Chapter 208: The First Clash

"Binding Art No. 81! Dankū (Splitting Void)!"

Pain moved quickly, but Kimimaro, who had already prepared, was even faster.

A transparent defensive wall appeared in front of him, blocking the powerful Shinra Tensei.

However, without a chant, Dankū only had one-third of its defensive strength. Under the terrifying repulsive force of Shinra Tensei, it shattered into pieces, dissipating into nothingness.

The remaining force still surged toward Kimimaro, but it no longer posed a threat to him.

With his left hand forming a claw, he slashed at the lingering repulsive force.

"Scattering Soul Iron Claw!"

Golden energy surged from his bone claws, completely shattering the remaining force. Five deep claw marks were left on the ground, marking the power of his strike.

Kimimaro took several steps back before stabilizing himself.

Pain frowned slightly. He hadn't expected Kimimaro to have such abilities.

This was the first time anyone had blocked Shinra Tensei at full power.

Past opponents were either sent flying or killed outright.

Though the transparent defensive wall was shattered, the fact that it had blocked most of Shinra Tensei's power with such a quick defensive move was impressive.

The claw technique was also something that caught Pain's attention.

"Interesting technique."

Pain rarely offered compliments.

"But this won't be enough."

His outstretched right hand did not retract; instead, his fingers curled into a claw-like form.

"Banshō Ten'in!" (Universal Pull)

After the repulsive force, an astonishing gravitational pull followed!

Kimimaro felt a powerful force pulling him toward Pain from his palm.

He lowered his stance, trying to anchor himself, but it was futile.

In the next moment, he was lifted off the ground and flew rapidly toward Pain.

"What incredible force... So this is Banshō Ten'in? For most shinobi, this would be a sure-kill move. But for me, it's not a threat; in fact, it's an opportunity."

Kimimaro thought to himself, as sharp bone spikes erupted from all over his body.

"Bracken Dance!"

At this moment, Kimimaro resembled a porcupine.

If Pain continued to pull him in, the sharp and numerous bone spikes would pierce him before he could grab Kimimaro by the throat.

As expected, upon seeing this, Pain frowned slightly.

"A porcupine?"

He muttered softly, and the flow of chakra in his body shifted.

"Shinra Tensei!"

The previous gravitational pull turned into a repulsive force once again, as the five-second cooldown had already passed.

Boom!

Kimimaro's face changed drastically!

In the span of mere moments, his body was subjected to immense impact from both forces.

It was as if two speeding trucks had collided head-on, with Kimimaro caught in between.

Spurt!

In that instant, Kimimaro spat out a mouthful of blood.

The bone spikes that had just emerged from his body were all shattered!

He was injured.

Even with his incredibly strong body, Kimimaro couldn't fully withstand the combined forces.

The internal turmoil in his body caused the blood to spill uncontrollably.

Half-kneeling on the ground, the broken bone spikes retracted into his body, leaving his torn clothing making him look rather disheveled.

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his right hand.

The injuries weren't too severe, not enough to hinder the fight.

However, this attack made him realize just how dangerous Pain was.

Even knowing Pain's techniques and weaknesses, it was still nearly impossible to exploit them in the face of such overwhelming strength.

That was just Shinra Tensei and Banshō Ten'in... What kind of terrifying power would be unleashed by Chō Shinra Tensei or Chibaku Tensei?

No wonder Pain was the pinnacle of power before the Fourth Great Ninja War.

Even a single path of Pain, the Deva Path, was already unfathomably strong.

"Just a little blood? The Shikotsumyaku (Dead Bone Pulse) really does make your body tough."

Pain's cold voice echoed again.

"As expected of the leader of the Akatsuki... and the legendary Rinnegan. Terrifying indeed. No wonder even Orochimaru spoke of you with fear in his voice."

Kimimaro stood up, a look of admiration and surprise on his face, but there was no trace of fear.

"To fight an opponent like you... This is exactly what I've been waiting for. Now, let me see how much stronger I need to become!"

Kimimaro's foot pressed hard against the ground as he suddenly accelerated.

A preemptive strike!

A bone sword shot out from his palm.

"Death Strike!"

Kimimaro propelled himself forward with a spin, the tip of his bone sword aimed directly at Pain.

Pain, however, remained calm. His right hand produced a black rod from his palm.

Clang!

The black rod blocked the rotating sword tip, the thin rod perfectly intercepting the deadly strike.

The constant clash of metal rang out as sparks flew between them.

As Kimimaro's spinning power dissipated, Pain calmly lifted his leg and aimed a kick at Kimimaro's abdomen.

This kick was not too fast, not too slow, perfectly measured in both angle and force.

However, Kimimaro, with his Byakugan-like perception, had already spotted this incoming attack.

Just as the kick was about to land, he brought his left hand down to block.

Smack!

His left hand caught the kick firmly, and then Kimimaro's hand transformed into a claw, as bone spikes emerged from his palm, attempting to pierce through Pain's leg.

But Pain quickly withdrew his leg, escaping Kimimaro's trap.

At the same time, a sharp black rod emerged from Pain's left palm, thrusting toward Kimimaro.

Kimimaro could feel the sharp aura even before the rod made contact.

"Getting hit by this wouldn't be good."

These black rods, made from Yin-Yang Release, could disrupt and seal chakra pathways like pressure points.

If pierced, a shinobi's power would be greatly diminished.

Unless one could overpower the sealing effects with a massive amount of chakra, the fight would be over.

Seeing that things were turning unfavorable, Kimimaro quickly changed his strategy.

Not only did he not retract his bone spikes, but he increased their speed.

Boom!

The bone spikes struck the ground, giving Kimimaro an upward boost, sending him flying into the air.

It was like Goku using his Power Pole in Dragon Ball.

Kimimaro's sudden ascent caused Pain's attack to miss.

Pain glanced up at Kimimaro, now airborne.

"Such quick reflexes."

In mid-air, Kimimaro spread his fingers.

"White Lightning Finger Blades!"

Ten black bone fingers, coated with the power of white lightning, shot out simultaneously!

Their speed and strength were enough to pierce through solid rock at this range.

"A trivial trick."

(To be continued.)