Konan and the Six Paths of Pain made their way toward Turtle Island.
During their journey, Konan guided Nagato to relocate positions.
Because the scale of the upcoming battle was uncertain, the closer Nagato—the true body—was to the Six Paths, the greater their combat strength would be.
Konan voiced her concern: "Nagato... I just feel like something is off about Madara and Zetsu."
Nagato comforted her: "Don't worry. I'll be right here."
After hearing Nagato's words, Konan felt slightly reassured.
Yet at that very moment, Nagato himself was overcome with an unusual sense of unease. He too sensed something wrong with Setsuna Uchiha and Zetsu, as if something was bound to go horribly wrong this time.
But there was no turning back now.
The Allied Shinobi Forces were actively hunting them down, and Akatsuki had only a handful of usable members left.
Currently, the locations of Naruto, Kushina Uzumaki, and B had already been confirmed. If this chance slipped away, another might never come again.
Still... Nagato couldn't shake a dark foreboding—that once they left, they might never return.
"Konan..."
Konan turned to face Nagato: "What is it?"
"If... Never mind. Let's go."
In the end, Nagato didn't say what he truly wanted to say.
After several days of travel, Konan and Nagato had arrived near Turtle Island.
Konan had already positioned Nagato securely.
Konan said to Nagato: "Then Nagato, I'm heading out with the Paths now."
Nagato gave her a long look: "Alright. Be careful in battle. Don't get hurt."
Konan softly murmured "Okay," then departed alongside the Six Paths of Pain.
On Turtle Island,
B was training because Raikage A had told him he could join the fight at any moment, so he needed to stay in top condition and be ready for battle at all times.
Suddenly, B stopped mid-motion and turned sharply behind him.
"Yo! Idiot! Bastard! Akatsuki detected!"
B yanked out a signal flare and fired it into the air, then poured chakra into his blade through Lightning Release, generating high-frequency vibrations to amplify his weapon's destructive force as he lunged headfirst at the Six Paths of Pain and Konan.
Deva Path used Shinra Tensei to send B flying.
Immediately after, Asura Path launched missiles at B.
As the smoke from the explosion cleared, crimson tailed beast chakra surged around B's body—he had tapped into the Eight-Tails' power within him.
At the same time, all the ninja guarding Turtle Island gathered together.
Konan, Human Path, and Animal Path moved to intercept the supporting shinobi.
Deva Path stretched his hand toward B.
[Universal Pull]!
B was irresistibly pulled forward by an overwhelming suction force.
The Preta Path seized the chance, rushing toward B and placing both hands on his body, attempting to absorb his chakra.
However, B grinned excitedly. "Fool! Moron! You actually fell for it!"
Everyone already knew about the Six Paths of Pain abilities. The Preta Path could absorb chakra, a trait B naturally understood. He had intentionally allowed the Preta Path to close in.
As the Preta Path absorbed B's chakra, Gyuki inside him suddenly surged with chakra output, flooding B's body faster than the Preta Path could take it in.
[Lightning Oppression Horizontal!]
Fully charged with Lightning Release chakra, B launched himself like a bolt of lightning into the Preta Path.
The Preta Path's chest and internal organs were blown away, leaving it lifeless on the ground.
Still, B had no upper hand. Knowing the Six Paths' weakness wasn't enough—he needed the perfect opening.
The Deva Path and Asura Path unleashed a crushing assault on him, hammering B so hard he barely had time to breathe, let alone fight back.
Even after entering half-tailed beast transformation, cloaked in dark crimson chakra and firing Tailed Beast Balls, he still couldn't gain the upper hand.
Meanwhile, the other ninja were overwhelmed by Konan and the remaining Paths.
Just as Nagato fully focused on the battle, Setsuna Uchiha and Zetsu made their move.
Far from Nagato's hidden location, Setsuna Uchiha drew the ninja sword at his waist and slashed through the air, tearing open a spatial rift.
"Then let's begin!"
Setsuna Uchiha and Zetsu stepped into the spatial rift.
At Nagato's hideout, another spatial rift appeared, and from it emerged Setsuna Uchiha and Zetsu.
Nagato's expression turned grave as he stared at them. "Why are you here? Shouldn't you two have gone to Mount Myoboku?"
In an instant, Setsuna Uchiha teleported behind Nagato and placed his hand firmly on Nagato's withered back.
[Wood Release: Stocks!]
Sharp wooden spikes erupted from within Nagato's body, impaling and pinning him in place.
Spiting blood, Nagato said in disbelief, "What… are you doing?"
Black Zetsu peeled away from Zetsu's body, gradually spreading over Nagato.
Black Zetsu cackled ominously. "What are we doing? Following the plan, of course—but not *your* plan, ours!"
Setsuna Uchiha glared coldly at Nagato and said, "The Rinnegan is the ultimate evolution of the Mangekyo Sharingan. Without Uchiha blood, did you really think your Rinnegan was yours to begin with? That's right—your Rinnegan never belonged to you. It was Lord Madara's—and he implanted it in you himself!"
"Long ago, Nagato suspected that Setsuna Uchiha wasn't Madara Uchiha. But when he heard that his Rinnegan had been deliberately transplanted, his eyes widened slightly. "What did you say?"
Setsuna Uchiha grinned with fanatical intensity. "You should feel honored because you carry the bloodline of the Uzumaki Clan and possess a strong life force capable of enduring the Rinnegan's power. You were chosen by Great Lord Madara himself."
"The idea of achieving peace through collecting the Tailed Beasts was nothing but a lie to deceive you. We simply used your desire for peace as a tool to manipulate you into gathering the Tails Beasts for us. In truth, everything you've done has only furthered our hidden agenda. You, just like the other members of Akatsuki, are merely a pawn in this game."
"Our true objective is to realize Great Lord Madara's Moon Eye Plan, making him the Jinchuriki of the Ten-Tails. Through Infinite Tsukuyomi, we will plunge the entire ninja world into an illusory paradise—exactly the world envisioned by Great Lord Madara!"
"What a shame, Nagato. You won't live to see this perfect world. Still, you've contributed to the cause of ninja world peace and fulfilled your dream—in your own twisted way. Die peacefully!"
Black Zetsu had already engulfed Nagato's body, forcibly seizing control to perform the Rinne Rebirth Jutsu.
Seeing the hand seals he had unconsciously made, Nagato was horrified. "So… you are planning to resurrect Madara Uchiha?!"
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