Just as Kisame's mind was reeling, Satoshi's figure appeared before Kisame as if teleporting.
With a shriek that tore through the air, his blade heavily slashed Samehada's spiky blade.
Clang!
As the blades clashed, sparks flew.
"Ugh!"
Kisame grunted, his arms trembling violently.
His burly body was forced back seven or eight steps before he barely managed to stabilize himself.
Kisame shook his numb arms. "Tsk, this kid has so much strength."
He could feel the excitement and greed Samehada transmitted. Satoshi's body contained a massive amount of Chakra. But at this moment, that greed was replaced by a deeper vigilance.
"Calm down." Kisame whispered, soothing the restless Samehada.
A direct clash of strength probably wouldn't work. He had to use the environment to his advantage.
Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave!
Kisame suddenly leaped into the air, like a giant whale spouting water.
A surging torrent of water instantly filled the entire passage and spread rapidly in all directions. In just a few seconds, an enormous spherical Water Prison formed out of thin air, completely engulfing Satoshi and Kisame.
Kisame's body underwent a strange transformation in the water. He completely merged with Samehada, transforming into a monstrous half-human, half-shark form.
Kisame let out a sinister laugh. "Kid, underwater, what advantage can you still have?"
Kisame's strategy was simple: stall.
Once the leader killed Jiraiya, he would come to support him.
Then, he was hit by a punch. Kisame felt as if his head had been struck by a ten-thousand-ton hammer. The enormous impact sent him tumbling backward through the water.
Pain!
It was too painful!
Even more painful than on land!
Satoshi chuckled. "Foolish Kisame, do you not know what it means to be a man who has made a contract with the sea?"
"Bastard! What are you talking about!"
Kisame was both shocked and enraged, driving the water currents to stabilize himself. He maneuvered through the water, attempting to use its Chakra-absorbing properties to get close to Satoshi and slow his offensive.
However, he desperately realized that it was futile. Satoshi's movements in the water were even more erratic and unpredictable than on land.
Kisame's powerful slashes only cut through the cold water each time, unable to even touch the opponent's clothes.
"Too slow."
"Too many openings."
Satoshi's voice continuously echoed in Kisame's ears.
His sword cut deadly arcs through the water, each swing stirring up turbulent undercurrents, forcing Kisame to clumsily block and dodge.
Kisame's wounds steadily increased, blood trickling into the water.
"It's over." Satoshi's cold voice rang out again.
He instantly appeared beside Kisame, who had just blocked a strike.
The crimson Sharingan emitted an eerie glow in the water, locking onto Kisame's wide, terrified pupils.
Satoshi's right hand slowly rose, his index finger and thumb straightened and pressed together, the other three fingers bent, forming a posture like aiming a pistol. His fingertip rested on Kisame's temple.
Water Release: Water Gun Technique.
Boom!
A large amount of blood exploded in the water like stirred paint.
Deprived of its caster's maintenance, the massive body of water rapidly receded, leaving behind a mess. Samehada lay alone in the blood and ruins, emitting a low, continuous whimper.
Satoshi glanced at Samehada. "Shut up, or I'll chop you to pieces."
...
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!
A huge fireball roared out. However, Konan's figure dispersed the instant before the flames touched her. She transformed into countless fluttering white papers, then reformed at a short distance.
Jiraiya's eyes were sharp, staring at the newly reformed blue-haired woman.
"This was originally bait to lure Pain, I didn't expect you to take the bait."
A slight curve appeared at the corner of Jiraiya's lips, his smile mixed with bitterness, nostalgia, and other indescribable emotions.
"Your Jutsu release methods have become sharper, and you've grown into quite a woman, Konan."
He paused, his voice deepening. "So, who exactly is Pain, and what happened to you all these years?"
Konan slowly floated into the air, paper wings gently flapping behind her, her expression indifferent. "This has nothing to do with you. What I must do is carry out God's command, and then..."
She looked down at Jiraiya. "Kill you."
Whoosh... Whoosh... Whoosh...
Before her words finished, countless paper pieces, overwhelming in number, shot towards Jiraiya.
"If a fireball can't stop you, then try this." Jiraiya reacted extremely quickly.
Toad Oil Bullet!
A large mass of sticky, dark brown oil precisely covered Konan's recently gathered body and paper wings, greatly restricting her movement and transformations.
At the same time, Jiraiya's iconic long white hair grew wildly. It instantly bound the slowed Konan tightly, suspending her in mid-air.
"I taught you how to survive in the Ninja World, and now you use it against me. It truly chills my heart." Jiraiya's mood was extremely heavy.
"No matter what happened, this is not a reason for you to become the Akatsuki you are now."
"Such extreme methods cannot bring true peace."
Konan shook her head. "You are merely a weak mortal, utterly incapable of comprehending God's thoughts. Only a powerful existence like Pain truly grasps the one correct path to peace."
As Konan's words slowly faded, a figure stepped out from the deeper shadows of the base.
Tap... Tap...
The sound of footsteps was exceptionally clear in the silence.
Jiraiya narrowed his eyes. He recognized those eyes.
Deva Path looked at Jiraiya with indifference. He needed to quickly deal with Jiraiya, then kill that annoying white-haired man.
"This has nothing to do with you, after all, you are just an outsider."
He glanced at Konan, and Konan understood.
A crab emerged, washing away the oil and grime from Konan's body. Her body once again dispersed into countless white papers, skillfully breaking free from the restraints of the oil and hair. She needed to look after the main body.
Nagato's condition was not very good, and this battle might require activating the Six Paths of Pain, which worried her greatly.
"Jiraiya-sensei."
Pain raised his palm, aiming it at the lone white-haired hero. "Now it's just the two of us."
An irresistible, terrifying power suddenly erupted.
Bansho Ten'in!
A powerful gravitational force instantly controlled Jiraiya. He was uncontrollably pulled by a force, his feet leaving the ground, flying rapidly towards Pain like a cannonball.
Pain's left hand had, at some point, gripped a black rod, aimed at Jiraiya's heart, which was being pulled by gravity.
Jiraiya's eyes erupted with astonishing fighting spirit, and he used the powerful suction to accelerate.
Rasengan!
A rapidly spinning blue orb of light instantly condensed in his right palm.
He used the acceleration of gravity to fiercely smash this orb, containing destructive power, onto Pain's body.
The distance between them closed in a flash, the dazzling light of the Rasengan almost touching Pain's chest.
Just at this critical moment, a completely opposite repulsive force suddenly erupted from Pain.
Shinra Tensei!
Bang!
Jiraiya felt like his Rasengan had hit an invisible wall.
The immense repulsive force not only canceled out the Rasengan's power but also sent his body flying backward. He tumbled through the air, finally crashing heavily against a hard rock wall in the distance.
Boom!
A spiderweb-like crater was smashed into the rock wall, and shattered stones flew.
Jiraiya wiped the blood from the corner of his lips, analyzing the bizarre scene he had just witnessed.
"Forcibly pull objects closer, and instantly repel attacks? Two completely opposite forces, his ability is troublesome."
Pain maintained his raised hand posture, preparing to launch the next round of attacks.
However, his eternally ice-cold, indifferent expression suddenly showed an almost imperceptible fluctuation.
Konan had sent him a mental message: that white-haired man actually bypassed all defenses and went directly towards Nagato's location.