The towering Susanoo-armored Wood Golem stood like a god, and the Wood Dragon coiled around its shoulders made it even more imposing.
With Nagato's furious roar, the armored Wood Golem punched forward with earth-shattering force. The Susanoo-armored Wood Dragon on its shoulder let out a fearsome roar of its own, lashing out like a living beast, jaws open wide as it charged straight toward Yuki Yoru.
The combination of Susanoo and the Wood Golem Technique—though perhaps not quite on the level of the legendary "Susanoo-armored Great Buddha"—was already the pinnacle of current-era shinobi power.
"An impressive form… but still not enough."
Yoru shook his head.
Then—
A deep blue gleam flickered in his tranquil eyes. His seemingly slender hand slowly lifted into the air.
His fingers looked long and elegant, not like a warrior's hands at all—more like those of a nobleman or a court musician: smooth, pale, and refined.
In his hand, Hyorinmaru was raised and swung through the air from left to right. A dazzling arc of blue spirit particles sliced through space, and above its path, a giant spiritual bow appeared.
Spiritual particles howled as an immense, indescribable pressure descended upon the battlefield. The chakra surrounding the Susanoo-armored Wood Golem rippled violently—the sheer spiritual force causing shockwaves across its surface.
"Truth be told, I had high hopes for you. If you'd become a Shinigami, I'm sure you would have awakened a truly unique Zanpakutō. That's why I've shown you mercy, Nagato."
"But that doesn't give you the right to offend me—again and again."
The spiritual bow was drawn. The sacred arrow took shape.
Composed purely of spiritual power, the Holy Arrow (Heilig Pfeil) was now complete. Its radiant light rivaled the sun, a brilliant azure glow that dazzled the heavens like the most precious sapphire.
Shining, vibrant, and otherworldly—it cast a divine glow upon Yoru's calm and indifferent face, making him appear almost celestial.
"…What… what is this?"
Even Nagato, bearer of the Rinnegan, self-proclaimed god, felt a chill of fear creep into his heart. The special White Zetsu fused with his body surfaced its consciousness in alarm, its will also revealing clear terror.
"If you're so eager to witness my power," Yoru said calmly, "then watch closely."
With his words, a dazzling arrow pierced the sky, arcing downward and slamming into the colossal Susanoo-armored Wood Golem.
It was a holy arrow, released by the Master of Souls himself.
The arrow pierced the heavens like a divine spear. Compared to it, the sun grew dim. Everything in the world seemed to fade as this single arrow soared through the air.
In just an instant, the combined might of Nagato and Uchiha Hikari—the fusion of Susanoo and the Wood Golem Technique—was utterly obliterated under the light of the holy arrow.
As it struck, everything around it was annihilated. Even space itself seemed to twist.
The Holy Arrow tore through all things in its path, leaving behind a scar across the entire desert, a long, endless trench that stretched to the far horizon.
Where it passed, sand was vaporized, crystallized into strange, dense shards—the product of sand being fused under impossible heat and pressure.
Residual spiritual flames still flickered across the land. Yoru slowly descended, his gaze falling on a disfigured mass of white flesh that no longer resembled a person—the twisted remains of Nagato.
That he survived even one Holy Arrow proved how formidable his technique had been. But more than that—it was thanks to the special White Zetsu inhabiting his body.
"Look at you now, Nagato," Yoru murmured. "Do you still think you're Kami (God)?"
"Ghhh… guh…"
Nagato could no longer speak. His consciousness had collapsed. The one still barely moving his mangled body was the White Zetsu.
Yoru didn't waste words. He raised his hand slightly, and spiritual power surged forth.
Nagato's soul was excellent—ideal for conversion into a Shinigami, where his pseudo-Sage Body and pseudo-Sage Eyes could be pushed to their true limits… or turned into a Hollow, to fuel his madness and twisted emotions.
Not to mention, he still carried Uchiha Madara's Rinnegan.
Spiritual power gathered—but in that very moment, a terrifying surge of chakra erupted from the broken mass of white flesh. In a flash, it shattered the spiritual bindings Yoru had prepared.
Space itself twisted, swallowing up the white mass in an instant and making it vanish from the battlefield.
It was so sudden, so decisively executed, that even Yoru didn't have time to react.
"…Interesting. So you'd left a special fail-safe on Nagato's body, huh?"
Yoru lowered his hand. He recognized the technique: a spatial escape, not unlike Kamui. But it hadn't been cast by Obito—it had been activated from Nagato's body itself.
That wasn't ordinary chakra—it was Six Paths–level chakra. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been able to bypass Yoru's spiritual restraints.
Black Zetsu's contingency?
In the original timeline, Black Zetsu—Kaguya's "third son"—was unimpressive, to say the least. Rather than a child of the Rabbit Goddess, he was more like a distant cousin with delusions of grandeur.
His power was nothing compared to his brothers'. He was a weakling even compared to Indra and Asura.
In the Fourth Great Ninja War, he was an absolute joke—failing to fully possess a dying Obito and demonstrating nothing but Yin-Yang Release and scouting.
Still—he did stab Madara in the back. That meant he wasn't as simple as he seemed.
And that chakra just now? It was his.
That Six Paths–tier chakra was comparable—maybe even superior—to the one used by the Sage of Six Paths himself when he attacked from the Pure Land during the Nine Tails incident.
A leftover gift from Kaguya to Black Zetsu?
Black Zetsu had no way to produce chakra on that scale himself. That meant this power must have come directly from Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
But it wasn't Nagato that this space-time jutsu was trying to protect.
It was the Rinnegan in his eyes.
Those eyes—created through centuries of scheming—were the culmination of Black Zetsu's machinations. It was no surprise that he had prepared a way to safeguard them.
As for Nagato himself? He was basically done for.
Not because of his injuries.
His body, enhanced by Hashirama cells and a pseudo-Sage physique, could technically regenerate from almost anything. As long as he wasn't instantly killed, he could survive and eventually recover.
But the real damage?
Was to his conviction.
Having felt Yoru's true power—and suffered a second humiliating defeat—Nagato's belief in himself had shattered.
And broken faith is the deepest wound of all.
"Now then… it's your turn."
Yoru turned around, eyes falling on Uchiha Hikari, who was cowering in a corner.
Her chakra was nearly depleted. Her ocular power had dried up. She looked dazed—shocked.
...
Meanwhile…
While Yuki Yoru was demonstrating god-like power in the deserts of the Wind Country, far off in the Land of Water, another storm was brewing.
With his Kamui broken, Uchiha Obito was now facing the greatest threat of his life.
Surrounded by a swarm of Hollows, Obito's form flickered into view. Their sharp fangs and massive jaws tore into him before he could react.
His small frame stood no chance against the crushing assault. Obito was ripped apart—limb from limb. Blood and flesh splattered across the ground.
The Hollows devoured him gleefully, stuffing chunks of his meat into their maws.
But suddenly—all the pieces they were chewing disappeared. The one Hollow that had been laughing with glee and using sonic attacks suddenly felt a blast of scorching heat at its back.
"Fire Release: Blast Wave Wild Dance!"
Combining his Mangekyō Sharingan with Fire Release, Obito twisted the surrounding space with Kamui to generate wind, then spewed a swirling vortex of fire from his mouth!
The spiraling flames surged forward with massive speed and coverage, engulfing the Hollow before they could react. Their flesh seared, and they screamed in agony.
Obito, who should have been torn apart and devoured, suddenly appeared behind that Hollow, thrusting his right hand fiercely towards it.
Wood Release erupted!
Spikes of wood shot forth—but instead of piercing through the Hollow, the wooden spears clattered uselessly against its skin, which was hard as steel.
"ROAR!!"
The Hollow, enraged by its prey's sudden counterattack, swiped at Obito with burning claws. Its speed was so great that Obito couldn't even activate Kamui in time.
He was struck hard—sent flying. His arms were torn apart, and white fluid spilled from his sleeves.
His arms—bitten off—were being chewed on again.
As the Hollow savored the taste, Obito's heart sank.
He never imagined these creatures would have such monstrous strength, resist ninjutsu, and worst of all—could counter Kamui.
One misstep had already cost him a Sharingan.
Izanagi had bought him one do-over.
But only one.
If he got caught again…
Without hesitation, Obito activated partial intangibility, sinking into the earth below.
The Hollow, realizing its prey was escaping, swallowed the arms and unleashed another deafening sonic blast, powerful enough to shred space.
But this time, Obito did not reappear.
He had truly vanished—merged into the earth.
Enraged, the Hollow shrieked and turned its bloodthirsty eyes on the surrounding Gillians.
"Whew…"
Deep underground, Obito exhaled shakily. His face was pale with tension.
With Kamui compromised, he had lost his greatest weapon. In the face of that Hollow, he felt just like he had back in the Academy—a hopeless failure facing Kakashi, the genius prodigy.
Luckily, Black Zetsu came through.
"My Wood Release can block his sound attacks. You don't need to be so scared," Black Zetsu lied casually, while using his White Zetsu cells to heal Obito's shattered arms.
In under ten seconds, Obito—already adapted to White Zetsu's body—had fully recovered.
Just to be safe, he pulled a spare Sharingan from his Kamui space and inserted it into his eye socket.
Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief—his wariness evident.
Where the hell had Yuki Yoru gotten these monsters?
That humanoid Hollow just now had strength equal to a Kage.
And Obito had encountered six of them already. Conservatively, this area alone housed at least twenty such monsters.
Twenty Kage-level beings.
That alone could flatten the entire shinobi world.
Yoru had kept this army hidden all this time—while everyone thought he was busy with Soul Society and the Shinigami. What was he really planning?
"These monsters are strong," Black Zetsu said quietly, as if reading Obito's mind. "But they act entirely on instinct. No intelligence whatsoever. That's probably why Yoru sealed them away here—because even he can't control them."
That… made sense.
Otherwise, Yoru would've used them long ago instead of spending so much effort building Soul Society and recruiting Shinigami.
But no intelligence…
Wait.
No intelligence?!
Suddenly, Obito's eyes lit up.
These creatures were incredibly powerful. Their bodies were nearly invulnerable. Their abilities defied understanding.
If he could somehow control them…
The depths of Kirigakure's politics were murky. Even without Yoru present, Obito wasn't confident enough to dive in headfirst.
He had already acknowledged that he couldn't surpass Yoru. In fact, he was starting to suffer from Yoru-phobia.
But if he could use these monsters to wreak havoc across Kirigakure, to plunge the village into chaos and destruction—
Then maybe, just maybe, his plan could succeed.
And how to control them?
Heh.
No one… understands how to control monsters… better than the Uchiha.