Amidst the roaring sound of the sky collapsing, the Thousand-Handed Buddha's fists fell mercilessly.
Beneath the collapsing ruins, Shisui slowly closed his eyes. Deep inside, he still had greater power he could unleash — his Bankai, Hollowfication, and more.
But facing Nagato now, whose heart burned with unwavering conviction and resolve, Shisui chose to give up resisting, letting the storm of blows fall upon him.
Once upon a time, he had been just like Nagato.
Back then, he was full of spirit — the Uchiha clan's greatest prodigy, a top-tier powerhouse. The name "Shisui of the Body Flicker" struck fear on the battlefield, rivaling the "Yellow Flash" Namikaze Minato.
He had carried both his clan's and the village's hopes, hailed as Fugaku's successor, a pillar of Konoha, dedicated to making the Uchiha and the village coexist in harmony.
But reality betrayed those dreams.
He lost everything — even himself.
And in Nagato, he saw something different — that unshakable belief, that resilient will forged from trust. It was as if he'd been taken back to a certain day years ago…
"You've truly won, Nagato."
...
The fierce battle had reduced the land to barren wasteland. The clash between the Thousand-Armed Great Buddha and the Perfect Susanoo had reshaped the terrain entirely.
Fortunately, Amegakure's core infrastructure had been protected by the barrier. Once all Akatsuki members had retreated, the Allied Shinobi Forces entered the village to inspect the situation.
When the Ame-nin learned Akatsuki had been defeated, the cries of "God" that had once echoed through the streets faded into silence. Even the Fourth Raikage, who had been eager to wipe out Amegakure entirely, was forced to reconsider.
Still, to prevent Akatsuki from rising again, the Fourth Raikage proposed stationing Allied shinobi inside Amegakure — a suggestion both Fugaku and Rasa agreed to.
Yoru voiced no objection either, only noting that Amegakure was an independent village and should retain basic rights. But given its unique circumstances, the Fourth Mizukage, Yuki Yoru, assigned one of his jōnin to temporarily serve as Ame's leader and restore order.
That jōnin was none other than — Kisame Hoshigaki.
At first, the Ame-nin didn't take him seriously. Some even attempted silent protests through assassination attempts and traps.
But Kisame, who came from the era of the Bloody Mist, had found his love in the era of the Fourth Mizukage and had gradually settled down, but this didn't mean he had lost the skills he once possessed.
Arriving in Amegakure was like a shark scenting blood in the water.
Within just a few days, his ruthless methods had completely cowed the entire village. Then, adding in the spiritual power training method he'd brought, wielding both the stick and the carrot, he took control of Ame with ease.
This made Konoha, Sunagakure, and Kumogakure feel a little awkward — originally they'd hoped to grab some benefits for themselves. After all, Ame was the sixth-strongest shinobi nation after the Five Great Nations. If they could seize even part of it, it would be a great advantage.
Fugaku, Rasa, and A had considered making a case for this — after all, the campaign against Akatsuki had been large-scale, costly, and bloody. Merely defeating Akatsuki hardly compensated for their losses.
But before they could discuss it, urgent news arrived from Konoha.
The Uchiha clan had been attacked. Their compound was drenched in blood. Nearly a thousand people — including Elder Uchiha Setsuna— were slaughtered. Every Sharingan stolen. The eldest son, Uchiha Itachi, had his left eye gouged out and lay unconscious.
The news hit Fugaku like a thunderbolt — he nearly collapsed.
"What the hell is this?! What was the Police Force doing? What was ANBU doing?!"
"Our compound's been slaughtered, and Itachi's eye was taken — you, you…!"
Rage boiled in his chest until he nearly spat blood.
The Uchiha were the Hokage's clan, yet only they were targeted — no other clan, no other district was touched. The barrier hadn't been triggered, the Police Force and ANBU hadn't reacted at all. Fugaku could not believe this.
With this happening, Fugaku had no mind for political wrangling. The only thing that mattered was returning immediately to assess the damage and check on Itachi's condition.
Itachi — the son he'd been grooming as his successor, even as the future Sixth Hokage, carrying all his hopes.
"My apologies, everyone. I have urgent matters to attend to. Konoha agrees with the Mizukage's proposal on all points."
After speaking, Fugaku only gave Yoru a brief nod before hurrying from the meeting hall — and then, without pause, leading his forces out of Amegakure.
His abrupt exit left the others curious, but news of the Uchiha massacre was quickly sealed. Even if spies in Konoha or internal enemies wanted to leak it to undermine Hokage Fugaku, that would take time.
Fugaku rushed back to Konoha.
Although there was no benefit to be gained, removing Akatsuki was still a victory. Rasa and A were satisfied enough — Rasa had been under Obito's genjutsu control and was a Jinchūriki himself, making him a prime Akatsuki target. A, meanwhile, had Nii Yugito and Killer B to protect — defeating Akatsuki safeguarded them.
After exchanging farewells, the Fourth Raikage and Rasa departed as well.
Standing on the steel tower that once symbolized the life of a god, Yuki Yoru looked at Nagato, who was behind him, and smiled, "From now on, this village and this country will no longer have a god."
From the shadows, Nagato, who had just finished a great battle with Shisui, revealed himself. He looked at Amegakure under the now clear sky and smiled noncommittally.
He also understood the current situation. Although Yomizu Minazuki had used his hegemonic power to take control of Amegakure, and even their Akatsuki members could still live here in the future, the Akatsuki organization, and him, their former kami, could never appear in this village again.
After a few moments of small talk, Yoru suddenly asked:
"So… what will you do next?"
Nagato was taken aback, then answered, "…Since I've joined your ranks, naturally I'll follow your orders."
"I want your real answer."
"… …"
Nagato fell silent. His gaze drifted back to Amegakure under the warm sunlight. The village looked almost beautiful.
He saw villagers and shinobi opening their doors, pulling back rain tarps, stretching their limbs in the light. He saw children and youths — many of whom had never seen sunlight — laughing and running across dry ground.
"This village doesn't need Akatsuki. It doesn't need a god. But this world does."
Nagato spoke slowly: "I'll lead Akatsuki out of Ame. From this day forward, Akatsuki will no longer be a mercenary group, but an absolutely neutral peace organization."
"From now on, every action Akatsuki takes will be guided by the principle of peace. We will forcibly intervene against every act of evil in this world, stop every atrocity, and promote the birth of peace and the stability of the world to the greatest extent possible."
"Tsk, tsk… Grand ideals. More realistic than Yahiko's, at least," Yoru said with a wry click of his tongue. "But let me hit you with reality: with Akatsuki's current reputation, what makes you think you can be seen as a force for peace? The moment the Kage hear you survived, they'll rally elites to hunt you down."
"And you?"
Nagato stared intently at Yoru. "Remember back at the tavern? You said that if Akatsuki had power surpassing the Five Great Nations — enough to make the world afraid to start wars — then peace would come. Because the Warring States Period ended that way."
"With overwhelming might, you could bring decades of peace and stability… Back then, we were weak. We admired your vision, but could only dream. Now, it's different."
"In strength, you've surpassed even Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama. In influence, Kirigakure's might is unmatched, and Konoha, Suna, and Kumo follow your lead."
"If you're preparing to fight the people from the heavens, why not first unify the shinobi world? As king, rally all shinobi to strike the heavens together!"
Unless… it was truly as the rumors claimed—that you sought to harvest souls amidst the chaos?
But that didn't make sense either. Wouldn't the conquest of Kirigakure yield far more souls?
Seeing Nagato's confusion, Yoru sighed softly.
"To say such things means you've truly abandoned your old rigid thinking." He didn't answer directly, instead gazing at the sunny Ame. "Nagato, how do you think your power — or Akatsuki's — measures against the shinobi world?"
"Enough to suppress everyone but Kirigakure." Nagato spoke with confidence. This wasn't boasting; after the recent battle, he had gauged the world's strength. Without Kiri or the Shinigami, Akatsuki could dominate easily.
"Yes, with the current Akatsuki, you can easily suppress the entire shinobi world. But do you know how the Akatsuki compares to those outsiders from the heavens, like Jigen?" Yuki Yoru sighed lightly: "I don't know if Jigen has told you how strong he is, but Hiruko, who could easily kill Fugaku, A, and Rasa, is nothing more than an ant to them."
"A shinobi world of this level, how long will it take to grow to a point where it can contend with outsiders from the heavens? If we follow a step-by-step development, even if I use absolute military force to force them into submission, what comes after that?"
"The Akatsuki organization was driven out. Their first reaction upon seeing Amegakure was to divide it up. So, even if I establish a unified empire, will they follow my will?"
"They won't."
Yuki Yoru shook his head, his tone calm: "Politicians are all scheming and dirty. As long as I don't reveal my ambitions, as long as they still hold power and influence, even if they submit to me on the surface, in their hearts they'll still see me as a terrifying threat, a Sword of Damocles hanging over their heads, always harboring thoughts of overthrowing me and taking my place."
"But these very thoughts are more beneficial than harmful to the shinobi world at this stage. Because only under pressure can there be progress, only with threats can there be growth."
"Chicks sheltered under wings can never soar high, but buds tempered in storms can grow into towering trees!"
"You... you..."
Nagato stared blankly at Yuki Yoru, mumbling, "You're breeding parasites!"
"The shinobi world is a breeding ground, isn't it? The centuries of war and chaos bred two 'parasite kings,' Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, and thus, the Warring States Period ended. All I'm doing is speeding up and increasing the pressure and pace of this breeding ground. What's wrong with that?"
"This is also the reason why I have let you go time and time again. Of course, the same goes for that guy Obito."
"Yuki Yoru..." Nagato looked at Yuki Yoru. with a complex expression. For a moment, he didn't know what to say. After a long silence, he said, "I hope you don't mess up. That Obito, who is disguised as Madara, has already started a terrifying plan. If he succeeds, you'll be in big trouble."
"The Chimera Technique?"
"No, it's Jigen!"
...
"Is there still no news from Nagato?"
In a secret base in the Land of Grass, Obito looked at Black Zetsu, who had just emerged from the ground, and said in a deep voice, "You should know the importance of the Rinnegan. Without those eyes, the Eye of the Moon Plan cannot be activated."
"There's a special power on Nagato's body that's suppressing my power, so I can't directly teleport him here." Black Zetsu slowly said, "But one thing is for sure, Nagato is not dead, and the Rinnegan is not damaged. It's likely that Yuki Yoru wants to do some research."
Suddenly, Black Zetsu noticed the complex bloody look in Obito's right eye, and was extremely surprised: "The Mangekyō Sharingan? Where did you find it?"
"This time, I wanted to replenish the Sharingan in my possession. I controlled Itachi Uchiha to slaughter a large part of the Uchiha clan. I didn't expect him to be so stimulated that he directly awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan."
While speaking, Obito walked up to a tall wall.
This wall, upon closer inspection, was full of dark boxes for storing the Sharingan. Each box contained one Sharingan, and they were stacked, covering an entire wall.
This was once Madara Uchiha's collection. As the former Uchiha clan leader, he took all the Sharingan that the Uchiha clan had collected over the years with him when he left Konoha. However, with his research on the Sharingan and the continuous consumption of various dōjutsu, this wall of Sharingan was used up over the past few decades.
But this time, Obito's trip to Konoha had replenished this wall once again!