Fortunately, Madara was still holding his own.
"Summoning Technique — Demonic Statue of the Outer Path!"
Even though he was panting heavily, he managed to summon the outer shell of the Ten-Tails — the colossal Gedo Statue.
It was an enormous humanoid figure, its design faintly carrying the grotesque aura of a Lovecraftian nightmare.
From the mouth of the Gedo Statue shot out countless chains, piercing into the bodies of the Edo Tensei reincarnations one after another. Their chakra was drawn into the statue, which was then absorbed by Madara himself.
The process wasn't fast — in fact, it was painstakingly slow. Meanwhile, Obito was being beaten half to death by the Six Paths of Pain.
As the Gedo Statue — and by extension, the Ten-Tails' husk — was fully absorbed, Madara's body began to change. His shattered flesh knit itself back together, and before long, a renewed Madara stood before everyone's eyes.
His age had reverted to his prime. His appearance had transformed completely — no longer clad in red armor, but in simple robes, holding a monk's staff. Six Truth-Seeking Orbs floated behind him, circling like miniature black suns.
"So this… is the power of the Sage of Six Paths?"
Uchiha Madara looked down at his own hands in disbelief — the sheer strength surging through him was unimaginable.
He had finally succeeded in becoming Six Paths Madara.
In truth, his new form didn't look quite as intimidating or awe-inspiring as Edo Madara — but that hardly mattered.
By now, Obito was on the verge of death. Zetsu had vanished somewhere, Izanagi had already been used once, and Obito was barely clinging to life.
"The world is about to know true peace," Six Paths Madara said as he floated slowly into the air, gazing down at Nagato, who had struck only once and now watched him in silence.
Nagato replied calmly, "The world is already at peace."
"No," Madara shook his head. "You don't understand. What you call peace is nothing but an illusion — fragile and fleeting. True peace can only be achieved through the Eye of the Moon Plan."
"The ninja world will finally attain eternal peace."
Nagato didn't know exactly what this "Eye of the Moon Plan" was, but his instincts told him that Madara's path was wrong.
"No, you're the one who doesn't understand, Madara. As long as people exist, so will desire — and where desire exists, conflict will follow. War is inevitable."
A flash of golden light appeared between them.
It was Naruto — having defeated Toneri, he had now arrived on the scene. Looking at Madara, who was fully transforming into the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki, he said coldly:
"If you truly want eternal peace, then the only way is to wipe out humanity itself. No people — no war."
"No," Madara countered, "the Eye of the Moon Plan can achieve it. In the dream world, everyone can live in happiness. Their desires will be fulfilled. In dreams, no one gets hurt, and no one dies. That is the ideal world."
"That's nothing more than a false utopia," Naruto shot back. "It only looks peaceful for a short while. Have you thought about what comes next? A few years later? A few decades later?"
"When people are trapped in dreams, humanity stops reproducing. The old will die off, and the human race will vanish entirely. How is that any different from erasing humanity outright?"
"You don't actually believe that people trapped in illusion can transcend death, do you?"
"Tch… sophistry," Madara sneered. He was far too stubborn to be reasoned with — like an old man too deep into his miracle tonics, immovable no matter how you tried to pull him back.
"When my plan is complete, you'll understand."
Then his tone shifted — his eyes narrowing.
"But by then, you can watch from the Pure Land."
Having become the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki and attained the power of the Sage of Six Paths, Uchiha Madara felt his strength had reached a level beyond comprehension.
He no longer saw Nagato as a threat. As for Naruto — he didn't recognize him, hadn't witnessed his battle with Toneri, and couldn't sense his chakra. Seeing him in an Akatsuki cloak, Madara simply assumed he was another member of the organization.
Nothing worth worrying about.
"I'll kill you both right here."
Madara gathered his Six Paths chakra, gripping his monk's staff tightly. He jabbed it toward the air.
The next instant, a vast shadow engulfed the land below.
Looking up, the bright sun hanging overhead was being swallowed bit by bit. The once-clear sky darkened rapidly.
The earth trembled violently, the air itself vibrating with a deep, buzzing resonance.
A solar eclipse?
No — something far worse.
A colossal meteorite, large enough to blot out the sun, was descending from the heavens at tremendous speed — its target, Nagato.
"The so-called 'God of the Shinobi,' is it?" Madara muttered mockingly. "Then behold what true divine power looks like."
"Six Paths: Planetary Devastation!"
The Chibaku Tensei — a signature technique of the Rinnegan. According to official records, it only requires Rinnegan chakra, not the eyes themselves. In the original timeline, Madara had used it during the Fourth Great Ninja War, turning an area thousands of meters wide into rubble, nearly annihilating the entire Fourth Division of the Allied Shinobi Forces.
But this — Six Paths: Planetary Devastation — was the infinitely enhanced version.
If the standard Chibaku Tensei could destroy a battlefield spanning several kilometers, then this could inflict catastrophic damage upon an entire planet.
The scale of power in late-stage Naruto was on an entirely different dimension from the early series. Below Edo Madara and above Edo Madara — there was no middle ground.
Just this single technique alone elevated the destructive capability of the Naruto world from mere "shinobi war" levels to something approaching the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament era of Dragon Ball.
"Naruto, stay out of this one," Nagato said quickly, seeing the eager light in Naruto's eyes. "This fight… is between Madara and me."
Naruto hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Got it. He's all yours."
"Then I'll have to get serious."
The Six Paths of Pain puppets remained where they were. Nagato himself floated beneath the descending meteorite, his body glowing faintly.
If Madara was the Six Paths Madara empowered by the Ten-Tails' chakra, then Nagato was the Six Paths Nagato, empowered by Ōtsutsuki chakra.
His Rinnegan eyes flared with blue-violet light, and his body was soon shrouded in a faint aura of chakra — pale purple, unlike Toneri's green glow.
He raised both hands slowly toward the falling celestial mass, then pushed forward with all his strength.
"Six Paths: Super Shinra Tensei!"
Another forbidden Rinnegan technique — unlike Planetary Devastation, which summons meteors, this one unleashes overwhelming repulsive force. In the original story, Nagato used it to obliterate the
entire Hidden Leaf Village.
Now, it was Six Paths: Planetary Devastation versus Six Paths: Super Shinra Tensei.
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