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Pain stared blankly at the disintegration of the celestial sphere.
His strongest ninjutsu, unleashed at the cost of his life force, had been overcome in such a manner...
The Shinobi World was truly cruel.
Pat...
Gojo Kaigetsu landed steadily, a hint of fatigue in his eyes.
Unleashing such a powerful technique, even with Mahoraga acting as a full-power charger and his chakra levels off the charts, had taken its toll.
While his recovery was swift, his chakra reserves were finite.
Recharging took time—With his current reserves, Gojo Kaigetsu could likely unleash his Domain Expansion twice before completely depleting his chakra.
Gojo Kaigetsu wasn't in peak condition, but Pain was far worse.
His black Akatsuki cloak, tattered and bloodstained, his hair matted with dust—a gaping hole pierced his chest, his right hand desperately clutching a black chakra receiver. His hands trembled, yet his grip on the receiver was so tight it threatened to shatter.
Thick, dried blood trickled down his arm, dripping onto the ground.
Pain's heavy gaze didn't inspire awe in Gojo Kaigetsu. Instead, he felt only a profound sense of pity.
Even in this state, with barely enough chakra to activate his Rinnegan, he still clung to the black receiver, determined to perform one final dance.
His spirit was admirable, his motivation—tragic.
Nagato had been manipulated his entire life, living in a false reality woven by Uchiha Madara and Obito.
A man unable to distinguish reality from illusion—let him drown in his idealized fantasy.
A gentle breeze stirred the dust. The caw of a crow echoed through the ruins. In that moment, Kumogakure resembled a scene from hell.
Nagato sought to overturn the Shinobi World for the sake of their own justice. Fighting to the bitter end, unswayed by Talk-no-Jutsu, unredeemed by a sudden epiphany—Perhaps a dignified death was the best ending for such a Shinobi.
Gojo Kaigetsu decided to grant Nagato a warrior's death.
"Nagato~ Are you prepared?"
Moonlight filtered through the sparse clouds, illuminating the mountain peak.
Gojo Kaigetsu stood tall, his silver hair stirring in the wind. His Six Eyes, beneath sharp brows, were deep and bright, like the most luminous stars in the night sky, exuding an extraordinary calmness and resolve.
Gojo Kaigetsu slowly raised his left hand, his index and middle fingers extended. Simultaneously, his right arm drew back, as if drawing a bow.
A raging fire coalesced between his hands, gradually forming a longbow shaped like a phoenix. The arrow, illuminated by the moonlight, blazed with terrifying heat, as if carrying the Will of Fire itself.
The Will of Fire arrow aimed at Pain's brow...
Nagato Uzumaki was a dreamer who yearned for peace in the Shinobi World, yet also a ruthless realist.
These two conflicting traits had forged him. Though he desired for all to understand the true meaning of peace, he was also prepared to threaten them with death, to force them to comprehend.
Those who couldn't understand peace—would understand pain! This was Nagato's Shinobi way.
To uphold his Shinobi way, Nagato had willingly sacrificed everything. He'd forsaken peace, forsaken the opportunity to heal his legs in Konoha under Jiraiya's guidance, forsaken a life of seclusion with Konan...
Driven by his Shinobi way, Nagato knew no fear.
Facing Gojo Kaigetsu's SSS-rank ninjutsu—the Will of Fire—Nagato showed no fear. Dragging Pain's battered body, he launched a final, desperate charge towards Gojo Kaigetsu.
His expression contorted, his right arm raised, the black receiver aimed at Gojo Kaigetsu's heart.
"God will not die—!!!"
"I will become eternal night, consume all of Konoha! I will be Konoha's Terminator!!"
Swoosh—
In Kumogakure's night sky, a phoenix wreathed in sacred fire seemed to take flight.
"Shinra Tensei!!"
Nagato poured his remaining chakra into Pain, unleashing his final Shinra Tensei with all his might.
An invisible repulsive force erupted, distorting the very air, yet it couldn't stop the Will of Fire phoenix.
The repulsive force was pierced.
The moment the arrow made contact with Pain, it was over.
Boom...
Boom...
Boom...
The sacred fire, imbued with the Will of Fire, instantly consumed Pain's body, freezing its movements for eternity.
Gojo Kaigetsu, deliberately controlling the power, didn't unleash the full force of [Kai]. He merely allowed the flames to consume Pain's remains. He approached Pain's incapacitated form, a victor, gazing down at it.
————
Far away in Amegakure, Nagato leaned weakly against his chair, his eyes sunken.
Blood, blackish-red, seeped from the wounds where the black chakra receivers had pierced his back.
His chakra was completely depleted.
He, Nagato Uzumaki, his life—was nearing its end. Soon, the leader of Akatsuki, who had once shaken the Shinobi World, would die alone, forgotten, in this dark corner.
"But—God will not die..." Nagato murmured, his eyes hazy. "I will return to the world of the living as an Edo Tensei. When that time comes, Gojo Kaigetsu, will you still be able to save Konoha?"
"It's time. Black Zetsu, come to me!"
With his last breath, Nagato activated the pre-set jutsu, transmitting his current coordinates to Black Zetsu.
————
With Nagato's chakra depleted, the black receivers could no longer transmit chakra to the Paths of Pain.
The Naraka Path, which had been lurking on the periphery, its pupils losing the Rinnegan's glow, collapsed to the ground with a thud.
Black Zetsu, Voldemort-like, glanced at Gojo Kaigetsu, then unhesitatingly sank into the earth, activating its Mayfly technique at full power, heading towards Amegakure.
The plan to capture the Nine-Tails and Two-Tails Jinchuriki had failed.
But simultaneously, the coordinates of Nagato's true body, which he'd kept hidden, had been transmitted the moment the Naraka Path fell.
An end, and a beginning.
Black Zetsu's gaze was profound. "As long as the Rinnegan exists, as long as Nagato can still use the Rinne Rebirth Jutsu—I haven't lost!"
In Black Zetsu's original plan, after Nagato's death, Obito Uchiha was to carry Madara's banner, launching the Fourth Shinobi World War.
But now, Obito was imprisoned by Konoha, his eyes stolen. And the Fourth Shinobi World War, under pressure from Konoha, had been initiated by those foolish Shinobi uniting against Konoha...
The process was all wrong, but the outcome was correct!
As long as Uchiha Madara was revived, as long as Uchiha Madara launched his attack, everything would be fine.
Uchiha Madara—was Black Zetsu's trump card. And a trump card, by definition, possessed the power to crush all opposition!
Now—he just needed to reach Nagato's true body, persuade him, or possess him...
"For the sake of peace—use Rinne Rebirth on Madara!"
Rushing towards Amegakure, Black Zetsu simultaneously controlled the ten Edo Tensei Kage engaged in a fierce battle before the Falls of Truth, ordering a retreat!
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