Chapter 39: The Aftermath and the Mask
"Arrrgh!"
In a cave several kilometers away, Nagato let out a strained roar. The vast reserves of chakra within his emaciated body surged out without restraint, pouring through the link.
Within the devastated thunder zone, the Deva Path bellowed, slamming both palms flat against the ravaged earth.
"Summoning Technique: Outer Path — Gedo Statue!"
BOOOOOOM!
A colossal explosion of smoke and debris erupted from the ground. A humanoid monstrosity, as massive as a mountain, tore its way up from the depths. Half of its body remained buried, but the exposed upper torso dwarfed even a tailed beast, appearing as if a new peak had been thrust violently into the world.
The endless lightning strikes fell upon it, leaving only superficial scorch marks on its pale, desiccated hide.
As soon as the monstrous statue appeared, it threw its head back and issued a silent, gaping roar towards the sky. Then, it leaned forward, extending two grotesquely thin, elongated arms. Its massive, skeletal hands unfurled like a protective canopy, covering the Deva Path below.
"The Gedo Statue?" Uchiha Akira's eyes sharpened as he recognized the mountainous humanoid form.
No matter. Gedo Statue or not, let it taste the full fury of nature itself!
Standing atop his ridge, Akira gently swept his right hand downward.
The Sword of Heavenly Punishment hanging in the sky vanished.
In the next instant, a brilliant blue radiance erupted, connecting heaven and earth.
Amidst the boundless lightning, the electrical energy transformed into a storm of pure devastation that ravaged the land, spreading outward in all directions. Where the light passed, mountains, soil, and rock were pulverized into fine dust. The dust then vaporized into greenish smoke within the dazzling corona, only to be utterly consumed and obliterated by the endless, ravenous lightning.
In the blink of an eye, the spreading lightning coalesced into a gigantic sphere of blue-white energy several kilometers in radius, engulfing the earth.
Then came a roar that seemed to shake the very foundations of the world.
A cataclysmic explosion echoed. The clouds in the sky were violently shredded and dispersed by the thunderous detonation, allowing the Land of Rain a fleeting, unnatural glimpse of clear blue sky.
Several kilometers away, Hyuga Kaoru and Aburame Shiigo hid in separate, sheltered locations. The apocalyptic noise from the sky had left them trembling, their hearts gripped by primal fear.
Hyuga Kaoru, with her Byakugan, had seen more. She understood, on a visceral level, the incomprehensible scale of power that had been gathered and unleashed.
Accompanied by the deafening roar, she felt the very mountain at her back shudder violently.
CRACK! CRACK-CRACK!
The sound of shattering stone filled the air. The land and rock faces around her fractured into dark, gaping crevices. Then, a violent, boundary-less storm front, carrying pulverized rubble, swept over the landscape.
"What... what kind of power is this..." Hyuga Kaoru whispered, awestruck and horrified. If I possessed such power... perhaps I could find a way to break the Caged Bird Seal...
After what felt like an eternity, the endless lightning dissipated. The storm born from the attack gradually stilled.
Within the vast, churning clouds of dust and smoke, a mountainous figure stood silently upon the scarred earth.
On the devastated battlefield, Uchiha Akira stood firm. Slight, charred marks marred his skin and clothing. His expression was grave as he stared through the settling haze at the colossal, mountain-like silhouette.
A sudden, unnatural wind whipped across the wasteland, blowing the thick dust aside to reveal the true state of the gigantic form.
The Gedo Statue stood within an enormous crater, its entire body charred black like a mountain of coal. Thick, oily smoke rose from its form. The ten long, bony fingers that had formed its protective cage were gone, seemingly melted away, leaving only ruined stumps at the wrists. The tree-like protrusions on its back were severely shortened, nearly sheared flat.
Scattered around the statue's feet and across the crater were piles of blackened, cinder-like debris—clearly pieces of its own substance blasted away by the thunder.
Beneath the statue, the Deva Path lay on the ground, motionless and as blackened as charcoal.
Seeing the statue's condition clearly, Akira's eyes narrowed slightly. He knew it had not suffered fundamental damage. The proof was the chakra still radiating from it—vast, deep, and flowing like tidal rivers.
Truly terrifying. As expected of the husk of the Divine Tree. Even as an empty vessel, it possesses this level of vitality. Akira thought with grim respect.
BANG!
A heavy, dissipating sound echoed. The charred statue dissolved into an immense cloud of white smoke, vanishing. In the deep pit, only the scorched form of the Deva Path remained.
At that exact moment, space twisted.
Uchiha Obito, encased within the amorphous white form of Spiral Zetsu, materialized out of thin air. A sharp, hardened wooden spike erupted from his hand, stabbing toward Uchiha Akira's back with lethal intent.
However, Akira seemed to have anticipated it. Lightning crackled over his body, and he vanished, reappearing over ten meters away as if teleported.
While Kamui was incredibly fast, Akira had been mentally prepared since entering the Rain Country, his guard constantly up for Uchiha Obito's intervention.
Missing his strike, Obito inwardly cursed.
Akira stood his ground, eyes narrowed as he stared at the figure who had appeared from nowhere. "The Sharingan? Who are you, skulking in the shadows, afraid to show your face?"
Though he knew the man's identity, now was not the time to reveal that knowledge. He needed to play his part.
"Hehehe..." Obito chuckled, his voice artificially altered. "Who am I? I am Uchiha Madara."
"Hah!" Akira let out a derisive laugh. "A sneak-attacking coward dares claim to be Uchiha Madara? Would the legendary Madara resort to such underhanded tactics?"
"Are all Uchiha so naive these days?" Obito retorted, his tone dripping with false disappointment. "A shinobi uses any means to achieve his goals. No wonder the Uchiha have been passed over for Hokage for three generations."
"Humph! If you were truly Uchiha Madara, you would understand precisely why the Uchiha have not held the Hokage's seat!" Akira snorted coldly, his gaze sweeping over Obito's disguised form with contempt.
"Besides, whether the Uchiha obtain the Hokage title has nothing to do with a coward who hides behind a mask. Let's not even discuss your authenticity. Even if you were Madara, so what? You are merely a relic discarded by the clan, by history itself!"
"Hmph! Such a sharp tongue for a youngster," Obito's visible Sharingan glinted with anger.
"Enough. You can deceive others, but don't deceive yourself. 'Uchiha Madara'?" Akira shook his head, his laughter sharp. "Spare me the act."
Obito's voice turned coldly calm. "People are always limited by their own perceptions. 'Sitting in a well, looking at the sky'—the phrase suits you perfectly."
Akira smiled, unbothered. "Put simply, do you dare to show your true face?"
"Hah!" Obito laughed, a sound full of scorn. "Why should I prove my identity to the likes of you?"
"Exactly," Akira nodded, his tone matching Obito's dismissiveness. "Why would a creature who operates from the shadows dare reveal itself?"
He looked directly at the masked figure, his words laced with pointed meaning. "Once you shed that borrowed tiger's skin, I suspect there would be nothing of substance left."
(End of Chapter)
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