"Is Konan alright?"
Nagato's eye twitched.
"Hm?"
A moment later, he realized his concern was unnecessary. The ominous feeling in his heart only continued to grow.
"…It's over!"
"Why the panic? Didn't you say we were just going to fake it?"
Nagato immediately used the Six Paths of Pain to retreat.
BOOM BOOM—
Just as he vanished, Kurama's Bijūdama tore through the sky and struck the tower.
The deafening roar shook the air.
Fortunately, they escaped the blast radius at the last second.
Kuroko, with his sharper senses, had already vacated the tower before Nagato did.
"This… lightly… huh?"
Nagato stared at the crumbling tower now belching thick black smoke, disbelief etched across his face.
"Hmm?" Minato frowned.
"Minato, did you find him?" Kushina asked, eyes narrowed.
"There was a strong chakra fluctuation. When Kurama released the Bijūdama, I felt my Flying Thunder God mark react."
"Damn it! Where's that ungrateful bastard?" Kushina growled, gritting her teeth.
Minato shook his head. "Gone. No trace. The last signal was about a hundred meters behind us. Then, nothing."
Kushina scowled. "He hides well… Fine. I'll stage another scene with Nagato. Let's see how long he can hold out."
Just then, the Six Paths of Pain arrived.
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—
In a blink, six figures appeared before them, each draped in Akatsuki robes—black with red clouds—and studded with chakra receivers.
All six bore the Rinnegan.
Both Kushina and Minato tensed.
"So… this is the power of the Rinnegan?"
"I'm not entirely sure," Minato said, eyes narrowing. "Nagato said they're just puppets. It's fine to destroy them—but don't touch Yahiko's body."
BOOM—
Without hesitation, Kushina cloaked herself in the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.
Back at the second base, Nagato sighed and closed his eyes, a bitter smile tugging at his lips.
"I just knew she'd go for it… Are you really going to destroy five of my puppets?"
"When Kurama's attack came earlier… I had the distinct feeling someone was watching me. They're still nearby," he murmured to himself. "Looks like he really does plan to use the Rinne Tensei… Naruto, you should be arriving soon, right?"
With that, Nagato shifted his full focus onto Pain.
Snap—
Kushina struck first, golden Adamantine Sealing Chains lashing out toward the Six Paths.
The six bodies leapt backward in unison, but the chains were swift—too swift. The bulkier Preta Path couldn't dodge in time and was ensnared.
Kushina yanked hard, trying to reel it in.
But during the pull, the chakra coating her chains was being drained rapidly—the Preta Path was absorbing her chakra!
"It can absorb chakra?"
"Minato!"
Whoosh—
Minato hurled several tri-pronged kunai into the battlefield.
The remaining five Paths quickly formed hand seals.
"Ninjutsu: Summoning Technique!"
Bang—
Three bursts of smoke erupted.
Out leapt three monstrous hounds—summoned beasts with Rinnegan eyes—snarling as they charged.
Behind them, a colossal rhino barreled forward.
The three-headed dog moved to aid the restrained Preta Path.
Whoosh—
Minato instantly used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport behind the Preta Path, Kushina in tow.
Catching one kunai mid-air, he threw another toward the Animal Path's beasts.
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—
"Rasengan!"
But Pain's vision is linked—what one sees, all see.
The Preta Path raised its hand, already prepared.
Buzz—
It absorbed the Rasengan completely.
But Kushina was already in motion.
BOOM—
One punch. The Preta Path's head went flying.
Fwoosh—
Just then, a barrage of explosive projectiles launched from the Asura Path.
Minato's eyes narrowed. Hands flashing through seals.
The moment the shells reached him, a glowing Fūinjutsu array materialized in the air and absorbed the incoming fire.
BOOM BOOM—
The intercepted missiles exploded harmlessly several kilometers away.
"Not good!"
Minato suddenly sensed danger again.
Without hesitation, he grabbed Kushina and vanished from the spot in a flicker of golden light.
Whoosh—
A translucent, serpentine tongue lashed out, striking the ground where Minato and Kushina had just stood.
"A summoned warp-beast… it can turn invisible?"
"So annoying!" Kushina growled, pushing Minato aside as her chakra flared like an overloaded reactor.
Her golden Adamantine Sealing Chains surged from her back once more.
With a roar, she lashed out—the colossal warp-chimera and three-headed hound were both ensnared mid-charge.
Boom—boom—
The beasts crashed to the ground, immobilized by the chains that glowed like molten adamantium.
Minato exhaled with a half-smile. "Looks like chakra absorption is dealt with."
"One controls summoned warp-spawn. One's more like a puppet construct. The remaining three—still unknown."
He narrowed his eyes, calculating. Forgive me, Nagato. We'll avoid harming Yahiko's vessel.
Back in his hidden command post, Nagato sensed the shift. His voice tensed:
"Not good—!"
But he was too slow.
Minato had already reappeared behind the Asura Path.
Fwoosh—
Saw-like extensions erupted from the Asura's back—but Minato had anticipated it.
"Spiral Flash Super Round Dance Howl Style Three!"
A blinding flash detonated at close range—then, using Flying Thunder God: Second Step, Minato vanished once again.
Fwoosh—
A Rasengan fell like a hammer from the sky.
Elsewhere, Kushina had sensed the hidden summon—again. Her chains struck out, binding the invisible beast once more.
"Shinra Tensei!"
BOOM—
A violent surge of repulsion shattered the air, flinging Minato back like a broken automaton.
Kushina leapt, catching him mid-air.
"Yahiko's puppet controls repulsion… and attraction?" she muttered.
Snap. Snap.
"Wait—didn't we just take that one down? Ah… one of them must be capable of auto-repair."
"Only one power left unaccounted for..."
In his command bunker, Nagato was alarmed.
In less than two and a half minutes, five of the Six Paths have had their functions exposed…
Still, he was thankful they hadn't acted rashly. Had he launched this mission prematurely, the Rain Principality might've lost its place at the galactic table.
"They even deduced the shared visual link?" Nagato muttered grimly. "As expected… of the Eidaimei."
Here, deep in Hidden Rain, Nagato dared not unleash his full strength.
But neither could Minato and Kushina—they were still holding back.
Now came the real test: the performance.
Meanwhile, in the shadows beyond the battlefield...
Obito reappeared through a ripple in space.
Black Zetsu's voice was low, calculated.
"Failed?"
"Seems Nagato's reaching his limit," Obito said curtly.
"Hmph. This is his stronghold—Hidden Rain—and he still won't commit fully. Of course he lost."
Zetsu fell silent.
The Eye of the Moon Project—its grand design—was beginning to slip through its tendrils. Had everything it orchestrated for millennia… all been for nothing?
Doubt crept in.
Nagato couldn't overcome the Eidaimei and Kushina—not while Konoha's ancient champions, Hashirama and Tobirama, still walked the mortal realm.
And worse still—Uzumaki Naruto, vessel of the Nine-Tails, hadn't even entered the fray yet.
And Obito…
Zetsu's inner monologue was bitter.
You don't even realize how little power you actually wield. You're no Warmaster. And I'm no simple shadow.
"We'll put the Naruto route on hold… It's time to pivot. It's time to consider resurrecting Uchiha Madara."
Obito alone will never complete the plan…
Black Zetsu turned toward him.
"Obito. Tell Nagato to use the Rinnegan—revive Uchiha Madara."
"Now—"
But Obito cut him off.
"No. The plan isn't ready. We haven't sealed a single Tailed Beast into the Gedo Mazo. If we resurrect him now, we'll be seen as failures."
Zetsu was silent.
It wanted to scream—You're the failure.
But Obito had made up his mind. Zetsu's hand was forced. It would have to take matters into its own coils.
It would have to control Nagato directly.
Even so, Obito's next words offered an opening.
"Nagato's grown too weak. We'll retrieve the Rinnegan now."
Obito's voice was cold. Commanding.
"Black Zetsu. Go. Take control of Nagato. I'm reclaiming the Samsara Eye."
Black Zetsu drew in a slow, seething breath.
"This one… he truly doesn't plan to resurrect Uchiha Madara..."
He paused, then smirked.
"No matter. Fortunately, I still retain fragments of Madara's original body... If I can't use the Rinnegan to bring him back directly, then we fall to contingency: the Impure World Reincarnation."
But he needed a vessel. A suitable corpse—or rather, a useful puppet.
A name rose to the surface of his mind.
"Yes... you'll do just fine."
With that, Black Zetsu melted into the ground like ink bleeding into parchment.
When he emerged again, it was directly behind Nagato.
At the same moment, Obito phased into view in front of the weakened red-haired warlock.
"You've grown too weak," Obito said coldly. "You're no longer worthy of bearing these eyes."
And without ceremony, he reached forward—
—and tore the Rinnegan from Nagato's skull.
"AAHHH—!!!"
Nagato's scream echoed through the command chamber, raw and agonized.
Before he could react—before he could even scream again—Obito had already transferred the stolen eye into his own socket.
Whoosh—
Then Obito raised his hand, ready to deliver the final blow—to silence Nagato forever and eliminate any future risk of Madara's return.
But—
A cold prickle touched his neck.
A blade.
A three-pronged kunai.
Obito froze.
A voice, half-amused, half-lethal, followed like a hunter's whisper.
"Finally found you, you slippery stack of warp-coins."
Minato Namikaze—the golden flash—stood behind him, kunai poised at Obito's throat.