The meteor and the repulsive force collided, erupting into a series of deafening sonic booms as dust and shattered stone blanketed the sky.
The entire land trembled violently, as though the earth itself were being torn apart. The ground split open with countless deep, yawning chasms. Since the battle took place directly over Amegakure, the surrounding buildings were crumbling and collapsing like detonated ruins. It was truly as if heaven and earth were collapsing — the end of the world itself.
Fortunately, the ordinary shinobi and civilians of Amegakure had already been evacuated. Otherwise, the mere aftershock from Nagato and Madara's clash would have wiped them out completely.
The impact spread so far that even the Allied Shinobi Forces fighting on the outer borders of the Land of Rain felt its effects.
All across the battlefield, shinobi halted mid-attack, staring in stunned silence at the massive meteor in the distance.
That colossal meteor split apart into countless smaller fragments, scattering in all directions — a torrential rain of falling stars that lit up the skies like a field of blazing meteors.
Even the Allied Forces weren't spared: a few fragments reached their ranks. It took the combined effort of hundreds of shinobi unleashing ninjutsu together just to shatter a few of the smaller pieces.
"As expected of the leader — battles of that level are way beyond us," Deidara muttered in awe, gazing toward Amegakure. "Even my ultimate art couldn't cause that much destruction. Guess I still have room to improve, hm!"
He smirked, lifting his hand dramatically.
"Next time, I'll show you my re-re-revised Ultimate Art!"
"Mhm! Deidara-niisan's the best!"
Kurotsuchi cheered beside him. "You've gotta let me see one of those giant fireworks next time!"
"Brat!"
The old Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, had somehow floated over beside them. His face was pale and trembling as he overheard their conversation.
"Did you just say… the one fighting over there is the leader of Akatsuki?!"
Deidara shrugged nonchalantly.
"Yeah. That's Boss Pain. The attack that stopped the meteor from falling just now — that had to be his Shinra Tensei."
Ōnoki sucked in a sharp breath, cold sweat beading down his forehead.
Good thing we surrendered early. Just one move like that could've wiped out my entire village.
Thinking back on our fight… they must've been holding back. With this kind of power, wiping Iwagakure off the map wouldn't even be hard.
"Nagato actually blocked my Six Paths: Planetary Devastation?"
No one was more shocked than Six Paths Madara himself. As the technique's creator, he understood better than anyone the terrifying force behind it.
For Nagato to stop it single-handedly —
No wonder Madara had lost earlier. His opponent wasn't just strong — he was on the same level as the Sage of Six Paths.
He had thought that after ascending to Six Paths Mode and surpassing Hashirama, there would be no one left who could challenge him. Yet another had appeared.
"Perfect."
Madara's Rinnegan flared with intensity as his battle aura surged once more.
"Limbo: Border Jail!"
Four shadowy figures split away from his body, each radiating a chakra signature at least sixty percent as powerful as the original. It was Madara's exclusive Rinnegan ability — far stronger than ordinary shadow or wood clones. Invisible to normal eyes and senses, these Limbo clones could only be perceived by those with Six Paths-level power.
"Six Paths of Pain!"
Nagato would not be outdone. All six of his Paths moved in unison.
With the Rinnegan and chakra of Ōtsutsuki caliber, Nagato could not only sense Madara's Limbo clones — he could see them clearly.
Six Paths of Pain vs. Limbo: Border Jail.
The Six Paths had the numbers, but each Limbo clone's raw might surpassed them individually — the clash between them was perfectly balanced, neither side able to gain the upper hand.
Meanwhile, as Nagato and Madara fought, Naruto approached the dying Obito.
"Obito… you're pathetic."
He stared down at the man who had plunged the shinobi world into chaos — the one who had orchestrated so much suffering — and could only laugh bitterly.
In both the original timeline and this one, everything Obito had done amounted to nothing but serving as someone else's pawn.
Naruto reached toward his right eye, and the Kamui Mangekyō Sharingan materialized in his palm.
"A power like this… was wasted on you. I'll be confiscating the weapon you used for your crimes."
He narrowed his eyes coldly.
"My parents' deaths… are unforgivable. No matter what your reasons were, they'll never justify what you did."
Naruto extended two fingers, pointing them straight at Obito.
"So — disappear."
A blinding white ki blast engulfed Obito's body.
When the light faded, Obito Uchiha no longer existed in this world.
"Hahaha! That felt good!"
Madara and Nagato had already exchanged hundreds of blows, yet neither could claim victory.
Madara possessed countless Six Paths-level secret arts, his arsenal endless. But no matter what devastating technique he unleashed, Nagato always countered with a single, effortless Shinra Tensei that nullified it completely.
No matter how many methods Madara employed — Nagato stood unshaken, breaking them all with one move.
"Nagato, your power… it's the greatest I've ever seen," Madara admitted with rare sincerity.
"Even back in my prime, not even Hashirama and I together could match you. I, Uchiha Madara, acknowledge you as… the strongest."
Nagato shook his head.
"The strongest? No… I'm far from it."
"You've never witnessed the power of our ancestor. You don't know what true strength looks like."
For the first time, a flicker of humility crossed Nagato's face as he recalled that fateful battle against Isshiki Ōtsutsuki, and the power the Ancestor of the Uzumaki Clan had displayed at the end.
"Perhaps I'm simply too dull. Even after all this time, I still haven't mastered — or even begun to comprehend — the Uzumaki Clan's ultimate taijutsu secret art that the Ancestor revealed that day."
"That was true strength."
Uzumaki Clan's ultimate secret art? Isn't that just the Reaper Death Seal?
Madara furrowed his brow, sifting through the fragments of his vast knowledge.
Sure, the Reaper Death Seal is troublesome, but is it really worth such reverence?
Could it be that the Uzumaki Clan Nagato speaks of… isn't the same chakra-rich sealing clan I remember?
Taijutsu? An ultimate art?
Since when did the Uzumaki Clan have something like that?
The thought left Madara's mind spinning.
"Hmph. No matter who it was, it doesn't matter — they're long dead anyway."
Madara shook his head, brushing aside the fleeting thought.
"Nagato, let's continue. This time, I'll—"
He froze.
Madara suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood, his body shuddering violently. His expression twisted in disbelief as he looked down — a pure black hand had pierced straight through his chest where his heart once beat.
Someone had approached him completely unnoticed — and impaled him from behind.
The hand belonged to none other than his most trusted creation — his will made flesh.
"Black… Zetsu?!"
A certain little black creature has a few heartfelt words to say to you.
Please drop some power stones support me at my
PS: Access the complete/finished chapters/series at Patreon: NanamiTL