As the chaos unfolded in the Leaf Village, Sasuke gathered his team—Suigetsu, Karin, and Jugo—close, determination etched on his face. "Listen up," he said, his voice firm. "I have a plan. We need to use the terrain to our advantage and find a way to strike Pain when he least expects it."
Just as Sasuke began outlining his strategy, Pain descended from the sky, landing gracefully a few feet away from Tsunade. His cold, piercing gaze scanned the area, taking in the destruction and the shinobi readying themselves for battle. Tsunade stepped forward, resolute, ready to confront the man who was bringing so much destruction to her village.
In the distance, Hinata and Sakura observed from behind a group of debris, trying to remain unnoticed. Hinata, using her Byakugan, focused her vision on the unfolding confrontation. Her heart raced as she gasped, catching sight of Sasuke amongst the chaos.
"Sakura!" Hinata whispered urgently, her eyes wide with surprise and concern. "It's Sasuke! He's here!"
Sakura strained to see through the smoke and debris, her heart pounding in her chest. "Sasuke? But… why would he come back now?" She felt a mix of emotions—relief that he was there but also confusion and apprehension about the dangers ahead. She glanced back at Hinata, her brow furrowed with worry. "Do you think he'll be alright? He shouldn't be here in the middle of this fight."
Hinata's gaze remained fixed on Sasuke, her Byakugan enhancing her ability to read the situation unfolding before her. "He's strong, Sakura. But… if he's fighting against Pain, he needs our support. We can't just stay back here."
Sakura nodded, determination flaring within her. "You're right. We have to do something. But we need to be smart about it. We can't just charge in blindly."
As Tsunade stepped forward, her determination radiated through the chaos that surrounded them. Her fists clenched at her sides, she glared at Pain, unwavering in her resolve. "As the Hokage, it's my duty to protect this village," she declared, her voice ringing with authority. "And I will kill you for what you've done."
Pain's expression remained calm and collected, almost indifferent to her threat. "You cannot kill what has already died, Tsunade. I am merely the instrument of destruction that will cleanse this world of its flaws," he replied, his tone laced with eerie confidence.
With a sudden movement, Tsunade charged forward, her fists enveloped in a golden chakra that flickered with intensity. The clash of their power resonated through the air as they collided, each strike echoing the weight of their convictions.
From a distance, Sasuke observed the battle unfold. "We need to wait," he told his team, his voice low and steady. "If Tsunade is weakened or killed, that's our chance to engage Pain. Until then, we stay hidden."
Suigetsu nodded, his eyes focused on the fierce fight. Karin was still on edge, glancing between Sasuke and the ongoing battle. "I just hope she can hold her own. Pain's abilities are dangerous," she muttered.
As the battle raged on, Tsunade found herself increasingly overwhelmed. Pain moved with a fluid grace, each of his strikes precise and calculated, while Tsunade fought valiantly to keep pace. The golden chakra surrounding her fists flickered as she landed blows, but they seemed to barely faze him. It felt like she was fighting against an unstoppable force, one that toyed with her strength and resilience.
With each hit she received, Tsunade could feel her energy waning. Bruises formed on her skin, and blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. She knew she had to stay strong, for the sake of her village and her people, but doubt began to creep into her mind. "Naruto, where are you?" she thought desperately. "I need you now more than ever."
In a moment of weakness, she glanced toward the horizon, praying that Mei had received her letter and that help was on the way. She could only hope that Naruto and his team were hurrying back to join the fight. The thought of leaving her village defenseless filled her with dread, but the weight of Pain's relentless assault pressed down on her.
Pain, sensing her hesitation, smiled coldly. "You truly believe you can protect this village? Your efforts are futile." He launched forward, delivering a brutal kick that sent Tsunade sprawling to the ground, gasping for breath.
Gritting her teeth, she struggled to rise, but Pain was relentless. He approached her with a calm demeanor, raising a hand as if to deliver a final strike. Tsunade felt a surge of panic. "This can't be the end," she thought, her mind racing. She had fought so hard and sacrificed so much; she refused to give up now.
But Pain's power was overwhelming, and as he prepared to unleash a devastating blow, she realized that she might not be able to withstand it. In that moment, she recalled the faces of her friends, her students, and the villagers who looked to her for protection. She had to fight back with everything she had left.
"Even if I fall, I will not let you destroy this village!" she yelled, summoning the last of her strength to gather her chakra, ready to make a final stand.
As Tsunade felt her consciousness slipping away, the world around her began to blur. Just when it seemed all hope was lost, she caught sight of a familiar figure cutting through the chaos—Sasuke Uchiha, alongside his team. A flicker of hope ignited within her, reminding her that she was not alone in this fight.
Pain turned his gaze towards the newcomers, his expression unyielding. "You shouldn't be here, Uchiha. This doesn't concern you," he warned, his voice devoid of emotion.
Sasuke stepped forward, his eyes aflame with determination. "You die here today, Pain."
As he glanced at Tsunade, still struggling to rise, he added, "Get back! You need to recover."
Tsunade smirked despite her pain, thoughts racing through her mind. "I can't believe it. An Uchiha, is here to save me." The irony of the situation wasn't lost on her. It was a surreal twist of fate—her enemy was now standing before her as an ally.
Pain, however, remained unfazed, a shadow of disdain crossing his face. He recognized Sasuke as Itachi's younger brother, and he knew that Itachi would not approve of harming Sasuke. But the thought of letting Sasuke interfere in his plans infuriated him. "If you continue to interfere, I will have no choice but to eliminate you as well," Pain warned, his eyes narrowing.
Sasuke's resolve only strengthened at Pain's threat. "I'm not afraid of you, Pain. I'm not the same as I was before," he retorted, his Sharingan flaring to life, ready for battle.
The atmosphere thickened with tension as both sides prepared for the inevitable confrontation. Suigetsu and Karin stood beside Sasuke, each ready to fight, while Jugo's muscles tensed, his eyes fixed on Pain with a mix of anticipation and fury. "Let's do this!" Sasuke shouted"
As Pain raised his hand, the air around them trembled with a dark, menacing force. From the shadows of his Animal Path body, he summoned the enormous multi-headed dog and the giant rhino, their hulking forms crashing into the battlefield. The ground quaked beneath their weight as they charged toward Sasuke and his team with terrifying speed and power.
Sasuke, eyes flaring red with the Sharingan, narrowed his focus. "We have no choice. We need to fight on their level." He quickly signaled to his team. "Initiate the summoning pact. Now!"
Without hesitation, Suigetsu, Karin, and Jugo slammed their palms onto the ground alongside Sasuke. The air filled with a swirl of smoke and chakra as three massive snakes erupted from the ground in front of them, each towering over the battlefield. At the center was Manda, the most fearsome of them all, his dark scales gleaming in the dim light.
Manda's sinister eyes locked onto Sasuke, his tongue flicking out in irritation. "Sasuke… it's you again," he hissed, his voice dripping with disdain. "What do you want this time, human?"
Sasuke met his gaze with unwavering confidence. "Prepare for battle, Manda. We have a serious threat on our hands," he ordered, his tone brooking no argument.
Though Manda bristled at the command, he knew better than to resist Sasuke, especially with the chaos surrounding them. The massive snake coiled himself, glaring at the charging summons from Pain's side. "Very well, but you owe me for this, Uchiha," Manda growled before launching himself forward.
The multi-headed dog, snarling with its countless jaws snapping in unison, lunged at the trio of snakes. Manda slithered with blinding speed, his enormous body weaving around the dog's heads, striking back with powerful tail swipes and biting into the beast's flanks. His two fellow snakes engaged the rhino, their fangs sinking deep into its thick hide as they tried to wrestle it to the ground.
The battlefield erupted into chaos, with the titanic creatures clashing violently, sending shockwaves rippling through the surrounding area. Suigetsu leaped onto one of the snakes, wielding his blade and preparing to assist Manda by delivering a crushing water attack. "Let's give them everything we've got!" he yelled, water forming around him in preparation for his strike.
Karin, keeping her distance, used her sensory abilities to track Pain's movements and warn the team of incoming threats. "There's more movement! Pain's not done summoning!" she shouted, her senses heightened by the flurry of chakra signatures.
Sasuke, keeping his focus on Pain, activated his Chidori. The crackling sound of lightning filled the air as he prepared his next move. "Keep those summons distracted!" he ordered his team as he charged forward, his eyes locked on Pain's main body. With Manda and the other snakes holding off the monstrous animals, Sasuke knew he had to press the attack directly.
The clash of summons continued, with Manda coiling around the multi-headed dog, biting fiercely into one of its necks. Meanwhile, the giant rhino struggled against the combined assault of the other snakes, though its massive strength made it difficult to bring down.
Sasuke dashed toward Pain, his Chidori sparking with lethal intent. "I'll end this now!" he shouted, his eyes burning with the power of the Sharingan as he prepared to land a decisive blow.
But Pain remained calm, his Rinnegan glowing ominously. "Foolish Uchiha," he muttered under his breath as he raised his hand. "You cannot comprehend the power you face."
As one of Pain's bodies seized Karin, his grip tightening, Pain's cold, emotionless voice echoed across the battlefield. "You will lose one of your own today, Uchiha. This is the fate of those who stand against me."
Karin gasped, her heart racing in fear as she struggled in vain to escape. Sasuke's eyes, already filled with fury, suddenly pulsed with an intense surge of power. In that moment, something inside him shifted. His Mangekyo Sharingan activated, transforming his already potent gaze into something far more deadly.
A surge of black flames erupted from his eyes—Amaterasu. The flames, dark as the void itself, leaped from Sasuke's vision and engulfed the Pain bodies in a heartbeat. The black fire clung to their forms, burning with an intensity that could not be quenched. The air was filled with the crackling of the fire, and the agonized screams of the Pain bodies as they writhed in torment.
Karin, freed from Pain's grip, stumbled backward, eyes wide in disbelief. She quickly darted toward Sasuke, her body trembling from the near-death experience. "S-Sasuke… what is that?!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with a mixture of awe and fear.
Sasuke, breathing heavily, stared at the burning bodies of Pain, his Mangekyo Sharingan still blazing. The black flames danced wildly, devouring everything they touched, and he knew instinctively that these were no ordinary flames. They were something far more dangerous, far more uncontrollable. Amaterasu…
"I don't know…" Sasuke muttered, his voice low, still in shock at the power he had just unleashed. "But… these flames… they won't stop until they've burned everything."
Pain's bodies, struggling in the grasp of the black flames, continued to burn as the flames consumed them. The once unstoppable and emotionless Pain found himself cornered, his bodies unable to withstand the overwhelming power of Amaterasu.
Karin, now standing at Sasuke's side but keeping a safe distance from the battle, couldn't take her eyes off the destruction. "That… that's not just any jutsu, Sasuke! These flames… they're impossible to extinguish!" she warned, her sensory abilities picking up the immense chakra radiating from Sasuke's eyes.
Sasuke clenched his fists, still processing the new power he had tapped into. This must be the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan… but why now? Why is it appearing at this moment?
Pain, watching his bodies burn, remained eerily calm. Even in the face of destruction, his Rinnegan eyes betrayed no fear. "So, you've unlocked the Mangekyo Sharingan… like your brother before you," he said in a flat tone. "But even this power will not save you, Uchiha."
Despite the flames, the battle wasn't over. Sasuke's Mangekyo Sharingan had bought them time, but Pain was far from defeated. As the black flames raged on, Sasuke turned to his team. "We need to regroup. Stay close, and don't let your guard down. We're not done yet," he said, his voice firm and focused.
Karin nodded, still shaken but trusting Sasuke's judgment. Suigetsu and Jugo, now having defeated the other summons, rushed to their side, ready for the next phase of the battle.
Jugo unleashed his Cursed Mark, his body morphing into its monstrous form as his power surged to new levels. With a roar, he charged straight at the Naraka Path, his fist crashing into its chest with unstoppable force. The Naraka Path crumpled under the impact, its body slamming into the ground, unconscious and defeated. Jugo stood over it, his breathing heavy, but his eyes still wild with rage from the transformation.
Pain, realizing his forces were being overwhelmed, knew he had to act quickly. His Preta Path, the one that could absorb chakra, stepped forward, turning its attention to the black flames of Amaterasu that were still burning across the battlefield. It raised its hands, and the Rinnegan activated, pulling the black flames into itself, absorbing them—but even as the flames vanished, the damage was already done. The Preta Path staggered, its body visibly weakened, the black flames having taken a significant toll on it.
Sasuke saw his opening. His Sharingan gleamed with deadly intent as he dashed forward, lightning crackling in his hand as he prepared a Chidori. He charged at the Preta Path, moving at blinding speed, his focus razor-sharp. The lightning blade surged toward the Preta Path's chest, but at the last moment, Pain reacted. With a quick movement, the Preta Path countered, stabbing Sasuke through the chest.
Or so it seemed.
The moment the blade pierced through Sasuke's heart, his body flickered and dissolved into a puff of smoke. A shadow clone.
The real Sasuke appeared behind the Preta Path, his true Chidori already crackling with lethal power. "You're too slow," he whispered coldly, before driving the Chidori directly into the Preta Path's back. The lightning blade pierced through its body, sending out a shockwave of electricity that paralyzed it instantly.
The Preta Path let out a low, distorted gasp before collapsing, defeated, its absorption abilities rendered useless. Sasuke stood over it, panting from the effort, his eyes still blazing with the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan.
Pain's forces were dwindling, and the battle was quickly turning in Sasuke's favor. Suigetsu and Karin had taken out most of the other summons, and Jugo's raw strength had neutralized another path. Now, with the Preta Path destroyed, Pain's ability to absorb chakra-based attacks was gone.
But Pain himself was far from finished. The Deva Path, Pain's main body, remained floating in the air, ominous and untouchable. The Rinnegan's piercing gaze settled on Sasuke, who had just dealt a crushing blow to one of his paths.
"You are stronger than I expected, Uchiha," Pain said, his voice calm and cold. "But strength alone will not be enough to defeat me. This world will know true pain, and you will be no exception."
Pain, sensing that the battle was tipping out of his control, called upon his remaining active paths—the Human Path, Asura Path, and the ever-dangerous Animal Path. In an instant, the Animal Path's hands formed seals, summoning two massive creatures onto the battlefield. A giant, drill-beaked bird screeched as it took to the skies, its wings flapping violently as it circled overhead. At the same time, a monstrous centipede, with its countless legs skittering across the ground, emerged, its body stretching out across the battlefield.
Karin let out a scream of horror at the sight of the grotesque centipede, her skin crawling at the thought of being anywhere near the massive insect. "I hate this, I hate this!" she yelled, her voice trembling as she clutched her head in panic. Suigetsu, standing beside her, rolled his eyes but kept his blade ready. "We're kind of in the middle of a war here, Karin, so suck it up!"
But there was no time to calm down. Pain, methodical and unrelenting, immediately had his other paths move in to overwhelm Sasuke. The Human Path and Asura Path charged forward with brutal efficiency, their eyes locked on Sasuke. The Asura Path's mechanical body whirred, launching several missile-like projectiles from its arm, while the Human Path darted in for close combat, its strength immense and deadly.
Sasuke dodged, flipping through the air with his Sharingan predicting their movements. His Chidori crackled to life in his hand as he aimed to strike the Human Path, but in that moment, Pain's Deva Path activated its devastating ability: Shinra Tensei.
A powerful, invisible force pulled Sasuke toward the Deva Path with incredible speed, disrupting his movements entirely. Caught off guard, Sasuke was helpless as Pain flung him with that same force, hurling him into the rubble of a destroyed building. The impact was brutal, the ground cracking beneath him as his body slammed into the debris.
"Ugh!" Sasuke groaned in pain, struggling to push himself up from the wreckage. Dust and dirt clung to his clothes as he tried to regain his composure, but Pain's relentless assault didn't give him a moment to recover.
Karin, still shaking from fear but worried for Sasuke, called out, "Sasuke! Are you okay?!" Suigetsu and Jugo both prepared to fight off the incoming summons, knowing they had to buy Sasuke time.
The giant bird swooped down with terrifying speed, its drill-shaped beak aiming straight for Sasuke. Suigetsu gritted his teeth and summoned his water-style techniques, creating a defensive wall of water to intercept the bird's attack, but the force of the creature's beak still sent shockwaves across the battlefield.
Meanwhile, Jugo roared as he engaged the giant centipede, his Cursed Mark body unleashing monstrous power to clash against the insect. With a brutal punch, Jugo sent the centipede sprawling, but it quickly recovered, its numerous legs wrapping around Jugo as it attempted to crush him.
Sasuke, meanwhile, was still feeling the effects of the Deva Path's ability. This power… it's unlike anything I've faced before. He wiped the blood from his mouth and glared at Pain, his Mangekyo Sharingan spinning as he calculated his next move.
Pain, emotionless as ever, floated in the air, watching Sasuke with his Rinnegan. "Your resistance is futile, Uchiha. You, like the rest of this world, will know pain."
But Sasuke wasn't finished yet. Gathering his remaining strength, he began to form a plan. He knew that to win, he would need to outsmart Pain, not just overpower him.
He stood, eyes locked on the Deva Path. "I'm not done," Sasuke said under his breath, his Mangekyo Sharingan glowing with renewed determination. The fight was far from over, and Sasuke would not let Pain win without a final, devastating counterattack.
As Pain moved in to close the gap, he swiftly extended his black chakra rods, stabbing them into Sasuke's legs, intending to immobilize him. Sasuke gritted his teeth in pain as the rods pierced his flesh, but his resolve hardened. He refused to be pinned down by Pain's brutal tactics.
In a flash of determination, Sasuke activated the Cursed Mark of Heaven. The dark seal spread across his body like tendrils, transforming him into his second form. His wings burst forth from his back, and his body morphed into a more monstrous shape. The pain in his legs was instantly dulled by the surge of power coursing through him. With a mighty flap of his wings, Sasuke tore himself free from the chakra rods and soared into the sky.
"Enough of this!" Sasuke roared, his voice echoing through the battlefield. His cursed mark-enhanced form radiated power as he prepared his next move. Lightning crackled across his entire body as he unleashed the Chidori Stream, sending arcs of lightning cascading downwards. The bolts of electricity streaked across the battlefield, hitting Pain's paths and the summoned creatures alike, forcing them to retreat from the sheer force of the attack.
Pain, recognizing the danger of Sasuke's sudden power spike, quickly moved his paths back, narrowly avoiding the full brunt of the Chidori Stream. The battlefield sizzled with raw electricity, the ground scorched and blackened.
But Sasuke wasn't done. He raised his hands and quickly weaved the signs for one of his most powerful jutsus: Fire Style: Fire Dragon Jutsu. He took a deep breath, his chest swelling as he gathered the chakra within him. Then, with a sharp exhale, he unleashed a massive torrent of fire shaped like a roaring dragon. The immense flames tore across the battlefield, scorching everything in their path. The fire surged toward Pain, who tried to dodge, but even with his agility, the flames singed the ground and the air around him.
Pain's Animal Path leaped into action, summoning a large shield-like creature to protect him from the flames. The flames clashed with the summoned creature, but the fire was so intense that even the summoning creature struggled to contain it. The heat radiated across the battlefield, and for a moment, it seemed like Sasuke might have turned the tide of the fight.
Hovering above, Sasuke's glowing eyes tracked every movement Pain made, his Mangekyo Sharingan focused and calculating. "I'll burn you and your vision of pain to ashes," Sasuke muttered, watching the chaos below.
Pain, still unfazed by the destruction, stood tall as the flames began to subside. His Rinnegan eyes stared up at Sasuke, who remained airborne, his transformation far from over. "You are strong, Uchiha, but strength alone cannot save you from the pain of this world," Pain declared, raising his hand once again.