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

"Shinra Tensei!!"

The violent repulsive force, like an invisible giant hammer, slammed down hard on the towering tree in the distance!

Almost at the same instant, a terrifying repulsive force of the same scale and nature erupted from inside the giant tree!

Two opposing forces, originating from the same source, collided violently in mid-air!

No sound.

Or rather, the sound was swallowed up by something even more violent.

The air was compressed, torn apart, and ionized in an instant!

The blinding white light expanded wildly from the point of impact. Wherever it passed, the tree made of Xiao Nan's paper was instantly reduced to dust. The surrounding trees were twisted, broken, and crushed. The soil was lifted up layer by layer, and the rubble shot out in all directions like bullets!

Amidst the smoke and dust, a massive, bizarre device, resembling a multi-legged mechanical spider, slowly emerged.

Around it, five figures dressed in black trench coats with red clouds stood silently: the Animal Path, the Human Path, the Hell Path, the Hungry Ghost Path, and the Asura Path. Except for the Heaven Path, which was partially controlled by Fugaku, all of them were gathered together.

Fugaku Uchiha floated in mid-air, with Pain, the Deva Path, floating beside him, but with empty eyes.

His gaze swept down, past the five cold figures, and finally landed on Nagato inside the mechanical spider.

With the help of the partial Rinnegan clairvoyance he "shared" from Tendo, he could clearly "see" the internal situation, which was even more shocking than depicted in the manga.

It could no longer be simply described as "withered"; it was more like a skeleton draped in human skin, with sunken eye sockets, protruding cheekbones, and skin clinging tightly to the bones. Only the slightly heaving chest and the pair of Rinnegan eyes containing terrifying power proved that this was still a living person.

"As expected of the Uzumaki clan..."

Fugaku sighed inwardly.

Despite enduring the continuous draining by the Gedo Mazo and the terrifying burden of the Rinnegan on his own, he was not drained of his life force and turned into a true dried-up corpse.

After all, only he, who had temporarily seized the authority of the Heavenly Dao, knew how terrifying the Rinnegan was.

At this moment, the vast life energy within his body was continuously flowing into the Heavenly Dao body beside him, maintaining control over some of its authority and the payment of "Heavenly Dao Power." If he stopped for even a second, he would lose control of the Heavenly Dao.

"The Rinnegan..."

Fugaku Uchiha stared at the pair of purple eyes inside the mechanical spider for a moment, then suddenly chuckled.

"As expected of the world's 'number one' bloodline limit."

From inside the mechanical spider, Nagato's deep, slightly hoarse voice rang out, carrying a subtle, almost imperceptible fluctuation.

"You know about the Rinnegan?"

"How fresh!"

Fugaku Uchiha's smile carried a hint of mockery.

"The eyes of the Sage of Six Paths are legendary treasures in the ninja world. Ramen shops in Konoha Village all have pictures of the Sage of Six Paths on their walls, but most people just treat it as a myth and don't take it seriously."

Nagato remained silent for a moment, a glint of light flashing in his Rinnegan eyes.

"How did you do that?"

His tone was no longer as indifferent as when he manipulated the Heavenly Dao, as if he were looking down on ants. Instead, it carried a hint of solemnity. After Yahiko's death, he had fully awakened the power of the Rinnegan and once believed that he had the power to change the world and judge all living beings.

However, this Uchiha in front of him had forcibly taken half of the "Heavenly Path" from his hands, which was undoubtedly a heavy warning.

"Oh."

When faced with Nagato's question, Fugaku simply responded with a cryptic chuckle and offered no answer.

He explained his abilities to Danzo as a "show of force," telling Konoha that he possessed a "weapon of mass destruction," but the internal structure and working principle of the "weapon of mass destruction" were top secrets and could not be easily revealed to others.

With a flick of his wrist, the ancient [Blade of the Yellow Springs and Azure Pool] drew a dark arc in the air.

Fugaku's eyes flashed with sternness, and he and the controlled Pain beside him transformed into two afterimages, one on the left and one on the right, like arrows released from a bow, charging fiercely towards the mechanical spider and the five Pains in front of them!

"Spiritual communication!"

Animal Path Pain formed hand seals, and accompanied by a huge plume of white smoke, the enormous foam crab reappeared. Its eight giant legs plunged deep into the ground, its mouth opened, and a torrent of turbid foam poured out like a waterfall, instantly turning a large area in front of it into a swamp, intending to slow down the mud dragon's movements.

Immediately afterwards, white smoke exploded one after another!

The ferocious three-headed hellhound roared as it landed, its scarlet eyes fixed on Fugaku.

With a sharp cry, the Yatagarasu, with its astonishing wingspan, soared into the sky, its sharp claws and teeth reflecting a cold light in the sunlight.

The Asura Path standing on the carapace of the foam crab now resembled a human armory, with its arms, shoulders, chest, and even the sides of its head opening up hidden compartments to reveal a dense array of firing ports!

Countless missiles, lasers, chakra missiles, and kunai with explosive tags rained down on Fugaku and Pain as they charged forward!

That intense firepower was enough to instantly vaporize any ninja unit!

Faced with this three-dimensional offensive that would make most Kage-level powerhouses shudder, Fugaku Uchiha remained unfazed, and his forward momentum did not slow down in the slightest.

He simply raised his left hand, spread his five fingers, and gently clenched them in the empty space in front of him.

"Secret Technique: Yellow Springs Pool - Gluttony".

"Boom!!!"

The ground beneath our feet trembled violently!

Several black mud dragons that had been guarding his side suddenly collapsed, turning into an even thicker and deeper torrent of silt. Instead of rushing forward, they swirled, converged, and rose upwards, centered on a spot dozens of meters in front of Fugaku!

In the blink of an eye, an enormous "mouth" made of pure silt "grew" out of the ground!

It has no specific facial features, only a deep, dark mouth that seems to devour all light, and "lips" with constantly writhing edges that drip mud.

This enormous mouth opened at an angle of over 180 degrees, like an inverted, pitch-black bowl suddenly "closing" in front of it!

Everything, upon touching the writhing silt, seemed to sink into an invisible swamp, its speed suddenly reduced, and then it was dragged by an irresistible force into the bottomless darkness.

The water sprayed out by the foam crab didn't even have time to "dilute" before it, along with its body and the Asura Path above, were completely enveloped and swallowed by the churning silt. The hellhound frantically split off new heads, and the Yatagarasu struggled and flapped its wings, but all to no avail. It could only sink deeper and deeper into the silt, futilely splashing up a few mud flowers.

All of this was observed from afar by the colossal "King Yama" statue with its enormous Rinnegan, summoned by the Hell Path. Through these massive Rinnegan, every detail of the battlefield was simultaneously and clearly fed back into Nagato's mind within the mechanical spider.

"I see..."

Nagato nodded secretly.

The so-called "Yellow Springs Pool" is essentially an "interdimensional interface" existing within the real world. The matter and energy it devours are not "digested" or "destroyed," but rather "transformed" and "absorbed"...

"A terrifying ability... a near-unbeatable defensive and offensive tactic."

"My right eye is continuously converting the enormous amount of chakra stored in my left eye into a life energy that even I find astonishing."

Conclusion 1: The enemy's vitality is in a state of "frenzied burning," which endows him with unbelievable vitality and regenerative abilities.

Conclusion Two: In this state, combined with his bizarre ability to devour and transform swamps, it is virtually impossible to kill him through conventional physical damage or attrition warfare. His "immortality" is almost absolute until his chakra is exhausted.

"So, there are two ways to end this battle..."

First, stall the other party...

Nagato abandoned this idea in an instant. God, if they fought a bad war, he would lose the most important thing, just like that imposter Uchiha Madara. This thing was the core of his future leadership of the Akatsuki organization, which was... authority!

Second, the human realm...

Nagato's gaze swept almost imperceptibly over Pain, the Human Path, who stood quietly a short distance away, seemingly without any presence.

Only the abilities of the human realm can touch and extract his soul, ignoring his immense life force and regenerative abilities.

Therefore, the core of the battle is to create an opportunity for the human realm to make contact...

Having made up his mind, Nagato glanced at Tendo, who was floating beside Fugaku with empty eyes.

"The opponent also possesses some Heavenly Dao authority and shares the Rinnegan's vision. Therefore, the chameleon's invisibility is likely ineffective against him. This is the chameleon's only weakness—it can evade most detections, but it cannot evade the Rinnegan's vision, which originates from the same source. However, the Rinnegan itself is not omniscient or omnipotent."

Its field of vision has blind spots; it doesn't have the 360-degree perspective of a Byakugan. It can only see "directly in front"...

...

The "Taotie" formed by the silt slowly subsided. Fugaku continued his journey, stepping on the surface of the mud and gliding towards the mechanical spider where Nagato's main body was located.

"Shinra Tensei!"

Inside the mechanical spider, Nagato's cold voice rang out.

Almost at the same instant, Fugaku had a thought, and Pain beside him also raised his hand.

"Shinra Tensei!"

"boom--!!!"

Two terrifying repulsive forces of the same origin and nature collided once again in mid-air!

This time, the point of impact was closer to the ground, and the resulting damage was even more horrific!

At the center of the collision, the air was completely expelled, forming a brief, distorted vacuum sphere!

Immediately afterwards, an indescribable shockwave spread outwards in a ring shape!

The ground was as if it had been ruthlessly plowed by an invisible giant plow with a diameter of over tens of meters, scraping away a thick layer of soil!

"Universal Guidance!"

Without warning, Fugaku Uchiha, controlling Pain, suddenly clenched his fist with his left hand, aiming at the mechanical spider in the distance!

However, Nagato seemed to have anticipated this.

"Spiritual communication techniques."

The space in front of the mechanical spider distorted, and the figure of the Hungry Ghost Path Pain appeared instantly, blocking the path of the suction force!

"Whoosh—!"

The Preta Path was like a puppet being grabbed by an invisible giant hand, being pulled toward Pain at an astonishing speed. Just as the suction reached its peak, the Preta Path opened its arms and hugged Pain tightly!

"Sealing Technique: Absorption Seal!"

The power of the Hungry Ghost Realm is activated!

The immense life chakra within Pain's body, transformed from Fugaku's right eye, surged like a burst dam, rushing wildly into the Preta Path's body at the point of contact between the two, and then, through some kind of connection, continuously flowed towards Nagato's body in the distance!

"Well..."

Inside the mechanical spider, Nagato's withered body trembled slightly, and a faint, unnatural blush even appeared on his pale face.

The pure and immense life energy surged into his body, causing his body, which had been riddled with holes from the long-term draining by the demonic statue, to feel a long-lost sense of comfort and fullness. Even if it was only for a brief moment, it was enough to startle him.

"pity..."

He sighed inwardly, realizing that this opportunity was fleeting.

Because the moment the Hungry Ghost Realm embraced the Heavenly Dao, pitch-black, viscous sludge, like living tentacles, surged out wildly from the Heavenly Dao's sleeves, collar, and even under his skin, instantly enveloping the Hungry Ghost Realm as well!

"Gurgle...gurgle..."

A familiar, unsettling swallowing sound rang out.

The good news is that the Hungry Ghost Realm wasn't taken over; it seems there's a limit to the extent of its control. The bad news is that, like the Asura Realm, after being sealed by that black mud, even the Animal Realm can't resurrect its spirits...

However, he didn't care; the loss of the Hungry Ghost Realm was part of his calculations.

"The Heavenly Dao is temporarily held back by the Hungry Ghost Dao, preventing any movement of vision... Now is the time!"

Inside the mechanical spider, Nagato formed hand seals.

"Spiritual communication techniques."

At the edge of the battlefield, the light distorted slightly, and the figure of the chameleon summoning beast quietly appeared. It opened its mouth wide, and the Human Path of Pain, who had been waiting there, flashed out like a ghost and landed silently.

Using the Preta Path to block the Deva Path's blind spot, the Human Path, under the cover of the Chameleon, moved at an astonishing speed and silently around to Uchiha Fugaku's back along the edge of the crater created by the shockwave!

It's now!

The Human Path, which winds around to the blind spot behind Fugaku, suddenly sprang into action like a venomous snake that had been lurking for a long time!

Its speed was as fast as lightning. Its right hand, with its five fingers spread, reached straight for Fugaku's nape. A strange fluctuation swirled around that hand, a power that directly touched the soul!

Submerged in the heart!

To touch is to decide life or death!

The hand of the human path did indeed touch the "target," but the sensation was wrong; it wasn't flesh and blood, but rather cold, hard metal!

What it grasped was none other than the blade of the [Blade of the Yellow Springs and Azure Pool]!

The blade of the Yellow Springs Azure Pool Blade erupted from Uchiha Fugaku's neck, along with the silt, blocking not only the Human Path's hand but also the immense force of the impact, which directly flipped the Human Path over, pinning him and the chameleon behind him to the ground.

...

"He knows the intelligence..."

Nagato's Rinnegan silently observed everything. Judging from the other party's reaction, they were prepared, not reacting on the spot...

Therefore, having prior knowledge of the information is the only answer.

This scene caused Nagato, inside the mechanical spider, to take a deep breath. He admitted that his heart was in turmoil.

"It must be the kind of ability the other party possessed to seize the authority of the Heavenly Dao, which allowed him to indirectly obtain the information."

Ultimately, Nagato could only come to this conclusion; otherwise, there was no way to explain how the opponent knew about the Human Path ability, which had never been used in public before, or even had been prepared for it in advance. Perhaps, before the Human Path appeared, the opponent had already made preparations...

"The Way of Heaven..."

'The Path of Asura...'

"Hungry Ghost Realm..."

"The Way of Man..."

In that brief exchange, the opponent either seized or sealed four of the six paths, or perhaps three and a half, since he still had half of the Heavenly Dao's power remaining...

What to do...?

Nagato fell into deep thought.

In the animal realm, all summoned beasts are sealed away in mud...

The Hell Path, an ability primarily focused on logistics and reconnaissance, is practically useless in combat against top-tier experts.

Half of the Heavenly Dao...

Earth Explosion Star is usable, but unfortunately, the enemy can use it too...

"call..."

Slowly exhaling, Nagato calmed himself down and formed hand seals.

The next moment, whether it was the animal realm beside them, the Asura realm struggling in the mire, the hungry ghost realm controlled by the Heavenly Dao, the human realm nailed to the ground, or the hell realm standing atop the giant Yama in the distance...

They all collapsed to the ground, limp and lifeless, as if their bones had been removed...