diff --git a/fs/nilfs2/btree.c b/fs/nilfs2/btree.c
index 76c38e3..f479849 100644
--- a/fs/nilfs2/btree.c
+++ b/fs/nilfs2/btree.c
@@ -71,23 +71,16 @@
 	kmem_cache_destroy(nilfs_btree_path_cache);
 }
 
-static inline struct nilfs_btree_path *nilfs_btree_alloc_path(void)
+static struct nilfs_btree_path *nilfs_btree_alloc_path(void)
 {
-	return kmem_cache_alloc(nilfs_btree_path_cache, GFP_NOFS);
-}
+	struct nilfs_btree_path *path;
+	int level = NILFS_BTREE_LEVEL_DATA;
 
-static inline void nilfs_btree_free_path(struct nilfs_btree_path *path)
-{
-	kmem_cache_free(nilfs_btree_path_cache, path);
-}
+	path = kmem_cache_alloc(nilfs_btree_path_cache, GFP_NOFS);
+	if (path == NULL)
+		goto out;
 
-static void nilfs_btree_init_path(struct nilfs_btree_path *path)
-{
-	int level;
-
-	for (level = NILFS_BTREE_LEVEL_DATA;
-	     level < NILFS_BTREE_LEVEL_MAX;
-	     level++) {
+	for (; level < NILFS_BTREE_LEVEL_MAX; level++) {
 		path[level].bp_bh = NULL;
 		path[level].bp_sib_bh = NULL;
 		path[level].bp_index = 0;
@@ -95,6 +88,14 @@
 		path[level].bp_newreq.bpr_ptr = NILFS_BMAP_INVALID_PTR;
 		path[level].bp_op = NULL;
 	}
+
+out:
+	return path;
+}
+
+static inline void nilfs_btree_free_path(struct nilfs_btree_path *path)
+{
+	kmem_cache_free(nilfs_btree_path_cache, path);
 }
 
 static void nilfs_btree_release_path(struct nilfs_btree_path *path)
@@ -566,7 +567,6 @@
 	path = nilfs_btree_alloc_path();
 	if (path == NULL)
 		return -ENOMEM;
-	nilfs_btree_init_path(path);
 
 	ret = nilfs_btree_do_lookup(btree, path, key, &ptr, level);
 
@@ -594,7 +594,7 @@
 	path = nilfs_btree_alloc_path();
 	if (path == NULL)
 		return -ENOMEM;
-	nilfs_btree_init_path(path);
+
 	ret = nilfs_btree_do_lookup(btree, path, key, &ptr, level);
 	if (ret < 0)
 		goto out;
@@ -1123,7 +1123,6 @@
 	path = nilfs_btree_alloc_path();
 	if (path == NULL)
 		return -ENOMEM;
-	nilfs_btree_init_path(path);
 
 	ret = nilfs_btree_do_lookup(btree, path, key, NULL,
 				    NILFS_BTREE_LEVEL_NODE_MIN);
@@ -1456,7 +1455,7 @@
 	path = nilfs_btree_alloc_path();
 	if (path == NULL)
 		return -ENOMEM;
-	nilfs_btree_init_path(path);
+
 	ret = nilfs_btree_do_lookup(btree, path, key, NULL,
 				    NILFS_BTREE_LEVEL_NODE_MIN);
 	if (ret < 0)
@@ -1488,7 +1487,6 @@
 	path = nilfs_btree_alloc_path();
 	if (path == NULL)
 		return -ENOMEM;
-	nilfs_btree_init_path(path);
 
 	ret = nilfs_btree_do_lookup_last(btree, path, keyp, NULL);
 
@@ -1923,7 +1921,6 @@
 	path = nilfs_btree_alloc_path();
 	if (path == NULL)
 		return -ENOMEM;
-	nilfs_btree_init_path(path);
 
 	if (buffer_nilfs_node(bh)) {
 		node = (struct nilfs_btree_node *)bh->b_data;
@@ -2108,7 +2105,6 @@
 	path = nilfs_btree_alloc_path();
 	if (path == NULL)
 		return -ENOMEM;
-	nilfs_btree_init_path(path);
 
 	if (buffer_nilfs_node(*bh)) {
 		node = (struct nilfs_btree_node *)(*bh)->b_data;
@@ -2175,7 +2171,6 @@
 	path = nilfs_btree_alloc_path();
 	if (path == NULL)
 		return -ENOMEM;
-	nilfs_btree_init_path(path);
 
 	ret = nilfs_btree_do_lookup(btree, path, key, &ptr, level + 1);
 	if (ret < 0) {