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"But this is not over yet..."
Although Itachi was momentarily surprised that his target, Pain, had evaded his attack from a blind spot, his assault was far from over.
His hands moved fluidly through a series of seals, and the crows circling behind Pain suddenly converged, forming a shadowy figure in mid-air.
"Crow Clone Detonation."
A faint hum filled the air as cracks formed along the crow clones, glowing with a fiery intensity.
"Boom!"
The clones exploded in rapid succession, unleashing a cascade of flames that engulfed Pain in a blinding inferno.
"One down," Itachi murmured, his keen eyes scanning the dissipating flames. While the Six Paths of Pain each possessed unique abilities, their power levels varied. The one he'd just dispatched was clearly weaker than the two who had assaulted Shisui's team earlier.
Meanwhile, Shisui, positioned on the other side of the mountain, seized the moment created by the explosion. He darted forward, targeting another Pain with unwavering precision.
His mind was already analyzing the situation. If the remaining three Pains were comparable in strength to the one just eliminated, their victory would only be a matter of time. Moreover, the mountainous terrain restricted Pain's ability to summon large creatures effectively, limiting their strategic options.
For a brief moment, the tide of battle seemed to favor them.
However, the sense of relief was short-lived.
Above Shisui, the sky darkened as a massive panda-shaped puppet, its surface marred with cracks, plummeted toward him. With Shisui's speed, the puppet's descent posed little threat.
At the same time, Itachi leapt from the fractured mountainside, narrowly avoiding a giant bird circling overhead. He landed gracefully on the narrow mountain path, prepared to reposition himself.
Just then, the smoke from his earlier explosion began to clear, revealing something unnerving—Pain, emerging unscathed.
Itachi's Sharingan flickered in disbelief.
"The explosion was point-blank... Even I couldn't have emerged unharmed," he thought, his shock briefly betraying his composure.
Pain raised his arm, and with a sharp motion, several black rods shot toward Itachi. Trapped between the incoming projectiles and the circling bird, Itachi was forced to retreat.
Without fully understanding the abilities of his opponent, Itachi hesitated to resort to his Mangekyō Sharingan techniques—Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu. Both were immensely powerful, but they came at a significant cost to his chakra reserves and vision.
On the other side of the battlefield, Shisui had ascended the mountain and was closing in on another Pain, one with a single ponytail and an affinity for summoning.
Swish!
Before Shisui could strike, another Pain, this one with long hair, appeared to flank the ponytailed one. Both brandished black rods and moved to intercept him.
The long-haired Pain lunged first, thrusting his rod with surprising agility. Shisui responded instantly, his blade igniting with fiery chakra as he parried the attack.
"Clang!"
The impact sent sparks flying as Shisui's blade locked against the black rod. To his frustration, the rod resisted his chakra-enhanced weapon.
The ponytailed Pain then struck from the side, timing his attack to exploit the opening created by his companion.
"Are these really puppets?" Shisui wondered as he dodged, his mind racing. His past encounters with puppet masters from Sunagakure paled in comparison to this.
The strength of a puppeteer was often limited by the number of puppets they could control—spreading their focus weakened their efficiency. Yet whoever was controlling Pain seemed capable of commanding all six bodies with unnerving precision, enough to contend with both him and Itachi simultaneously.
The ponytailed Pain's rod came dangerously close, grazing Shisui's cheek. As he twisted to evade, the long-haired Pain's hand shot forward with alarming speed.
The grab wasn't aimed at a vital point, which puzzled Shisui.
"Got you," the long-haired Pain muttered.
Shisui's Sharingan spun rapidly, catching the faint layer of chakra radiating from the extended hand. His eyes narrowed as he felt an unusual sensation emanating from it—a fluctuation that seemed to bypass his defenses entirely.
"What is this?" Shisui gasped inwardly as a chill ran through his body. The chakra's disturbance pierced into his very core, sending a shiver that seemed to resonate with his soul.
Swish!
When the two Pains coordinated another attack on Shisui, his figure blurred into a black afterimage as he executed the Body Flicker Technique, retreating to gain distance.
However, the two Pains were relentless, pursuing him with synchronized precision.
Meanwhile, on the narrow mountain path where Shisui had retreated, Itachi switched from defense to offense. Having evaded the joint assault of the psychic beast and the rotund Pain, he moved swiftly.
"Shh-shh-shh!"
Itachi hurled a barrage of shuriken, their trajectories cutting through the air in erratic arcs. The target Pain was forced to defend, raising his black rods and deflecting the projectiles with rapid, precise movements.
But by the time the final shuriken clattered to the ground, Itachi had vanished from sight.
Moments later, he reappeared behind the rotund Pain, his hands weaving seals in rapid succession. Itachi's strategy was clear: execute his jutsu from the blind spot of an enemy incapable of reacting in time.
However, as Itachi prepared to strike, the ponytailed Pain pursuing Shisui suddenly turned his head, his Rinnegan locking onto Itachi.
Despite focusing on Shisui, Pain's shared vision revealed Itachi's ambush.
Shisui, who had been retreating at high speed, noticed the shift in his opponent's focus. His keen Sharingan instantly caught the change.
"They're distracted," Shisui thought. Taking advantage of the moment, he pivoted sharply and launched a counterattack.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Flame Arc!"
A blazing torrent of flames erupted from Shisui's mouth, streaking toward the rotund Pain from behind. The heat distorted the air as the flames raced forward, promising destruction.
But just as the flames reached their target, the rotund Pain raised his hand, palm facing the oncoming inferno.
Buzz!
A translucent barrier shimmered into existence, rippling like water under the flames' assault. Instead of incinerating its target, the chakra-infused fire was absorbed into the barrier, leaving not a single ember behind.
Itachi's Sharingan narrowed as he watched the scene unfold.
"Absorbed my jutsu..." he murmured, his tone measured but tinged with surprise.
Even with his vast knowledge, this ability was unfamiliar. However, it immediately clarified why the clone explosion earlier had failed to injure this Pain.
"So, this one absorbs ninjutsu," Itachi concluded, his analytical mind already formulating a new strategy. "Does this mean physical attacks are our only option?"
Though the revelation was unexpected, it aligned with his plan. The purpose of his previous attack had been to uncover the enemy's abilities.
As Itachi prepared to relay his findings to Shisui, he heard his comrade's voice cut through the din of battle.
"Itachi!" Shisui called, his Sharingan spinning as he faced the two Pains before him. "These guys... their vision is linked! That's how they're avoiding attacks from their blind spots!"
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