Brother, who had been knocked underwater, suddenly felt a unique chakra spreading from above and in front of him.
When he stepped back onto the surface, he saw Uchiha Hikaru's current state clearly through the Rinnegan.
Hikaru's entire body was wrapped in a giant burning with dark red flames—like a demon rising from the depths of the underworld. Even Nagato felt his heart tremble.
Things had already reached this point.
A few kilometers outside the Valley of the End, inside a tree hollow disguised by Konan's paper, determination flashed through Nagato's eyes.
"With Susanoo at this level… I'll have to use Chibaku Tensei ahead of schedule."
"If the Flame Giant fully forms—once those legs appear—even Chibaku Tensei might not be enough."
"We can only defeat him before the technique completes!"
Konan stiffened when she heard him.
After Obito had taken advantage of Nagato's carelessness and stolen one of his Rinnegan, she insisted on remaining close. The Tendo Pain fighting Hikaru was only a paper clone.
But could Nagato still use Chibaku Tensei the same way with only one Rinnegan…?
Rinnegan abilities couldn't be simplified to something like "1+1=2."
From what she had seen, the Six Paths abilities still functioned normally, and Nagato showed no visible decline. But Chibaku Tensei wasn't comparable to smaller ninjutsu…
Under Konan's anxious gaze, Nagato pressed his hands together. His muscles tensed, and the remaining Rinnegan emitted a deep purple flash.
The space around him seemed to freeze for an instant.
A moment later, he spread his hands. In his right palm floated a dark, lightless chakra sphere, which he hurled upward.
The sphere shot into the sky faster than the eye could track, appearing above the lake within a heartbeat.
Uchiha Hikaru immediately felt a massive chakra presence above him and looked up.
As expected—only the Rinnegan's Chibaku Tensei could give off such pressure.
"Boom… boom… boom…"
The lake thrashed wildly beneath him. The ground groaned, threatening to split apart at any moment.
The Akatsuki members watching from the shoreline stumbled as the earth shook beneath their feet.
"Hey—HEY! Don't tell me it's an earthquake?!" Deidara yelled.
"Sister! Nan! Hurry and release us! I'll take you to safety with C2! See? Now you understand how valuable I am to the team!"
His eyes practically sparkled (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵).
Konan instantly released the paper bonds restraining them.
"This is the leader's technique—not an earthquake! That black point in the sky will absorb everything around it!"
"And DON'T fly! If you fly you'll just get sucked in faster! If you want to live, follow me!"
Konan and Saya were already sprinting away.
Deidara and the rest turned pale as realization hit them. The "earthquake"… was just Nagato.
So when the leader said he was going easy on them when he recruited them… he actually meant it?!
They exploded into full-speed sprints, chakra pouring from their soles as they fled.
The moment they escaped the area, the ground behind them split open. Huge chunks of earth and whole trees tore upward toward the black sphere.
Uchiha Hikaru watched the Chibaku Tensei forming in the sky.
He didn't plan to destroy it before it matured.
He wanted to resist it head-on.
Because next time he faced Uchiha Madara, it would be either Prime Madara… or Six Paths Madara. If he couldn't endure this, then he had no business standing before Madara at all.
Besides, his Rinnegan was nearly awakened anyway.
Thinking this, the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan surged with even greater power. Hikaru poured all his chakra and Sage Chakra into Susanoo without restraint.
He didn't care how much it consumed.
If there was too much normal chakra, he'd add Sage Chakra. If Sage Chakra overflowed, he'd add more normal chakra. With the dragon veins he had swallowed, he had chakra reserves rivalling Hashirama—maybe even surpassing him.
Seconds passed. The Akatsuki members fled several kilometers before stopping. Seeing the region behind them completely torn apart, they shuddered and looked back at the giant sphere in the sky.
Juzo Biwa stared up, pupils shrinking, sweat dripping beneath his bandages.
"You kidding me…? I thought the leader calling himself a god was just chuunibyou…"
"But this… is this something a human can do…?"
"What a monster…"
The others were speechless, utterly shaken.
The sphere continued expanding.
Even Nagato could barely hold on now.
The missing Rinnegan hadn't affected his basic abilities, but the cost of Chibaku Tensei was far beyond that.
Still, he endured.
When the sphere reached a diameter of 400 meters, Nagato's body finally trembled.
He couldn't go any further.
Worse—Uchiha Hikaru hadn't been sealed.
"This guy… he's actually resisting Chibaku Tensei with his Susanoo?!"
"In that case… I'll use it differently."
"How will you deal with a 400-meter Chibaku Tensei, huh?!"
Konan's expression changed instantly.
"Nagato! If that falls, the shockwave will reach even us! What if there are villagers nearby?! Innocent people—!"
She froze mid-sentence.
Nagato's hands had fallen to his sides.
He had released the jutsu.
"…I'm sorry, Konan. I've reached my limit. I didn't want to do this. But I have no choice."
His eyes hardened.
"If civilians die… then they will become the cornerstone of the future Ninja World Association. Their sacrifice… will not be meaningless."
Konan fell silent, her heart sinking. She looked toward the battlefield with one last desperate prayer.
Hikaru… please don't die. And if possible… please reduce the damage…
At that moment, Uchiha Hikaru felt it.
A surge of emotion directed at him—love, fear, longing, faith.
Standing atop his complete Susanoo, he turned southwest.
Using his Eternal Mangekyō, he instantly saw through the paper disguise.
Konan… and beside her—Saya.
Warmth flickered in Hikaru's eyes (〃´ー｀〃).
He felt Saya's emotions too—fear, devotion, affection… all intertwined.
He looked up at the enormous Chibaku Tensei now beginning to drop.
Wind screamed past Susanoo's armor. The demonic flames writhed violently. Waves exploded beneath him.
Hikaru rotated his wrist.
The seal on his arm flared—Sword extending into a long, slender Miao-dao. He gripped it with both hands.
"Sword… ready?"
"Tch. When have I not been ready? In the old days, a rock this small wouldn't even warm me up. I'd chop it apart for fun~"
Sword's smug voice made Hikaru's lips twitch upward.
His eyes sharpened, cold and predatory like a hawk's.
"In that case… we cut it in a single strike."
"…And it better shatter. If my stone statue gets smashed, I'm definitely getting scolded."
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Bonus Chapter at 150 Power Stone
Second Bonus Chapter - 300 Power Stones
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