Buzz—
Under Uchiha Fugaku's command, a pitch-black longsword appeared in the colossal hand of his Perfect Susanoo.
This was the Sword of Susanoo, a weapon accessible to every advanced form of Susanoo—a standard armament, yet one of overwhelming might and immense range.
Though "universal," its destructive force was terrifying.
Slash—
Wielding the blade, the Perfect Susanoo swung once through the air toward Nagato's Deva Path.
A streak of black light erupted, moving at several times the speed of sound, cleaving straight toward him.
The sky itself seemed split in half, a massive rift racing toward the Deva Path.
"Shinra Tensei!"
Sensing the sheer dread of that strike, Nagato's expression hardened. He pushed his repulsive force to its very limit, sending out a tidal surge of energy to meet the oncoming slash.
Crash—
Born of the Perfect Susanoo, the black slash held power at the super-Kage level, enough to rend mountains and rivers apart.
But the Deva Path's fully-unleashed Shinra Tensei was also of equal class—super-Kage tier.
The two forces collided, the black light gradually consumed until, at the last instant before reaching him, it dissipated.
Fugaku's eyes narrowed."As expected of the Rinnegan—surpassing even the Eternal Mangekyō. Even when not truly his own, it can manifest such power."
Boom, boom, boom!
The hundred-meter Susanoo charged forward, its enormous black blade cleaving downward with crushing force.
"Banshō Ten'in!"
Nagato thrust his hands toward the ground, dragging the earth upward. In an instant, a mountain rose before him.
Crack—
The giant blade split the mountain clean in two.
Using the opening, Nagato soared high into the sky, hundreds of meters above.
"You're not the only one who can fly."
With a cold snort, Fugaku unfurled Susanoo's massive wings. The giant warrior rose into the heavens, blade swinging again toward the Deva Path.
Nagato dodged sharply, retaliating with Shinra Tensei. Waves of force, endless like a storm tide, surged toward the giant.
Slash—
Susanoo's sword shimmered with black aura, cleaving the tide apart—and sent another slash of dark light racing toward Nagato.
Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!
The two clashed across sky and earth, every strike strong enough to summon gales and scatter clouds.
Their powers surpassed the realm of Kage—like two gods warring across heaven and earth.
Mountains shattered. Rivers changed course. The land was scarred with gaping trenches.
One slash carved a canyon hundreds of meters long and bottomless deep.
Nagato steadied himself in the air, eyes sharp."To battle me this far… Fugaku Uchiha, your strength exceeds all I imagined."
Gathering the strength of his five other Paths, this Deva Path was his most powerful form.
Yet even so, he had gained no clear advantage.
Nagato admitted—Fugaku was the strongest enemy he had ever faced.
But still… he did not believe Fugaku could overcome him.
Because—
"Super Shinra Tensei!"
His gaze sharpened like a blade. He thrust his palm down at the Perfect Susanoo.
An overwhelming, world-crushing force descended—like a nuclear blast, like a meteor striking earth.
The ground split into vast craters that filled with water, towering clouds of dust rising like a mushroom cloud.
Nagato's breath was heavy, but his expression remained cold.
This was the strike that made him believe himself invincible—an attack so devastating it could erase an entire village in one blow, a peak beyond even ordinary super-Kage.
The drawback: his body could not endure such strain for long. Otherwise, with this alone, he would never have needed the tailed beasts. He could have crushed the shinobi world by himself.
"Perhaps nothing will remain of him… seems I won't be keeping my promise to Sasori," he muttered.
He could not imagine anyone surviving that attack. Even he himself would not.
But then—
Whoosh—
From the roiling smoke, the battered form of the Perfect Susanoo emerged.
Its left arm was gone, gaping holes riddled its frame—yet it endured.
"You withstood it…?"
Nagato was stunned. Such a strike should have been insurmountable. Yet Fugaku had endured, however bloodied.
Inside, Fugaku's injuries were severe, his breathing ragged."What terrifying power…"
If not for Susanoo's left-hand weapon—an artifact with both reflective power and near-indestructible hardness—he would not have survived. That blade had borne the brunt of Nagato's ultimate strike.
With what remained, Susanoo's right hand shot forward, seizing the Deva Path.
Nagato's face shifted."Not good!"
He unleashed Shinra Tensei, but weakened from the super-attack, its force was a pale shadow.
The giant hand pierced through the repulsion and closed around him.
"After using that technique, you're bound to weaken…" Fugaku muttered, panting.
Crack—
With no chance to recover, Susanoo's massive hand clenched tight.
Splat—
The Deva Path was crushed to pulp.
With that, Nagato's Six Paths were annihilated.
The others had already been destroyed by Fugaku's allies; now the last was gone.
Nagato's grand assault on Konoha, meant to slay Fugaku, had ended in failure—his Six Paths completely destroyed.
The Moon.
At that moment, as Fugaku battled Nagato's Deva Path, a colossal eye suspended in a lunar palace stirred—gazing down upon the shinobi world, upon the clash below.
Inside the palace stood a dozen figures.
At their head: a middle-aged man. Beside him, a boy of seven or eight. The rest, aged elders.
Through the giant eye, they watched Fugaku and Nagato's earth-shaking fight.
"For thousands of years, the shinobi world has been drowned in strife. The Sage of Six Paths' creation truly was a mistake!" an elder declared bitterly.
"Mistakes must be corrected. It is our duty, as the Byakugan's true clan, to annihilate this flawed world," an old woman said.
Others nodded, voices rising in agreement."Yes, the shinobi world no longer deserves to exist. As guardians, we must erase it."
All eyes turned to the clan leader."Patriarch, it is time to begin the plan to destroy the shinobi world."
The middle-aged man nodded."Yes… but to awaken the Giant Tenseigan, we will need a pair of true Tenseigan eyes. That requires the purest bloodline."
He looked at the boy beside him.
"Hamura's descendant Toneri bears the purest Byakugan. When he comes of age, and joins his eyes with those of the branch clan on Earth, the Tenseigan will be born. He, not I, will be the one to complete the plan."
Everyone's gaze fixed on the boy.
Feeling their eyes upon him, the child lifted his head—revealing two hollow, eyeless sockets.