"I'm running low on chakra in my Wood Clone, Konan. I can't keep controlling the Six Paths of Pain."
High in the sky, Tendo Pain looked down on the battlefield below and spoke calmly to Konan, blatantly lying: "My real body's battle isn't going to end any time soon. Take Yahiko's body and wait for the signal to reconnect Tendo Pain to the main body."
"All right."
Having no suspicion at all, Konan used her Dance of the Shikigami to wrap Tendo Pain in countless sheets of paper and flew away from Amegakure with him.
After a day and night of fighting, only Konan remained nearby. All the other members of the Akatsuki had left. Even Kisame Hoshigaki, known as the "tailless Tailed Beast," couldn't keep up for a full day and night.
And with the puppet army's Lightning Release Chakra Mode and Flying Thunder God, both of which counter Kisame's Water Style and chakra absorption, the living combatants were at a major disadvantage on this field teeming with puppet puppets and Edo-Tensei undead.
Killing a puppet meant little to the "Ōtsutsuki Toneri"-like foe—he'd just lose some materials, and corpses could be harvested from the Five Great Nations' graveyards at any time.
On the other hand, if the Akatsuki got hurt or died, they'd lose everything. Since puppet bodies lack blood, and the puppet army's Lightning Release Mode counters Deidara's explosive clay, not even Hidan and Deidara—self-proclaimed "suicide bombers"—were willing to go all out. It goes without saying for the rest.
Nagato hadn't minded their departure—he'd even tacitly approved it. It was too much to expect the living to devote themselves wholly to a war of the dead. Helping him eliminate a portion of the puppet army was enough.
Over this day and night of the final battle, the puppet army's initial advantage had turned into a disadvantage.
Half of the Nine-Tails' chakra is indeed stronger than the full Eight-Tails', but it isn't truly infinite. Meanwhile, the Edo-Tensei dead not only possess inexhaustible chakra but are immortal. If you can't seal them during the few seconds their bodies are regenerating under Edo Tensei, then all your previous attacks are wasted chakra.
Initially, both Izayoi's and Nagato's Wood Clones were too busy to coordinate every last puppet and Edo corpse. But with more of them destroyed on each side, the number of puppets/undead each Wood Clone had to manage decreased, and from that moment on, both sides fought much more cohesively.
Any severely damaged puppet was teleported out via Flying Thunder God or Tenson no Jutsu, preventing an Edo-Tensei corpse from smashing it to dust. Conversely, if an Edo corpse's body got blown up, the other undead prevented the puppets from sealing it.
As a result, only the puppet army incurred losses. The momentum shifted from advantage to disadvantage. Since they couldn't quickly seal the Edo undead, they couldn't get the "entries" from defeating them. Izayoi's points total hadn't risen in quite some time.
Yet things weren't rosy on Nagato's side either. If Nagato's Wood Clones hadn't needed so little chakra to manage the Edo Tensei army, they'd have run out of chakra ages ago.
As for the Wood Clone handling the Six Paths of Pain, it had already reached its limit. So the Six Paths and the rest of the Akatsuki had fully withdrawn. Without a new source of chakra, eventually Nagato's Wood Clones would all disintegrate, and Edo Tensei's undead would lose the advantage of advanced tactics from a super-Kage-level operator.
If Nagato let them roam without restoring their consciousness, they'd become mindless corpses fighting on instinct. The puppet army—though depleted—would regain the advantage.
"Forgive me, Konan…"
Gazing after Konan's departure, Nagato's Wood Clone, controlling Tendo Pain, performed a Summoning Technique to leave behind a simple will, then cut off Tendo Pain's signal to the real body. Quietly, he said, "I'm afraid I won't be able to fulfill Yahiko's dream. I hope you won't throw your life away—please live on for me and Yahiko's sake."
"Leader, we haven't lost yet."
Just as Nagato's Wood Clone was about to reabsorb his other clones to replenish chakra and head off with his main body in a final, dignified stand, a hoarse voice reached his ears.
Black Zetsu emerged halfway out of the ground, speaking to Nagato. "You've still got a trump card."
"You haven't left?" Nagato was slightly surprised. He'd assumed Black Zetsu had fled along with Obito. Weren't they supposed to be allies?
"We have one last card to play." Black Zetsu produced a scroll, saying to Nagato: "With Edo Tensei, you can still turn things around."
Nagato didn't look overjoyed, just gave a meaningful smile. "If you had such a trump card, why not reveal it sooner?"
"Because Obito wouldn't allow it," Black Zetsu replied. "He said that if you got your hands on this, you might not need him anymore."
Nagato fell silent, suspecting something. It seemed Obito and Black Zetsu weren't on the same page. That might explain why Tobi sided so willingly with him (Nagato). This scroll's contents presumably belonged to some secret "mastermind."
"I want to see it," Nagato said. "Open it."
"Alright." Black Zetsu opened the scroll and summoned its contents with a whoosh of smoke. A corpse, restored via Hashirama Cells, White Zetsu Cells, and the Gedo Statue—rejuvenated from the emaciated old figure at his death—appeared.
Seeing that corpse, Nagato felt a tremor in his heart. "Uchiha… Madara."
"The First Hokage's soul is sealed away by the Shinigami, but the Ninja World Shura's body is still ours," Black Zetsu said. "With a White Zetsu clone as the sacrifice, Madara's strength will be nearly identical to his prime. With your power, you can definitely control him! Another super-tier fighter will turn the tide."
"So it's just Edo Tensei, is it?" Nagato eyed Black Zetsu with faint amusement. "Not the Rinne Tensei?"
White Zetsu's face went blank. Black Zetsu, too, froze momentarily, then gave a sly smile. "We had no choice. You changed far beyond our expectations, so we had to adopt this second-best plan."
A second later, Nagato's expression stiffened. Black Zetsu withdrew from White Zetsu's body and latched onto Nagato.
While controlling him to form seals, Black Zetsu sighed, "We'd only intended to help you regain your prime for resisting Ōtsutsuki Toneri. We never expected you to excel this much—like a completely different person. It's no wonder you were the candidate Lord Madara carefully chose: a genius who awakened both Uzumaki and Senju bloodlines, perfect for hosting the Rinnegan!"
A White Zetsu clone appeared beside them from the ground. Both Black Zetsu and Nagato's Wood Clone exclaimed, "Ninja Art—Edo Tensei!"
As the tadpole-like runes spread, harsh screams rose all around. Soon, an immense chakra flared in the underground hideout's darkness. A bold, regal voice echoed with faint admiration:
"So the day has finally come. Looks like that brat Nagato has grown."
A tall man wearing a black bodysuit and layered crimson armor over it, long black hair flowing, and cracks on his skin from Edo Tensei emerged from the summoning. Black Zetsu and White Zetsu smiled, "Lord Madara—welcome back!"
"Well done, Black Zetsu, White Zetsu, Nagato… Huh?"
Madara had just begun offering praise when he noticed the pale white glow enveloping his body—he had no sensation or control. Scowling, he muttered, "This is Edo Tensei, not the Rinne Tensei?"
"Sorry, Lord Madara. The plan hit some snags, so we had to resurrect you this way." Black Zetsu apologized half-heartedly.
Madara said nothing, quickly forming seals and pressing his hands to the ground. In the next moment, the white light on his body vanished. Nagato's main body instantly lost control of the Edo Tensei.
"What's going on?" Madara asked, his Edo Tensei control override in place.
Black Zetsu slipped off Nagato's Wood Clone and latched onto Madara instead. Immediately, waves of images and intel flooded Madara's mind.
"The moon-dweller… Ōtsutsuki Toneri… Tenseigan… Gedo Statue retrieval… Izayoi…"
Madara digested it quickly, a faintly intrigued grin emerging. "Interesting! So the ninja world hid such secrets. No wonder you revived me this way. Well done."
"This era is more spectacular than the one you and Hashirama knew," White Zetsu teased.
"Hmph, not by much." Madara folded his arms. "Yes, they're young and strong, but their Mokuton and dōjutsu aren't as refined as Hashirama's or mine."
Meteors and Chibaku Tensei? Or Wood Golem Jutsu? Madara considered them no big deal. Comparing them to Hashirama's Sage Art: Wood Release—True Several Thousand Hands overshadowed the "Arhat Golem" as a mere ornament.
Likewise, once resurrected for real and reconnected to his Rinnegan, Madara could command the Gedo Statue absolutely and unlock Rinnegan's exclusive ability—Limbo: Border Jail. The Tenseigan's known feats thus far didn't impress him.
"So the Rinnegan really is yours," came Nagato's voice.
At once, Nagato regained control of his own body, showing neither panic nor alarm. Madara glanced at him approvingly. "So you managed to last this long against those two little brats. Exactly the man I chose. Now resurrect me properly, Nagato—that's your mission."
"So Obito was your pawn?" Nagato asked.
"Yes, my representative," Madara nodded.
"And your goal is to gather the Nine Tailed Beasts, revive the Gedo Statue, become the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki, use that massive chakra to submerge everyone in a dream—endless illusions?"
Madara seemed a bit surprised Nagato knew so much, then candidly confirmed: "Right. My objective is peace, just like yours, but not through raw force. I'd sever all worldly bonds, so everyone can live in peace eternally."
"Don't you realize this means humanity's extinction?" Nagato retorted.
"They won't be wiped out," Madara said with a confident smile, raising his arms. "As long as I become the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki, I'll be another Sage of Six Paths—unrivaled. I'll let most humans dream away in bliss while leaving a small group outside to reproduce. Then they, too, enter the dream, repeating forever."
"What happens after you die?" Nagato pressed.
"I won't die," Madara said, arms wide in triumph. "Like right now—I'm before you even though I should be long gone."
Nagato fell silent for a long while. "You don't think that's just running away?"
Madara didn't react as Obito once did. Instead, he calmly admitted, "Yes, it is. But in a world mired in endless war, with such low average lifespans and thick darkness, countless people yearn to be escapists. They need a savior—and I will be their savior."
"But you're robbing them of real happiness!" Nagato countered.
"In any war, people are sacrificed. The Eye of the Moon plan is no different," Madara said resolutely. "I'll deprive a minority of their real-world happiness so that the entire ninja world can dwell in eternal happiness, severing the cause-and-effect of conflict—no more poor means war, no more winners means losers, no more health means sickness. Worth it, wouldn't you say?"
Seeing Madara's earnestness—purely focused like Yahiko—Nagato was momentarily lost for words. "That isn't what Yahiko and I wanted."
Madara shrugged. "That's precisely what I admire about you, Nagato—you're rather like Hashirama. But look at our current ninja world: it's the fruit of your method and Hashirama's, and here we are. Why not help me craft a different peace?"
"I promise if that peace cannot be realized, I'll release everyone."
He extended a hand. "Sever the chains of fate with me, Nagato."
Nagato's gaze flickered but soon became steady. He shook his head: "No. It's not the peace Yahiko and I wanted. But I'll resurrect you and return the Rinnegan. I'll be a bystander, witnessing your method of peace."
Madara's eyes gleamed firmly. "This world will be better than it is now—I guarantee it."
Black Zetsu, standing to the side, kept quiet, recalling his thousand-year misery and nearly laughing in excitement.
~~~
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