Pain's cold, merciless gaze swept across the battlefield, an overwhelming pressure radiating from his body in waves.
Despite being pushed to their limits, the members of Team Dusk gripped their weapons tightly, prepared to make a final stand.
"If you insist on defying me… then don't blame me for showing no mercy," Pain said, his voice echoing like a whisper from the depths of the underworld.
"We'll hold him off! You two get out of here, now!" Kakashi shouted at Utakata and Hotaru. They were the mission's priority—under no circumstances could they fall into the hands of the Akatsuki.
But Utakata refused to leave so easily. "No. I have to atone for what I've done."
"Take Hotaru and get out of here! That's an order! You're the target—they're after you! If you escape, the mission is complete!" Kakashi yelled, desperate.
Gritting his teeth, Utakata blew a massive bubble that enveloped both him and Hotaru, lifting them into the sky and flying away from the battlefield.
Pain made no move to pursue. Instead, he slowly raised his hand. A torrent of chakra surged around him, so intense that pebbles on the ground began to leap and rattle violently.
A moment later, a powerful shockwave exploded outward, aimed directly at the others.
Team Dusk gave everything they had to block the attack, but against Pain's overwhelming force, their defenses crumbled like paper.
One by one, they were sent flying, crashing hard into the ground.
Naruto charged forward with a roar, unleashing jutsu after jutsu in rapid succession, but Pain casually brushed his attacks aside with a flick of his hand.
"Give it up. None of you are a match for me," Pain said coldly.
Bruised and battered, Team Dusk slowly rose to their feet, stubbornly standing in Pain's way once more. They threw themselves into the fight with everything they had.
Seeing their resolve, Pain summoned the other five Paths of Pain to join the battle.
"These things aren't real—they're puppets controlled from the shadows. Watch their attacks!" Kakashi warned, sharing the only intel he had.
The clash intensified. The members of Team Dusk fought with reckless abandon, determined to stop Pain at any cost.
Their bodies were covered in wounds, but their eyes never wavered. They held the line, desperate to buy even one more second for Utakata and Hotaru to escape.
...
Inside the soaring, translucent bubble, Utakata and Hotaru looked down at the chaos erupting below.
Suddenly, the bubble stopped mid-air, no longer moving.
In the blink of an eye, Hyuga Gakuya appeared before them, clad in the signature Akatsuki cloak adorned with red clouds.
Utakata instantly pulled out his blowpipe, ready to strike.
Gakuya raised a hand. "I don't care much for fighting. How about we make a deal? I'll guarantee your safe escape… if you hand over the Six-Tails and the technique—Fury."
(T/N: Fury is a technique which could create a massive explosion, capable of wiping out an entire village. It was developed by En no Gyōja, and his granddaughter Hotaru had the kinjutsu implanted on her back.)
Utakata shielded Hotaru with his body, his eyes burning with anger and defiance.
"Forget it! We'd never give them to someone like you!"
Hotaru stepped forward beside him, shaking her head.
"We don't believe you. You're obviously up to something."
Gakuya frowned slightly. "Do you really think you have another choice? Pain will catch up to you in moments. When he does, you'll both die. The Six-Tails and Fury are the source of this chaos. Hand them over, and you two can live out your lives as an ordinary couple."
Utakata bit down hard, torn between survival and duty. He knew they couldn't beat Pain—but giving up the Six-Tails and Fury? That was a price almost too steep to pay.
Screams echoed from far below. The pressure from the battlefield surged again. Utakata's face twisted in anguish. He looked at Hotaru… then at Gakuya.
"You're wasting time. Hand them over, and your teammates live. We get what we want, and we leave."
Utakata took a deep breath. "Fine. I'll give you the Six-Tails and Fury. But you must swear to keep Hotaru and my teammates safe."
Gakuya smiled faintly, clearly pleased. "Of course. I keep my word."
"No!" Hotaru grabbed Utakata's arm. "You can't do this! We can't just give them up—that's our mission!"
Utakata froze, staring into her eyes, his heart heavy with guilt and inner turmoil.
"You're in no position to bargain."
Gakuya acted without hesitation, bursting the bubble and grabbing both of them by the neck. He began extracting the tailed beast and the secret technique.
It didn't take long. The Six-Tails was pulled into a sealing container, thrashing wildly inside as it tried to escape—only to be crushed down by Gakuya's powerful grip.
Next, he drew Fury from Hotaru, extracting it in the form of a black gemstone, which he held in his hand.
"I kept my promise. You're still alive," Gakuya muttered to the unconscious pair before using gravitational force to gently drop them onto the ground below.
...
Back on the battlefield, Gakuya returned to where Pain was still locked in combat with Team Dusk.
In just a few short minutes, several members of the team had been critically wounded.
Only Human Path and Naraka Path had been taken down. The rest of the Six Paths were still active.
Gakuya walked over to Deva Path Pain, holding up the sealed Six-Tails. "It's done. Let's go."
Pain didn't question Gakuya's sudden appearance. He simply gave a slight nod.
Together, they unleashed a massive repulsive force, blasting the exhausted Team Dusk members away once more.
With their mission complete, the two began walking into the distance. The other five Paths followed in silence, and the group slowly disappeared beyond the horizon.
...
Team Dusk lay sprawled on the ground, gasping for air, their bodies broken and battered. They could only watch helplessly as Pain vanished into the distance, their hearts heavy with frustration and helplessness.
Kakashi forced himself to his feet despite his injuries and made his way to Utakata and Hotaru, reviving them.
When Utakata came to, he looked around at the devastation, eyes full of regret and self-blame.
"It's all my fault… I put everyone in danger…"
Kakashi placed a hand on his shoulder. "No… this wasn't your fault."
Everyone understood Utakata's choice. If he hadn't surrendered the Six-Tails, they would all have died. And besides, Gakuya hadn't given him any real chance to refuse.
After resting and recovering what strength they could, they began planning their next steps.
"We can't let this go. We have to stop the Akatsuki somehow," one of the team members said firmly.
"But they're too powerful. We don't stand a chance like this," another said, worry in their voice.
Kakashi knew this failed mission had shaken their morale to the core.
"We return to Konohagakure first and report everything. We'll relay all the intel we've gathered via encrypted transmission."
"The Akatsuki's next targets are likely to be Konoha and Kumogakure. We need to be ready."
"Understood."
One by one, the members of Team Dusk nodded in agreement.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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