Six figures in black cloaks patterned with red clouds emerged from the swirling black vortex, stepping into the council chamber.
Among them, the masked man with a spiraling pattern—Uchiha Obito—fixed his gaze on the Third Tsuchikage.
"Third Tsuchikage," Obito said, his voice calm but cutting, "it's clear the other villages don't trust you. Why not join forces with Akatsuki again and eliminate the other four Kage together?"
"Hmph." Onoki narrowed his eyes, but a flicker of temptation crossed his face. "Since the other villages doubt Iwagakure, cooperating with Akatsuki isn't out of the question. But tell me—what does my village gain from this alliance?"
Obito's single eye gleamed as he leaned in. "How about unifying the Five Great Nations? Together we can remove them, and Akatsuki will help Iwagakure destroy the other villages, leaving you as the ruler of all five countries."
Onoki's expression lit up with dangerous interest. "A tempting offer indeed."
But before the silence could settle, the Fourth Raikage slammed a fist onto the table, lightning erupting around him like living armor. "So you really intend to side with Akatsuki? Iwagakure cannot be trusted!"
Uchiha Fugaku and the other Kage all turned furious stares toward Onoki.
Onoki chuckled, smugly turning toward Fugaku and the others. "It seems Akatsuki's path suits me best." He lifted both hands toward them.
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World!"
A blinding cube of white light burst forth from his palms, expanding in an instant to engulf several figures. The technique could disassemble anything it touched down to atoms.
But the ones trapped inside the cube weren't Fugaku and the Kage—it was the six members of Akatsuki.
Onoki had struck at them instead.
"Sealing Technique: Absorption Barrier!"
Just before the light consumed them, a transparent barrier materialized around Nagato. The cube of dust release vanished into it, swallowed whole.
"Attack!"
Fugaku roared.
In unison, the leaders unleashed their might. Fugaku's Susanoo struck down with a massive spectral hand. The Raikage charged in, his body cloaked in lightning, unleashing Lightning Release: Lariat. Mei Terumī spat streams of corrosive acid. Rasa's golden sand surged upward in waves. Mifune drew his blade, chakra sharpening its edge as he struck with blinding speed.
Akatsuki's members countered with their own terrifying abilities: bodies scattering like paper, steel-hard skin gleaming black, towering trees erupting from the ground.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The clash of jutsu shook the heavens. The entire chamber, then the fortress around it, crumbled under the shockwaves. Stones the size of houses rained from above.
From the ruins, Fugaku, the other Kage, and Akatsuki's six stood across from one another, locked in a deadly standoff.
Samurai, alerted by the destruction, were already rushing toward the battlefield.
"Old man—you dare make fools of us?!" Obito's voice was low and furious, his mask turning toward Onoki.
Onoki only smirked. "I changed my mind at the last second."
It was all an act. The villages had expected Akatsuki to try and sabotage the summit. If they quarreled too openly, they'd only invite disaster. By feigning disunity, they had baited Akatsuki into revealing themselves.
The tension between the villages was real—but their hatred of Akatsuki was greater. That sliver of truth made the deception convincing enough for Akatsuki to fall for it.
"Pain!" Mei's voice rang sharp with rage. Her green eyes burned as she glared at Nagato. "Give me back the life of the Fourth Mizukage! It was you who struck Kirigakure, stole our Jinchūriki, and killed him!"
Nagato ignored her completely. His Rinnegan locked onto Uchiha Fugaku.
"Uchiha Fugaku. Let's finish this."
BOOM!
A tidal wave of crushing repulsion roared toward Fugaku.
"Complete Susanoo!"
Fugaku's towering, one-hundred-meter Susanoo erupted into existence. Its colossal shield raised high, bracing against the incoming force.
Vwoom!
The shield held—but the shockwave tore across the battlefield like a typhoon, flattening houses and uprooting trees.
Even the other Kage and Akatsuki members staggered back, barely avoiding the backlash.
"Just the aftershock… it's this powerful?" one of the Kage muttered.
"So this is the strength of monsters beyond Kage level…"
None could deny it now—both Fugaku and Nagato stood at a level beyond them.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The remaining Akatsuki members charged at the Kage and Mifune, while the Kage themselves surged forward to meet them. The battlefield split into chaos.
"Susanoo's Sword!"
Fugaku swung. From the giant blade of his Susanoo, a black slash carved across the air, tearing forward like it could split the world itself.
Nagato soared higher, narrowly dodging, as the slash ripped through the Iron Fortress below, cleaving it in two.
"Uchiha Fugaku!" Nagato's voice was ice. This time, there would be no restraints. With the Three-Tails no longer holding him back, he would fight at full power.
"Let's end this today."
"Shuradō: Asura Strike!"
With a mechanical grind, a massive arm sprouted from his shoulder, unfolding into a cannon. Blue light pulsed within.
Shhhhk!
A colossal beam of blue energy fired, aimed straight at Fugaku's brow within Susanoo.
Even inside his towering armor, Fugaku felt his heart seize. The beam's piercing force was something even Susanoo's defense might not endure.
Almost instinctively, he raised the giant shield.
BOOM!
The blast slammed into it. Deep cracks caved into the shield's surface—it nearly broke through. The shield's reflective ability was useless against such raw penetrative power.
"So strong… its piercing power is terrifying!" Fugaku's eyes narrowed.
If he hadn't blocked in time, even Susanoo's armor would have been pierced, and he—despite his so-called immortality—would have been obliterated to vapor.
Shhhhk!
He countered at once, his Susanoo's sword unleashing another massive black slash.
"Sealing Technique: Absorption Barrier!"
Nagato spread his hands. A barrier shimmered, devouring the black blade's energy into nothing.
Then his shoulder cannon roared again, another blue beam screaming toward Fugaku.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Each strike battered Susanoo's shield further, gouging deep dents across its surface. Fugaku's counterattacks were swallowed again and again.
Finally—
CRASH!
The colossal shield shattered, dissolving into fragments of black light.
Nagato's mouth curled into a cold smile.
Without the shield, Susanoo's armor alone would not withstand his Asura Cannon.
Shhhhk!
Another blinding beam of blue light erupted from the cannon, locking directly onto Fugaku within Susanoo.