The conflict between Nagato and Yuki Yoru could be traced back to the death of Jiraiya.
Jiraiya—the teacher who had once taught the original trio of Rain orphans—had been slain by Yoru. And from that moment, a seed of hatred had been planted between them. But back then, Nagato, still chasing dreams of peace alongside Yahiko, chose to set aside his grief over his teacher's death.
However, with Yahiko's death playing out as fate decreed, and as Yoru delved deeper into Shinigami power, Nagato's life in Amegakure began to mirror the manipulation once used by Obito. The seeds of conflict and hatred between the two began to resurface.
However, the true eruption came during the Land of Iron battle!
The death of his closest friend and the brutal Third Great Ninja War made Nagato believe he had seen the true nature of this corrupt world. The decadent and greedy great nations cared only for their own interests, and to them, the existence of smaller nations was utterly insignificant.
And Yuki Yoru was the leader of one of those great nations!
A conflict of status, a clash of ideals, and the trauma of that crushing defeat—all of it twisted Nagato's mind further. With Obito's manipulation layered atop it all, the pieces fell into place perfectly…
"There was no need for any of this."
Yoru let out a soft sigh. "I always had high hopes for you—and for Yahiko too. You were young men with dreams, and the courage to fight for them—"
"SHUT UP!" Nagato growled, as if some hidden nerve had been struck. The pressure he radiated surged again, oppressive and cold.
"You—devourer of souls! Pawn of the great nations! You don't deserve to speak his name!"
"Yuki Yoru, you are a cancer in this world. If peace is to descend upon this world, you must be eradicated!"
Nagato suddenly clapped his hands together.
In the next instant, six figures emerged behind him.
The Six Paths of Pain, each with cold, expressionless faces and six Rinnegan glowing faintly beneath the sun's shadow. The oppressive aura they exuded sent chills through the entire fortress, making countless onlookers tremble in fear.
"Today, in the name of Pain—the god—I will pass true judgment upon you! And upon all these corrupt nobles and so-called rulers!"
"After today, I shall rebuild the shinobi world. I will redefine right and wrong, justice and punishment. I will forge a world without war!"
"Feel pain. Understand pain. Accept pain. Know pain…"
The Six Paths vanished in an instant, reappearing at each corner of the Gold Sand Fortress, forming a perfect six-point seal—cutting off every possible escape route.
The Land of Wind was desolate; even for something like the Chūnin Exams, the only spectators were the wealthy or influential.
What about the local commoners?
They were all busy laboring—working infrastructure jobs and day-to-day survival.
The shinobi sent to protect civilians were immediately blocked by the Six Paths. Those six cold, unfeeling Rinnegan eyes filled everyone with dread, halting any rash movements.
"No way… is he going to…"
High above the arena, Uchiha Fugaku broke out in a cold sweat. His Mangekyō Sharingan spun, ready to respond to whatever catastrophe was about to unfold.
He had witnessed Nagato's abilities firsthand—the devastation wrought in the Land of Iron. An entire meeting ground leveled in an instant.
If that same power were unleashed here—
"Yoru-sama."
"Ah. I know."
Yoru stared up at Nagato, whose chakra was surging dangerously. Of course, he understood what was coming.
He couldn't deny it: Nagato right now… was terrifying.
A fully healthy Nagato was a true monster—one of the top-tier among even the so-called "Conceptual Gods" of the Hokage mythos.
(Conceptual Hokage Gods: Alive Minato, Healthy Itachi, Healthy Nagato, Intelligence-mode Jiraiya, Ascetic Fugaku, Ascetic Kaguya, "Einstein Orochimaru," Doujin Raikage...)
And this Nagato wasn't just healthy—he had perfectly integrated Hashirama's cells, restoring his body and pushing his power close to the level of Madara or even Hashirama themselves.
And on top of that… there was the Rinnegan's all-encompassing and unpredictable power.
"Those who don't understand pain will never know true peace."
"Now, let the world feel true pain!"
"Shinra Tensei!"
Nagato's eyes locked onto Yoru as a massive, invisible repulsion force exploded from within him.
The intensity of this Shinra Tensei surpassed even the one he used in the Land of Iron!
SWOOSH!
Just as the force erupted, Yoru had already ascended into the sky, facing the crushing repulsion head-on—yet his body didn't budge an inch.
This only made Nagato's gaze darken. The intensity of the attack climbed even higher.
"What a suffocating pressure. With such an increase, your bloodline is already infinitely close to that of the ancient Asura."
Yoru raised his hand. He could take the force—but Shinra Tensei was a wide-area jutsu. He could endure it, but the thousands of people below could not.
The pressure from the attack rushed downward. Fear spread like wildfire as people imagined their bones being crushed under the sheer force.
"Dankū!"
Spiritual power burst from Yoru's body, forming an invisible barrier in front of him. It clashed with Nagato's repulsive force midair, the two forces grinding against each other in a violent standoff.
Seeing Yoru act, Fugaku finally let out a breath of relief. His attention shifted to the Six Paths of Pain below.
If the boss was holding the heavens, then as Hokage, he couldn't just stand by.
"Kazekage-sama! I'll take the three on the left—you handle—"
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Spear!"
Before Fugaku could finish speaking, golden dust had already formed into a sharp spear—launched straight at him.
It was a sneak attack from Rasa—the Fourth Kazekage!
Even with Mangekyō's predictive abilities, Fugaku was caught off guard. They were standing too close. He had no time to dodge.
BOOM!!
A loud impact shook the arena. Fugaku was blasted backward, slammed into a stone pillar by the golden spear.
"Hokage-sama!"
"Kazekage-sama, what are you doing?!"
"Is this… war again?!"
The sudden betrayal stunned everyone, especially the Konoha shinobi and Fire Country delegates.
They were standing in the heart of Sunagakure with only a handful of ninja—if a fight broke out now…
"Kazekage-sama, what's the meaning of this?!"
Even Chiyo was stunned by Rasa's actions.
Weren't they supposed to be allied against Nagato's invasion? Why had the Kazekage turned on the Hokage?
Aren't we allies?
Wait—no. Konoha and Kirigakure were clearly aligned now. Attacking Konoha here meant Suna was provoking both.
This was madness. All of the effort Suna had invested in its infrastructure, its military… at risk for what? A suicidal war?
"All Suna shinobi—hear my command!"
Rasa's voice echoed throughout the Gold Sand Fortress, amplified by chakra.
"Eliminate all Konoha and Kirigakure ninja!"
The entire arena fell silent.
"Kazekage-sama… do you even know what you're saying?!"
"Rasa! Are you insane?!"
"You want to take on both Konoha AND Kirigakure at once?!"
Outrage rippled across the stands. Even the Suna shinobi themselves looked horrified.
Chiyo and Ebizō—key elders of Suna—glanced anxiously toward the sky, where Yoru hovered. Only after confirming he wasn't retaliating did they dare speak.
Rasa remained silent, hands flashing through hand seals. Gold dust surged around him like a tide.
The Suna shinobi hesitated, unsure whether to follow this insane command.
"Rasa, you…"
"He's not Rasa anymore."
A pale-purple chakra surrounded Fugaku as a Susanoo ribcage took form. He stood slowly, wiping blood from his lips, Mangekyō eyes locked on Rasa.
That chakra… it's Mangekyō Sharingan. The same presence as that masked man.
In that instant, it all clicked.
The presence of Nagato. The attack. The betrayal.
Fugaku had tried using his own Mangekyō to break the illusion Rasa was under—but failed.
The masked man's power surpassed even his, despite Fugaku's partial Hashirama cell fusion.
But Fugaku's were optimized cells, designed for stability. What Obito had implanted in his pawns? That was pure Uchiha-Madara-grade material.
"What do you mean, Hokage-sama? Kazekage can't be… not Kazekage?" Ebizō frowned.
"He's being controlled by Mangekyō genjutsu," Fugaku said grimly. "Any sensory ninja can check. There's Mangekyō chakra inside his mind."
"Your Kazekage has long since been controlled by someone, just like the Third Mizukage of Kirigakure once was!"
"W-what?!"
"Kazekage-sama is being controlled... Are you kidding me?!"
"Maybe it's true. Look at Kazekage-sama's expression; it's clearly very different from usual."
"The Third Mizukage was also controlled once, too...?"
Gasps echoed across the fortress.
Even Chiyo and Ebizō were too shocked to reply.
A Kage being controlled wasn't just a military disaster—it was a political catastrophe. Sensitive intel compromised. Policy manipulated. Decades of trust shattered.
"Wait… if he's been controlled like the Third Mizukage, then the entire Blood Sand Policy—"
Baki stood frozen, staring at Rasa with hollow eyes. He stumbled backward in disbelief, grabbing onto a rail to keep from collapsing.
The policy they had all supported—the mission they had devoted themselves to—
It had all been a lie.
Dozens of Suna shinobi looked equally stunned. The jōnin held their composure, but many chūnin and genin stared at their hands in horror.
The Blood Sand era had turned Suna into a nightmare. Like the Bloody Mist days of Kirigakure—chaotic, violent, and dark.
No one knew how many friends and family they had personally killed under that regime.
"Rasa, you—!"
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Domain!"
Chiyo couldn't help but roar, but her response was the overwhelming gold dust summoned by Rasa.
"Susanoo!"
Fugaku activated the fourth-stage Susanoo, forming a full skeletal frame that shielded Chiyo and Ebizō, blocking the incoming sandstorm.
"Now's not the time to argue over Rasa. This battle will be brutal. Protect the civilians and low-rank shinobi—get them out!"
"Also—watch out for the ones with Rinnegan. Each of them has a unique ocular jutsu. Be extremely careful!"
"…I understand."
"I, Chiyo, command all Sunagakure shinobi! Retreat all civilians and young, lower-ranked shinobi to the shelters!"
As Chiyo's chakra-amped voice echoed through the fortress, she reached for a scroll and gave Fugaku a glance.
"Hokage-sama, leave Rasa to me. I will—"
"Still so reckless, Grandma."
The sudden voice froze Chiyo in her tracks.
Several figures had appeared in the arena.
At the front stood a young man with short red hair, fluttering in the wind—dressed in a black cloak patterned with red clouds.
The moment he appeared, every elder in Suna paled.
Chiyo clenched her fists, her voice heavy with sorrow.
"So it's true… When the Mizukage entrusted us with your core, the reason it was stolen—was because of Rasa!"
"Wasn't that obvious?"
Sasori's voice was cold. He smirked and took out a scroll marked with the kanji for "Three."
"If you want to fight the Kazekage, you might want to warm up first… against the one in my hand."
POOF!
He summoned the Third Kazekage puppet, chakra threads snapping into place.
The Suna shinobi froze, staring blankly at the puppet—paralyzed, drained of all will to fight.
"A battle between grandparent and grandchild… now that's entertaining."
Hiruko, wrapped in bandages, chuckled, his gaze unrestrained as it lingered on the dense crowd of shinobi below, especially those with kekkei genkai.
"Storm Release… Explosion Release… So many lovely specimens to hunt!"
"Now then—prepare yourselves for terror!"