On the other side of the battlefield, the Narakadō (Hell Path) had already summoned the King of Hell and was using Rinne Tensei no Jutsu (Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique) to reforge the Shuradō (Asura Path)—whose body had earlier been blown into pieces by Hyūga Shigeo.
The colossal King of Hell loomed like a monstrous specter outside Nanmoku City.
From atop the walls, the city guards trembled uncontrollably at the sight.
A few of Nanmoku's ninja rushed out to help, but they were far too weak to face the Six Paths. Some were instantly torn apart by the waiting summoned beasts; others had their chakra drained to emptiness by the Hell Path before they could even weave a single hand seal.
Explosions continued to rock the area.
All six Pains were being held outside the city walls—blocked by Shigeo and the Byakko (White Tiger).
To the northeast, summoned beasts clashed in an apocalyptic struggle, their roars shaking the entire city.
To the northwest, the revived Asura Path went berserk, unleashing relentless bombardment. His body twisted and transformed into a three-headed, six-armed form, attacking one of Shigeo's clones in a frenzy.
But that clone's body suddenly shifted—
it too sprouted three heads and six arms, meeting the Asura Path blow for blow in close combat.
The Ningendō (Human Path) seized a Mokuton (Wood Release) clone by the collar and tried to rip out its soul—
only to realize, too late, that a wood clone had no soul to steal.
Meanwhile, the Gakidō (Preta Path) struggled behind them. He managed to grab another of Shigeo's clones and began absorbing chakra—
but the clone vanished with a soft whoosh, dispersing into air.
Another clone stepped in.
"Ranton (Storm Release)!"
A massive column of lightning plasma descended from the sky, cutting through the mist like a blinding sword. The beam struck directly toward the Preta Path.
Zzzzz—!
The searing light split through him entirely.
Even as he reached out, attempting to absorb the energy, the Ranton tore a smoking hole straight through his body.
The clone's figure flickered away.
"Yōton: Chi no Umi (Lava Release: Sea of Dissolution)!"
Molten lava burst forth, consuming the fallen corpses and dissolving them into nothing.
Shigeo's gaze turned cold.
"Let's see if your King of Hell can rebuild that."
One down. Five to go.
As the Preta Path's corpse sizzled away, the Animal Path began to falter.
The Byakko's chakra radiated like a storm, its white fur glowing brilliantly. Each strike it delivered sent tremors through the land—mountains shook, the sea rippled, and every paw strike felled another beast. Its claws gleamed like blades, its fangs gleamed with fury. Every time it killed one of the Pain's summoned beasts, its brow relaxed slightly, as if enjoying the slaughter.
Nearby, one of Shigeo's clones worked in tandem, ripping black chakra rods from the fallen summons with Shinra Tensei (Almighty Push).
He was dissecting Pain's secret method of control—and that realization made Nagato, watching through the shared vision of the Rinnegan, tense in alarm.
"One… two… three… four… five… six…"
Wait.
Something wasn't right.
Pain's eyes flickered between his six bodies.
Moments ago, Shigeo had spawned over ten Rinnegan-bearing clones—yet now, only six remained.
Those that intercepted them at sea hadn't possessed Rinnegan, so their loss made sense.
But these—each one wielded Rinnegan powers, far stronger than before.
So where were the missing ones?
"Where's the real body?"
The Hell Path called out suddenly, anxiety rising.
For some reason, he couldn't sense Shigeo's main presence anymore.
He had seen him fighting Tendō Pain earlier—but amid the lightning and quakes, the blinding chaos, he had completely lost track.
At that moment, Tendō Pain turned toward Nanmoku City.
Forming seals, he began to use Chibaku Tensei (Planetary Devastation).
Whatever the real Shigeo was planning didn't matter—
their mission remained the same:
erase his escape route, destroy his hope, and leave him no path but Akatsuki.
But before Tendō could finish the seals—
White Zetsu burst from the ground beside him, panic in his face.
"Pain! Something's gone wrong!"
Tendō paused, looking down coldly.
White Zetsu's mouth split wide, his voice trembling:
"Rain Village—Amegakure—has been attacked! By Hyūga Shigeo! And he used Chibaku Tensei! "
Silence fell.
Every sound on the battlefield—the Asura Path's bombardments, the roars of beasts, the grinding of the King of Hell, the flashes of lightning, the clash of water and fire—
all seemed to vanish at once.
Through the Rinnegan network, Nagato, controlling all six bodies, saw everything.
But his mind went blank.
He remembered his words—
"To break this endless spiral of hatred, I founded Akatsuki. I wield the power to destroy nations in an instant, so the world would feel pain—and only through understanding pain would peace be born. Only then would the dawn light up the shinobi world."
And yet now, that power hadn't brought peace.
It had destroyed everything he'd built.
Amegakure—his sanctuary, his dream—was burning because of him.
Through the Rinnegan vision, the chaos unfolding at Rain Village appeared as vividly as the war before him.
Screams echoed. Buildings crumbled.
Nagato could barely breathe.
He hadn't brought pain to end suffering—
he had deepened it.
The people of Rain, already broken by war, now suffered again because of his choices.
How could he call that peace?
At the same time, space distorted nearby—
Uchiha Obito, still masquerading as "Madara," stepped out of a swirling vortex.
He had sensed the disaster.
If Pain didn't return immediately, Akatsuki would be finished.
True, at first glance, Pain still held the advantage outside Nanmoku City.
He might even exchange this small nation for the Rain Village itself.
But could anyone be certain that Shigeo even cared about Nanmoku anymore?
If Pain destroyed it, would that truly break him?
If anything, Shigeo might respond with vengeance—
or worse, indifference.
He could lose everything and simply walk away, like three years ago, to live as a wanderer again.
With his current power, could Akatsuki possibly control him?
They hadn't known he possessed the Rinnegan before.
Now they did.
Could a man like that be subdued?
Not unless he chose to submit—and that, Obito knew, would never happen.
If they couldn't defeat him, could they still win?
"Don't just stand there—move!" White Zetsu shouted, voice cracking in panic.
He and Black Zetsu had schemed for decades. To lose everything now would be unforgivable.
"Go! Get out of here before he destroys everything!"
Obito clenched his teeth, then activated Kamui.
Space folded around them.
In an instant, they vanished from Nanmoku Country—
and reappeared back in Amegakure.
But was this even still Amegakure?
Rain fell as always—but upon ruins and broken walls.
Everywhere echoed cries of pain.
(End of Chapter)
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