Chapter 167: A True Peak Duel: Yagyu vs. the Six Paths of Pain

"Cough, cough… that hurts! So this is the strength of his real body?"

Moments after an immense blast wave spread who-knows-how-far, Naruto managed to wrest himself free midflight, slamming heavily into the ground. Upon impact, he coughed violently, spitting up blood.

Had it not been for his genuine Sage Body plus the enhanced defenses of his golden chakra mode in Sage Mode, taking Tendo Pain's Shinra Tensei head-on would surely have caused severe internal bleeding to his organs. Even so, Naruto could feel a scorching ache in his organs as they churned inside him.

Whoosh—

Some distance away, Sasuke had evaded the roaring shockwave with lightning-fast movement, then used his ocular power to spawn a translucent purple barrier that warded off the aftershocks or gale—he rapidly formed bones and connective lines of chakra, culminating in a torso-only Mature Susanoo. With bow and arrow conjured, Sasuke—just as before—fired a giant arrow wreathed in inextinguishable black flames at the Six Paths of Pain. That purple beam shot forth like a meteor.

Whether thanks to prior combat experience or simply because these Six Paths were absurdly strong this time, they responded differently than before. Instead of letting Preta Path block it alone, they all flickered behind Tendo, fanning out as Preta Path raised both hands. A translucent white dome formed around all Six Paths, and the black-flamed arrow collided with that dome, lacking any ear-splitting detonation—just like Naruto's earlier Ultra-Big Rasengan. The arrow distorted in shape and then, in seconds, funneled into Preta's body.

Within moments, the giant black-flame arrow was absorbed completely.

Seeing this, Sasuke's pupils contracted slightly. Plainly, he hadn't expected Preta Path to extend a shield that wrapped the Six Paths in all directions, far beyond the half-dome he had shown before.

Just like Naruto, Sasuke assumed: So this is the real body's power.

But that was only the beginning of their shock.

Even after Preta Path finished absorbing the black-flamed arrow, the white dome covering the Six Paths did not fade. Instead, it remained. Tendo Pain, done unleashing repulsion, opened both arms, generating an invisible gravitational force to levitate them into the sky.

Slap—

At that sight, Yagyu's expression shifted. Without hesitation, he clapped both hands, and blue aura surged in the surrounding air, funneling into his body. Reddish facial markings appeared around his eye edges. Within a short time, his pupils turned golden—he had entered Sage Mode.

Meanwhile, Pain's Six Paths had ascended a hundred meters high. During their rise, they drew countless attacks of the Five Element nature, Sasuke's Amaterasu black flames, and Naruto's Sage Art: Wind Release Rasenshuriken—various cunning jōnin among Konoha recognized the threat. Anyone with keen insight or strong intuition sensed that Pain was charging up a massive jutsu. They tried to interrupt him. Yet none of it broke through the dome. Whether Five-Element ninjutsu, Naruto's Wind Release Rasenshuriken, or Sasuke's black flames—every assault was fully absorbed by the barrier. Preta Path's body was like a bottomless pit, swallowing endless ninjutsu and chakra. Moreover, once absorbed, that power traveled via Yin–Yang Release black rods into Tendo, inflating his already enormous chakra even further.

When the Six Paths' ascent stopped, Tendo had fully powered up. Floating in midair with arms outspread like a god surveying the three-thousand Konoha shinobi plus the White Zetsu clones, he spoke in a detached tone:

"Chō—Shinra Tensei!"

Whoosh—

Instantly, a piercing white radiance flooded the dark clouds and perpetual drizzle of the Land of Rain. The light was so dazzling that people on the ground paused, looking up, then reflexively shielded their eyes. Whether genin or elite jōnin, all were forced to avert their gaze. Only Byakugan users, or extremely high-level sensors and top jōnin, managed to watch in shock. More precisely, they beheld a monstrous wave of chakra nature transformation. Such colossal chakra was unparalleled, overshadowing even Tailed Beast Bombs from the Nine-Tails assault in years past. But that awe soon turned to despair—because that power was crashing down upon them all.

Even Kakashi, with Kamui at his command, felt minuscule. Sasuke, face full of reluctance, moved to muster his ocular might, ready to attempt an incomplete Perfect Susanoo with his newly gained Eternal Mangekyō. Naruto, likewise, recalled Killer Bee's coaching on mastering Tailed Beast power, along with the guidance from his parents within him, the Fourth Hokage and Kushina—he seemed on the cusp of some technique.

Right then, on that hush battlefield—where the rain parted under white brilliance—a rousing voice boomed out:

"Wood Release: Hotei Technique!"

"Wood Release: Hōbi Technique!"

Boom, boom…

The ground trembled violently. Enormous wooden arms of ten- to twenty-person thickness erupted from underground. Their surfaces writhed, sprouting branches brimming with vitality, culminating in a demonic-looking wooden shield that each giant wooden arm hoisted upward—blocking the white radiance shining down. The sheer quantity of arms and shields created a vast "umbrella," like innumerable giant mushrooms, forming a dark canopy overhead for Konoha nin, White Zetsu, and Edo Tensei alike—shielding them as if from wind and rain.

Next second, everyone's ears filled with thunderous noise, relentless as rolling detonations. A horrifying shockwave akin to a gale hammered these demonic wooden shields, trying in vain to smash them. Some shockwaves seeped through crevices, injuring small clusters of White Zetsu or shinobi. But that only awakened them to the cataclysmic clash overhead. Even so, these unstoppable blasts couldn't break the demon shields or the mighty arms holding them.

To withstand a jutsu that could obliterate a big ninja village tens of kilometers wide, Yagyu had to go all out with Sage-infused Wood Release. In the original story, even without Sage Mode, Hashirama's Hōbi could easily block a Perfect Susanoo sword slash from Madara—and remain unscathed. Such a Susanoo slash could slice entire mountain peaks, outstripping even top swordsmen of other worlds like One Piece.

Now, Yagyu not only used multiple layers of Hōbi but augmented them with natural energy, so the defense soared even higher. Not even "Super Shinra Tensei" sufficed to shatter them—let alone multiple Tailed Beast Bombs. Unless someone wielded Truth-Seeking Orbs or the Ten-Tails' full power, Yagyu could tank it all.

Admittedly, Tendo forcing Yagyu to use these combos proved Tendo's formidability. Since Yagyu had unveiled his Wood Release, he already stood at the pinnacle of this era. At age twelve, only a handful could fight him evenly: the Fourth Raikage and Onoki, along with Nagato, each a "super-Kage gatekeeper." But after obtaining the Gelel Stone, completing his Sage Body, learning an array of forbidden arts, Yagyu regarded none as a threat—including Tendo Pain. Only Uchiha Obito's Kamui felt slightly tricky. Even so, Yagyu could kill Obito if he wanted: by acquiring Kakashi's left eye, or rummaging the Uchiha archives for a technique to implant the Kamui ability, he could replicate Madara's feat of entering Kamui space to slay Obito's real body.

But Yagyu had no intention. His real enemies weren't from this era—rather, they were the Sage of Six Paths, whose soul could freely move between life and death, plus unknown Otsutsuki Ishiki, or any alien Otsutsuki descending upon Earth. To handle them, and to cull the other ninja villages so when he became Sixth Hokage, political friction would be minimized, Yagyu had spurred this Fourth Shinobi War, letting the Akatsuki gather Tailed Beasts and wreak havoc.

He originally planned to wait for the Akatsuki to seal seven Tailed Beasts, draining Nagato dry, then orchestrate a climactic finale. But now Nagato had unexpectedly presented him with a surprise. The once "super-Kage gatekeeper," who might handle two or three Kage at most, had gained an epic boost. Tendo no longer needed to recall the other Paths' chakra to fling around blasts surpassing Tailed Beast Bomb. For once, Yagyu felt real fighting spirit—he finally had a near-equal rival.

Hence, Yagyu formed seals again:

"Sage Art… Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique!"

Roar…

A thunderous roar echoed across the entire battlefield. Among those many giant wooden arms like clustered mushrooms, one elongated a thick branch inflating like a balloon into a colossal wooden dragon defying gravity. Yagyu's silhouette abruptly appeared atop its head. On closer inspection, a near-invisible character "柳" was inscribed on the dragon's forehead—Yagyu's Flying Thunder God seal.

Banshō Ten'in—

Seeing Yagyu appear up front, Tendo—unconcerned that his ultimate Shinra Tensei had failed to kill most Konoha nin—raised a hand, unleashing a fierce gravitational pull upon Yagyu. An invisible hand yanked him off the dragon's head.

At the same time, the other five Paths dropped onto those "mushroom arms" below. As soon as they landed, the Animal Path summoned several giant birds for each Path to ride. Meanwhile, the Asura Path's body shifted into machinery, launching a hail of rockets, homing missiles, and even laser beams. Firing so many high-tech weapons at once was impossible for the earlier Asura Path. Typically, each Pain except Tendo had limited chakra, excelling at synergy, but easily singled out and neutralized by similarly strong foes. Yet now, thanks to four Tailed Beasts' worth of power, each Path boasted near-limitless chakra, letting them all go full throttle—far exceeding their previous peaks. Among them, aside from Tendo, Asura Path's offense was the strongest, forming a terrifying assault that even Five Kage might struggle to endure.

Yet for Yagyu, it was trivial. One Flying Thunder God could dodge everything, rendering homing missiles useless. But Yagyu didn't dodge. Instead, he teleported back onto the dragon's head, then lightly stomped a foot.

In that moment, both the Six Paths and Nagato watching through them reacted with alarm, pupils constricting.

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