Fugaku has gone mad; he's going to create a new Uchiha clan in Kirigakure.

"The Guiding Force of All Things".

Pain's calm voice rang out once more.

"Buzz!"

The terrifying gravity erupted once again!

This time, there was no protection from the Mud Dragon.

Fugaku Uchiha's body, like a kite with a broken string, was sucked towards Pain, the Deva Path, through the murky bubbles that filled the sky!

The distance is rapidly closing!

Five meters, three meters, one meter!

Just as Fugaku was pulled in front of him, Pain moved.

His left hand shot out like lightning, and with the Rinnegan's pinpoint accuracy, the black staff in his hand pierced Uchiha Fugaku's heart with unparalleled precision. His right hand swung out another black staff at an even faster speed, not to attack, but to "pick".

"Clang!"

A crisp impact.

The uniquely powerful [Yellow Springs Azure Pool Blade] in Fugaku Uchiha's hand was precisely deflected by this skillful force, failing to harm the Heavenly Dao.

puff!

The pitch-black staff pierced through Fugaku Uchiha's chest and emerged from his back, leaving a small spray of blood.

Clean and neat.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

...

Inside the Kamui alternate dimension.

Through the tiny spatial rift, Obito Uchiha could barely "see" the blurry scene outside.

"Did you succeed?"

His eyebrows were slightly raised beneath the mask.

So the Rinnegan's abilities are indeed superior? That troublesome Uchiha Fugaku... is he really dead?

Suddenly, something occurred to him.

opportunity!

Space distorted, and Obito Uchiha suddenly appeared in front of the Hidden Mist Village members who were watching the battle from afar, landing not far from Mikoto Uchiha, whose face was full of anxiety and whose eyes were red.

"Ahem! Um..."

He clenched his fist, coughed twice, and his Sharingan eyes behind the holes in his mask looked at Mikoto with a mocking gaze.

"Mrs. Mikoto, I have bad news for you. Your husband has only seconds left to die..."

He paused deliberately, admiring the other person's sudden pallor and the instantaneous clenching of their fists.

"No, perhaps by now, your husband is already a cold corpse! Hahaha..."

Obito Uchiha laughed exaggeratedly, like a comical clown. However, because of his previous strength, the surrounding Kirigakure members seemed hesitant to make any rash moves. After all, everyone knew that without Fugaku Uchiha's restraint, they had no way to deal with this person.

Of course, Obito Uchiha didn't come over to mock him intentionally.

His goal was simple: three words—the Sharingan...

Right now, his gaze was fixed on Mikoto's eyes, which were swirling violently with extreme anger and sorrow.

The three tomoe are indeed spinning wildly!

Under extreme emotional stimulation, the moment the Mangekyou Sharingan awakens is the best opportunity for him to seize these precious eyes. The ordinary Sharingan he collected when he and Itachi wiped out the clan were just consumables. How could they be compared to the real Mangekyou Sharingan?

Mikoto's body trembled slightly, and the three tomoe in her eyes spun so fast they almost merged into one.

"You're talking nonsense!"

A calm voice, tinged with anger, suddenly rang out.

It's green!

His forehead protector had been removed, and his white "white eye" was staring intently at the distant battlefield. His voice trembled slightly with excitement.

"Mr. Fugaku is not dead! The enemy... the enemy is not moving!!"

Ao's words were like a bucket of cold water, causing the frenzied spinning in Mikoto's eyes to pause. She suddenly looked up again, gazing at the battlefield that was gradually becoming clearer.

At this moment, the bubbles that had filled the sky began to scatter, burst, and fall as the procedure ended, and the field of vision became clear.

The scene on the back of the giant crab came into view.

Fugaku Uchiha was indeed pierced through the chest by a black rod, his clothes stained with blood, and anyone who saw him would know he was seriously injured and on the verge of death.

Pain, maintaining his thrusting stance, also raised his other hand, with another black rod gathering in his palm, aimed at Fugaku's head.

but--

He froze.

No, it's not frozen, it's trembling!

An extremely subtle yet uncontrollable tremor emanated from Tiandao's body. His raised arm froze in mid-air, as if bound by invisible chains, unable to deliver the final blow no matter what.

What happened?

This is a huge question mark that arose simultaneously in the minds of everyone who witnessed this scene.

Including Obito Uchiha.

"Haha, um... I suddenly remembered, I have something to do."

Obito Uchiha chuckled twice, his tone instantly shifting from arrogant to guilty. His figure vanished in a flash, disappearing even faster than when he arrived.

"..."

...

Inside the Divine Might Space.

"Black Zetsu! What on earth happened?!"

Obito Uchiha peered through the gap into the distance once more.

"How should I know!"

Black Zetsu's hoarse voice also revealed a sense of bewilderment and unease.

"Speaking of which, he's not going to lose, is he?"

Obito Uchiha scratched his head and muttered to himself.

"Shut up! You jinx!"

Black Zetsu was unusually annoyed, its yellow pupils flashing.

It waited a thousand years to meticulously plan and cultivate these Rinnegan eyes that carried the hope of its mother's resurrection. If it were to inexplicably fail here, in a situation where victory seemed assured, even it would probably be so upset that it would want to bury itself back in the ground for another thousand years.

...

On the crab's back.

"What...you...are...doing...?"

Pain uttered these words intermittently, his voice strangely stuttering and delayed, as if it were a poorly received communication signal.

Nagato's shock at this moment far exceeded anyone's imagination.

The situation he "senses" through the connection between the black rod and the Rinnegan is truly bizarre!

The man whose heart he had precisely pierced with the black rod did not die instantly as expected, but instead, a powerful, intense, and tenacious life force, like a small sun, suddenly erupted from his body!

This vitality was so strong that even with his heart pierced, he managed to maintain his life!

No, it's not maintaining, it's repairing his heart. The black rod inside his body is being devoured frantically, and his damaged heart is being repaired at an incredible speed.

But that wasn't the most horrifying thing for Nagato.

What truly caused him to lose control of his body and even feel "tremble" was another force transmitted through the black rod piercing Fugaku's body—a force that was frantically "stealing" his control over this Heavenly Dao body!

Based on some kind of ability that he could not understand, the other party was actually eroding and interfering with his control over Pain as a legitimate Rinnegan user!

How is that possible?

...

Upon hearing Pain's question, Fugaku Uchiha, who was pierced by the black rods, slowly curled up a smile on his lips.

He raised his right hand and slowly lifted the [Blade of the Yellow Springs and Azure Pool] in his hand, his gaze sweeping over the blade.

This is the core of his sword's power...

Devour everything, strip away all characteristics.

In Fugaku's understanding, the so-called "characteristics" are not actual substances, but rather an abstract concept, a fragment of a rule, or an "essential imprint" of an ability.

It is stored in blood, chakra, or special creations.

He wasn't entirely clear on the specific principles, but like a certain Mr. Thousand Hands who wished to remain anonymous, it was probably some kind of low-level authority that allowed one to "clap their hands and summon whatever they called."

In the close combat with Pain just now, he used the [Blade of the Underworld] to devour so many black rods, not just to eliminate the threat, but to use this ability to continuously analyze the characteristics of the black rods.

Of course, this doesn't mean he can create black rods, because he can't directly create things using his special properties. Just like having a 3D printing design doesn't mean you can print something out of thin air. However, he can simulate and utilize these extracted "special properties" through his unique chakra. If I had to make an analogy, it would probably be similar to a virtual SIM card.

In short, at this moment, this simulated "black rod characteristic" is being frantically injected in reverse through the real black rod piercing his body, vying with Nagato for control of Pain!

"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"

In that instant of stalemate, Uchiha Fu had already seized some of the authority. The Deva Path Pain, which he had temporarily partially controlled, suddenly turned its frozen arm around, its palm pointing at the Animal Path Pain, who was also standing on the crab's back!

Several jet-black spikes, simulated by chakra and possessing the characteristics of "black rods," shot out from the palm of Pain!

The Beast Path remained motionless, as Payne, preoccupied with the power struggle, could no longer focus on controlling it. Consequently, the black rod pierced its limbs and torso with pinpoint accuracy, firmly embedding it into the crab's thick, rough shell.

Prioritizing the Animal Path is to prevent Nagato from using it to quickly summon the other Six Paths of Pain to provide support.

As for Nagato himself, he naturally possesses the abilities of all six paths.

However, Nagato would never dare to use these abilities directly and on a large scale through his own body unless absolutely necessary.

The extraction of the Gedo Mazo, the fragility and concealment of its main body are its greatest secrets and weaknesses. Once the location of its main body is exposed due to intense chakra fluctuations, then defeat will truly be just one step away.

Of course, if truly forced into a desperate situation, Nagato would not hesitate to use his power.

However, his physical body is some distance away from this place. Even if he immediately uses his physical body to summon the other Pains, or has the other Pains come on their own, it will still take time.

What Fugaku Uchiha needed was this short time difference!

Thus, under Nagato's shocked, furious, and temporarily helpless gaze, he could only watch as Fugaku Uchiha raised the Blade of the Underworld and slowly pierced the body of Pain... Countless streams of black sludge seeped into Pain's body through the wound...

"Gurgle... gurgle..."

As the silt continued to encroach, Nagato was horrified to discover that he had not only completely lost control of this Heavenly Path body, but even more terrifyingly, the "Heavenly Path" ability that this body itself carried, which originated from his Rinnegan, such as the "abstract concept" of manipulating gravity and repulsion, was also imprisoned and sealed by these strange silt!

In other words...

The other party is becoming a new "Heavenly Dao," or at least, a part of it...

...

"Pfft!"

Fugaku Uchiha stood up and swiftly pulled out the remaining half of the black rod from his chest.

The moment the black rod left the body, no more blood gushed from the wound. Instead, it writhed and healed at a visible speed, with new flesh intertwining and entwining. In just two or three breaths, the torn clothes were as smooth as ever, as if the fatal penetration had just been an illusion.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

Two muffled explosions rang out.

The giant crab summon at his feet, and the Animal Path Pain, pinned to his carapace by black rods and unable to move, simultaneously transformed into two huge clouds of white smoke, which quickly dissipated into the air.

"The psychic summoning... the response was very fast."

Fugaku's eyes narrowed slightly as he muttered to himself.

Having lost their footing, he and Pain, whom he had temporarily controlled by invading with mud, immediately plummeted from mid-air.

However, the downward trend lasted for less than half a second before an invisible force field quietly spread out from Pain.

The fall stopped abruptly.

The two of them seemed to be supported by an invisible platform, hovering steadily in mid-air about ten meters above the ground.

Fugaku stood beside Tendo, one hand casually resting on Tendo's shoulder, as if he were merely holding an obedient puppet.

He tilted his head slightly, his gaze fixed on the depths of the distant forest, as if sensing something. After a moment, a cold smile curled at the corner of his lips.

"Walk."

"boom--!!!"

A violent repulsive force erupted beneath Pain's feet!

The two instantly transformed into two blurry afterimages, shooting straight into the distant dense forest!

He has to be quick.

The move just now, "reverse erosion and seizure of the authority of the Heavenly Dao," seemed amazing and completely outmaneuvered Nagato, instantly reversing the battle. But only Fugaku himself knew that he had used his biggest trump card at the moment: the core storage ability of his left eye's Mangekyou Sharingan.

This ability is somewhat similar to the Yin Seal, but the principle is completely different.

The Yin Seal can be opened or closed, but its upper limit is not high.

His own eye technique can store chakra far exceeding his physical limits. It is sealed in the Sharingan, but once activated, it is like a flood breaking through a dam, rushing to his right eye and becoming impossible to seal again.

The same applies to the life chakra transformed through his right eye. It's like a surging flame, burning intensely until it reaches the maximum capacity his body can store, at which point it will stop. Of course, his "capacity" will continue to increase over time, but for the foreseeable future, he won't be able to do that...

...

"Then...what's going on?"

At the edge of the battlefield, Uchiha Mikoto's eyes widened.

"Why do I have this feeling... that person has become one of us?"

Mei Terumi also looked bewildered.

"Could it be that Fugaku used illusion magic to control him?"

...

"I control your mother!"

Inside the Kamui alternate dimension, Obito Uchiha, who saw this scene through the crack, couldn't help but swear, his face distorted beneath the mask.

"That's the Rinnegan! How could it possibly be controlled by a genjutsu-type eye technique?!"

Despite his outbursts of anger, he was no less shocked than the two women outside.

What exactly did Fugaku Uchiha do?!

He knew a great deal about Nagato's Six Paths of Pain through the messages left behind by Black Zetsu and Madara Uchiha.

That was merely a trick Nagato used to distribute the power of the Rinnegan's Six Paths onto six corpses out of desperation due to his physical disability. The core control and source of power always remained with Nagato himself; the corpses were simply "terminals" that carried the power, without any independent power of their own.

But now, Fugaku has not only made Pain "betray" him, but he can even use Pain's "repulsive flight" ability!

This was completely beyond his understanding of ninjutsu, bloodline limits, and even the Rinnegan!

This is absolutely inhumane!

"Let's go take a look!"

Beside him, Black Zetsu's hoarse voice rang out, unusually tinged with suppressed anger and a barely perceptible hint of panic...

"Um."

This time, Obito Uchiha didn't waste any words. He nodded solemnly, because he was also somewhat at a loss. Fugaku's strange abilities had seriously threatened his plans and might even endanger his own safety...

...

Deep in the dense forest.

Inside that large tree disguised by Xiao Nan's paper.

Seeing the animal realm being summoned back with a "poof," Xiao Nan was stunned.

"Nagato, this is..."

She rarely saw Nagato so distraught. Even on the day Hanzo besieged them and Yahiko died, Nagato's eyes only changed from pain to utter coldness and resolve, not the mixture of shock, anger, and a hint of disbelief and bewilderment she felt now.

Nagato did not answer immediately. He manipulated the Animal Path, which had just returned, and quickly formed hand seals.

"Spiritual communication!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

Four plumes of white smoke exploded in succession, summoning the remaining four Paths of Pain—the Hell Path, the Human Path, the Hungry Ghost Path, and the Asura Path—to this location.

However, Nagato's face showed no sign of security; instead, it appeared even more solemn.

Through the unique connection of the Rinnegan, he could clearly "perceive" that his control over the "Heavenly Way" had been forcibly severed and nearly half of it had been taken away. It felt like a part of his outstretched arm suddenly became uncontrollable and even tried to strangle him!

Even more terrifying is that the opponent is carrying half of the "Heavenly Dao Authority" and is rushing straight towards his main body at an astonishing speed!

"Xiao Nan".

Nagato took a slow, deep breath, his withered chest rising and falling laboriously, but his voice was unusually calm.

"You go first. The battle that follows is beyond your capabilities."