The Senju Kannon avatar loomed before Konoha like an otherworldly barrier.
For the first time, Deva Path Pain felt completely helpless. He had run out of tricks and had no strategy left.
His main body had been injured from using Super: Almighty Push.
Although Konan suggested retreat, Nagato refused to give up.
The last scraps of his pride kept him fighting.
Moreover, the Deva Path was Nagato's corpse—he couldn't possibly abandon it.
Suddenly, something occurred to him.
"Obito Uchiha."
Deva Path Pain spoke up. "Now is the time for you to show your true strength."
He knew about the legendary battle between Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, how they were evenly matched.
Obito Uchiha had always been arrogant to begin with.
Previously, thanks to the confidence brought by the Rinnegan, he hadn't taken that arrogance seriously.
But now that his confidence had been shattered, he finally took Obito seriously.
The Wood Release technique displayed by Natsume aligned almost perfectly with the legends of Hashirama Senju.
That meant Madara Uchiha's power could not be underestimated either.
"...?"
Obito gawked in stunned disbelief.
You didn't believe me before but suddenly believe me now?
But would it even matter?
Aren't we just clutching at straws here?
Obito fell silent for a moment before calling out, "Zetsu."
Having fought Natsume repeatedly, he knew he couldn't defeat him alone.
He had no choice but to call on Black Zetsu for aid.
But it was White Zetsu who emerged from the ground.
Standing close to Deva Path Pain, he immediately rendered him unconscious.
"What are you doing?" Kakuzu's expression darkened as he demanded.
"Black Zetsu has gone to assist Nagato," White Zetsu ignored Kakuzu and replied directly to Obito.
Obito hesitated upon hearing that—then quickly caught on.
Their goal was to take control of Nagato.
The reason for knocking out Deva Path Pain was simply so he wouldn't find out.
But they owe this opportunity to Natsume.
Without Natsume exhausting all Six Paths of Pain's abilities, such an opportunity would have been almost impossible.
Their conversation wasn't hidden from Kakuzu or Natsume.
Because they assumed neither would understand what they were saying.
Yet Natsume truly did understand.
Black Zetsu possessed the ability to mentally fuse with others.
In the original story, he used this ability on Obito Uchiha, taking over his body and reviving Madara Uchiha.
At that time, Obito had already been the Jinchuriki of the Ten-Tails, albeit severely injured—still enough to prove Black Zetsu's overwhelming dominance.
Nagato, right now, was even weaker than that.
Even with Konan around, if caught off guard, there was a high chance this plan would have succeeded.
"I'll leave them to you."
Natsume withdrew the Senju Kannon avatar. Using Sage Mode's incredible sensing abilities, he instantly detected Nagato's location.
In a flash, he vanished.
Obito Uchiha didn't even have time to stop him.
Stunned for a moment, he quickly recognized the Flying Thunder God Technique.
It was his teacher Minato Namikaze's signature technique.
A technique famed for its speed and stealth.
Even with Kamui, Obito had suffered at Minato's hands before.
Now that Natsume had access to the Flying Thunder God Technique, he had essentially become untouchable.
"We're leaving."
Obito Uchiha grabbed Kakuzu and immediately activated Kamui, becoming intangible.
Natsume must be going after Nagato.
Obito absolutely cannot allow him to obtain the Rinnegan.
Otherwise, all their efforts would have been in vain.
Right now, Obito was overcome with frustration.
The Akatsuki had spent years laying the groundwork. They originally believed that once they emerged from hiding, capturing the Nine-Tailed Beasts would go smoothly before launching the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
But they hadn't anticipated it collapsing midway.
Such a colossal waste of time.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on that.
If they failed to safeguard the Rinnegan, then even the chance to turn things around would vanish.
Just as he was about to disappear, he noticed the unremarkable woman behind Natsume raise her hand.
Then space froze, and Kamui faded away.
He and Kakuzu were pulled back down to the ground.
"What's going on?"
Kakuzu looked at him, confused.
He knew how Kamui worked.
What exactly was this sudden failure?
Obito didn't answer his question but instead glared sharply at Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.
There were only three people here.
The only one who could possibly interfere with his Kamui was her.
But how?
Just by raising her hand?
Was his Kamui really this weak?
Obito frowned deeply and attacked without hesitation.
[Wood Release: Spiking Roots!]
Countless razor-sharp branches erupted from his right arm, shooting forward like lances aimed directly at Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.
But when they reached her, all the branches immediately crumbled into dust.
Obito felt an unimaginable sense of danger.
He quickly cut off the branches and retreated in a panic.
Kakuzu also sensed something was wrong.
This was a formidable opponent.
But why did she seem so unfamiliar?
"Who are you?"
Obito asked warily beneath his mask.
He could understand Natsume being strong.
But where did this person come from?
Kaguya Ōtsutsuki chose to remain silent.
She recalled Natsume's earlier order.
Should she kill them?
Or capture them?
She considered it briefly—most likely the latter option.
After all, if Natsume truly wanted to kill them, he could've already done so earlier.
Kaguya's silence caused both Obito and Kakuzu's expressions to grow darker.
The two exchanged glances and unleashed their techniques at the same time.
[Lightning Release: False Darkness!]
A mask sprouted from Kakuzu's shoulder.
Oh!
Opening its mouth, it spewed brilliant arcs of lightning.
[Fire Release: Blast Wave Wild Dance!]
Obito's Mangekyō Sharingan pulsed violently.
The space around Kaguya warped and twisted violently.
He arched his head back and spat out a torrent of flames.
The flames fused with Kamui, engulfing the sky in an instant with dancing fire serpents.
A Rinne-Sharingan split open across Kaguya's forehead.
Obito's eyes went wide with shock.
What the hell was that?
The next moment,
a hail of fists rained down on them.
"Ahhhh!"
Obito's entire body was nearly shattered, blood splattering in all directions.
Kakuzu fared far worse—his four hearts detonated one after another, leaving only his original heart remaining.
This was only because Kaguya had held back just slightly.
Nearby, White Zetsu stood paralyzed, shaking uncontrollably.
He felt a long-forgotten fear resurface.
Meanwhile.
Natsume arrived at Nagato's hiding place.
Black Zetsu had already arrived first.
But he hadn't made his move—yet.
"Nice to meet you."
Natsume slowly stepped forward and greeted, "I am Natsume."
"Nagato."
After a moment of silence, Nagato revealed his real name.
Black Zetsu stared intently at him, itching to strike.
But for now, there was nothing he could do.
His abilities only worked best from the shadows.
Right now, things were complicated.
Using their conversation as cover, he silently stepped backward, inching closer to Nagato.
"I remember Jiraiya had three disciples."
Natsume glanced at Konan, then looked toward the bone-thin Nagato, asking, "You must be the one, right?"
"Yes."
Nagato gave a slight nod.
"In that case, we're practically brothers-in-arms."
Natsume let out a soft chuckle. "You've already lost. This is where it ends."
"No, I haven't."
Nagato gritted his teeth.
He still had the power to summon the Outer Path's Demonic Statue.
But given his current physical state, summoning it might cost him half his life.
Just then, Black Zetsu suddenly raised his hand and fired a jet of black energy straight at Nagato.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>