"How is this possible?"
Deva Pain clutched his chest, kneeling on one knee, staring at the approaching Natsuro with eyes filled with deep confusion.
Why was the power of a god so easily and thoroughly shattered? Could it be that the opponent's strength had already surpassed that of a god?
He had never encountered an enemy before, and now the first enemy he faced was unbelievably strong.
Nagato couldn't comprehend it at all. It was as if the game's level cap was 30, and he, as a level 50 boss, could naturally dominate everything. But now, out of nowhere, came a level 60 monster that didn't play by the rules?
For the first time since fully accepting the power of the Rinnegan, Nagato felt lost.
"I lost."
Finally, Deva Pain looked at Natsuro, who was now within arm's reach. He spoke without using any more of his abilities, it was no longer necessary.
At this moment, Natsuro gazed at Deva Pain, somewhat dazed.
So… he had already taken care of the Six Paths of Pain?
Wasn't that a bit too easy? Natsuro felt like he hadn't even fully exerted himself.
But the reality was right in front of him, and he had no choice but to accept it.
He had never had a concrete reference to gauge his own strength. He had no idea where he stood in the overall power scale. But now, it seemed that even among the super Kage-level fighters, he was quite formidable.
While contemplating, Natsuro looked at Deva Pain. In the end, he chose not to destroy him with a Rasengan like he did with the other Pains. Instead, he reached out, channeling Senjutsu chakra into Pain's body.
In the next moment, all the black rods embedded in the body were forcibly expelled. Without the black rods to transmit chakra, Pain, who was originally Yahiko, lost all consciousness and collapsed to the ground.
Natsuro looked at Pain, no, at Yahiko's corpse. After all, he was Jiraiya's disciple, and in a way, his senior.
However, Yahiko meant nothing to Natsuro emotionally.
So, he would simply hand the body over to Jiraiya for a proper burial. Jiraiya must be feeling quite complicated right now.
After sealing Yahiko's corpse into a scroll, Natsuro turned in a certain direction. Next, it was time to meet Nagato in person, of course, with Jiraiya.
If persuasion was possible, it was worth trying.
After all, in this world, Nagato had not killed Jiraiya, so there was no deep-seated hatred that couldn't be resolved.
Natsuro wasn't the type to hold Nagato accountable for things he had never actually done. At most, he might give him a beating to vent some frustration from the original timeline.
With that in mind, Natsuro's figure vanished.
Cough, cough… cough!
Inside a massive tree hollow, a frail figure sat within a peculiar contraption, it was Nagato.
His once bright red hair, a signature of the Uzumaki clan, had turned pale and withered due to excessive chakra consumption. His arms and ribs were painfully thin and clearly visible. His back was impaled with numerous black rods, the same kind found in the Six Paths of Pain.
At that moment, Nagato coughed violently as if he had been severely shaken. A mouthful of blood spewed from his lips, and all the black rods embedded in his body fell away.
There was no more need for them. The rods were merely chakra transmitters, and with the Six Paths of Pain gone, they had lost their purpose.
"Nagato, are you alright?"
Konan rushed forward to support him, concern evident in her eyes.
"I'm fine, Konan. Get ready to welcome the Sixth Hokage." Nagato, leaning weakly against the machine, spoke with a heavy tone.
"Nagato, you mean…"
Konan's eyes widened in disbelief. How had this happened so quickly?
Even though she had a vague feeling that the Sixth Hokage wouldn't be an easy opponent, she had never imagined that he could defeat the Six Paths of Pain, let alone so quickly.
"Yes. The Sixth Hokage's power… is unfathomable."
Nagato's voice carried a trace of bitterness. He could tell that his Six Paths of Pain had failed to even push Natsuro to his full strength.
And he was right, Natsuro hadn't even used his Exploding Truth-Seeking Orb yet.
Something like Chibaku Tensei? Natsuro only needed to toss in an Exploding Truth-Seeking Orb, and boom, the entire Chibaku Tensei would be reduced to dust.
"Then… should we retreat?"
Konan asked anxiously.
"There's no escape. The Sixth Hokage has already pinpointed my location. Even if he gets delayed along the way, I, with my immobile body, have no chance of outrunning him." Nagato replied with resignation.
"Konan, if you want, you should leave first."
Nagato looked at Konan, trying to persuade her.
"If you're not leaving, then neither am I."
Konan's response was firm.
"…I see."
Nagato let out a bitter smile. He had expected this answer. He had known all along that Konan would refuse to leave, but he had still asked, clinging to a sliver of hope.
Better for one person to die than for both, right?
But he didn't press the issue further. Perhaps staying with him wouldn't necessarily mean Konan's death, especially with Jiraiya present.
Konan had never done anything that directly harmed Konoha. Given Jiraiya's nature, he wouldn't make things difficult for her.
The only thing that worried Nagato was…
Would Konan choose to follow him in death?
Nagato pondered. As for another option, facing Natsuro in battle with his true body?
To be honest, Nagato knew that if he went all out, his true self was stronger than the Six Paths of Pain.
But even then, he saw no hope of victory.
At that moment, a hoarse voice suddenly echoed.
"Heh, so you really lost."
Nagato's pupils contracted sharply as he turned to Konan, only to see that half of her body was already engulfed by a black, goo-like substance.
Nagato knew exactly what it was.
"Zetsu! What are you doing?!"
Nagato roared, but before he could say more, he coughed up another mouthful of blood.
"Heh, you're in no position to be threatening anyone, Nagato."
Black Zetsu sneered.
Konan struggled, trying to resist, but she could barely move.
"Don't harm Konan! What do you want?"
Nagato demanded coldly.
"Simple. Your Rinnegan. If you don't want your 'angel' to vanish into another dimension, then hand over the Rinnegan yourself."
Black Zetsu finally revealed his true purpose.
He wasn't stalling for time, he was genuinely worried that Natsuro might arrive at any moment!
This was the plan he had devised with Obito: Attach himself to Konan, follow her, and when Nagato lost, seize the Rinnegan!
Originally, Black Zetsu wanted to possess Nagato directly, taking advantage of his unique ability to remain undetectable.
But the problem was that his possession wasn't perfect.
If the host had a strong enough will, they could resist.
And Nagato's will was undoubtedly strong.
So Obito suggested he attach to Konan instead. That way, if Nagato wanted to resist, he wouldn't be able to.
And as Obito predicted, Nagato wouldn't abandon Konan.
"Nagato, don't give it to them!" Konan cried out desperately, barely able to resist.
Black Zetsu sighed. Since Konan was still in good condition, he couldn't completely control her yet.
But it didn't matter, the current situation was exactly what he and Obito wanted.
"…Fine. I'll give them to you." Nagato's voice was filled with bitterness.
"Nagato!!" Konan's heart clenched. Why was it always like this? Why was she always the one being captured, always so powerless?
Back then, Yahiko died.
And now…
"But how can I trust that you won't go back on your word once you have them?"
Nagato glared at Black Zetsu. He was now certain, the man claiming to be Madara Uchiha was a fraud.
"Heh, if you don't believe me, then I guess I have no choice." Black Zetsu feigned indifference, preparing to take Konan's life.
"Stop!" Nagato gritted his teeth.
At that moment, he desperately wished Natsuro would arrive faster. Otherwise, there would be no way out.
Upon seeing Nagato's expression, Black Zetsu sneered,
"If it weren't for the need to guard against the Sixth Hokage, why would we go to such great lengths? So, Nagato, you must make your choice now."
Nagato remained silent, looking at Konan. She kept giving him desperate looks, urging him not to be foolish. Even if he handed over the Rinnegan, they wouldn't let them go.
It had been this way before, and it would be the same now!
Nagato understood this, but… if he gave them the Rinnegan, there was at least a chance Konan might survive. If he didn't, Konan would certainly be in danger.
He had already lost Yahiko, how could he bear to lose Konan too?
As for his own life? That was the least important thing.
Nagato's thoughts churned violently. He glanced at Konan and suddenly realized something, she still had some control over her body. That meant Black Zetsu couldn't completely control her!
Nagato took a deep breath and made his decision. Without hesitation, his right hand reached toward his own eye sockets and forcibly ripped out his own eyes. Blood gushed out instantly, and the overwhelming sense of power he had always known vanished.
But this sensation almost made him scoff. What omnipotence?
He couldn't even defeat a mere human, what kind of omnipotence was that?!
If sacrificing this so-called power could save his comrade's life…
Then he didn't need it!
At the same time, Nagato felt a strange lightness in his body, as if he had finally rid himself of something that his body was never meant to endure.
Black Zetsu grinned. It had worked after all. Just as Obito had predicted, emotions were the key to controlling Nagato.
If they had tried to force him, it might have turned into a drawn-out battle. And since Nagato possessed the Rinnegan, he might have been able to resist.
None of that mattered now.
What did matter was that if they stalled for too long and Natsuro arrived, everything would be over!
Obito was already on his way. He had been monitoring Natsuro's fight with the Six Paths of Pain, but he wasn't sure how it had gone. Judging by the timing, though, it seemed the Sixth Hokage had completely dominated the battle.
But just as Black Zetsu was savoring his success, his eyes widened in shock.
Nagato threw the Rinnegan into the air.
And then, he rapidly formed hand seals.
"What are you doing?!" Black Zetsu roared, realizing something was wrong. He immediately tried to control Konan to retrieve the eyes.
But Konan's body was still intact, she wasn't fully under his control!
By then, Nagato had finished his hand seals. It was a jutsu Jiraiya had taught him long ago.
"Wind Release: Gale Palm!"
With a shout, Nagato struck out with his full strength, sending a powerful gust of wind toward the airborne Rinnegan.
"Damn it!!" Black Zetsu realized his plan instantly.
If he didn't immediately detach from Konan and intercept the eyes, Nagato would destroy them!
"You bastard!!"
Cursing furiously, Black Zetsu had no choice but to abandon Konan and rush toward the Rinnegan.
If the eyes were destroyed, everything he had planned for so long would be ruined. He would lose his mind if that happened.
The moment Black Zetsu left her, Konan quickly formed hand seals.
"Ninjutsu: Dance of the Shikigami!"
Her body dissolved into countless paper sheets, which reassembled beside Nagato as she caught him.
In the sky, Black Zetsu morphed into an inky black puddle, wrapping itself around the Rinnegan to shield it from the attack.
"Konan! Take back the Rinnegan!" Nagato shouted again. He didn't crave the Rinnegan's power, but that didn't mean he would just hand it over to Black Zetsu and Obito.
"…Understood."
Konan hesitated. Right now, Nagato was in his weakest state, if someone attacked him now, he wouldn't be able to defend himself.
But Nagato's words echoed in her ears. In the end, she made her decision.
She would retrieve the Rinnegan.
"Heh, too late!"
From the black puddle, a single eye suddenly opened, a Sharingan.
The three tomoe of the Sharingan began to spin and soon transformed into a unique pattern.
If Kakashi were here, he would recognize it instantly, this was the same pattern as his own Mangekyō Sharingan!
"Transcription Seal!"
Black Zetsu sneered. His body gradually began fading from sight.
"Konan… is he gone?" Nagato asked. Without the Rinnegan, he could no longer see chakra signatures. He had no idea what had just happened.
"Yes… He used Tobi's intangibility technique to escape."
Konan's voice trembled as she looked at Nagato's still-bleeding eye sockets.
She stepped forward, took out a clean handkerchief, and gently wiped the blood from his face.
"I'm sorry, Nagato… This was all my fault. I was too careless…"
"It's not your fault. Even if you had been by my side the whole time, my Rinnegan couldn't even sense him. If I couldn't detect him, how could you have?"
Nagato wasn't angry with her. Instead, he smiled.
"At the very least… we survived."
Konan flinched at his words. Then, she thought of a certain familiar figure and silently nodded.
Yes. At the very least, they had survived.
Even if they had lost the Rinnegan's power…
"Now, we can finally rest for a while and wait for the Sixth Hokage to arrive…"
Nagato's voice was laced with exhaustion.
"…Mm."
Konan nodded. This time, she didn't try to persuade Nagato to flee.
Meanwhile, Obito had been rushing toward their location. However, while en route, he suddenly felt the Transcription Seal he had planted being activated.
Something had happened.
After hesitating for a moment, he chose to retreat into the Kamui dimension to meet with Black Zetsu first.
If the plan had failed and he arrived at Nagato's location, there was no way Nagato would let him go.
After all, he wasn't Natsuro.
A Rinnegan-wielding Nagato was not someone he could handle alone.
So, he had to confirm with Black Zetsu first, had the plan succeeded? What exactly had happened?
Elsewhere, Natsuro was moving swiftly toward the tree hollow, with Jiraiya following close behind.
He had no idea what Obito and Black Zetsu had planned.
And there was no way he could have predicted that Nagato would be tricked so thoroughly.
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Currently on Chapter 353 - Art Is Explosive Truth-Seeking Orbs!