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With a sudden crash, chunks of stone scattered—two Narutos leapt out from the rubble, charging straight at Pain!
Pain reacted instantly. Two black rods appeared in his hands, stabbing through the clones before they could land a hit. He kicked off the ground, springing into the air to dodge the massive Wind Style: Rasenshuriken spinning toward him.
The deadly shuriken howled past, tearing through everything in its path and reducing massive boulders to dust.
"Four seconds left!" Naruto shouted.
"He set up shadow clones at the same time?!" Pain's eyes widened in surprise.
"Three seconds to go until the next move… but both missed their mark."
Landing on a giant rock, Pain sneered. "It's over!"
But suddenly, the stones all around him gave sharp cracks. Puffs of smoke burst out as the entire field turned white.
"What?!"
The surrounding boulders transformed into countless Narutos, all charging him at once.
"Two seconds!"
"Get him!!"
Sweat beaded on Pain's forehead. He turned this many shadow clones into stone…!
With a sky full of Narutos swarming him, Pain's expression hardened.
"One second!"
"Zero!!"
"Almighty Push!!"
A crushing wave of repulsive force blasted outward, scattering the Narutos in every direction. Clones burst apart into smoke with thunderous cracks. Even Naruto's true body was forced back, feet dragging across the rubble.
The remaining clones rushed forward, shielding the original. But each wave of backlash tore them apart. One by one, they vanished in clouds of white mist until only three Narutos were left, all panting heavily.
"You… actually endured it?" Pain muttered in disbelief.
At once, one clone pressed its hand against Naruto's, gathering chakra. A brilliant sphere of energy spun to life in his palm.
"That jutsu can't be thrown… five seconds," Pain calculated coldly.
"At this distance, it'll work!"
The other two clones grabbed Naruto and hurled him forward.
"Forget about me giving up!"
"Rasengan!!"
The swirling sphere slammed into Pain's stomach with a deafening crash.
The ground shook violently. Dust and smoke billowed into the air as Pain was smashed deep into a heap of broken stone.
Naruto came crashing down from above, landing heavily.
From afar, Nagato gasped for breath. "The last of the Pains… destroyed."
Konan's eyes widened in shock.
Naruto yanked the black rods from Pain's body one by one. "If I pull these out, he won't be able to move anymore."
He drove one of the rods into his own palm—immediately, a surge of malignant chakra jolted through him, making his head spin.
One by one, faces of those who died under these rods flashed through his mind…
Jiraiya-sensei. Kakashi-sensei. Hinata, bloodied. Fukasaku. His comrades in the Leaf.
Naruto flung the rod aside and stood tall.
"Are you going?" asked Katsuyu.
"Yeah."
"Then ask for backup this time."
"No. This… I'll do alone."
He sprinted toward the massive tree in the distance. Reaching its base, he pressed his fists together, drawing in the natural energy around him. Orange markings reappeared around his eyes.
"Alright. Time to move."
He pressed against the tree's paper surface, tore it open, and forced his way inside.
Konan immediately stepped in front of Nagato.
"Konan. Stand aside," Nagato ordered.
She hesitated, then reluctantly stepped back.
Naruto approached. "So… you're Pain's true body."
Before him sat Nagato—emaciated, bones jutting sharply beneath pale skin, his back riddled with black rods as he remained bound to a strange machine.
"Peace… what a shameless word," Nagato rasped. "You hate me, don't you? Your enemy is right here. Don't you crave revenge?"
Konan cut in, her voice sharp. "Killing Nagato here won't change the world. It'll only satisfy you."
Nagato's Rinnegan flared. "If you can't find an answer, then you'll accomplish nothing. Your destiny is to die for the peace I've created. That is the only path!"
Suddenly, a spear shot out from Nagato's machine—blindingly fast, straight at Naruto.
Naruto didn't flinch. He just stared.
Back in the real world
Everyone in the Leaf watched the screen tensely.
Kakashi clenched his fists. "Naruto! Why go alone? Why take this on by yourself?!"
From the distance, the present Naruto scratched his head helplessly. "I… I don't know either, Kakashi-sensei. That's me in the future—I don't know what I was thinking then."
Hinata pressed her fists tightly together. "Naruto… please… be safe!"
The Third Hokage murmured as he watched Nagato's gaunt frame. "So this is Pain's true body… a member of the Uzumaki clan. That an Uzumaki could awaken the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths… remarkable. But what is Naruto planning…?"
In the Inuyasha world
Kagome stared blankly at the screen. "What kind of world is that? How could there be so much hatred… so much war?"
Inuyasha stepped beside her. "Don't worry, Kagome. I'll protect you. Besides, that's another world. I just need to finish off Naraku, and then you'll be able to return home—never having to stay in this era again."
Kagome shook her head hard. "No, Inuyasha… that's not it…"
In the Dragon Ball world
Vegeta crossed his arms, scowling. "Tch. Just watching these people irritates me. If you're gonna fight, then fight already! Enough of this endless yapping."
In the Realm of the Kais
Shin looked amused. "Hey Kibito, if all these people from other worlds can make the rankings… don't you think the Supreme Kai should, too?"
Kibito hesitated. "Uh… I guess… probably…?"
Back inside the paper tree, blood dripped to the ground. The spear had pierced Naruto's body.
"At this range," Nagato said coldly, "my chakra can control your every move. Relax. I avoided your vitals. After all, you're an important jinchūriki."
But Naruto raised his head, eyes burning red. Violent chakra surged out of him, flooding the chamber.
Nagato's face twisted in shock. The sinister, crushing energy battered his body relentlessly.
He didn't even try to dodge this?!
Naruto's voice rumbled low and dark. "I came here to talk. But there are other things I need to know first."
Nagato's eyes narrowed. "Things you need to confirm?"
"I want to know what's in my own heart. If my enemy was standing right in front of me… what would I do? Even I didn't know the answer until now."
Naruto gripped the spear and yanked it free. "As I thought—I can't forgive you. Right now, all I want… is to kill you. My whole body's shaking from it."
Konan's eyes widened. "Impossible… he's resisting Nagato's chakra control… at this distance?!"
Naruto lunged forward, fist cocked, ready to strike. Nagato's eyes widened in horror as he closed in.
But just before the blow landed, Naruto froze. Jiraiya's words echoed in his mind—words burned deep into his soul.
'The time will come when people truly understand one another.'
Naruto's fist trembled in front of Konan, stopping just short.
"He believed that with everything he had," Naruto whispered.
"..."
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