Chapter 182 — Earth-Shattering Star, That's It?
From the moment the shared vision of the Six Paths of Pain and the giant, bird-like summon Yatagarasu captured the flicker of movement in the distance, Nagato reacted instantly.
The bird let out a sharp cry and veered sharply aside — just as a colossal crimson slash tore through the air where it had been.
Uchiha Fugaku stood within his towering Susanoo, its blazing chakra armor casting light across the battlefield. His expression was calm — analytical. He had never expected to eliminate the Six Paths of Pain that easily.
Nagato, after all, could see through the eyes of all six bodies and their summons simultaneously. Killing one meant little if the controller remained hidden.
It's pointless to waste time on the puppets.
Find the puppeteer. End it there.
Even if all six bodies were destroyed, the Naraka Path could revive them. Fugaku's strategy was simple — locate Nagato's true body and strike fast.
His gaze sharpened. "Once I take the Rinnegan from him… what happens if I fuse it with the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan?"
The thought burned like fire in his mind.
Would it evolve into something beyond either — perhaps like the Rinne Sharingan that appeared on Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's forehead?
The idea thrilled him.
He had believed that his Complete Body Susanoo was powerful enough to face Nagato — and today's encounter proved it.
The Six Paths of Pain couldn't touch him, not even slightly.
Only two of Nagato's ultimate techniques might have any effect — Chibaku Tensei (Planetary Devastation) and Shinra Tensei (Almighty Push).
Even then, Fugaku smirked. If it comes to that… I can always retreat. Let him exhaust himself. I'll take those eyes eventually.
His decision was made.
Nagato's Rinnegan would belong to the Uchiha today.
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His attention shifted. In the distance stood a towering pagoda rising above the capital — elegant, ornate, and highly visible.
Fugaku's Mangekyō glowed as he studied it. "That's suspicious…"
If he were Nagato, he'd pick a place with clear vantage points — ideal for coordination and control.
Of course, Nagato didn't need to see physically — his vision was shared through his puppets. But still…
That pagoda was too conspicuous to ignore.
With a low hum, Fugaku raised his Susanoo's sword and swung it downward.
A massive crimson blade of chakra cleaved through the air — stretching for hundreds of meters, wide enough to slice through a fortress.
In the blink of an eye, it struck the pagoda.
The capital trembled.
The grand structure — known throughout the city as the Denggao Pagoda, or Ascending Heights Pagoda — shattered under the overwhelming force. Built by the Daimyō himself to admire the cityscape, it had stood as a proud landmark.
Now, before the horrified eyes of thousands, it crumbled like sand.
The upper half disintegrated instantly, pulverized into dust. The spire toppled, the lower floors folded in on themselves, and a thunderous shockwave rolled through the streets.
"Why would the Konoha giant attack the Pagoda?!"
Civilians screamed as they ran, clutching what little they could carry.
Those who couldn't flee buried themselves in cellars meant for food storage — flimsy shields against gods of destruction.
Through the falling debris, a figure burst forth — paper wings unfurling in the air like white blades.
Konan, her expression cold and determined, carried Nagato in her arms, gliding away from the collapsing tower.
Moments later, the spire slammed into the ground and exploded into rubble.
From within his Susanoo, Fugaku's eyes narrowed — then gleamed with triumph.
Found you.
It had been a gamble, but it paid off.
He'd struck the true body.
Unlike Jiraiya, who had spent his life studying the Six Paths without realizing they were puppets, Fugaku understood his enemy perfectly.
---
But Nagato wasn't done.
Through the eyes of Tendō Pain, he lifted both hands. A small, dark orb materialized above his palms — pulsing with ominous energy — and then drifted forward.
The moment it stabilized, the air itself seemed to collapse inward.
Stones lifted from the ground. Trees twisted free from their roots. The terrain convulsed as everything nearby was pulled toward the tiny orb, clumping together into a growing mass of debris.
Chibaku Tensei.
In seconds, the black sphere swelled to the size of a carriage, its surface jagged with stone, soil, and wood. The gravitational pull extended for hundreds of meters — though, given the distance from the capital, it spared the civilians.
From within his Susanoo, Fugaku watched with mild curiosity.
"So that's your trump card?"
The black sphere grew — and yet, the colossal Susanoo didn't budge.
The force that once crushed mountains… did nothing.
Planetary Devastation? That's it?
A smirk touched his lips.
Nagato's Rinnegan wasn't his own — it was implanted, incomplete. Without its true origin, it lacked the might of its former wielder.
If Uchiha Madara were here, Fugaku thought, I'd have to retreat immediately.
The real Madara could use Limbo: Border Jail, a hidden realm invisible even to the Sharingan.
But Madara was long dead — and Fugaku intended to keep it that way.
Once Nagato fell, both of Madara's backup revival plans — Obito and Nagato — would be erased forever.
The Uchiha ghost would never rise again.
Fugaku's Susanoo raised its titanic sword.
With a thunderous swing, the blade cleaved straight through the forming sphere — slicing it clean in half.
The black core at its center split open, releasing a deafening shockwave.
BOOM!
The gravitational field collapsed. Rocks, soil, and debris that had been drawn in moments ago were now hurled outward with explosive force.
Chunks of stone slammed uselessly against Susanoo's armor; the rest rained down, carving fresh craters into the battlefield below.
As the dust settled, Fugaku stood unshaken, his Susanoo towering against the storm.
"Pathetic," he muttered, his Sharingan burning with cold crimson light. "So this is the power of a false god?"
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