A few dozen miles outside the Hidden Leaf Village, Nagato's six Paths of Pain sped swiftly along the road.
Suddenly—
From beneath their feet, four figures erupted out of the ground, launching a surprise attack.
Two of them summoned Susano'o, its massive hands reaching to seize two of the Paths. Another, lightning sparking around his hand like a blade forged of thunder, slashed toward a third. The last thrust forward a massive spear of ice, driving it at another body.
Boom!
In the face of the ambush, the Deva Path released a sudden surge of crushing repulsive force.
The giant Susano'o hands were stopped cold. The lightning blade was repelled. The massive ice spear shattered and dissolved.
The surprise attack had failed.
Nagato's six Paths halted at once, their eyes cold and merciless as they turned on the four ambushers.
The attackers, too, braced themselves, facing off against the six.
They were: Uchiha Fugaku, one spore clone disguised as Uchiha Shisui, another spore clone disguised as a member of the Yuki clan, and Hatake Kakashi.
This was the full extent of Fugaku's deployable Kage-level strength. He had chosen not to bring any lower-level ninja—against someone of Nagato's caliber, they would be useless, or worse, killed instantly by the battle's aftershocks.
"Such terrifying power… and those eyes—could they be the legendary Rinnegan?"
Kakashi felt his scalp prickle as he studied the six figures.
When Fugaku had summoned him, he had been surprised. What kind of enemy could demand the Fifth Hokage, "Shisui," and another powerful but mysterious ally all at once?
At first, Kakashi thought it was overkill. But the moment they clashed, that thought vanished.
One single Path had effortlessly stopped their combined surprise assault.
And worse—it possessed the Rinnegan, the eyes said to belong only to the Sage of Six Paths himself.
"So quickly discovered…"
The Deva Path's voice carried faint surprise. They had masked their presence along the way, yet somehow Konoha's forces had intercepted them this soon.
"You're heading for the Leaf," Fugaku called out. "What is your purpose?"
Though he had his suspicions, he wanted certainty.
"We came to kill you," the Deva Path answered flatly, eyes locked on him.
"To kill me?" Fugaku's thoughts darkened—so it was as he had guessed. He pressed further:"Who sent you?"
"No comment."
The bounty posted by Iwagakure came with strict instructions: their involvement must not be revealed.
Fugaku sneered.
"Even if you won't say it, I can guess. It's Iwagakure, isn't it?"
The Deva Path's expression did not shift.
"We had planned to kill you inside Konoha. Since you've come to meet us here, it saves us the effort."
Fugaku's eyes narrowed.
"Kill me? You don't have that strength."
"The gap between us is like heaven and earth," the Deva Path said coldly. "Before me, you have no chance of victory."
It raised both hands.
"Shinra Tensei!"
A colossal wave of repulsive force erupted outward, like an invisible tsunami crashing down on Fugaku's team.
"Susano'o!"
Fugaku instantly manifested Susano'o's third form, wrapping all four of them within its towering protection.
Boom!
The impact smashed into Susano'o, driving its giant body skidding backward for dozens of meters before it finally stopped.
Cracks spread like spiderwebs across its shield and armor. Even the defense that had blocked the Five-Tails' Tailed Beast Bomb was straining to hold.
This single strike from Nagato was stronger still.
That was the scale of his power.
Fugaku's face hardened.
"Impressive strength. Now, take mine!"
Channeling his chakra and ocular power, Susano'o's cracks sealed, and in its right hand formed a massive black spear. With a mighty throw, Fugaku hurled it at supersonic speed toward the Deva Path.
Crash!
The Deva Path raised its hand. The spear slowed, slowed further—then froze in midair, just ten meters away. A heartbeat later, it exploded.
Yet the blast wave, too, was pushed harmlessly aside by Shinra Tensei. The Deva Path stood untouched—not even a speck of dust on its robes.
Shinra Tensei was not only a devastating offense—it was also an impregnable defense, rivaling Susano'o itself.
"True Illusion—"
Seeing brute force fail, Fugaku changed tactics. He dissolved Susano'o and cast his True Illusion, dragging all six Paths into the genjutsu.
At once, his spore clones and Kakashi rushed forward, striking at the immobilized bodies.
But—
"Genjutsu? Release!"
Fugaku's True Illusion simulated reality itself, and almost no one could detect it once trapped. But the Rinnegan was beyond the Eternal Mangekyō—it resisted ocular genjutsu with absolute force.
The Six Paths broke free almost instantly.
By then, Fugaku's allies were already mid-strike—too late to pull back.
"Summoning: Giant Dog!""Sealing Technique: Absorption Seal!""Puppet Armor: Activate!"
The Paths counterattacked at once, blocking their strikes and turning the tables, surrounding the three in deadly formation.
Fugaku's eyes widened. They unraveled my strongest illusion in an instant…!
He flickered forward with Shunshin, appearing directly among them. In his hand, a kunai infused with wind chakra glowed azure, lengthened into a keen blade. He slashed toward the Hell Path—weak in combat, but vital, for it alone could revive the others.
"Banshō Ten'in!"
The Deva Path countered instantly, pulling Fugaku toward it with irresistible force. In its hand grew a sharp black receiver, stabbing forward.
Clang!
Fugaku twisted midair, deflecting the strike with his chakra blade. At the same time, Susano'o flared back to life, its giant hand crashing down at the Deva Path.
"Repulsion Barrier!"
Instead of another wide-area Shinra Tensei, which would harm his allies, the Deva Path erected a localized wall of force, halting Susano'o's palm just a meter away.
But Fugaku had never aimed for the Deva Path.
From Susano'o's other arm, its hand shot out—elongating dozens of meters—and seized the Hell Path.
Crunch!
With a terrifying squeeze, the Hell Path was crushed into pulp.
The Deva Path's brows furrowed. The Hell Path—destroyed first. Coincidence, or had Fugaku already discerned the secret of his technique?
There was no time to wonder.
"Shinra Tensei!"
Unleashing its full strength without restraint, the Deva Path blasted Fugaku's Susano'o with overwhelming force.
The impact hurled him back over a hundred meters. Massive cracks split Susano'o's armor like fractured glass—until, with a final shattering sound, it collapsed completely.
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