◉◉◉◉◉
A lone toad clutched a blade of marsh grass as the ground beneath it tore free and rose skyward.
Inside the toad's belly, Jiraiya sat in meditation, face grim; Fukasaku and Shima watched the heavens with tight concern as a titanic water sphere swelled above the lake.
"What is that jutsu?" Jiraiya whispered.
"Little Jiraiya, enter Sage Mode," Fukasaku urged. "That's likely the sealing art the Sage of Six Paths once used."
Jiraiya's eyes widened. "A technique of the Sage himself? Then that masked man will—"
"—have little chance," Shima finished.
Jiraiya glanced outside, resolve hardening. Orange markings began to creep across his cheeks as he drew in nature energy.
"Wait—Jiraiya, look!"
Vmm!
A lance of golden light ripped from within the water star, cleaving straight through it and the earth beyond.
The world split in a gouge that ran like a scar toward the Land of Wind, a wound so deep it swallowed all light.
The airborne sea shattered. Vast plates of water broke apart and crashed down.
The toad, grass, and all hit the ground hard; everyone inside jolted with the impact.
Through the toad's mouth, Jiraiya saw the newborn abyss drinking the lake dry. The surface fell and fell, a thunderous cataract roaring from its depths like a beast's call from the underworld.
They were not the only witnesses.
High upon Amegakure's central spire, Black Zetsu and Obito watched in silence.
A tremor ran through Black Zetsu. To think that level of power had spun inches from its own face before. One word out of turn and it would have been erased, body and soul.
Obito could only stare. He shot Black Zetsu a sidelong look what kind of ally have I partnered with? And will he wipe me out when he's done?
Black Zetsu felt the glance and offered a thin, awkward smile. Better not speak.
Then an idea bloomed darkly.
With that man's help, Eight-Tails would be easy. Nine-Tails… trivial. Nagato's failing body is useless. Obito's half-ruined as well. Even Madara—
No.
He narrowed his eyes. He could not entrust everything to another. If that man broke his promise to free "Mother," Black Zetsu had no recourse. Therefore…
He leaned close, voice a devil's whisper.
"His strength exceeds anything we imagined. We must strike first."
The words curled into Obito's ear. His eye tightened; decision flashed coldly across his face.
A spiraling vortex swallowed him whole gone from the rooftop.
---
Outside the village.
Zabuza stared at the "Boss's" handiwork, speechless. Signal? Intervention? What intervention? There was nothing left to do but watch.
Above, Pain's Planetary Devastation hung sundered. Disbelief chilled him. His ultimate move was broken.
Below, the new chasm was bottomless even to the Rinnegan's gaze.
Has his power already surpassed mine so completely?
No—one option remained.
He began to summon the Gedo Statue—
—and froze.
"Uchiha Madara… why? Why?! You… how dare you—"
Neji's gaze flicked toward the village spire, toward the inky figure clinging there. Black Zetsu.
The Tenseigan's sight stretched outward, slicing through rock and rain, scouring every shadow.
It found a cavern.
Nagato, gaunt as bones, slumped in a wheelchair, back bristling with black receivers.
Before him stood a masked man with a short blade, Obito, and that blade slid into Nagato's chest.
"Why…?" Nagato rasped, fury burning through the haze. A thousand precautions, and still he failed to bar this door.
The "Madara" before him pierced his heart as if it were nothing.
"You're no longer of use," Obito said coolly. "I'll take things from here.
And those eyes… they're mine."
His fingers reached for Nagato's face—
Shnk! Shnk! Shnk!
Paper shuriken speared through Obito's body and clattered to the floor beyond.
Konan swept in on storm-gray wings, having sensed the Deva Path's disruption. She took in the blade in Nagato's chest and grief flooded her irises blue.
"Die!"
A thousand paper knives screamed toward Obito. He watched her with a dead man's calm.
"Pointless. You can't touch me. Nagato's death is already certain."
Konan didn't listen. She knew the limit of that ghostly intangibility she'd tested it, counted its seconds.
But this had come too suddenly, too sharply no time to prepare the trap.
Nagato's life spilled between his teeth. Konan could only hold the line.
Obito was tired of the game. He shifted, dragging Nagato's body into the attack's path, forcing Konan to break off.
His hands blurred Wood Release erupted, branches lashing toward her. Konan burst apart into a storm of paper.
"Clever," he said flatly.
Fire Style: Great Fireball!
Flame roared out. Paper swarmed to smother it, burning as it fell like ashen snow.
"Ah—!"
A raw cry tore free as Obito took the Rinnegan plucked from bloody sockets.
Konan smothered the last of the flames and saw the ruin of Nagato's eyes. Something in her chest snapped.
She lunged but the vortex had already swallowed Obito, vanishing with the stolen light.
Konan collapsed to Nagato's side.
The Uzumaki vitality kept his heart fluttering in tatters, but only for a moment more.
"I'm… sorry," he breathed, blood wetting his lips. "I couldn't… fulfill it. Forgive me… for leaving you… alone…"
His hand reached for hers and fell.
Nagato's life went still.
From the shadow behind his chair, a figure stepped forward quiet, inevitable.
◉◉◉◉◉
~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
◉◉◉◉◉
For early access to advanced chapters on P-atreon:
P-atreon/iamxeno
(Just remove the - hyphen to access Patreon normally)
Thank you so much for your support and for reading!