It had been over forty or fifty years since Uchiha Madara left Konoha. In that time, numerous exceptional individuals emerged from the Uchiha clan, awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Obito, Shisui… All of them had awakened that power. But even so, Fugaku had never felt anyone's ocular power reach the terrifying magnitude now emanating from Uchiha Hikari.
An ocean of chakra-infused ocular power surged from her eyes as her Complete-Body Susanoo (Perfect Susanoo) fully materialized, standing shoulder to shoulder with Nagato's titanic Wood Dragon and Wood Golem.
Two divine giants towered above, casting their gaze downward upon Yuki Yoru.
The battlefield fell into utter silence. Countless eyes turned toward the distant wasteland now serving as their arena.
"So this is the true strength of our leader..." Scorpion muttered. "And that Uchiha Hikari…"
"What a flawless fusion. What a perfect creation—this is... SAIKOU DA (the best)!!!!" Hiruko shouted maniacally, like a zealot before a god. His eyes burned as he gazed at the colossal form of Hikari's Susanoo.
He hadn't been wrong.
His research hadn't been in vain.
Kekkei Genkai fusion truly was the path to the ultimate shinobi.
Nagato was the proof!
If only his chimera could devour Hikari, he would gain power at least on par with Nagato—and with a few more Kekkei Genkai added, he might even surpass him!
"Feel the true power of a god, Yuki Yoru."
The Complete Susanoo and the Wood Dragon-Wood Golem combo stood in the sky, looking down at Yuki Yoru.
Uchiha Hikari's expression was blank, while Nagato laughed wildly, savoring Yoru's seemingly ant-sized presence beneath them.
Yoru, however, ignored Nagato completely.
His gaze turned instead to Hikari, perched on the crystal within the Susanoo's forehead.
A calm smile tugged at his lips. "So you're the reinforcements Nagato brought… I didn't expect that."
Nagato's laughter froze. He suddenly turned his head. "You two… know each other?!"
"You should've guessed," Hikari said softly. "My ocular power isn't something a mere Mangekyō Sharingan can explain."
"…I'm sorry. But I believe I've made the right choice."
"No need to apologize. Everyone makes their own choices—for the sake of their path in life."
Yoru's face held a faint smile, like an older brother imparting life wisdom to his younger sister, though paired with the current scene, it was particularly odd.
Facing the two great powers that once pacified a chaotic world and founded Konoha, to still remain so calm and smiling—was it confidence, or mere bluster?
"Vermilion Bird—attack with me!"
Nagato roared, manipulating the gigantic Wood Dragon and Wood Golem to suddenly throw a punch at Yuki Yoru.
The wind howled as it tore through the air—like the earth itself was groaning.
Hikari hesitated for only a breath before activating her Mangekyō Sharingan again, directing her Complete Susanoo to strike as well.
The twin monsters raised their fists and hurled them down at Yoru.
The sheer energy contained in those strikes distorted the world itself.
Even shinobi far away inside the Gold Sand Fortress felt their hearts seize with terror.
BOOM!!
The double blow crashed down on Yoru. A terrifying eruption of energy detonated at that instant. A wild tempest exploded outward, its mixed hot and cold shockwaves kicking up endless sand, storming out across the land.
Heaven and earth fell into a deathly silence, leaving only the reverberations of a terrifying, nuclear-explosion-like sound.
As the smoke cleared, a transparent barrier stood intact, shielding Yoru beneath it.
His expression hadn't changed at all—still calm, still unshaken.
That look… seemed to enrage Nagato even further.
He drove the Wood Golem into a frenzy, unleashing a barrage of attacks upon Yoru.
Hikari followed his lead. Her Susanoo pounded down fist after fist.
The earth howled. Mountains trembled. Each strike carved chasms into the ground, the shockwaves stretching for miles—vast tornados of wind and sand erupting outward.
Inside the fortress, all fighting had ceased. Everyone ran, terrified of being caught in the crossfire.
This was no longer a battle of shinobi.
This was a clash of demigods—akin to the legendary fight between Madara and Hashirama.
For normal shinobi, it was nothing short of an apocalyptic event.
But for Yoru…
"In an environment like this," Nagato roared, "your Ice Release is crippled! Just give up, Yuki Yoru! How long do you think your little turtle shell can last?!"
As his voice echoed, the Wood Golem's arms sprouted dense trees—instantly forming massive Wood Dragons that slammed down toward the invisible barrier.
At the same time, Hikari's Susanoo drew a 40-meter-long chakra blade from its waist.
The sword was wreathed in the swirling black flames of Amaterasu—tthe fire of death and destruction — which coiled slowly around it. With Kagutsuchi, she exercised absolute control, wielding the strongest fire like an extension of her own body.
Gripping the blade with both hands, the Complete Susanoo moved in sync with the Wood Golem's attack, swinging down with a force that looked ready to tear the heavens apart as it slashed toward Yoru.
"A turtle shell?"
Yoru chuckled lightly beneath the barrier.
"When did you start believing I was powerless without Hyōrinmaru?"
"…What?" Nagato's face froze.
"If you're that eager to see my power… then I'll grant your wish."
"Kirchenlied: Sankt Zwinger (Church Hymn: Saint Ward)."
Beneath the barrier, Yoru took a step, and his body was instantly covered by brilliant blue spiritual particles.
Whether it was a misconception or not, the moment Yoru's figure appeared, Nagato and Hikari suddenly heard an inexplicable sound in their ears, like the high chanting of a sacred maiden, the resounding hymn of heaven and earth!
And accompanying that hymn, in an instant, infinite spiritual particles condensed into magnificent walls of light, completely enveloping Yoru's figure.
The light walls glowed brilliantly, intricately carved with Sternritter patterns, like exquisite works of art. The seemingly world-shattering and annihilating attacks of the Wood Golem and Susanoo landed on these light walls, but only produced dull thuds and ripples.
"That's impossible!"
"You don't even know what 'impossible' means."
Yoru's expression was indifferent within the light wall, his figure slowly floating upwards, like an emperor standing in a Sternritter Palace.
The reason he hadn't made a move until now wasn't because Yoru had a penchant for being hit. It was purely because he was using spiritual particles to seal the space in this area, preventing certain perverts from lurking in the shadows and potentially ambushing him like the Nine-Tails incident.
"This world isn't as simple as you think," Yoru said.
"Outlanders hang over us like the sword of Damocles. So-called sages watch from the Pure Land, eyes gleaming with malice. And you, Nagato…"
"Your vision is limited to petty squabbles between small and great nations. It's disappointing."
"Shut your mouth, Yuki Yoru!" Nagato shouted.
"I am a god destined to lead this world to peace! My resolve and vision are far beyond yours!!"
Standing atop the Wood Golem, he raised his hands, about to unleash a devastating jutsu.
But before he could—blazing pillars of azure light shot down from the sky, tearing through the heavens.
In the blink of an eye, one of those beams blasted through half the Wood Golem, splintering it into flying debris.
Another beam struck Hikari's Susanoo, shattering the armor and limbs.
The crimson chakra dimmed to a flicker.
"W-What… is this…?"
Far away, Uchiha Fugaku stared in stunned disbelief.
In mere seconds, the Wood Dragon, Wood Golem, and Complete-Body Susanoo—the very powers once used by the God of Shinobi and the Demon of the Shinobi World—had been completely dismantled.
That power had ended wars.
That power had forged an age.
And yet here, it had been destroyed in an instant.
For Fugaku, who once basked in the pride of his Mangekyō and Hashirama cell enhancements, it felt like the sky itself had collapsed.
"Yuki Yoru…"
He whispered the name, now revered in his heart.
No wonder Yoru had given them power so casually—offered them Reiryoku training as a gift.
They weren't even in the same dimension.
Up in the sky, Yoru floated, eyes calm, gazing down at the defeated forms of Nagato and Hikari.
And then—he vanished.
Nagato and Hikari both flinched, their Rinnegan and Mangekyō flaring as they searched frantically.
THUD!
A dull, sickening impact.
Nagato's body slammed into the half-destroyed Wood Golem, limbs spread wide like a crucifix.
The tree shattered beneath him.
He coughed violently, spitting a mouthful of blood.
Yoru hovered in front of him, expression cold and voice calm.
"I understand how one's environment shapes the heart. I gave you a chance, Nagato."
"But you chose foolishly. You lie to yourself, screaming Yahiko's dream while letting yourself be a weapon—just another pawn in someone else's game."
"You claim to be a god. But once that delusion shatters, what's left?"
"Don't you even have the courage to face yourself?"
"Ghk…!"
Blood oozed from Nagato's mouth. His face was obscured by messy crimson hair.
He looked utterly defeated.
But his wounds weren't fatal.
His pseudo-Sage body regenerated quickly, healing rapidly even as he coughed up more blood.
He spat toward Yoru, blood and broken teeth flying out.
And then, from deep in his throat, came a beast-like roar:
"Vermilion!"
"AMATERASU!!"
With a delicate cry, the inextinguishable flames of Amaterasu instantly consumed Yoru. And under Hikari's control, the Amaterasu on Yoru didn't burn slowly like the trashy Amaterasu of others; instead, it erupted instantly, like cold water poured into hot oil!
The strongest physical attack transformed into a black flame tornado, engulfing Yoru who stood in mid-air.
But Yoru did nothing, merely letting out a slight burst of spiritual power around him, and the Amaterasu flames on his body were completely extinguished.
Amaterasu, which wouldn't go out until its target was incinerated, was dispelled with just a slight expenditure of energy.
In the original story, a jinchūriki's Tailed Beast Cloak could easily break this jutsu. Yoru's body surface was already covered with a thick layer of spiritual particles; he didn't even need to do anything, and this so-called Amaterasu flame was simply 'digested'.
"It's over, Nagato."
Yoru spoke softly, his eyes serene.
"Over? Don't make me laugh!!"
Nagato staggered to his feet, body bloodied and trembling.
But thanks to his pseudo-Sage body and the Mangekyō technique branded into him by Hikari—Yasaka no Magatama—he suffered no lasting damage.
"I am this world's Kami. I will fulfill Yahiko's dream. I will not lose… I cannot lose…"
His voice slipped into a chant.
His veins bulged.
His eyes blazed with renewed fury.
The giant Wood Golem rose again.
Yoru only shook his head. "You know it's pointless."
"Pointless?" Nagato laughed.
"Vermilion—lend me your power!"
Hikari said nothing, but activated her eye.
In the next instant, red chakra surged from Nagato's body.
A dark red Susanoo skeleton began forming around him—then spread to envelop the entire Wood Golem.
Yoru's eyes narrowed slightly.
Within seconds, the Susanoo grew sinew and armor—forming a crow-faced behemoth.
"Susanoo Armored: Wood Golem Technique!!"
Nagato pressed his hands together.
Massive trees burst forth from the earth again, enlarging the Wood Golem even more.
Combined with the Susanoo, the result was a monstrous titan—over 100 meters tall, clad in armor, entwined with twin dragons.
Hikari's body wasn't atop the Susanoo.
She stood far away, panting, clearly drained.
Even with Yasaka no Magatama, this chakra transfer had taxed her to the limit.
But it was enough.
Nagato, standing atop the armored giant, wore a twisted, manic expression.
His hands pressed together as power surged.
"Only by knowing pain can one understand pain!"
"Feel my despair, my agony, Yuki Yoru!!"