"Didn't… didn't we pay?"
??noki looked blankly at the Deva Path Pain floating in the sky, then at Kakuzu below, and finally turned his gaze toward Kitsuchi behind him.
At this moment, Kitsuchi was just as dumbfounded. He clearly remembered instructing his people to send the money to the Akatsuki.
"There must be some misunderstanding. Iwagakure and the Akatsuki have been cooperating for a long time—our village has never defaulted on payments!"
??noki already understood what was going on. There was definitely rot within Iwagakure—and not just a small one, but a massive parasite!
Out of the one billion from the Daimyō's treasury, he only dared to skim seven hundred million. Yet the people below had actually swallowed two hundred and fifty million outright?
??noki made up his mind—once today's matter was over, he would thoroughly investigate Iwagakure and clean house without mercy!
"No. There is no misunderstanding."
"You from Iwagakure were the ones who said our Akatsuki was just some insignificant organization—that we should be grateful to even receive fifty million."
"And now that we've come knocking at your door, you're telling me it's a misunderstanding?"
The Deva Path Pain stared coldly at ??noki. He could tell that someone in Iwagakure had likely embezzled their payment—but so what?
They were your people. The money was stolen by your village. Even the arrogant words came from your side.
Since the Akatsuki had already come to Iwagakure, they never intended for this to end so easily.
"Then what does Your Excellency intend to do?"
??noki looked at the young Deva Path Pain, silently lamenting his situation.
There was an unspoken rule in the shinobi world—while not all strong people could fly, anyone who could fly was definitely strong!
He couldn't gauge the Deva Path's strength, but he could clearly see Konan fighting his disciple Deidara in the distance—and her power was formidable. As the leader, the Deva Path had to be at least as strong as her.
And as for himself?
??noki had already reached the age where even a slight movement could strain his back or twist his leg.
On the other side, the Deva Path hadn't expected ??noki to be this reasonable—so reasonable that he almost started wondering if he was the one being unreasonable.
As for what to do… honestly, he hadn't thought about it.
According to his expectations, ??noki should have resisted stubbornly. Then he would injure him, take Deidara away, and make Iwagakure experience pain—that was the proper way to "pay a visit," wasn't it?
"Isn't it a bit late to be saying this now?"
Even if ??noki didn't follow the script, Pain intended to continue following his own.
After all, the Akatsuki couldn't come all this way just to turn around and leave empty-handed.
"Don't push things too far!"
??noki had been willing to resolve things peacefully, knowing Iwagakure was at fault. But hearing Pain's merciless tone, his expression gradually turned cold.
Even if Iwagakure was in the wrong, did that mean the Akatsuki bore no responsibility at all?
"Old man, why waste words with them?!"
"They've already come knocking—just fight them!"
Meanwhile, Deidara was completely suppressed by Konan. Her paper clones were practically impossible to track, and her supply of explosive tags was downright unreasonable.
Deidara believed that explosion was art—but now that he was the one on the receiving end, it suddenly didn't feel so beautiful.
At his current age, he hadn't yet reached the point where he would sacrifice everything for art.
If this were the future Deidara at his peak, he would've at least tried to blow himself up together with Konan!
??noki's expression darkened. In his eyes, Deidara was full of flaws—but ironically, he was the one most likely to master Dust Release. Where was the logic in that?
"Shut up!"
As ??noki roared, a semi-transparent cubic barrier rapidly condensed in his palm. The moment it formed, it emitted a heart-pounding white glow.
The translucent cube erupted with light and shot toward the Deva Path at an unimaginable speed!
Before the white light of Dust Release, even the air seemed to be broken down into its most fundamental particles—everything in its path was annihilated, as if even sound itself had been erased!
Out of respect for the Deva Path's ability to fly, ??noki didn't even bother testing the waters.
As the white light rushed toward him, the Deva Path's Rinnegan remained completely calm. He simply raised his right hand.
Almighty Push!
An invisible repulsive force burst from his palm, colliding head-on with the Dust Release!
Boom!!!
The two forces, each capable of destroying everything, clashed in midair with a deafening explosion!
Dust Release should have been able to disintegrate anything—but upon colliding with Pain's repulsion, it instead produced a violent detonation.
Shockwaves rippled outward in rings, tearing apart the clouds above Iwagakure in an instant. Buildings on the ground shook violently, and countless fragments of stone and debris were hurled into the air, as if the end of the world had arrived.
Half of Iwagakure's population stared blankly at the white light blooming in the sky, struggling to steady themselves amid the violent tremors.
??noki's brows furrowed deeply, veins bulging on his forehead.
His eyes flickered with uncertainty—he could feel his Dust Release being pushed back, little by little, by some unseen force!
"How is that possible…"
Kitsuchi watched from below, his heart pounding wildly. He knew better than anyone how terrifying his father's Dust Release was.
For a long time, he had believed it could disintegrate anything in the shinobi world—even that famed Uchiha Keizumi's Susanoo might be broken down by it!
But that man floating in the sky… had blocked it?
The Deva Path's expression didn't change in the slightest, as if he had just done something trivial.
"Dust Release… a Kekkei Tōta, huh? Indeed, a formidable power."
Pain spoke softly. This was his first time clashing with Dust Release—and also the first time he had encountered a force that even Almighty Push couldn't fully repel.
"But unfortunately… you're too old. Your body can't sustain prolonged combat."
As Pain's words fell, ??noki's heart sank.
He knew Pain was right. Dust Release consumed an enormous amount of chakra—and his body was no longer young.
"Then this old man will end it quickly!"
??noki gritted his teeth. As he mobilized all his chakra, he forcefully pushed Dust Release to its absolute limit!
The white barrier unique to Dust Release expanded several times in an instant. The light it emitted resembled a terrifying blade capable of cleaving the heavens themselves!
Seeing ??noki's sudden surge, even Pain's eyes flashed with a hint of seriousness.
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