Chapter 127: The Coolest One, Again

Deep in the jungle, Kakashi sprinted along the gully, just as he had been doing for miles.

Something felt off.

His sharp eyes flicked downward, scanning the path beneath him.

He kept running… kept watching.

Then, he noticed it—the gully was shrinking.

The further he went, the shallower and narrower it became.

Kakashi's mind raced. This means something.

He lifted his gaze and squinted into the distance. Trees lined the horizon—not unusual in a jungle. But the fact that the gully was disappearing told him something critical.

His pace quickened.

Finally, as he crossed into a flat, open area, the gully vanished completely.

And just beyond it—a girl lay motionless on the ground.

Kakashi froze.

For a split second, his mind went blank.

Then, his instincts kicked in, and he rushed to her side.

Dropping to a knee, he gently turned Sakiya over, scanning her face.

Still. Silent.

Kakashi placed two fingers against her neck—pulse steady. He watched closely—breathing normal.

Relief flooded through him. She had just passed out.

But that didn't stop the frustration bubbling up inside him.

"This girl… always so reckless."

He let out a sigh, shaking his head. Sakiya's technique was powerful but unpredictable. This had to be another case of her overextending herself.

His gaze softened as he looked at her peaceful, unconscious face.

"No choice, huh?"

With that, Kakashi hoisted Sakiya onto his back and pressed forward.

----

"Eight Trigrams Palm!"

"Fang Over Fang!"

Beast Path Pain raised a hand.

In an instant, a giant panda statue materialized before him, acting as an enormous shield.

The chakra blast from the Eight Trigrams Palm struck it, barely leaving a mark. The twin spinning drills of Fang Over Fang slammed into the statue—but it didn't budge.

Then, without warning—Human Path Pain appeared behind Kiba.

A hand lunged for his head.

At that very moment—

"Earth Style: Collapsing Mountain!"

The ground beneath them erupted violently, sending Pain staggering. His attack veered off course.

Kiba reacted instantly, leaping forward to safety. He spun around, eyes locking onto the man who saved him.

A flash of relief crossed his face.

"Thanks!"

Sakuragi nodded, though his own condition wasn't great.

His clothes were covered in dust and debris from the earlier blast. A cut on his forehead dripped a thin trail of blood down his face.

"Stay sharp, Kiba!"

---

Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield—

Hiashi Hyuga led a squad of veteran ninja against Deva Path and Asura Path Pain.

But it was one-sided.

Just as the fight reached a critical point—

A group of masked figures in white and black robes suddenly appeared.

"Earth Style: Swamp Trap!"

The ground beneath Beast Path and Human Path turned to thick mud, locking their feet in place.

"Lightning Style: Sixteen Pillar Binding!"

Sixteen rock pillars shot up, surrounding them. Sparks of lightning arced between the pillars, sending paralyzing jolts through their bodies.

Then—

Two massive shadows loomed overhead.

BOOM!

BOOM!

Two colossal fists slammed down, crushing the trapped Paths into the swamp below.

A moment later, Choji and Choza Akimichi landed with a heavy thud.

----

On the other side of the battlefield, Asura Path Pain was lured into a trap zone.

The Konoha ninja, already aware of the setup, scattered in unison.

Asura Path rushed forward, preparing to launch a missile—

But the ground beneath him lit up with sealing runes.

In an instant, his body froze in place.

Then, chains erupted from the ground, wrapping around him—each link covered in explosive tags.

A second later—

BOOM!

A massive explosion tore through the battlefield, sending up a towering mushroom cloud.

When the smoke cleared, Asura Path's shattered body lay in the crater.

At the same time, Hell Path Pain was caught in a similar trap.

A team of Anbu and Ibiki Morino had set up reinforced chains, locking him in place.

Then—

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

"Wind Style: Cirrus Cloud Slash!"

"Combined Jutsu: Raging Firestorm!"

Two Anbu ninjas unleashed a combined fire and wind attack, creating a massive tornado of flames that roared toward Hell Path.

---

Deva Path Pain watched as Hell Path was engulfed in flames.

He moved to assist—

But his body wouldn't budge.

"Shadow Possession Jutsu—Success!"

He turned his eyes toward the ruins nearby. A thin black shadow extended from a small gap in the debris, locking him in place.

A trick?

His gaze shifted to Shikamaru, who stood behind a massive boulder, just out of reach.

That meant he couldn't be pulled in with Universal Pull.

And beyond Shikamaru, another ninja was already forming hand seals.

So that was their plan.

They had been waiting for his cooldown period—ready to strike the moment he was vulnerable.

The remaining Konoha ninjas unleashed their attacks.

"Fire Style: Exploding Rocket!"

"Lightning Style: Thunder Needle Senbon!"

"Earth Style: Great Earth Spear!"

The barrage of ninjutsu rushed toward Deva Path Pain.

Yet, he remained unmoved—his expression cold and detached.

"It seems you misunderstand my power."

With the loss of three Paths, Nagato had more chakra to pour into Deva Path.

The previous Universal Push? Not even close to his full strength.

Deva Path spread his arms—

"Almighty Push!"

This time, the technique unleashed its true destructive power.

An overwhelming wave of repulsive force burst out in all directions—

The incoming ninjutsu disintegrated like fragile bubbles.

The ground cracked and heaved, forming massive waves of earth that swallowed the Konoha forces whole.

No one could withstand the sheer force—death or permanent injury was inevitable.

Except—

For the ones who bore the Badge of the Pact.

At the moment of impact, the badges flared with blinding light.

Their stored chakra erupted outward, forming high-energy repulsion shields that countered the force of Almighty Push.

When the technique finally subsided, the battlefield had been razed to a massive crater.

The edges were littered with crushed stone—and fallen Konoha ninja.

Deva Path stood untouched, having sacrificed Naraka Path—the one capable of reviving the fallen Paths.

But he didn't care.

Because Deva Path was the strongest.

Yet—

As the dust settled, something was wrong.

He saw them—

Sakuragi.

Tsuchiya.

Hinata's team.

The Ino-Shika-Cho trio.

Neji.

And more.

Still standing.

Deva Path's usually stoic expression faltered—

"Impossible."

The ground beneath them remained intact, proof that they had withstood his full-powered Almighty Push head-on.

Never before had anyone survived this technique.

For the first time—he was shaken.

Meanwhile, the young ninja stared at one another in stunned silence.

Then, as if on cue, they all pulled out their badges—still hot in their hands.

Before they could react, the badges floated on their own, pulsing with a mysterious glow.

And at that moment—

Ino's eyes widened in realization.

Her voice trembled with excitement—

"It's... Sakiya!"

___________

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