**Chapter 209: The Celestial Void Mask**

"Shinra Tensei!"

A powerful repulsive force struck, shattering all ten finger bones.

Kimimaro raised his arms to shield himself, absorbing the remaining shock of the force.

After flipping midair, he landed steadily.

"Quite the troublesome technique. Two simple moves, repeatedly used, never fail. Without sufficient power, it's impossible to shake Tendo Pain."

"It seems I can't keep playing around, or I might end up losing my life."

Kimimaro stood straight, his right hand waving as his black cloak with red clouds rustled, shaking off the dust.

He was getting serious.

"Your strength isn't enough to partner with me."

To Pain, Kimimaro's abilities were impressive but comparable to the likes of Deidara.

Such power wasn't enough to be his ally.

His opponent wasn't ordinary; he could very well be Uchiha Madara, the legendary shinobi of the past.

Someone with average strength wasn't fit to be his companion.

"Don't rush; the real battle is just about to begin."

Kimimaro's lips curled slightly as his left hand rested on his forehead.

Suddenly, a terrifying chakra erupted from his body!

Pain's expression changed immediately.

From afar, Konan, who had been watching the battle, was shocked.

"Such powerful chakra, rivaling Pain's. No, the burst of energy even surpassed his! What did he do?"

A horrifying pressure surged from Kimimaro, shooting towards the sky.

An overwhelming aura blanketed the battlefield.

A white, bony mask began to form from Kimimaro's left hand, slowly covering his face.

The smile on Kimimaro's lips grew more audacious.

"Heh heh heh..."

His laugh, cold with a hint of arrogance, sent chills down one's spine.

The other creatures in the Forest of Summoning felt an overwhelming fear.

Their gaze was fixed on the battlefield, but none dared approach.

It was an instinctual fear.

Their intuition told them: to approach was to die.

"This power..."

In the distance, Nagato, lying on a bed, suddenly lifted his head, his Rinnegan eyes widening.

A look of shock flashed across his gaunt face.

"Is this... sage power?"

Sage power!

A legendary force in the ninja world.

The First Hokage's most powerful technique was Sage Mode.

Decades after his death, Konoha produced another sage user, the Toad Sage Jiraiya, one of the Sannin.

Though Jiraiya's Sage Mode wasn't as powerful as the First Hokage's, it was still among the strongest powers in the current ninja world.

Nagato had only heard of it but never seen it.

Yet the energy radiating from Kimimaro was eerily similar to the legendary Sage power.

So, Nagato could almost be certain—this was Sage Mode.

But it seemed different from the Sage Mode of legend.

"Is this Kimimaro's trump card? No wonder he feels qualified to negotiate with me."

Nagato muttered, but he wasn't ready to acknowledge it just yet.

He wanted to see how strong Kimimaro's Sage Mode truly was.

Back on the battlefield...

Kimimaro lowered his left hand.

His once-handsome face had transformed.

The white, bony mask now covered the upper half of his face, giving him an eerie appearance.

His once pure white eyes now had golden irises.

"Heh heh heh, this feeling... it's truly wonderful!"

Kimimaro, once calm and composed, now sounded manic, as if he were a completely different person.

He opened his right hand, and a new bone sword shot out from his palm, which he tightly gripped.

The Sword Clow Card activated, and in an instant, the white bone sword turned pitch black.

This was Kimimaro's Sage Mode, though a more fitting name for it would be **Celestial Void Mode**.

Unlike the frog-like transformation of Myoboku Sage Mode or the snake-like transformation of Ryuchi Cave's Sage Mode, the hallmark of Celestial Void Mode was the mask now covering Kimimaro's face.

Kimimaro called this mask the **Celestial Void Mask**.

In simple terms, it bore some resemblance to the masks from *Bleach*.

Kimimaro developed this technique by combining Jugo's Cursed Seal power, Tsunade's Yin Seal, and his own Kaguya clan's Dead Bone Pulse.

It wasn't an easy feat; Kimimaro had spent a long time researching these techniques, and shortly after joining the Akatsuki, he finally merged the three powers together.

However, this was only the initial fusion, far from reaching its full potential.

For instance, he had yet to fully integrate the chakra storage properties of the Yin Seal into the Celestial Void Mask.

If he could perfect it, the mask's power would increase further, and the mask itself would undergo more transformations.

The most crucial point was that the usage time would extend.

Currently, Kimimaro could only use the Celestial Void Mode for five minutes.

Of course, one advantage was that he could enter and exit this mode at will, and the five-minute limit was cumulative rather than needing to be spent all at once.

"Now, let's begin round two."

Whoosh!

As soon as Kimimaro spoke, he charged directly at Pain with the black bone sword in hand.

His speed was so fast that he was upon him in an instant!

Pain barely had time to react before Kimimaro's face was right in front of him.

"Shinra Tensei!"

Without hesitation, Pain unleashed another Shinra Tensei!

Boom!

Kimimaro, now so close, was blasted away once again.

But unlike before, this time he regained his balance after being thrown less than five meters and rushed back with even greater speed!

"Hahaha! That's not enough excitement! Again!"

His right hand gripped the sword, raised high, and he slashed down towards Pain's head!

Clang!

The cooldown for Shinra Tensei hadn't passed yet, so Pain crossed his hands, each holding a black rod, to block the strike.

But Kimimaro's smile only grew wider.

Before Pain could catch his breath, both black rods shattered simultaneously!

"What?!"

This time, Pain was genuinely shocked.

The black bone sword paused for a moment before striking down again.

At the last second, Pain stepped back half a step, narrowly avoiding the blade.

"Is this all you've got?"

Kimimaro, wearing his eerie white mask, pressed in close to Pain, swinging the bone sword once more.

His sword strikes were erratic, yet Pain felt an overwhelming sense of dread.

Since defeating Hanzo of the Salamander, Pain hadn't felt such pressure in a long time.

Facing this fearsome onslaught, Pain could only dodge repeatedly.

His face tensed as more black rods emerged from his palms.

Rod versus sword!

Their clashes sent sparks flying!

But after just three clashes, the black rods shattered once more.

Under the relentless barrage of black sword strikes, even the rods created by Yin-Yang Release couldn't last long.

The tide of battle shifted drastically!

Kimimaro had taken the upper hand.

"Pain is being pushed back? This... how is this possible?"

Konan watched in disbelief, never imagining she'd witness this scene.

Once that eerie bone mask appeared, Kimimaro seemed like a completely different person.

Not only were his attacks more ferocious, but his entire sword technique had changed.

Before, he fought like a master swordsman, balanced in offense and defense. Now, he fought like a madman, every strike aimed to kill.

What kind of technique was this?

Boom!

Kimimaro delivered a powerful kick, forcing Pain to cross his arms in front of him for defense.

The heavy blow sent Pain flying several meters back.

This time, Kimimaro didn't pursue. He extended his free left hand, pointing at the airborne Pain.

"Bakudo #30: Mouth Cannon Triple Flash!"

Three golden beams with sharp tips shot out as he moved his left hand, aiming for Pain's hands and waist.

Pain quickly steadied himself, brought his ten fingers together, and slashed out with his hands like blades.

*Crack!*

Double blades slashed three times, shattering the sharp beams instantly.

But this was just a stalling tactic from Kimimaro.

As he unleashed the binding spell, he had already begun chanting another incantation.

"Creeping emblems of impurity, rebellious talents that defy! Surge, deny, paralyze, and halt the eternal rest! Crawling Iron Princess, the self-mutilating clay doll, unite, rebound, extend to the ground, and know your own weakness! Destructive Art No. 90: Black Coffin!"

As Pain shattered the three golden beams, a black dot appeared beside him.

It quickly spread, dots connecting into lines, lines into surfaces! A black cube formed, engulfing Pain completely.

Darkness fell before Pain's eyes, and he instinctively sensed danger.

"This isn't good!"

He immediately extended his hands, preparing to unleash *Shinra Tensei* (Almighty Push)!

But the black blades were faster, attacking from all directions!

"Pain!" Konan shouted, rushing to save him.

The next moment, the black coffin exploded with a loud *boom*!

Shards flew in all directions, followed by a terrifying shockwave.

Pain's black robe with red clouds was full of cuts, blood seeping out.

He looked battered, and the icy expression on his face now showed hints of anger.

He was injured.

Yahiko's body had been hurt.

The rage Nagato felt was unimaginable.

But what shocked him more was the terrifying power Kimimaro had just displayed.

A relentless barrage of attacks, one after another.

That last attack was especially powerful.

If he had been controlling all six bodies instead of just Deva Path, the attack might have destroyed this body entirely.

"Are you okay, Pain?" Konan landed beside him, full of concern.

"I'm fine."

Kimimaro didn't continue his attack. Instead, he reached up, removed his bone mask, and let it dissolve into white light.

The maniacal grin on his face disappeared, replaced with a calmer smile.

"I wonder, does this level of strength qualify me to work with you, Pain?"

Having showcased his terrifying abilities, Kimimaro felt it was time to resume negotiations.

Continuing the fight would be pointless.

"You certainly have reason to be proud. I didn't expect you to have such a combat form. Orochimaru's power is far inferior to yours."

Pain gave his assessment of Kimimaro.

Such strength at a young age was truly fearsome.

But Pain wasn't afraid.

First, because this was just Deva Path. While it was the strongest of the Six Paths of Pain, the remaining five were also formidable.

Even three of the Six Paths working together had troubled Sage Jiraiya, let alone all six.

The true strength of Pain was the combined force of all six bodies.

A single Deva Path could only unleash half of its full power.

Second, he hadn't used his most powerful techniques yet. He was confident that his *Chibaku Tensei* and *Super Shinra Tensei* wouldn't be easy to counter.

Even Kimimaro in his enhanced state couldn't withstand them.

Moreover, that form of Kimimaro's clearly couldn't last long.

So, Pain still maintained his calm as a powerful opponent.

However, what Pain didn't realize was that Kimimaro's true strength was far beyond what he had shown. He had even more terrifying techniques he had yet to use.

"I mentioned before, Lord Orochimaru's strength lies not in combat but in research. Together, we form a strong alliance to collaborate with you, Pain."

Kimimaro continued.

"I agree to join forces with you."

Having witnessed Kimimaro's power and potential, Nagato finally acknowledged that he was worthy of an alliance.

Such a partner might help him deal with that mysterious masked man.

As for Orochimaru, Nagato never thought highly of him.

He now placed his faith in his own strength rather than in research.

In his eyes, if Orochimaru were truly powerful, he wouldn't have to hide in dark corners, conducting bizarre experiments.

So, in this partnership, he valued Kimimaro much more.

Orochimaru seemed more like a decoy, a distraction.

Nagato knew their alliance wouldn't remain hidden from the masked man for long.

Perhaps focusing on Orochimaru would divert some of the masked man's attention.

But that was a matter for the future.

For now, Nagato was simply preparing for what might come.

Seeing Nagato agree, Kimimaro let out a sigh of relief.

Finally, success.

"A pleasure to be working with you."

Kimimaro extended his right hand toward Pain.

Pain looked at him and then shook his hand.

"A pleasure to work with you."

The alliance was sealed!

"Congratulations! You've taken a photo with Pain and earned the reward: Universal Pull!"

Kimimaro was thrilled inside, though he didn't show it outwardly.

Konan was also happy to see the partnership forming.

With Nagato agreeing to work with Kimimaro, she felt hopeful that Nagato might also agree to let Kimimaro help heal his legs.

Seizing the opportunity, Kimimaro extended his right hand toward Konan as well.

"Konan, I look forward to working with you too."

This time, Konan didn't refuse.

"Congratulations! You've taken a photo with Konan and earned the reward: Explosive Tag Inscription Technique!"

"Since we've decided to work together, there's something I need your help with."

Konan said eagerly, though her face remained emotionless.

"As long as it's within my power, I'd be happy to help."

Kimimaro smiled.

Konan was about to speak, but Pain stopped her.

"Konan, that matter requires more preparation. We'll have Kimimaro assist later."

"Why?"

Konan seemed confused.

"That matter doesn't require immediate action. If we prepare carefully, the chances of success will be much higher. Doing it now would be too rushed. I promise you, it will be done."

Pain's assurance quieted Konan's questioning.

Once Konan calmed down, Pain turned back to Kimimaro.

"For now, keep our alliance a secret, even from Orochimaru. You'll continue to work with Sasori and Deidara as before. When everything is ready, I'll contact you, and we'll discuss our plans in detail."

(End of chapter)