Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

then,

The group launched a fierce attack together.

"Ninja Art: Lion's Mane Technique".

Jiraiya suddenly tossed his head, and his full head of white hair suddenly swelled, grew longer and thicker, looking like a lion's thick mane. And don't underestimate this white hair; its hardness is comparable to steel wire that has been forged a thousand times. It firmly wrapped around the masked black tentacle monster that emerged from Kakuzu's body, and no matter how much it struggled, it could not break free.

then,

Tighten or constrict.

The monster was shredded into pieces.

"boom!"

at the same time,

Uchiha Chihaya unleashed a slash that shattered the high-pressure wind blast spewed out by the masked monster, and the aftershock of the slash continued to propel it forward, blasting the masked monster into dust.

"Lord Hokage, one of them escaped. Should we give chase?"

Kabuto Yakushi stood beside Sogen and asked cautiously.

Ahead,

The two masked tentacle monsters turned into hard stones, looking like some kind of overly avant-garde sculpture. They gave off a grotesque and crazy artistic beauty, and staring at them for too long could even make you feel a little nauseous.

Kabuto Yakushi witnessed firsthand how these two monsters turned into cold, motionless stones simply by being glanced at by the Hokage.

Such methods,

It inspires a strange sense of awe.

Compared to illusions that kill without leaving a trace, this more direct and obvious method is often more likely to intimidate people. After all, unless you experience the illusion firsthand, it is difficult to understand how powerful it is.

Kakuzu saw it and felt the power of Sogen and the others.

Having lost four hearts in one fell swoop, leaving only the last one, he didn't even have time to utter a harsh word before hastily fleeing, fearing that if he was too slow, he wouldn't even be able to escape with the last heart, which would truly mean a complete defeat.

Let's talk about it another time!

Zong Xian flicked his fingers.

Two powerful gusts of wind flew out and shattered the two stone statues in front of them.

As a result, four of Kakuzu's five hearts were destroyed, leaving only the last one to escape. The attack from the immortal duo came like a sudden rainstorm, but also left just as quickly, easily sweeping away this small stumbling block without much effort.

No matter how powerful Kakuzu is...

Facing Sogen, Jiraiya, and Uchiha Chihaya simultaneously, the fact that he managed to survive and escape with only one heart proves that he is indeed quite capable. At the very least, he is much stronger than Hidan, who is still struggling on the rock spear and unable to escape.

With the immortal duo defeated, Zongxian observed the battle situation.

Obito Uchiha and Deidara were entangled with Shisui and his group, while Orochimaru and Sasori were burned by Itachi Uchiha's Amaterasu. Although no one was burned to death, the two scheming guys took the opportunity to slip away and disappeared.

It seems that all the core members of the Akatsuki organization, except for Zetsu, Konan, and Pain, have made an appearance.

That is to say-

"Is there no one left to use?"

It's impossible for Zetsu, the mastermind, to be on the front lines before the plan has even officially begun, and Konan, as Nagato's only trusted ally, would not be sent out to take risks at this time, even if Konan is not weak.

If we calculate it this way,

The Akatsuki organization has indeed run out of usable pieces.

Only the last general remains on the chessboard and can move.

Zong Xian looked up at the tower that wasn't far away anymore. He could vaguely sense the ferocious killing intent rising from the tower. A slight smile appeared on his lips as he murmured, "All the pieces in my hand have been played. Next... it's about time for the 'veteran' to step up."

"Kabuto, perk up, the main event... is about to begin!"

"fire······"

Kabuto, not understanding, tried to ask.

But before he could finish speaking, he noticed that the Hokage was looking up as if he were looking at something, and he followed his gaze.

Then--

I saw a man fly at lightning speed from the direction of the tower like a cannonball, landing lightly on an iron bridge spanning the street ahead. His long orange ponytail swung behind him, and I could vaguely see black nails embedded in his cold, expressionless face.

"Outside the attack range of the eye technique, have you deduced the maximum range of my eye technique from the situation just now?"

Zongxian looked at the man standing on the iron bridge and immediately activated the eye technique [Stone Longer Than Selling], attempting to turn the man into stone. Unfortunately, the man was standing just outside the range of the eye technique, preventing him from using the eye technique to eliminate him immediately.

then,

Watching the other party complete the hand seals and unleash the summoning technique in an instant...

Two more men, dressed in black trench coats embroidered with red clouds and with black nails in their faces, were summoned. The difference was that one of them was bald with a cold smile on his face, while the other had slicked-back hair and an expression as cold as ice.

"How is that possible? That's...!"

Jiraiya's expression suddenly changed drastically.

His face was filled with confusion and bewilderment.

Jiraiya came to Amegakure with two goals: to rescue Naruto and to meet Nagato to find out what happened back then and see if there was any chance to save the child he once considered the child of destiny.

He just hadn't expected to see the Rinnegan at this moment.

I saw that pair, no, it seemed like three pairs, on people other than Nagato.

Even if Nagato's Rinnegan was stolen... it shouldn't suddenly become a triplet, right? There must be a secret involved. Countless thoughts swirled in Jiraiya's mind as he racked his brains, trying to uncover the mystery.

only--

"They've finally arrived!"

Zongxian twisted his neck, and his muscles and bones made a popping sound like popping beans.

Kakuzu was nothing special... He hadn't even really put in his full effort yet! Kakuzu had already fallen, which was really unsatisfying and so boring that he didn't even bother to give him a chase.

He looked at the three figures standing on the iron bridge.

The corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up.

"If it were you, you should be able to let me have some fun, right, Payne?"

A murderous aura soared into the sky and filled the heavens.

Phantom dark crimson ribs appeared around Zongxian, and the first form of Susanoo stood firmly on the ground, stretching out its skeletal hand and slapping it hard down on the iron bridge, breaking it in two with a single blow. However, the three figures that were originally standing there were not harmed at all.

A black and white stone statue of an iron-eating beast, with outstretched arms in a posture of supporting the sky, stood amidst the ruins of the iron bridge, absorbing the Susanoo's palm strike that was powerful enough to crush a person into a meat patty, and protecting the three figures beneath it.

[Chapter 373. Uchiha Counterattack]

"Stone statue?"

The stone statue of the Iron-Eating Beast that Pain obtained from who-knows-where was extremely hard. Even with all his strength, Susanoo in its first form couldn't shatter the Iron-Eating Beast statue. Zongxian narrowed his eyes slightly, and Susanoo moved at will, bending its five fingers, trying to grasp the Iron-Eating Beast statue and the three figures hidden beneath it in its hand.

At this time-

One of the three figures, the bald one, suddenly leaped up.

Clench your fist,

It slammed down hard on one of Susanoo's finger bones. With a series of crisp cracking sounds, Susanoo's clenched fist was hindered, and the finger bone of its ring finger, which was wrapped in deep crimson flames, cracked, exposing a weakness.

Although the broken finger bone regenerated and the loophole was repaired after the pupil power was restored, the problem was solved.

However, before that,

The Paynes had already escaped through that short-lived loophole.

"The Asura Path?"

Zongxian read it softly.

Among the Six Paths clones, only the Asura Path, which focuses on offense, can shatter the finger bones of Susanoo with a single punch. Although the other clones also possess the same level of physical prowess, as specially enhanced clones, their focuses are different, and not all clones can unleash such a level of 'monstrous strength'.

If one had not practiced Tsunade's [Super Strength Technique],

Then,

Even among the six Paths clones created by the Rinnegan, only the Asura Path can accomplish such a feat.

"The Animal Realm and the Asura Realm, what will the third one be? The Hungry Ghost Realm? The Human Realm?" Zongxian speculated about the details of Pain's third incarnation. First, he could rule out the Deva Realm, because the Deva Realm was made from Yahiko's corpse, unlike the other incarnations. It left a deep impression, and it was impossible not to recognize it if it appeared.

Secondly, the hell realm can be ruled out.

Among the six Paths of Reincarnation clones, the Hell Path is arguably the weakest in combat. However, the Hell Path possesses special abilities and is of extraordinary importance. It also possesses the Rinnegan. Zongxian can say with certainty that only a fool would place the Hell Path clone on the front line.

Although Nagato danced in the palm of someone's hand,

But that wasn't because he wasn't smart enough; it was just the inevitable result of the information asymmetry. His battle acumen was excellent, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to destroy Konoha almost perfectly on his own in the original timeline. If he hadn't been defeated by Naruto's talk-no-jutsu, Konoha would have truly been finished.

Therefore,

Sōken judged that Nagato would not send the Hell Path to the front line at this time.

After this selection process,

Only two choices remain: the realm of hungry ghosts and the human realm.

As for which one it is...

The answer will be revealed in the next second.

The third, unidentified clone of Pain, after taking out the Susanoo's grip, turned around and pounced on it, grabbing the Susanoo's finger bones. Then, Zongxian clearly sensed that the Susanoo's power was being devoured, like a large jar being ripped open, with the water inside flowing out wildly along the opening.

"The realm of hungry ghosts?"

Feeling his own chakra draining away, Zongxian raised an eyebrow, and with a thought,

The Susanoo's form vanished like a bubble, and the Preta Path, which was clinging to the Susanoo, fell down. It failed to absorb much chakra, but the Preta Path had already achieved its goal. Just as the Susanoo disappeared, the Asura Path, which had been gathering strength, launched its attack.

Missiles, trailing long plumes of flame,

It came down like a sudden summer downpour.

The timing of this attack was perfect; it struck just as Muneaki was about to recall Susanoo, and the missiles were flying at extremely high speeds, seemingly intended to severely damage him before he could resummon Susanoo.

The Preta Path has also adjusted its posture. If Sogen summons Susanoo to protect itself before the missile explodes, the Preta Path will pounce on it without hesitation and feast on it, further weakening the Sixth Hokage's chakra.