Why had Pain appeared here?
As the leader of Akatsuki, he was responsible for summoning the Gedo Statue whenever a Jinchūriki was captured to begin the sealing process.
Upon learning that Orochimaru had successfully captured the Two-Tails, both he and Konan had immediately set out.
Yet now, after hearing Pain's words, both Kakuzu and Konan were confused.
"Four shadows? What four shadows?"
"Nothing. Just watch the battle," Pain replied calmly.
He offered no further explanation.
As a shinobi, there were secrets even within Akatsuki that he had no intention of revealing.
Limbo: Border Jail was an ability unique to the Rinnegan.
With both eyes active, the user could generate four invisible clones, existing in a separate dimension, imperceptible to anyone without Six Paths power.
These clones mirrored the exact strength and abilities of the original.
Not only that, but they could freely shift between intangible and tangible states.
Pain himself had never used this technique, but with his Rinnegan, he could now see it.
Although he was curious about how Orochimaru had acquired such an ability, now was not the time for such discussions.
---
On the battlefield, the fight had reached its peak intensity.
The Fourth Raikage was gasping for breath, struggling against five Wood Release Clones.
Darui and Nozomi had both sustained severe injuries.
They couldn't even get close to Orochimaru.
Their only role now was to support Raikage by alleviating some pressure from the Susanoo on the field.
Suddenly—
BAM!
Killer Bee was sent flying out of nowhere.
"Of course."
Orochimaru planted his Kusanagi Blade into the ground before him.
"Even now, I still can't match you in swordsmanship, can I?"
Taijutsu might lack the flashiness of Ninjutsu or Genjutsu.
But when honed to perfection, it could even injure a Six Paths-level Madara.
Orochimaru, however, was neither a taijutsu specialist nor a swordsman.
His expertise lay elsewhere.
If he relied on nothing but physical combat, he could overpower average taijutsu users with his sheer physical and mental durability.
But against true masters like Killer Bee or Might Guy, he stood no chance.
Killer Bee, still tumbling through the air, was momentarily stunned.
"What… was that just now…?"
BAM!
Another invisible strike landed, sending him hurtling away again.
"Can't… even see the attack… What's… goin' on…? Fool… ya fool…!"
Even while being pummeled mid-air, Bee still rapped through his confusion.
"Bee! Watch out!"
A deep voice echoed within him.
The Eight-Tails had finally spoken up.
Realizing the warning came too late, Bee snapped back to awareness.
Just in time to see Orochimaru lunging toward him, Kusanagi's blade glinting in the dim light.
The strike was aimed directly at his throat.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Thinking fast, Bee used the swords strapped to his body, planting them into the ground to propel himself backward.
Dodging in a series of rapid flips.
As he did, red chakra began leaking from his body, surging like a wave.
Within moments—
Bee was completely enveloped in a blood-red cloak, a single tail forming behind him.
Tailed Beast Cloak—Activated.
When a Jinchūriki partially transformed, their body became encased in a Tailed Beast Cloak.
But there were two distinct forms of this transformation.
A translucent red cloak, offering moderate enhancements to strength and defense.
And a fully materialized, blood-red version, offering massive boosts to power, durability, and speed.
Bee had now activated the materialized form.
This cloak was tough enough that even the Kusanagi Blade, renowned for piercing anything wouldn't be able to cut through it.
"Your reaction speed is better than the Two-Tails' Jinchūriki," Orochimaru observed, retracting his sword.
"But a single tail… still isn't enough."
"Enough talk! Come at me!"
With a burst of movement, Bee vanished in a cloud of dust.
He had doubled in speed.
Yet—
Orochimaru remained perfectly still.
BAM!
Lariat!
Bee, now cloaked in Tailed Beast Chakra, slammed his arm into Orochimaru's chest with terrifying force.
The shockwave sent Orochimaru flying backward, the sheer inertia behind the attack capable of shattering bones.
But—
Bee's eyes widened.
Orochimaru wasn't just unharmed.
His attack had been stopped mid-motion, repelled by some kind of invisible force.
Not only that.
Bee could feel his chakra being drained upon impact.
"What the… hell is this?"
Orochimaru exhaled softly, dusting off his cloak.
"I already told you," he mused.
"One tail isn't enough."
"Forget it," he smirked.
"Let's end this."
Countless snakes erupted from Orochimaru's sleeves, coiling around Bee in an instant.
Bee's instincts kicked in.
Although entangled, he used his immense Jinchūriki strength to try and tear free.
But Orochimaru simply raised his hand.
Banshō Ten'in!
A crushing gravitational force yanked Bee straight into his grasp.
"Bee!!"
Both the Eight-Tails within him and Raikage from a distance shouted in alarm.
But Orochimaru ignored them.
A black sphere materialized in his hand.
Truth-Seeking Orb—Black Rod.
With a flick of his wrist—
Bee was impaled midair.
At the last moment—
A massive tentacle surged forward, blocking the fatal strike.
It was the Eight-Tails, intervening just in time.
But Orochimaru merely smirked.
"That won't help you."
He discarded the first black rod.
And in the blink of an eye.
Teleported behind Bee.
Another black rod plunged into his back.
Squelch!
Bee's body convulsed as blood splattered from his wounds.
"Apologies."
Orochimaru's voice was calm, yet merciless.
But he wasn't finished.
With perfect accuracy, he continued stabbing black rods into Bee's body.
Each attack carefully missing his vital organs.
The combined power of the Six Paths and the Flying Thunder God was utterly overwhelming.
It was simple math.
Any technique combined with Flying Thunder God instantly became broken.
Imagine a missile launcher but with the ability to teleport anywhere in an instant.
Now add Six Paths-level abilities to that equation.
It was completely unfair.
"How… how is this possible?"
The Eight-Tails' voice echoed inside Bee's mind.
Bee gritted his teeth through the pain.
"What… what's wrong, man…?"
"This power… It's the Truth-Seeking Orbs."
Bee's mind was still hazy.
"Truth-Seeking what now?"
The Eight-Tails hesitated.
"That's the power… of the Sage of Six Paths."
Bee blinked.
"…Who?"
A deep sigh reverberated through his mind.
The Eight-Tails suddenly had the overwhelming urge to slap him.
***
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