The
Six Paths Technique (六道の術,
Rikudō no Jutsu)
[1] is the origin of the unique techniques bestowed by the
Rinnegan. In total there are actually seven of these
paths that grant the user powerful and near god-like abilities:
The
Deva Path (天道,
Tendō), which allows one to manipulate both attractive and repulsive forces.
The
Asura Path (修羅道,
Shuradō), which grants the user mechanised limbs, weaponry and armour.
The
Human Path (人間道,
Ningendō), which gives the ability to remove a soul and so, read a person's mind.
The
Animal Path (畜生道,
Chikushōdō), which lets the user summon a wide variety of creatures.
The
Preta Path (餓鬼道,
Gakidō), which can absorb all forms of chakra, including most ninjutsu.
The
Naraka Path (地獄道,
Jigokudō), through which one can summon and control the
King of Hell.
The
Outer Path (外道,
Gedō), which rules over both life and death.
These were all originally abilities that were used by one person, but because
Nagato was crippled early on in his lifetime, he would go on to create the
Six Paths of Pain. Through the use of the Outer Path, he was able to control six corpses as additional bodies and channel one of the first six of the aforementioned abilities into each, thus compensating for his physical limitations. However, while the strength and speed of the techniques are greater when used through the main body than when used through the corpses,
[2] and multiple Paths can also be activated simultaneously by the main body, there are advantages granted by the use of corpses. As the main body's vision is linked to the Rinnegan possessed by the corpses, the user is able to easily coordinate their movements and is given a form of protection, since the user can control the corpses from a distance, rather than putting their own body at risk.