Naruto: Echoes of a Distant Home

The enemies descending from the sky brought with them a promise of destruction. Nagato and Konan, like deities on high, watched the battle below, ready to intervene at any moment.

In the shadows, a White Zetsu clone lay hidden, preparing to gather intelligence on any new abilities Nagato might reveal in this battle.

"First… the Animal Path will summon creatures to disrupt the enemy's formation. The Deva, Asura, and Preta Paths will engage the main forces, while the Human and Naraka Paths focus on gathering intelligence and finding the location of the Seven-Tails' seal," Nagato instructed, his gaze coldly sweeping over Taki Village.

The closer he was, the more precisely he could control the Six Paths of Pain, allowing him to achieve his goals without joining the fray himself. Even if a Pain body were destroyed, as long as the black chakra rods remained, his enemies would find themselves in endless despair.

Nagato's orders reached the Six Paths faster than thought.

Hiding behind the other Pains, the Animal Path pressed its hands to the ground, forming two dark summoning seals, and clouds of white smoke burst forth, shrouding the Pains in mist.

The surrounding Taki ninja reacted swiftly, launching a volley of jutsu into the smoke without hesitation, ignoring the risk of damaging their own village buildings.

With an enemy at the village's heart, eliminating the threat took precedence.

Different elemental jutsu flared with vibrant light, slicing through parts of the smoke.

"Grrr!"

A three-headed hellhound burst from the smoke, enduring the brunt of the jutsu. As it absorbed the impacts, its body twisted, spawning two identical clones beside it, like a living shadow clone technique.

Meanwhile, a massive bird with a sharp beak flew upward, evading the onslaught below.

The hellhound's assault drew attention, yet none of the other attacks seemed to make a dent in the smoke, creating a tense and eerie atmosphere.

Taki's ninja were momentarily stunned, quickly splitting off a team to face the two summoned beasts.

As the smoke cleared, the Pains stood unharmed in its midst, unfazed by the earlier attacks.

"What's going on?"

Several Taki ninja exchanged confused glances but had no time to ponder. Another group of Taki ninja launched a barrage of jutsu and threw weapons at the Six Paths.

Silent and swift, the Human and Naraka Paths slipped away, moving toward the rear of the village. Their mission was to gather intelligence and locate the Seven-Tails' seal.

As jutsu and shuriken came at them, the Deva Path stepped forward, raising both hands with an expressionless face.

"Shinra Tensei!"

A powerful, invisible repulsive force rippled outward, sending the shuriken flying back as if struck by a giant invisible hand.

The nearby buildings buckled and collapsed, debris flying back in every direction. Taki's ninja closest to the Deva Path were flung back, coughing up blood from the impact.

The unknown and eerie power spread chaos among the Taki forces.

Water, earth, and fire jutsu alike shattered into dispersed energy under the Deva Path's repulsion, and the returning shuriken sowed confusion among the Taki formation.

Within the smoke, the Preta Path's chakra-absorbing shield absorbed the first wave of jutsu. For the second wave, the Deva Path used Shinra Tensei to repel the attacks.

Unfamiliar with the Six Paths' powers, Taki's forces found themselves stunned.

The hellhound, immune to pain, charged into the ranks of hundreds of Taki ninja like a mad beast, using the assault to split and multiply its bodies further.

Witnessing the hellhound's abilities in action, Taki's ninja attempted to immobilize it, but by then, it had already split into six heads, proving troublesome to subdue.

Meanwhile, the giant bird swooped low over rooftops, its sharp beak impaling three unsuspecting Taki ninja in a single dive.

With a flap of its wings, it launched itself skyward, shaking off its impaled prey, who fell to the ground, their blood staining the rooftops below.

"Damn it!"

The Taki ninja launched attacks at the retreating bird, using swift elemental jutsu and a hail of weapons.

Under the onslaught, the bird screeched as its right wing was severed by a wind jutsu, causing it to crash down into the rubble of a nearby building.

The surrounding Taki ninja pressed in to finish it off.

The two summoned creatures had already drawn around four hundred of Taki's ninja. Against such numbers, the bird had little chance to make an impact before being taken down.

But the Animal Path had more summons than these two.

Dark summoning seals appeared, and from another burst of smoke emerged a giant centipede and a sharp-horned rhinoceros, both charging into the nearest groups of Taki ninja.

While some Taki ninja broke off to face the summoned beasts, about seven hundred remained focused on surrounding the Deva Path and his companions.

Although Taki Village's ninja population was far smaller than the Great Ninja Villages, it was one of the most populous of the smaller villages, owing to its limited participation in the great wars.

The Six Paths of Pain wielded formidable powers, but they weren't invincible. Completely eradicating an enemy force this large was improbable.

However, with Nagato nearby, the Six Paths could fight without hesitation, as he had no fear of damage to their bodies.

The Asura Path, a towering figure with a massive, toothy grin, extended his arms to the sides, revealing an array of missiles hidden within his wrists.

With a rapid series of clicks, a volley of missiles shot toward the flanks. Some were intercepted, but others crashed into buildings, exploding in fiery blasts and taking several Taki ninja down with them.

The Deva, Animal, Asura, and Preta Paths stood unmoved in the crater created by Shinra Tensei, showing no intention of retreating from the surrounding Taki forces.

Defensive powers like the Preta Path's chakra absorption and the Deva Path's Shinra Tensei allowed them to withstand the onslaught.

For offense, the Asura Path's long-range weapons, the Animal Path's summons, and the Deva Path's power of attraction to manipulate objects gave them ample ways to counter the Taki forces.

If he wished, Nagato could unleash a maximum-strength Shinra Tensei to obliterate Taki Village, though it would drain his chakra significantly and might not be enough to achieve a decisive blow.

For now, the priority was clear… find the Seven-Tails.

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