CHAPTER 184 - 184 : TENDO PAIN: I CAN’T BEAT HIM, SO I’LL JUST RUN AWAY!

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The moment Deva Path Pain broke free from the wooden prison, he was met with a volley of spears raining down upon him.

That suffocating, humiliating, soul-crushing pressure descended once more.

Before the spears even landed, the wind force alone—roaring from the tips of those monstrous weapons—split the ground open, sending cracks tearing through the earth in a terrifying display of power.

Each of the Six Paths of Pain felt the crushing weight of despair under that pressure.

"Shinra Tensei!"

Cornered and desperate, Deva Path Pain unleashed his strongest technique again.

He knew very well that Shinra Tensei wouldn't be enough to repel Uchiha Haru's spears.

But what else could he do?

Under that immense force, his body couldn't move. Dodging wasn't even an option. He couldn't breathe, let alone fight back.

He wasn't expecting Shinra Tensei to completely deflect the attack. He just hoped it could weaken it—just enough to survive.

"Argh!"

"Shinra Tensei!"

Deva Path Pain roared, pouring every last ounce of his chakra into the jutsu. He ignored the backlash, maxing out the power, straining every nerve to the brink.

Elsewhere, hidden just outside Konoha, Nagato's body trembled violently. He gritted his teeth, veins bulging from his emaciated frame as he channeled everything he had into controlling the Six Paths.

The other Pains moved on instinct, shielding Deva Path Pain with their bodies.

They knew what was coming.

Anything caught under that spear strike would be annihilated.

The Six Paths of Pain were just corpses animated by chakra—but among them, one body could not be lost.

The body of Yahiko.

Nagato's dearest friend.

That body—now Deva Path Pain—was irreplaceable.

All the others could be sacrificed. Not this one.

BOOM!!!

Eight spears slammed into the ground, the resulting explosion echoing across the entire village like a thunderclap. The shockwave rippled outward, shaking the foundations of nearby buildings.

Far from the battlefield, hidden in a secluded chamber, Nagato tasted copper in his throat. He coughed violently—blood splashing across his lips. His face went pale and sickly.

The backlash was devastating.

He nearly passed out.

If it weren't for his iron will, he would have collapsed entirely.

Back at the Chunin Exam arena, thick clouds of smoke billowed across the field. Dust choked the air. The entire battlefield was unrecognizable, transformed into a desolate cratered ruin.

This didn't look like a dueling ground—it looked like a battlefield ravaged by war.

And this was Haru holding back.

If Uchiha Haru hadn't consciously suppressed the full range of his power, the entire Konoha Village would have been reduced to rubble.

The audience, the spectators, the villagers in the stands—all were left breathless, speechless, unable to comprehend what they had just witnessed.

This was divine destruction.

A gentle breeze stirred, gradually blowing away the smoke, revealing the devastation on the battlefield.

At the epicenter, where Haru's spears had landed, there was no trace of five of the Pains.

They had been utterly obliterated.

Only one remained.

Deva Path Pain.

His body was a wreck.

His black cloak was shredded, soaked in blood. Gashes tore through his flesh, and one of his legs was missing entirely. He was kneeling, panting, the light in his eyes dim.

He looked like a ghost of the "god" he once claimed to be.

Haru, still cloaked in the immense form of his Susanoo, looked down at him with icy detachment.

There was no surprise on his face.

He had anticipated this.

Unlike the other Pains, Deva Path Pain was special. He was the center, the most important of them all. Nagato would've taken extra precautions to ensure his survival. There was no way he'd be as easily destroyed as the others.

And just before the spears fell, all five of the other Pains had shielded him. That made the outcome inevitable.

Only one was left standing.

But he wouldn't be for long.

Pain's breaths came in ragged gasps as he struggled to remain upright, balancing on one leg. He knew now—undeniably—that he had gravely underestimated Uchiha Haru.

He had once thought of himself as a god, wielding the Rinnegan, passing divine judgment on the world.

But Uchiha Haru had shattered that illusion.

Completely.

He couldn't win.

Even with the full power of the Six Paths and the Rinnegan, he couldn't win.

He had to retreat.

Forget the Jinchūriki. Forget the tailed beasts.

None of that mattered now.

There were only two things Nagato truly cared about in this world—Konan and Yahiko.

And right now, saving Yahiko's body was all that mattered.

"Body Flicker Technique!"

In an instant, Deva Path Pain's body flickered and began to vanish from the battlefield, retreating under Nagato's desperate command.

To truly win, he had to find the real Nagato—the man hidden in the shadows who controlled all the Pains.

Nagato had to remain close enough to his Six Paths bodies in order to manipulate them. In other words, if Uchiha Haru followed the Deva Path Pain, he could track down Nagato, the true mastermind behind the curtain.

So when Deva Path Pain retreated, Haru didn't immediately move to intercept him. Instead, he made a strategic decision—play the long game, use the bait to reel in the true prey.

He would let Deva Path Pain go for now and follow him leisurely, silently, with cold calculation. That was the best way to find Nagato's hiding place.

"Don't let him get away!" someone shouted in the chaos.

Seeing Deva Path Pain trying to flee, Kakashi and the others prepared to give chase, but Haru raised a hand, stopping them cold.

"Leave him to me," Haru said calmly. "The situation here needs your attention more than a chase."

Kakashi and the rest hesitated. Their instincts screamed to take the enemy down now. A dangerous opponent like that shouldn't be allowed to escape and regroup. Letting the tiger return to the mountain would only bring future disaster.

But with Haru standing here, exuding absolute confidence, they backed down. He wasn't someone who needed backup, and they couldn't afford to ignore the chaos in Konoha.

The Hidden Leaf Village was still in disarray.

Its supposed ally, the Hidden Sand Village, had launched a sudden betrayal during the Chūnin Exams. Even the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen had fought against the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa. Though the threat had seemingly been resolved, no one could predict what might erupt next.

Staying here and guarding the village from further upheaval was the correct move.

And so, Might Guy, Kakashi Hatake, Asuma Sarutobi, and Kurenai Yuhi remained behind.

Uchiha Haru, alone, pursued Deva Path Pain.

Deva Path Pain fled swiftly through the forests surrounding Konoha, heading toward Nagato's hidden location. He intended to extract Nagato from this war zone as quickly as possible.

But soon, he realized something was wrong.

He was being followed.

The one tailing him wasn't just anyone—it was Uchiha Haru, the man who had effortlessly annihilated the other five Paths of Pain.

A sense of cold dread gripped Pain's heart.

He knew just how terrifying Haru's strength was. Bringing such a monster to Nagato's position would be suicidal.

Worse, Haru didn't seem to be in any rush. No matter how fast Pain moved, Haru kept the same distance—never closing in, never falling behind. Always just far enough to follow without confrontation.

"Could it be... he's figured out the secret?" Pain thought, a chill crawling down his spine.

The idea itself was terrifying.

They had never met before this battle.

How could Uchiha Haru possibly know the truth—that the Deva Path was a puppet, and Nagato was the real controller?

It was absurd. It should have been impossible.

And yet... why else would Haru follow him at such a constant pace, making no attempt to capture or kill him?

Everyone acts with purpose.

What was Haru's purpose in doing this?

Pain had no answer. But no matter what, he couldn't let Haru reach Nagato.

That was non-negotiable.

But what could he do? He was badly injured, missing a leg, and weakened from using Shinra Tensei. Even if he had both legs, he doubted he could outrun Haru.

There was no room for underestimating this man anymore.

A dangerous idea began forming in his mind.

Meanwhile, Haru followed steadily. He was well aware that Deva Path Pain had realized his intentions. There was no way Pain would lead him to Nagato now.

But Haru didn't care.

He wasn't counting on Pain to expose Nagato's hiding place.

He had another weapon—his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.

With its godlike perception, he could track even the faintest chakra fluctuations across wide distances.

Pain might run in circles, but he wouldn't stray too far from Nagato.

And conversely, Pain would try to stay as far from Nagato as possible to protect him.

But in doing so, he'd inevitably form a radius.

That meant Nagato must be near the center of that radius.

Haru had already looped around long enough to pinpoint that center.

And now, with confidence, he changed direction—heading straight toward it.

Deva Path Pain, still plotting his next move, suddenly noticed that Haru was no longer behind him.

He turned sharply and saw Haru walking calmly—but in the exact direction of Nagato's hideout.

His heart nearly stopped.

How did he know?

How the hell did Uchiha Haru know where Nagato was?

This couldn't happen.

Nagato must not be discovered.

Panic surged through him. He had to think of something—anything—to draw Haru away.

Then, suddenly, a spark of inspiration hit him.

His expression sharpened.

He looked back in the direction Haru had gone—but instead of following, he pivoted and turned toward Konoha.

Yes... that was it.

He couldn't stop Haru by force.

But maybe he could divert him by striking something Haru cared about

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