Better not let me catch whoever it is," Naraku muttered.
After scanning the area and finding nothing suspicious, Naraku placed his right hand on the hilt of the Kurikara sword at his waist, planning to find a suitable place for training.
Jiraiya-sensei hadn't replied to his message yet, so he would have to remain in the Land of Lightning for the time being to stabilize the situation.
Of course, Naraku had no idea that he was already on Akatsuki's elimination list, nor did he know when they might strike.
However, as the saying goes, too many lice don't make you itch, and too many debts don't make you worry. There were already so many people throughout the Land of Lightning who wanted Naraku dead that the Akatsuki organization would have to wait in line.
In fact, if Naraku knew the reason behind Nagato and Konan's hatred toward him, and what had happened to the Deva Path at the Flaming Mountain, he would definitely burst out laughing.
It was hilarious that the famous Six Paths puppet had nearly been destroyed by the Flaming Mountain.
There was no way anyone could have expected the counterattack from the Flaming Mountain to be so fierce.
Because the sea of fire burned continuously day and night, the Flaming Mountain had accumulated tremendous amounts of energy over time. Even if the Deva Path hadn't attacked, it wouldn't have been long before the mountain would have produced a natural disaster similar to a volcanic eruption.
When such an eruption finished, the Flaming Mountain would return to its normal state, and the flames would begin burning again to accumulate energy for the next cycle.
So one could only say that the damage to the Deva Path was entirely Nagato's own fault.
His continuous attacks had caused the stored energy to explode violently before reaching its natural critical point.
Because of this premature trigger, the power of this particular eruption wasn't actually at its strongest potential.
No one understood this mechanism at the time.
As for Shihouin Naraku, he only cared about the destruction he could cause and didn't concern himself with the long-term consequences of the Flaming Mountain.
Besides, the formation of the Flaming Mountain had indirectly helped the Land of Thunder in some ways.
From now on, the Land of Thunder wouldn't have to worry about enemies breaking through Thunder Valley and entering their vast heartland. With such an enormous Flaming Mountain blocking the way, no one could pass through.
Of course, it wasn't just enemies who couldn't get through—people from the Land of Thunder couldn't pass either.
This could barely be considered a beneficial outcome.
After finding a suitable training location and practicing for the entire day, Naraku carried Kurikara back to the Konoha camp.
Just then, Yamanaka Inoichi and Akimichi Choza returned with their team, and Naraku immediately noticed the large scrolls they were carrying.
These contained the completed military maps!
Naraku asked casually, "Did everything go smoothly?"
Yamanaka Inoichi didn't say anything, simply nodding silently.
This was good news, meaning that the Hidden Cloud Village hadn't noticed Konoha's covert activities. This was understandable—Cloud shinobi were being very cautious now, afraid that Naraku would find any excuse to restart the war. At this point, the Hidden Cloud Village couldn't afford to sustain any more losses.
At least until the Fifth Raikage emerged, the Hidden Cloud Village wouldn't dare cause trouble.
Yamanaka led his team away while Akimichi stayed behind, smiling warmly as he offered Naraku some cleaned fruit.
"I found this fruit in the nearby mountains. It tastes really good."
When it came to food, no one in the entire ninja world had better judgment than the Akimichi clan.
Naraku didn't hesitate. He shifted Kurikara on his shoulder and took the bun-sized wild fruit, taking a bite.
The taste was surprisingly excellent!
Akimichi Choza also took out a wild fruit and ate it with obvious enjoyment.
The two chatted as they walked toward the camp headquarters.
Speaking of Naraku's relationships with the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, his friendship with Akimichi Choza was actually the deepest.
After all, the Akimichi clan's secret techniques were quite fascinating, and the ability to control the size of body parts at will was truly remarkable.
Of course, he was thinking about the combat applications here, nothing else.
If anyone has inappropriate thoughts, they should go reflect by facing the wall.
Really, the reason Naraku and Choza had such a good relationship wasn't because of the Akimichi clan's secret techniques, but because most people in this family were thoughtful and kind-hearted, making them excellent friends.
Ahem
However, after the two became close friends, Naraku did learn one of the Akimichi clan's secret techniques—the Multi-Size Technique!
Actually, it wasn't anything too special. Naraku didn't like the idea of making himself larger, and he basically never used the Multi-Size Technique after learning it.
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