After experiencing death once, Deidara had quieted down for the moment. At the same time, Kaito's words piqued his curiosity.
Kaito didn't respond. Instead, he suddenly turned his head toward the Second Tsuchikage, Mū, who was currently fighting Ōnoki.
Boom!
Without any warning, Mū's body exploded right in front of Ōnoki. This scene stunned both master and disciple, Ōnoki and Deidara. It wasn't until a while later that Mū's body reformed again, his expression filled with confusion.
"What just happened?"
Deidara stared hard into Kaito's eyes, but no matter how he looked, Kaito's pupils were still plain black.
He had played with explosions his whole life, but he had never seen a technique that could detonate something without any medium at all. It was like this jutsu was born for him.
He no longer cared whether Kaito was Uchiha or not. Acting like an obedient student, he earnestly asked,
"Can you tell me how you did that?"
Kaito gave a mysterious smile and said,
"A mere parlor trick."
The more Kaito downplayed it, the more it made Deidara itch with curiosity. That was exactly the effect Kaito wanted. He spoke calmly,
"You're already a prisoner. Just sit tight in the back."
With that, Kaito had Terumi Mei escort Deidara away. Surprisingly, Deidara behaved himself, letting Mei tie him up and drag him off.
Seeing Deidara so easily captured by the Allied Shinobi Forces, Nagato couldn't sit still any longer. His body lifted into the air as he rushed toward Kaito in the center of the battlefield.
Obito simply watched Nagato fly away, making no attempt to stop him.
In his eyes, Nagato charging in like this was no different from throwing himself to death. But to others, the clash between Nagato and Kaito was a "king vs king" battle—the pivotal showdown that would decide the course of the war.
As he flew, Nagato's arm transformed into a cannon barrel, firing a bright blue laser straight at Kaito.
Kaito didn't even dodge, letting the beam pass through his body. After a violent explosion, he remained standing there unharmed.
The scorched earth around him, however, made it clear to everyone how terrifying Nagato's attack really was.
By now, Nagato had reached Kaito. He wasted no words and immediately used Universal Pull, yet Kaito's body didn't budge an inch. This shook Nagato's very belief.
Unwilling to accept it, he unleashed Almighty Push. This time it had some effect—Kaito's long hair swayed slightly backward.
Nagato completely lost his composure and shouted,
"How is this possible?!"
Kaito brushed back the strands of hair from his forehead and said coolly,
"Finished your performance? Isn't it my turn now?"
As he spoke, his eyes turned scarlet—his Mangekyō Sharingan awakened.
A surge of deep violet chakra erupted from Kaito's body, quickly forming into a giant skeletal warrior.
Nagato instantly felt danger and tried to retreat at full speed. But Kaito raised his hand and pulled him back, the skeletal giant seizing him in its grip.
As the giant tightened its hold, Nagato's body cracked with ominous snapping sounds, pain twisting his features.
...
Suddenly, countless sheets of paper flew in, transforming into sharp spears that stabbed into Susanoo.
But Susanoo was only in its first form, and even so, such attacks couldn't penetrate it. The paper spears did not leave the slightest mark.
Nagato struggled to speak,
"Konan... run!"
The sheets of paper converged, forming Konan's figure. She looked at Nagato in panic and shouted,
"No! I won't abandon you!"
Clap clap clap!
Applause rang out. Kaito smiled at the two of them and said softly,
"So touching. Since you came together, you can stay together."
As soon as his voice fell, Susanoo's other hand shot out, grabbing at Konan.
But Konan's technique was unique. The moment Susanoo's hand closed around her, her body once again dissolved into countless fluttering papers, resembling the elementalization of a Logia-type Devil Fruit.
Kaito raised an eyebrow and was about to use his Dark Water technique, but Nagato couldn't bear to see Konan harmed. His Rinnegan widened as he roared,
"Almighty Push!!!"
Buzz!
Nagato's Almighty Push, unleashed in his rage, carried tremendous force. Susanoo's grip loosened slightly, giving Nagato just enough time to snatch Konan and retreat rapidly backward.
The Allied Shinobi Forces were left dumbfounded. None of them had expected the Rinnegan to look so weak against Kaito.
Sasuke snapped the neck of a White Zetsu, then used Shunshin to appear beside Itachi. He asked,
"Brother, is Susanoo really that strong? Even the Rinnegan can't compete?"
Itachi shook his head. Staring at the towering skeletal giant in the distance, he replied quietly,
"It's not Susanoo that's strong... it's Kaito-sama."
After all, that was only Susanoo's first form. If Susanoo were truly that strong by itself, why would Kaito have needed to hide within Akatsuki all this time?
Nagato himself shared the same doubts. Once he retreated, he turned toward Obito with a grim face and asked,
"How can the Mangekyō Sharingan be so powerful? Do you have any way to deal with that Uchiha Kaito?"
Seeing Nagato suffer such a setback gave Obito a strange sense of pride. He replied evenly,
"I warned you not to underestimate the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan. Do you even realize? That Susanoo you just saw wasn't even using one-tenth of its power."
"What?!"
Nagato's face darkened. If what Obito said was true, then how could this war even continue?
If Uchiha Kaito got serious, wouldn't he just steamroll everything?
Black Zetsu, who had been silently watching Kaito from the sidelines, was also unsettled.
"That guy shouldn't be Indra's reincarnation... so how does he have such power? And what's with that white hair? Isn't every Uchiha supposed to have black hair?"
No matter how hard he thought, he couldn't realize that Kaito had already become a true Ōtsutsuki. That white hair was the mark of it.
While everyone in Akatsuki was lost in their own thoughts, Kabuto seemed the simplest among them. He spoke up,
"So what do we do now? Kaito's strength is overwhelming. Even with Edo Tensei, we won't be able to stall him for long!"
He glanced at Obito as he continued,
"If we don't summon him soon, this war might be over before it even begins!"
Obito knew exactly what Kabuto meant—using Edo Tensei to bring back Madara.
But Obito no longer feared Madara. Instead, he chose to place his faith in Kaito.
Obito slowly nodded and said softly,
"Let him out."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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