Since Nagato had chosen to rely on outside help, Toshiro saw no reason to hold back.
With a subtle command from within his Susanoo, the ground beside him cracked open. A dark green vine burst through the earth, writhing upward with unnatural speed.
Within seconds—mere breaths—a colossal wooden dragon, nearly two to three hundred meters long, unfurled and coiled across the battlefield.
It slithered powerfully across the terrain, maneuvering around the force field between Toshiro and Nagato, before lunging behind Nagato with deadly intent.
To Toshiro, summoning Wood Release was as natural as breathing. His power far surpassed that of Yamato. Ever since fusing with the Ten-Tails' chakra, his mastery had evolved—his Wood Release had become something entirely new.
It wasn't just stronger—it was different. Deeper, wilder, more primal.
"Damn it—!"
Nagato had barely absorbed the chakra boost from White Zetsu when the monstrous dragon was already upon him.
Just looking at it, he could tell—this wasn't a technique he could handle easily.
"Try moving your feet!" White Zetsu urged in a panic.
But aside from transferring chakra, there was little more he could do. The idea that he could replicate Toshiro's Wood Release just by attaching himself to Nagato was laughable.
"Feet…?" Nagato's voice was faint and confused.
He hadn't felt his legs in years. The very thought of walking again caught him off guard.
And yet—now was not the time to test miracles.
The wooden dragon was already there, its immense body twisting and winding with terrifying grace.
Tendo, standing beside Nagato, caught sight of the attack approaching from the rear. The dragon didn't strike head-on; instead, it coiled and lashed its tail low, dragging it across the ground with crushing force.
Nagato, gathering what little strength he had, squeezed out another burst of chakra and activated the Animal Path. A new summoning seal spread out, calling forth a massive creature to intercept the dragon's path.
It was all he could muster.
But it wasn't enough.
"Hmph. Pathetic."
Toshiro watched with cold indifference.
A simple summon wasn't going to stop that dragon—not when it had sent tailed beasts scrambling in fear before.
"If you're going to resist, at least try harder."
Behind him, Susanoo let out another deafening roar, its golden chains groaning under the mounting pressure of the ongoing struggle.
CRACK!
Just as Toshiro predicted, the dragon's tail didn't even slow down. It crushed the summoned beast in its path with a thunderous sweep and surged forward without losing momentum—heading straight for Nagato.
And Nagato, exhausted and overpowered by Toshiro's overwhelming might, no longer had the strength to resist.
A thick cloud of dust filled the air.
"Nagato… he's done for."
Obito let out a weary sigh as he watched Nagato, tossed through the air like a ragdoll by Toshiro's wood dragon and Susanoo. There was nothing he could do now—his hands were tied, with another major problem still brewing inside Kamui Space.
"This is going to be a one-side match," he muttered, troubled, eyes narrowing as Toshiro manipulated the wooden dragon to trap all the Pains within its coils.
Even with White Zetsu's support, Nagato, without the full might of the Six Paths of Pain, stood no chance against Toshiro.
"Release Yahiko and Konan!"
Nagato's voice roared through the battlefield, distorted by pain and desperation. Cloaked in the strange white substance, he glared at Toshiro, who remained composed within his towering Susanoo. The sight of Konan and Yahiko, bound tightly by the wooden dragon, ignited a wild rage in Nagato's eyes.
The Six Paths were expendable—but not Yahiko's body. Not Konan. They were his last bonds to his humanity.
"Nagato, we should fall back!"
White Zetsu sounded genuinely concerned. If he hadn't intervened moments earlier, Nagato might've slammed headfirst into the mountain and died on impact. With his fragile condition, another hit like that could be fatal.
"You still haven't accepted reality, have you?"
Toshiro scoffed from within Susanoo, eyeing Nagato's hovering form.
Did Nagato truly believe that with a little help from White Zetsu—and the ability to walk again—he could challenge him?
The Rinnegan may have once carried the power of the Six Paths, but strength alone was never enough.
Without hesitation, Susanoo raised its blade and slashed again.
Nagato threw his hands forward, bracing himself. He managed to block the blow—barely—but the force hurled him from the sky, crashing hard into the ground.
"You left me no choice!"
Staring at Konan, still struggling within the dragon's coils, something in Nagato snapped. His eyes widened—and from the corner of one, a thin fracture appeared, followed by a slow trickle of blood.
Whether from strain or injury, it added a savage, almost unhinged look to his face.
"You forced this out of me!" he screamed hoarsely, slamming his palm against the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu: Outer Path—Gedo Mazo!"
Nagato didn't care about his body's condition anymore. Driven by desperation, he called forth the fearsome Gedo Mazo—ignoring the price it would demand of him.
Toshiro's eyes narrowed.
"…The Gedo Mazo?"
He hadn't expected this. For a moment, he was genuinely surprised. That someone as sickly as Nagato dared summon it at such a fragile moment?
And yet, a grin spread across his face.
This could work in his favor.
If he could take control of the Gedo mazo, the path to fully awakening the Rinnegan would be drastically shortened.
Nagato, meanwhile, sensed something strange. Instead of being drained immediately, something within the white substance wrapped around him responded.
Tentacle-like strands—part wood, part chakra—extended from his body and pierced the head of the Outer Path Golem. As their chakras connected, something awakened.
He felt it.
A presence.
A hunger.
The gedo's mind—if it had one—was filled with hatred and rage toward the world around it. It wanted to devour. It wanted destruction.
But this wasn't the time to analyze it.
Nagato clenched his jaw and drove it forward.
"This is... an unexpected treat."
From atop his Susanoo, Toshiro watched as the Gedo roared to life.
His surprise gave way to excitement.
With a roar of his own, his chakra surged, swelling outward like a tidal wave. Susanoo expanded in response, growing into a colossal giant clad in a deep crimson cloak of chakra. Soon, it stood at equal height with the Gedo Mazo.
Then came the armor—layer after layer of glistening chakra plating wrapped around the Susanoo, encasing it like an invincible fortress.
"Now this is intoxicating..."
Standing on the head of his perfected Susanoo, Toshiro gazed down upon the world through the diamond-shaped lattice of chakra. The forests, the mountains, the sky—they all felt distant, like toys beneath his feet.
—
From afar, others watched the titanic clash unfold.
"Is this… the Hokage-sama's power?"
Yamato's voice trembled. His eyes widened in disbelief as he watched the red chakra giant wrestle with the massive, grotesque statue summoned by Nagato.
"We're not even in the same league..."
There was bitterness in his voice. And truth.
To him, they were gods. He, by comparison, was nothing more than a pebble on the battlefield.
Even the shockwaves of their battle—mere side effects—were enough to flatten forests and shake mountains.
He turned to the quiet figure standing beside him.
"Itachi... can you do something like this?"
He swallowed hard, voice barely a whisper. After all, it was said he had also awakened the legendary eyes...
Was he this terrifying, too?
"...No," Itachi answered calmly, his eyes locked on the battlefield ahead—unblinking, unwavering.
The sheer chakra needed to summon a Susanoo of this magnitude—just thinking about it was overwhelming. The toll on one's eyes must be unimaginable.
This level... I might never reach it in my entire life.
Even with the Hokage-sama's special eye drops, the strain would be unbearable. They were like a cup of water tossed on an inferno.
Pakura, standing to the side, stared blankly at the battle unfolding in the distance. She had always known the Hokage was powerful, and she respected Toshiro's strength—but what they were witnessing now transcended anything she'd thought possible.
"Hahahaha!"
"Now this... this is exhilarating!"
Toshiro's laughter echoed across the battlefield as he clashed repeatedly with the Gedo Mazo. His blood surged with excitement, his heart racing with a thrill he hadn't felt in years.
At his level, there were few—if any—worthy opponents left in the ninja world. Power without rivalry had dulled his passion for combat.
He often thought of Madara and the First Hokage.
They'd fought, hated, and even respected each other for a lifetime. Beneath all that conflict was a bond—one forged in battle, a rivalry that pushed both of them to their absolute limits.
To have someone who grows stronger alongside you... who challenges you every step of the way—that's something to be envied.
With a thunderous step, the crimson Susanoo pulled back. The earth trembled beneath its weight. Toshiro clenched its massive fist and crouched slightly, muscles coiling like springs.
"Come on—give me more!"
With a burst of power, Susanoo lunged forward, unleashing a devastating punch toward the opposing golem.
Across the battlefield, Nagato responded with equal ferocity. Gritting his teeth, he commanded the golem to meet the attack head-on.
Even before their fists collided, the raw force between them tore through the air, sending snowflakes whirling into a raging vortex. A tornado of white encircled the battlefield—only to be instantly erased by the shockwave that followed.
BOOM!
A blinding white explosion erupted where their fists met. The shockwave shattered the swirling snow and obscured the two giants once again in a dense mist, hiding the scale of their clash from the stunned onlookers.
"Hahaha! Yes... this is it!"
The rush was addictive.
Toshiro backed away, his Susanoo preparing for another strike. A second, spectral arm formed behind him, grasping a long chakra blade, still sheathed.
"Try not to die too fast!"
Susanoo's wings unfurled and beat hard, dispelling the steam and debris around him. The red giant towered over Nagato, who now knelt on the head of the Gedo, struggling to breathe.
"Is that all you've got?"
Toshiro frowned, his excitement fading.
He didn't even bother drawing the sword.
"If that's your limit... then there's no point in keeping you alive."
He had expected more. This wasn't the thrilling, blood-pounding fight he'd hoped for. He scoffed internally.
I went all out for this?
Nearby, White Zetsu's voice broke through.
"Nagato, I can't hold on much longer..."
Even with his support, Nagato's frail body was nearing its limit. The Gedo drained him at an alarming rate.
Zetsu had hoped they could retreat, but Nagato—ever stubborn, still driven by his desire to save Konan—refused to back down.
"I know..."
Nagato wiped the blood from his nose and forced himself up again, willing more chakra into his trembling limbs.
"Ugh... ahh..."
As he strained once more, blood poured from his nose again. He bit down so hard, one of his teeth cracked. His body thinned rapidly, hollowed out by the effort.
Then came the roar.
The golem's mouth opened, and a massive chakra dragon—shimmering in a faint purple hue—erupted from within.
"Well, well... now we're talking."
Toshiro's grin widened at the sight of the chakra dragon coiling around the golem.
Behind him, the wooden dragon—no longer restraining Konan and Yahiko—slithered back, winding around Susanoo like a serpent preparing to strike.
"Go to hell!"
Without hesitation, Toshiro commanded Susanoo to unsheathe its sword. A surge of sword energy howled through the air as it slashed toward Nagato.
Nagato, desperate, directed the chakra dragon to intercept.
BOOM!
The world exploded.
Chakra and force collided. The mountain beneath them quaked. Stones were flung into the sky like shrapnel.
As the Susanoo, the Gedo, the wooden dragon, and the chakra dragon crashed together in a cataclysmic explosion, the very peak of the mountain began to crumble, overwhelmed by the sheer destructive force.
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