Scarlet Justice: Full Blossom - ep. 100
"Agnus Dei"
[Ultima Ratio: Feature 3]

This is it. A world's future, bound to the outcome of this lonely fight.

First thing to do is have something in reserve. The leader who represents the Deva domain stretches a hand towards me as he and his five compatriots descend.

"This is the truth of God's power. Bansho Ten'in."

"!"

Some invisible force takes hold of my body and pulls me through the air towards him. I'm not completely disabled, but it's dragging me down a fixed track. This...I think I can keep it in my pocket for later. And in response, the other bodies have black rods extend from beneath their sleeves, meant to run me through.

This was what Hanzo must have faced down. No wonder...even against three opponents, just having to deal with someone who has control of gravity, on top of the other powers would be near overwhelming. Without knowing Pain's secret, every attack and movement would be part of the steepest fight any shinobi would have ever known. Then you would have to factor in that Hanzo's skills had rusted beyond repair. What a terrifying opponent.

Well. For everyone else, that is.

"Farewell, serpent woman."

"Oh? We've just started our dance. No need to pack it in so soon, sweetheart."

The rods get close, and I unleash the chakra built up in my body.

"Artemis' Umbrella."

The nature chakra adds a bit more violence, not to mention power, to the usual attack. It pushes away all present opponents and gives me a chance to float in the air before coming to the ground.

"An array of abilities to suit any situation," Deva Pain says as he and the others surround me again. "Much like Kakashi Hatake of the Sharingan, also known as the Copy Shinobi. Somehow, you have become even more fearsome than him. I was always aware that I would have to confront you personally, but I did not expect you to come to the village to offer yourself up."

"I hope that you're appreciative of that fact," I say to him while standing still. On dry land, this is an easy enough task. Every second that I can gather nature energy is used to walk back multiple on my Sage Mode timer. Starting out, the limit was five minutes without replenishment and moderate use of techniques. Now I can hold it for a lot longer under those same conditions. But as I am wont to do, I've created new variants on techniques that consume a fair bit of senjutsu chakra in order to be more effective. This dips into the timer as well.

Running out won't be the end of the world, but it might end up hurting a lot more than I want. So I'm inclined to make sure it doesn't happen. Especially not with someone who killed Hanzo, no matter how off his game he might have been that day.

"You can rest assured that I will treat your form with the respect it deserves after its death. Unless you mean to volunteer yourself as one of these Six Paths ahead of time," Deva Pain says.

"A kind offer, but one ultimately unnecessary. Even if it were possible for me to fall here, I have arrangements of all kinds for the handling of my earthly form. As for you...well, I suppose I can get your final will and testament from your delectable little assistant." No hierarchy or formation just yet. Probably trying to feel me out some more. In that case, I'll try to pick up some goodies for myself.

The Asura Pain moves first, transforming both of his arms into what looks like the cannon that was inside of its head earlier. I can feel his chakra peaking as the Animal Pain summons from behind me – the stupid dog again, because of course – to cause chaos. The tall one is moving, trying to anticipate my next position while dual wielding the black rods. Leaves three not moving.

"Time to satisfy my curiosity. What might your power be..."

I skip forward and dodge both of the chakra blasts coming from my right, while the dog times the gap perfectly. I cartwheel to my right to evade it, and then shoot ahead through its legs towards the tall Pain with their black rods. They're made of the exact same blocking material as the piercings, so...there has to be something to their offensive use. I summon Murakumo to my hands and flow chakra through them before slashing at one of the rods. It digs in, but doesn't go right through.

"Very interesting..."

I use the leverage to flip over his back, lashing out while upside down. Without turning, he blocks each of my incoming strikes perfectly. Shared vision in effect, then. We face each other again and clash, my senses reaching out to keep an eye on the others as they watch. I should be able to overwhelm their shared vision with a little something, but I also want to see exactly what I'm dealing with before making any risky moves. This one isn't using any fancy powers yet. I would think that this isn't a time to hide them...or perhaps they're not quite as useful in a fight as the others.

Okay. Time to force their hand some.

"This might be a good time to try something new, yes?"

"Your arrogance won't last much longer," he says.

I smile and push him away, Murakumo vanishing from my hands. "You think so? Let's test that theory now, then."

"As you wish."

If I couldn't already sense it, I can hear the Asura Pain coming in like a missile with those rocket shoes of his. The goal is to seal me on two sides...that's too bad. It was almost a good plan.

"Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation."

It takes less than a second for my chakra to flow into the ground. The same fraction lets me bend it to my will, and one more has it rise up to form a spiked wall that the Asura Pain slams into uncontrollably, obviously head first. I gather chakra into my right hand and have it flare up dramatically before I make a fist.

"Lightning Release: Valkyrie Bullet!"

If this idiot had an ability, he didn't get the chance to use it. I weave under his counter attack and cave his chest in with my fist, sending him through a building on the far side. The concrete wall behind me retracts at my command, and I see the Asura Pain lying with his head crumpled up from the earlier impact.

"And I almost forgot about you. I haven't tried this just yet, so..."

I weave a few seals and breathe in, facing the incoming dog and the other Pain bodies. A little distraction shouldn't cost too much chakra.

"Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave."

The addition of nature chakra serves me well once more, transforming the normally massive surge into a tsunami that towers over the summon before crashing into it. Dividing and yelping doesn't prevent it from being washed down the nearby streets, and the other Pain bodies have either vacated by air or are standing behind the Preta Pain as he absorbs the technique with his barrier. I take the time to casually remove a piercing from the Asura Pain, then crush his head with my foot to make sure he can't plan an ambush. That should do, for now.

"The Sage Techniques. Intriguing," Deva Pain says as the last of the water is absorbed. "The ability to use the earth itself to do your bidding. I did not know the serpents had access to such abilities."

"It seems there are mysteries even where you are concerned. How amusing to know. There's plenty more in my pockets to give you a fit, so look forward to those." The other unidentified Pain is flying off on the bird, while the Animal Pain drops down and summons both the rhinoceros and ox to charge me. Trying to identify a pattern, or baiting me to come down the middle right at him...let's try neither. I know just what to do.

I grab shuriken from my pouch and throw a dozen of them in a wide spread.

"Shinobi tools. What is it you mean to do?" Deva Pain asks. "A futile diversion..."

I weave seals, infusing a bit of senjutsu chakra into my attack. Something that I learned personally from my loving grandfather.

"Hidden Leaf Secret Art: Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu."

A technique that could turn one shuriken into a thousand, each with real mass and deadly effects. It means that the dozen I've thrown and enhanced...

"This is...!"

For the first time, Pain seems shocked. But then, about twelve thousand shuriken coming for you at once tends to do that. The summons are torn apart before the remaining waves punch through the clouds of smoke they've left behind. Deva Pain steps in front of the remaining bodies, while I make another useful discovery with my enhanced sensing. The tall Pain is back in commission, flying in with the other Pain on top of the three legged bird.

"Shinra Tensei."

All of the shuriken are deflected by a wall of force, one that properly sustains itself until all of the weapons are on the ground. It makes sense to me. The powers of attraction and repulsion. Pompous names for those techniques...though one could argue that you need some level of arrogance to make it this far in the world.

"I suppose that makes the reviving Pain...Naraka. And the other one would be Human. Good to get that out of the way," I say to myself. "It also makes it obvious as to who I need to attack first to put a dent in Pain's plans." The bird swoops in from behind one of the buildings and starts to circle the area. A sharp activation of chakra and the other Pains leave its back before appearing next to the Animal Pain. Summoning technique...so it means the Pain bodies are valid summoning targets, then. Explains their rapid movement before.

"That's a pain in the ass."

I turn my head to see nothing but bits of metal and blood where a body once lay. The Asura Pain is in the back with the others, still incapacitated. Those bodies really are connected in some strange manner...but the piercing I removed is still in my pouch, and responding to chakra signals. A loud, familiar barking interrupts my thoughts. I roll my eyes.

"Unsurprisingly, you return once more."

The dog jumps over what remains of a building in the distance before splitting apart into ten smaller but equally rabid beasts. Obviously eager to play with me again. Well, I have other plans. And they're filthy things to boot, running around in the dust and dirt. It's a good thing I'm such an animal lover.

"Here. All of you can have another bath."

I focus my chakra before snapping my fingers. Two orbs of water form for each mutt present, so that they might be properly washed from snout to tail.

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet."

The orbs shoot forward before twisting into large dragons. A chorus of yelps sounds out a moment later as each mutt is slammed backwards in sprays of water. I can see something else happening as the dogs fly away, crashing into buildings and their remnants. Naraka Pain is standing next to...something. A giant head, with a massive mouth and a strange crown that has the character for king on it. It is surrounded by strange black flames, seemingly like Amaterasu, and also has eyes reflecting the Rinnegan. If I recall, this is supposed to the judge of the dead, is it not? Power over life and death...I see now. Asura Pain emerges from his mouth as it opens, looking brand new and with yet another immaculate cloak. I can swear his bald head is even shinier now.

Very bothersome. As long as that Pain is in play, it means that even if I take out the leader, he can come back to life and harass me again. But as it is, that's just one piece...the ability to spirit each Pain away is a problem, too. Judging from the change in formation, these ones might be preparing for me to try and solve said problem. My conservative use of Sage Mode means that I have plenty of room to cut loose. I think I'll try that now, and remove some of these bodies from the picture before they wise up.

"Her ninjutsu is both varied and potent," Deva Pain says. "We need to close in now, before she becomes too much of a problem. Let's begin."

They can coordinate within themselves without saying a word or sending up a signal. All I can do is read what comes my way. The two offensive and presumably expendable Pains surge in, Asura and Human. Our earlier recreational activities mean that it's a wide open field, and I have room to move as I like. They're going to use their shared sight to track me...in that case, the answer is simple.

I accelerate towards the Human Pain, then jump over his head and push off the back of it before he can react. The Animal Pain is in my sights, and I draw Murakumo as I near him.

"Bansho Ten'in."

Thought so. I put in a little extra resistance and have my feet slide along the ground. Getting closer at speed, the Preta Pain slides in front to intercept me. Interesting combination.

"Muki Tensei."

A short wall rises up ahead of me, and I slam my feet into it to arrest my movement. Deva Pain exerts more pressure with his attracting force, to little effect. The wall with its senjutsu chakra cracks slightly, but holds firm beneath my feet.

"Time to show off some. Introducing the most devastating technique in my arsenal." The senjutsu chakra flows into my right arm, compressed in the same way that I've done thousands of times before. Thick, dense, and extremely stubborn to compress at first. But eventually, it became second nature. "This is the next level. Bear witness." I aim at the Naraka Pain, who has started to move a hundred years too late.

"No."

"Sage Art: Zero-Type Mobius."

The chakra bursts forward from my two fingers, a luminous white that creates a halo of light around my hand. If Mobius moves at the speed of thought...this exceeds it by leaps and bounds. A deadly burst of light that has erased the Naraka Pain's top half, and put holes in buildings a long way behind him, one after the other.

"Truly a waste. To retain that sort of power would be the dream of any ruler..."

Pain yammers on, presumably to distract me as the Asura body launches a barrage of missiles into the sky while the others clear the area. They start to rain down, moving in erratic patterns to try and confuse me. Blocking or dodging is easy enough, but I have an even more fun idea. I gather chakra in my stomach and breathe in while making seals.

"Sage Art: Starch Syrup Gun!"

I blow the chakra infused water upwards, creating a fountain that snags every one of the missiles as they come down. With a wave of my hand, the trapped missiles form into a giant, viscous orb.

"Here. Hold this."

I jump into the air and land a bicycle kick on the falling orb, sending it straight at the Deva Pain. A few options, but the most obvious one is...

"Shinra Tensei."

There we are. The water orb and all its explosive contents cease to be immediately, washed out in a wave of force. That attack wasn't just stopped, it was dissipated entirely. It means that this Shinra Tensei can stop ninjutsu, so that brings up another question. Namely, the reason for the Preta Pain's positioning. Since they're not fast enough to catch me properly, I'll inquire at a more suitable distance. As soon as my feet touch ground again, I take off towards Deva Pain.

"?"

He immediately responds by charging back towards me. Content to play defensively up until now, and doesn't he have his attraction jutsu? But this is a perfect time to go for his head. Just need to keep my eyes open.

"Summoning."

Of course. Should have counted on that. Deva Pain is pulled to safety, reappearing next to Animal Pain. I flare on my chakra mode and race towards his new position, intending to engage him again. At the same time, if what I think is happening is actually happening...

Animal Pain starts to make a move before backing off. Deva Pain charges in again, foregoing his technique...or rather, charging it up. I need to see where this goes, even if it might sting a bit. We near each other, and I call out Murakumo while accelerating. As soon as I reach him-

"Shinra Tensei."

It's more forceful than the others, lifting me off my feet and sending me into the air. I should be able to track him with this one.

"Water Release: Water Shark Bullet."

I snap my fingers while flying backwards, and the shark shoots forward from my last position. Closer and closer and closer, until the Preta Pain drops in and negates it with the barrier. I arrest my movement through the air and bounce safely to the ground, taking in what I just saw.

"You sneaky little prick. That technique...you can't use it in succession, can you? You can't use any of your powers multiple times in a row. That's why you need the fat boy close in your formation...managing your jutsu cool down." Pretending to engage me in taijutsu, then having the summoner whisk him away to another position. Buying time for his jutsu to come online. Using the other bodies to split my focus so that I wouldn't register it.

But that's the thing about jutsu, isn't it? The more you use them, the more chances your enemy has to figure them out...and eventually, put an end to you.

Pain must have realized, or maybe sensed, that I've come to some understanding of their secret. They've moved ahead with a full scale assault. In that case, I'll use one of my most precious assets, provided by these most alluring legs of mine.

"Time to show off some speed for you. I would say that I hope you all can keep up...but I don't. And you certainly won't."

Human Pain is up first. No special gimmicks to be seen. Dealt with easily enough.

"Let's go with a classic."

I measure my distance as I run, then shoot forward at just the right time. This one should be perfect.

"Vanished?" he utters.

The chakra flows through my leg, and I turn while planting my opposite into the ground. All of the energy flows upward as my foot rises, slamming into the enemy's chin. And all at once, everything explodes.

"Jayoku Houtenjin."

I can feel his jaw turn to dust beneath my foot, before his body shoots into the sky like a rocket, blue sparks of chakra following. Corpses or not, those bodies have limits. I just burned through that one's.

"Let's try this one next. A little faster, now."

I draw Murakumo and rush towards my next target. The Animal Pain summons the bird again and takes off into the skies. I can sense the Asura Pain following me in flight, preparing missiles for another barrage. He's not firing, making sure that the other body is out of dodge...the Animal Pain wants to drop down and leave us alone, but he's also wary of my aerial movement and doesn't want to risk getting slashed out of the sky.

He comes to a compromise, clapping his hands and summoning someone else to his side. The Preta Pain.

"Guarding against ninjutsu. Or maybe...something more clever than that."

The three Pains weave through the sky, one giving chase and two being chased by me. They head towards a set of tall buildings. I really don't want them to escape, not for a second.

"Spending time in your own head, serpent woman?" I flip backwards over the blades aimed at my back, and let myself fall from the sky. The Asura Pain accelerates downwards to follow me.

"Very rude to show up unannounced, isn't it? And at a girl's backside, too. Scandalous of you! I know that I cut a very striking figure, but it's always best to ask permission before you try and touch. I know...I think that I'll pay your leader a visit instead. He's shown that he knows exactly how to treat a lady."

I stick my tongue out at him before quickening my steps towards the ground, and the Deva Pain. He's waiting for me, as predicted, while I can hear the sound of rocket boots coming to life behind me once more. A few more strides, and I go over the Deva Pain's head completely...but not before he's pulled away with another summoning by the other Pain. Suppose they didn't want to take any chances.

That works out just fine for me.

Asura Pain swoops up into the sky again, and the drill beak bird nears. I make a series of seals and prepare my technique. Bird, rat, bird again. I remember how devastating this one is...years ago, I felt it first hand as Midori fought Manda in the Leaf Forest. It was enough to even overwhelm that trash Orochimaru.

The bird nears, and swoops low to allow its passengers to jump off.

"Sage Art..."

The Pain bodies get ready for an attack. But this will be something they've never seen before.

"White Rage Technique."

I've worked on this technique to have it activate the same way every time, with ideally no variations. The chakra level, the speed, the duration. It's effective, but it's also dangerous for those without the characteristics of a snake, and troublesome even for those who have a few.

The chakra exits my open mouth in the form of a red, long bodied dragon, that carries a purple orb in its left claw. It rushes towards the Pain bodies, and the Deva Pain stretches his arm out. But then, it stops before it gets any closer. I put my hand over my chest to get ready, while they pause in confusion. The dragon roars before going into a spin in the air, coiling itself tighter and tighter around the orb. And then, I close my eyes right before it detonates. That would be the easy part, as I can easily use my other senses to navigate without losing a step. It's the other part, the horrible and painful vibrations, that I would need to get around each time.

"Activating counter."

Using lightning chakra, I can balance the vibrations in my body against those coming from the jutsu...and I'm able to shrug off most of the paralysis. Enough to concentrate and tear through a target. Can't chance one of them fighting through and putting up a defence. The bodies are on pause, but still active...so the most troublesome one can disappear first.

"Mobius Zero."

I fire at the Animal Pain, putting a hole through his torso as he's thrown backwards. The jutsu comes to an end, with the light fading and vibrations stopping. Just as I drew it up.

"Another," the Deva Pain says as he recovers.

"And then, there were three. How lovely. I suppose since you can't fly around on birds and revive each other, it's just us now. Feeling confident?" I ask.

"Your strength is laudable, serpent woman. None in this world have ever pressed Pain to this degree..."

"Oh, don't speak as if the party has come to a stop," I say with a flip of my hand. "I've still got treats for you three fellows...see, I can guess that the large one loves to devour things. Shall I hand him a full course meal? Or would you like to try it out first?" Standing here has added a bit of energy, but I only have so much between those attacks from just now...

"I doubt you have enough for us both. Those attacks are taxing, it seems. Especially in succession."

"Getting cheeky, are we?" I set my feet and give him a cruel smile. "It seems you know just how prideful I can be...so don't cry when I come for your head. This is what you asked for, you fat mouthed prick."

He beckons me towards him with one hand. I take off and oblige him. Sage Mode is primed to end soon if I fire off too many attacks, and with fewer bodies to keep in line, I might need to keep a closer eye on my movements from here on. Asura Pain strides ahead and throws off his cloak, revealing his many arms and serrated tail. He seems determined to engage me in close combat.

"..."

Decisions to make. Do I think that I can deal with the last one on my own, without enhancements?

"Let's find out. I'm pretty proud of my speed...how about you?"

He's taking the bait...and so I can put this one to sleep for good.

"I suppose that answers that."

"You're finished, scarlet woman." The ground cracks apart beneath his feet, blue flame streaming up and outward before he takes off at top speed towards me. "The end."

"Unfortunately for you...that's my line. Try this one, metal man. White Snake Sage Art..."

I match his speed, drawing Murakumo as the green aura envelops my body.

"Jakyou Messenga!"

The shell takes form, jaws in the form of a snake out in front of me. I rush into him and follow through, slashing forward and through his form entirely. Three distinct pieces hit the ground behind me as I slide to a stop.

"Bansho Ten'in."

"This again! Whoa...!"

He's put more into this one, and in a strategic fashion. My feet can't touch the ground, and I'm moving much faster than before. He's got the Preta Pain in position to catch me, and likely drain my chakra. Draining me out of Sage Mode seems like an interesting experiment...but these ones don't seem like they would be willing to further their scientific knowledge alongside me. Truly a shame.

"And...here..."

I use Sky Grasper to flip myself over while moving, and dig Murakumo into the ground so that my travel is slowed. Preta Pain stretches his arms out to get me...

"And...there."

...and I push off to flip myself over, letting go of Murakumo at the same time. The timing is thrown off enough that the Preta Pain grabs air, and I get my legs neatly wrapped around his head from behind.

"I'm about as practical as I am vain, believe it or not. There's more than one reason I opted for a good, strong pair of legs. Moments like this, you know? I think it would have been nicer if this weren't a corpse..."

I grab his head as he reaches up and tries to drain me. My legs cross over each other, and I quickly squeeze them together around his neck.

"But I suppose beggars can't be choosers, mm?"

That beautiful cracking was all that I needed to hear. I hop down from the now twice dead body as it goes limp, falling to the ground next to me.

"Always wanted to do that. And then, there was one," I say while turning to Deva Pain. "Not recharged yet, or are we waiting for the right opportunity? Thank you for that, by the way. I might have had to leave Sage Mode entirely, but you saved me the trouble. So...would you like to continue this game of ours? Or do you want to finally take me to who's really running the show?"

"You truly think this is over, don't you?" he asks. "Despite your stalling, you still don't have enough to do anything significant before your Sage Mode runs out. What chance do you think you have without that power in your hands?"

"Wouldn't you like to find out..."

It's obvious. I have to bait his next attack, and then finish him as quickly as I can with something in rapid succession. He knows that as well, so he'll obviously be plotting something.

"Why not make your next move, serpent woman?" he asks. "After all, I don't intend to let you restore your sage power to full."

Now he's trying to bait me. But...he's also drawing on a lot of energy and storing it. And since he doesn't need that much to pull me in...he must be intent on using a large scale version of the repulsion technique to bury me. Maybe even retreat, and get replacement bodies to continue the battle. I can't be scared since I've crushed his power already, but there's really no telling what tricks he could come back with. No, this really has to end. Here and now.

The village, the people...he doesn't care about them. Only erasing me. It can all turn to dust, far as he's concerned. Now or never. Once I'm blown away, all bets are off. All physical and chakra based attacks are done for, probably no footholds...something I can do, has to be.

"..."

I end the standoff and run forward, right at Deva Pain.

"Foolishness. Shinra Tensei!"

He focuses the attack and saves the rest of his energy, allowing me to summon a clone to brace myself. I dispel her and give chase as Deva Pain moves through the village. This direction is Pain's Tower...he can't be thinking of summoning new bodies, can he? And Konan is there, at the tower itself. Maybe they've been communicating in secret somehow, and the bodies are already prepared. If I stop to replenish Sage Mode, that gives them even more time to plot. But if I keep going, I might be walking into an ambush.

"Hm?"

We're midway, and Deva Pain has come to a stop on top of a skyscraper. I join him on the other edge of the roof.

"If I cannot kill you...then at the least, I should be able to contain you. I was wrong to think of you as a mere human. You are as much of a beast as the ones we draw out of the jinchuuriki."

"Contain? Me? A fine job you've done of that so far," I taunt.

"This is the end, Lilith Kobayashi." Deva Pain forms a black sphere in between his hands, dense with chakra. He grunts and hurls it into the sky above, where it rises before coming to a stop. It pulses once.

Then, I feel it happening.

"Behold, the almighty power of God. Chibaku Tensei."

All around me, trails of dust and loose debris are rising into the sky. Towards the sphere. The force grows stronger, pulling larger chunks away and shaking our foothold as pieces of the building are pulled upwards. It's an artificial gravity well...creating a satellite. Trapping and restraining tailed beasts would be easy with this kind of power.

"The village...this is going to devastate everything!" I yell. "What is it you mean to do, Pain?"

"My justice must be brought to mankind. If this village and its people must become a sacrifice to that end, then I do this with great sorrow. The tragedy of this shinobi world permeates all facets of life."

He's not affected somehow, but I am. The gravity is pulling me off my feet. There's already a layer of rubble over the sphere...wait. That must be it. Aiming for the core might do it. I probably won't have to aim at all, in fact. But I have to hurry before it becomes too dense to get through. Conserving Sage Mode isn't a priority now, but I need something good...

I know. I have something for this situation.

"That one. It's the best insurance policy I have right now."

I draw both of my hands back, towards my right side. My feet leave the roof just as it buckles in on itself, its pieces pulled into the air and towards the sphere. With each second, its gravitational power grows. Buildings are being pulled into pieces, from top to bottom.

"Getting close to the edge." Sage Mode is nearly gone and I don't have a chance of keeping still in these conditions. I can't bet that I'll get towards the core before it runs out. This has gotten desperate all of a sudden. "Rika. Where is she..."

I sense for her in between dodging the flying rocks and charging my technique. She's already run towards the edge of the village, thank goodness. Alright, time to end this before it gets too late.

"There."

I stride through the air and find a large piece of rubble to settle onto. All of the moisture I can gather is being pulled into my hands, and there's more to come as soon as I cut loose. Burn through the last of my senjutsu chakra. And now...

"Here we go! Sage Art Water Release: Great Water Shark Bullet!"

I thrust my hands forward, and the orb explodes outwards into a gigantic water shark. The pull of the sphere does its work, drawing the shark in at high speed. The reason this jutsu is my insurance policy is that it's special.

The stronger the enemy's technique, the stronger mine becomes.

I watch as the shark tears through the layers of rubble before latching onto the sphere with its watery teeth. And then it swells in size. Again. Again. Getting even more massive than before, absolutely ballooning. The sphere cracks under the pressure of the shark's growing jaws, until it shatters completely, exploding outwards. The shark follows suit, creating an instant downpour as the mass of dirt, dust, and rubble falls in a heap towards the earth. I make a series of hand seals and hold my breath while floating through the dust.

"Something like that...impossible. To destroy even that technique."

Deva Pain stands across from me in the newly formed crater.

"Was I wrong? Mistaken about the nature of things?" he muses. "Even so..."

He has two of the black rods extend from his palms.

"I cannot abandon my mission. Not when we have come this far. Serpent woman...you should know where you stand. Your technique has ended, and you are at my mercy."

"Is that what you think?"

"I can see how exhausted you are after all of those stunts. So I will do you a kindness...and put you out of your misery now. Bansho Ten'in."

"!" I'm pulled off my feet, into the air and downward in an arc. Deva Pain advances towards me and jumps up to meet me.

"A valiant effort...but futile."

He throws the rod at me, piercing my chest before I explode into a cloud of smoke. Then he lands, and I emerge from the shadows to trap him.

"Muki Tensei!"

The concrete warps around his feet and traps them, while long sheets peel up from the ground and bind his arms in place.

"You have me..."

"It seems so. And now, I'll finish you off at a safe distance. Can't be too careful," I say. I make seals and have a clone appear next to me, who runs forward and pulls a kunai from her holster. Deva Pain calmly waits as she approaches.

"You still haven't learned a thing, little woman. Bansho Ten'in."

"!" He pulls me off my feet and has me slam into the back of my water clone, dispelling her and slamming my face into my own construct. My head is spinning, and by the time I recover, Pain has already erased his restraints to send me flying again. I feel something tear through my hands a moment later, then a shadowy figure with Rinnegan appearing in my mind. I can't move...my body isn't responding to anything I tell it...

"All for nothing. How unfortunate."

Deva Pain stands over me, holding a black rod over my neck. Two more are pinning me to the ground. I can't focus my chakra. Can't...do anything.

"What is your final will, Lilith Kobayashi? I will do my best to honour your memory...you were a formidable opponent, despite our differences. The world will never see one such as you again. If it would...perhaps my hand might be stayed."

"There's no need for that...I made a promise to you, earlier..."

"That I would see the true hand of God. What of it?"

I smile. "One thing you should know about me...I always keep my promises. And as for my final will...that's nothing you have to worry about, friend."

My body turns into a mass of lightning, and he reacts.

"Shinra Tensei."

"All you need to do is...know pain."

His head turns to see me standing behind him, arm raised.

And with the countenance of a Sage.

"Mobius Zero."

Not a chance at all. Through the left side of his back, obliterating the space where his heart would be. He floats in the air briefly before coming down to earth face first. He doesn't move an inch.

It's finally over.

"..."

I go over to the corpse and pull one of the piercings from his ear. Comparing it to the sample I took earlier, I can safely say that they're the same. And both are still receiving chakra signals. Since I'm still in Sage Mode...this should be simple. Though I think it's just a matter of confirming what I suspected already. I take one of the piercings and wipe it on my sleeve before putting it into my mouth. My tongue wraps around it, absorbing the heat and chakra.

"!"

A small flash, like when two sensor types discover each other. I turn to face a certain building. The tallest on this side.

Pain's Tower.

On the top floor, which has been shrouded to prevent anyone from discovering what's inside. Well, I know what's in there now. And who.

The real Pain. A man named Nagato.

"..."

And I can feel through this connection...how he got to this point. I take the receiver from my mouth and put it back into my pouch.

"It's time for us to meet, face to face. Nagato...let's put an end to this for good."