Black Ops: Anbu Naruto

Neji dodged the attacks from the chameleon, and as he saw Pain's Summoning Jutsu, a cold shiver ran down his spine.

The smoke cleared, revealing not one but six Six Paths of Pain standing before him. They wore similar clothing but varied in appearance, each bearing a hollow gaze and the Rinnegan eyes.

"The Six Paths of Pain..."

How could he possibly defeat an enemy not even Master Jiraiya could overcome? Worse still, he was alone.

But he had no choice but to try. Neji ordered his subordinates to deal with the summoned beasts and bravely assumed the Gentle Fist stance alone, preparing to face the Six Paths of Pain head-on.

"They all share vision and possess Rinnegan-bestowed powers," he recalled the information he had gathered about Pain while strategizing.

When faced with the Six Paths of Pain, the only choice was to flee—no, not just flee; he should've run as far as possible without ever engaging them.

Yet now, the enemies were already here—right in front of him, within the allied village still reeling from war. How could he turn away?

"How amusing," said Deva Path Pain, speaking out. "Knowing who I am, you still choose to stay. Are you truly brave or simply bluffing?" His voice dripped with mockery, as though ridiculing the Konoha ninja's recklessness.

Neji took a deep breath. He knew this would be a fight where surviving was a one-in-ten chance, but he would not back down. He had to buy time—for Sunagakure, for Konoha, for the entire ninja world itself.

He decided to use Pain's overconfidence to his advantage, prolong the fight while seeking chances to take them down one by one!

The battle began instantly. Among the Six Paths of Pain, the Asura Path—by far the tallest and strongest—stepped forward slowly toward Neji, ready to challenge the Taijutsu expert from Konoha.

The Asura Path swung its six thick arms violently, discarding the black hooded cloak. Its upper body bore three faces—one on each side of its head; one emotionless, the other seething with rage—and its waist bore a terrifying serrated blade radiating cold light, enough to send chills down anyone's spine.

However, before Neji could make his move, the long-haired Human Path appeared behind him, swinging a punch aimed directly at his vital point.

Neji reacted instantly, sidestepping the blow and putting distance between them.

At the same time, the Asura Path seized its opportunity. All mechanisms on its six arms opened simultaneously, firing a barrage of homing missiles.

[Eight Trigrams Palms: Revolving Heaven!] Neji remained calm under pressure, spinning rapidly while unleashing a surge of powerful chakra, forming an impervious defensive barrier that intercepted every missile.

The fiery explosion lit up his determined face as he declared solemnly:

"You may attack from any angle, but I can perceive movement from every direction. The Hyūga are naturally suited to handling multiple opponents."

As soon as Neji finished speaking, alarmed shouts rang out from the nearby Sand ninja.

The massive chameleon, having already defeated its opponents, was now fixated on Neji once more, preparing to strike again.

It shot toward Neji like an arrow loosed from a bow, its long tongue lashing out like a blade. Neji was ready. Perfectly timing it, he leaped and landed right on top of the chameleon.

The chameleon's tail lashed at him like a venomous snake, but Neji evaded with calm precision. Inexplicably, the tail recoiled and slammed into the chameleon's own head.

Neji felt a flicker of triumph inside. Just as he thought he had gained an advantage, Nagato had grown weary of the cat-and-mouse chase.

"I don't have time to play with you," Pain said coldly. At once, the Asura Path moved into action, extending its massive arm. A powerful gravitational force gathered in its palm: [Universal Pull]!

Instantly, Neji felt an irresistible pull dragging him straight toward the Asura Path, death looming over his thoughts.

At the height of the crisis, a wall of sand erupted before Neji, seemingly out of nowhere, blocking the attack and nullifying its force.

Before Neji could react, he was encased in sand and whisked away from the battlefield.

When he regained his bearings, he found himself standing atop the tallest building in Sunagakure, with Gaara beside him, gazing solemnly down at the battlefield below.

"Thank you, Lord Kazekage," Neji said gratefully. "Shouldn't you be in a safer place?"

"The enemy has already come to our doorstep," Gaara replied grimly, his eyes locked onto the Six Paths of Pain, his eyes burning with inner fury. He would make those who dared threaten Sunagakure again pay dearly. "This is my village. I will protect it."

"Good," Neji said, also turning his gaze toward the Six Paths of Pain, readying himself for battle. "Let's team up against them. I'll handle the six-armed one, and you deal with ranged attacks. We've got this."

Gaara nodded. "Understood."

Eager to rejoin the fight, Neji turned to move forward—only to be halted by Gaara's voice.

"You don't need to get involved."

Neji looked at Gaara in surprise, unsure of what he was planning.

"This battle is too dangerous. Everyone else should step back. Leave this to me alone," Gaara declared firmly while manipulating his sand to lift him upward until he hovered in the air, facing off directly with the Six Paths of Pain.

Although reluctant, Neji understood that with his current power, he simply couldn't take part in this fight. Clenching his fist, he turned and left, knowing he must trust Gaara.

******

Naruto and Yugito dashed through the forests of Rain Country—this land being the last peaceful territory north of the Land of Fire. Their destination was the warfront, expected to arrive the next day.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked, breaking the silence between them. Yugito hadn't spoken for quite some time, adding even more pressure to their already tense journey.

Yugito glanced at him and smiled.

"Of course I am. We don't even need to stop—we should keep going. You know that. Let's just head straight to camp. I want to get back as soon as possible."

She changed the subject intentionally, avoiding thoughts of the grim fate that awaited them ahead.

"How did your training with Master Jiraiya go?"

"That helps you control the Nine-Tails better, right?"

Naruto shook his head.

"Actually, it's something else," he admitted. The sage training hadn't directly improved his control of the Nine-Tails. "But it lets me fight while being assisted by the Nine-Tails. It's actually an incredible technique... It really boosts my strength."

In his opinion, Sage Mode was much better than trying to use the unstable chakra of the Nine-Tails, a power that could easily get out of control. All Sage Mode required was that he maintain a balance between natural energy and the Nine-Tails' chakra.

"So you're deliberately avoiding fighting like a jinchuriki," Yugito remarked.

She'd witnessed it during Naruto's battle against Hidan and Kakuzu.

Naruto simply used the Nine-Tails' chakra as a tool to enhance his ninjutsu, instead of treating it as his main power source.

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