"Our Uchiha Clan... is gone?"
Shihi's expression froze. Sasori continued, "I don't know why, but if I'm not mistaken, the Uchiha Clan was wiped out by Itachi several years ago. The only two remaining Uchiha are Itachi himself and his younger brother, Sasuke."
Sasori held nothing back, laying it all out.
By now, Shihi was completely stunned, his face filled with disbelief as he kept muttering, "How is this possible?"
Before entering this Ninja World, Shihi had aced every test with perfect scores.
But Sasori's words, "The Uchiha Clan is wiped out," had shaken him to his core.
Just as Shihi was about to argue, Itami interrupted him.
"Shihi, have you forgotten why we're here?"
Though Itami was also furious, he remembered their mission: to collect the Tailed Beasts, nothing more.
But as someone who deeply valued his clan's honor, he couldn't help but want to understand what had happened to this world's Uchiha.
Why had they been wiped out? And by one of their own, no less.
As the two outsiders hesitated, several figures descended from the sky.
Some tall, some short, some fat, some thin.
The one thing they had in common... they all wore black cloaks with red clouds, and their eyes were unmistakable.
As elite ninjas, Shihi and Itami immediately noticed the sudden appearance of these six individuals.
"Who are you?"
Though the six stood right before them, neither Shihi nor Itami could sense their strength, which only increased the pressure they felt.
The leader, Deva Path, spoke calmly, "We are Pain. We are gods."
Itami, already in a foul mood after hearing about the Uchiha's demise, felt his anger rise.
Though he knew this wasn't the Ninja World he had grown up in, the destruction of the Uchiha in this world had shattered any initial admiration he might have had.
And now, these people standing before him dared to call themselves gods...
"Those who pretend to be gods should just immerse themselves in Genjutsu."
Itami's voice was icy as his Mangekyo Sharingan spun rapidly.
"Tsukuyomi."
However, Deva Path simply walked forward, step by step, closing the distance between himself and Shihi and Itami.
'What?!'
'Tsukuyomi... is ineffective?!'
Shihi and Itami were shocked. After all, this is a Mangekyo Genjutsu!
The two quickly adjusted their stances, preparing for a fight.
Deva Path simply watched as the two retreated, his gaze finally settling on Itami.
Looking at the ninja who looked exactly like Itachi, Nagato didn't care too much.
He continued calmly, "To avoid any misunderstandings, let me make this clear. In this battle, you are the challengers."
Shihi whispered, "Who... is this guy?"
Though Shihi thought their outfits resembled the Akatsuki from his world, he had never seen the Akatsuki's leader.
So, this powerful enemy before him was a complete mystery, just as Nagato had no idea who this Uchiha standing beside 'Itachi' was.
Shihi and Itami exchanged a glance. "Itami, let's go!"
In an instant, the two launched a coordinated assault on Deva Path.
Their speed was such that most Ninjas wouldn't be able to react.
Even Sasori, a top-tier puppeteer without the Sharingan, could only barely make out the afterimages of the two Uchiha.
However, what would have been a headache for even a Kage-level opponent was effortlessly countered by Deva Path.
"Shinra Tensei."
A massive repulsive force sent Shihi and Itami flying, making them realize that neither Taijutsu nor Genjutsu would work against this foe.
Deva Path made no further moves, instead asking, "Why did you attack our members?"
Shihi answered without hesitation, "We didn't mean to make enemies with your organization. We're only here to collect the Tailed Beasts... that's all."
After hearing this answer, Deva Path fell silent… or rather, Nagato behind Deva Path fell silent.
After a tense moment, Deva Path spoke again, "Which Tailed Beast are you after?"
Seeing that the other side wasn't attacking, Shihi thought there might still be room for negotiation and relaxed slightly.
"Oh, nothing much. We're just here to collect all nine Tailed Beasts..."
Nagato fell completely silent.
But his hands didn't stop moving.
The other five Pain joined the battlefield in unison, surrounding Shihi and Itami.
"Though I don't know your purpose, I don't need you to answer anymore."
After Deva Path spoke, the other five Paths launched their attacks. The first to strike was Animal Path.
"Summoning Technique."
Hellhounds, pandas, chameleons, archaeopteryxes... one massive summon after another crashed toward the two.
Asura Path's missiles followed, carpet-bombing the area.
The attack on the two of them was almost without blind spots. Only the Jinchuriki who were captured later could experience this kind of treatment. This allowed Shikamaru and Itami to experience the power of Pain's Six Paths in advance.
Seeing it was a life-or-death moment, Shihi and Itami no longer held back, and two towering armored giants materialized.
Skeletons, veins, armor... until legs grew out, forming Complete Body Susanoo!
The Sword of Totsuka easily pierced through the hellhound's body, while Shihi's Susanoo fired countless green bullets, riddling the archaeopteryx and chameleon with holes...
As for Asura Path's missiles? Hitting these two Susanoo... let's just say they left the two unscathed.
Sasori, who had been looking for an opportunity to unleash his Hundred Puppets Technique, was dumbfounded.
'Where have I ended up? Is this even a battle between Ninjas?'
As the pinnacle of puppet master, the infamous Sasori of the Red Sand, Sasori now just wanted to play dead.
Meanwhile, back at the Akatsuki hideout, a fishman puffing on a cigarette touched his damp skin.
He muttered to himself, "Am I sweating? Oh, it's just the rain."
After witnessing the colorful Gundam battles in Konoha, Kisame had become even more determined to avoid fighting Ninjas who didn't use hand seals.
---
Regarding the two Susanoo, Nagato was feeling a headache, but he quickly realized that Susanoo was essentially Chakra.
Or rather, a product of chakra and Mangekyo Sharingan's Ocular Power.
This was where the Preta Path came in.
Though it couldn't directly absorb the Susanoo, Preta Path could still accelerate Shihi and Itami's Chakra consumption.
However, Preta Path was quickly slain by the two.
Even the Asura Path and Human Path, who were providing cover, were cut down.
The intense Chakra drain left Shihi and Itami feeling uneasy, but the result was good, as they had halved the enemy's numbers.
Just as the two were about to press their advantage, Preta Path, which they had just destroyed, reappeared unscathed!
But soon... the newly revived Preta Path was impaled again.
Even Nagato found this troublesome. Through the Preta Path's feedback, he could sense that the two couldn't maintain this state for long.
But... the rate at which the Pains were being repaired couldn't keep up with the rate at which the two were destroying them.
Naraka Path, who is responsible for repairs, was exhausting the King of Hell, and there was always the risk of being discovered.
If they didn't combine their power into Deva Path... this would be quite troublesome.
At this time, the appearance of a Ninja caused the battlefield to tilt.
"Aren't you going to make a move, Itachi?"