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"As you can see, Nagato."
Fugaku spoke without any hint of apology on his face. "I've told you many times, don't trust anyone."
Whoosh!
Konan suddenly transformed into countless pieces of paper, scattering from Susanoo's skeletal hand and reassembling next to Nagato. The now human-shaped Konan only had a trace of blood at the corner of her mouth and some minor injuries from being squeezed, but nothing too severe.
Konan rarely made a move in front of Fugaku, so the Shikigami no Mai technique had not been exposed. Fortunately, she had just gathered chakra; otherwise, it would have been difficult to escape.
"Konan, are you okay?"
Nagato, his eyes fixed on Madara and Fugaku, asked the question to Konan behind him. If Fugaku had betrayed them immediately, then the other person's words might indeed be true.
Konan, watching the enemy cautiously, replied, "I'm fine, Nagato, but these two won't be easy to deal with."
On the other side, Fugaku stepped back to Madara's side. Black Zetsu emerged slowly from the ground, saying, "It seems we've failed. Looks like we need to take action to obtain the Rinnegan, Madara-sama."
"No problem, it'll just take a little effort," Madara said nonchalantly. In his eyes, Nagato's strength was insignificant. The fact that Nagato managed to develop the Rinnegan to this extent, despite not being from the clan, was a sign of some talent.
However, Madara only acknowledged Nagato because he used the basic abilities of the Rinnegan to create puppet clones through the use of the Transcription Seal.
"Just watch from the sidelines."
After saying that, Madara leaped forward, instantly charging towards Nagato and Konan.
"Konan, be careful."
Nagato formed hand seals and controlled the Six Paths of Pain to protect himself, with the strongest Deva Path leading the charge.
Seeing Madara rushing over, the Deva Path also charged forward, raising its hand and shouting, "Shinra Tensei!"
A powerful repulsive force instantly erupted, sweeping away everything with terrifying power, with the Deva Path at the center.
As the force exploded, Madara smirked. His Sharingan briefly transformed into the purple Rinnegan, and an equally powerful repulsive force appeared.
Boom! Rumble!
The two nearly identical invisible forces collided with a massive explosion. After a brief standoff of a few seconds, one figure was suddenly sent flying.
Thud, thud, thud.
The Deva Path was sent flying, rolling several times on the ground before being caught by the Asura Path.
"Impossible, you have the Rinnegan too?"
Nagato was shocked as he stared at the armored Madara before him. This person had just used Shinra Tensei, and his Sharingan had also transformed into the Rinnegan.
"The Rinnegan is the final evolution of the Sharingan. You're just an orphan of the Uzumaki clan, surviving this long by relying on the Rinnegan I gave you. You should be satisfied, Nagato."
Madara spoke slowly, with no trace of pride in having just sent a damaged puppet flying.
As soon as the exchange was over, he realized that Nagato lacked true combat awareness. During the standoff of identical forces, Nagato didn't even know to stabilize his footing.
He had actually expected this child to surprise him. It seems he was asking for too much.
"Asura Path!"
"Animal Path, Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"
Nagato formed hand seals and controlled the two Paths.
One made hand seals and summoned powerful summoned creatures. The other shed the Akatsuki's black cloak, revealing various weapons.
Roar!!
Boom, boom, boom!
The summoned creatures roared, and the Asura Path launched missiles from its arms, attacking Madara.
Fugaku, watching from a distance, couldn't help but be impressed. The Rinnegan's abilities were diverse, with few obvious weaknesses when used together. Additionally, Nagato's main body was protected by Konan, allowing them to escape into the sky at any time.
Fugaku then offered, "Do you need my help? Perhaps I can distract Konan, leaving Nagato's main body unprotected."
"No need. Madara-sama doesn't like others interfering in his fights. Besides, anything Nagato can do, Madara-sama can do better, and with more elegance," Black Zetsu replied. To him, Nagato's abilities were not even worthy of being Madara's opponent. They just needed to wait for Madara to half-destroy Nagato and then proceed with Madara's resurrection.
The Asura Path's missiles completely missed Madara, and the summoned creatures were nothing more than a heavy burden in his eyes. With the Rinnegan, he could easily see that Nagato controlled the creatures through the black rods embedded in them.
Knowing this, Madara used the Shunshin no Jutsu to leap onto one of the creatures, forming a black rod in his hand, and then stabbed it into the creature's body.
One by one, the remaining creatures were pierced by Madara's black rods. He then jumped down, forming hand seals to transmit chakra.
The four summoned creatures suddenly stopped moving, and Nagato was shocked to realize that he could no longer control them.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu, Kai!"
After forming seals, Madara sent the four creatures back.
Whether it was the Six Paths of Pain or the summoned creatures, they were all corpses controlled by the Rinnegan. Once pierced by Madara's black rods, they could be rendered completely useless by another source of chakra.
For others, as long as they controlled a Pain and removed the black rods from its body, they could also strip Nagato of his control over it.
"It seems you've understood. With no legs, you can only rely on these few corpses. Once you lose control, you're powerless. I was too serious to expect anything from a kid, even though the Rinnegan you have was given to you by me!"
Madara's tone was filled with disappointment. This kind of battle couldn't even stir his interest.
"Let's end this quickly."
Crack, crack!
Massive amounts of chakra surged from Madara's body, rapidly forming bones and muscles. Soon, a sixty-meter-tall Susanoo materialized before Nagato.
This Susanoo, however, had only two faces and four arms, without armor, representing the third stage of the Susanoo.
For dealing with Nagato's counterfeit Rinnegan, it was more than enough.
In the ninja world, only a few people wouldn't feel fear when facing a Susanoo, and Nagato wasn't one of them.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The Susanoo's hands formed massive chakra blades, which then slashed towards Nagato.
Seeing this, Nagato controlled the Deva Path to leap forward, "Shinra Tensei!"
Boom!
The repulsive force clashed with the chakra blades, creating a terrifying impact. The chakra blade seemed to strike a transparent, spherical barrier. After a few seconds of standoff, the Deva Path suffered the same fate as before, sent flying and rolling backward. This time, the powerful impact also sent Nagato's main body, along with the other Pain bodies and Konan, flying.
Madara had the Susanoo anchor itself to the ground, so he only staggered back a step before resuming his advance, intending to finish Nagato off.
"Nagato, are you okay?"
Konan, after getting up, rushed to Nagato's side. However, Nagato pushed her away, his expression grave as he said, "Konan, find a chance to escape on your own. This enemy is even more terrifying than before; he might really be Madara."
After saying that, Nagato didn't have time to say anything else. He continued to gather chakra, preparing to use the Deva Path for one final jutsu.
"Gathering chakra for a final struggle? Don't even think about it!"
Seeing Nagato attempting to gather chakra in the Deva Path, Madara controlled the Susanoo to slash down with its blade.
Rumble!
The blade carved a trench several hundred meters long and twenty or thirty meters deep into the ground. Nagato didn't even have time to use Shinra Tensei to deflect it.
The terrifying shockwave sent Nagato's main body and Konan flying, unable to withstand the destructive power that seemed to crush everything.
Even though the third-stage Susanoo's destructive power wasn't as strong as a Bijuu Bomb, it was still beyond Nagato's ability to withstand up close. If it had been the fully-formed Susanoo, Nagato might have died from the full-force impact.
It's time to end this!
Madara thought to himself, controlling the Susanoo to approach Nagato, then having the Susanoo grab Nagato and lift him up. Afterward, he turned and walked towards Black Zetsu.
"Let go of Nagato!"
Konan, enraged, used the Shikigami no Mai to form paper wings on her back and gathered numerous paper shuriken and explosive tags, hurling them at Madara's Susanoo.
However, the third-stage Susanoo, with its two faces and four arms, didn't even need to turn around. It simply swung one arm backward.
Thud!
Konan dodged the first strike but was hit hard by the second punch, sent flying into a crater where she lay motionless.
Madara merely glanced back at her, then continued towards Black Zetsu, placing Nagato down.
"He's passed out. You handle it, Black Zetsu."
Madara said. Nagato's heart also had a seal, but in his current unconscious state, it didn't seem like he would wake up soon. It would be better for Black Zetsu to take control.
"I understand, Madara-sama."
Black Zetsu replied, slowly covering Nagato like mercury and then taking control to form hand seals.
"Rinne Tensei no Jutsu!"
As the final seal was completed, a demonic face appeared on the ground. A massive life force emerged from its mouth, flowing into Madara's body.
Hiss!
A massive aura and shockwave erupted from Madara, the chakra surge from his resurrection almost overwhelming Fugaku.
'What an incredible amount of chakra.'
"Hahaha..."
Madara's laughter echoed through the air as he felt the wind from his resurrection. Unable to help himself, he made a small cut on his arm, watching fresh blood flow out.
"Madara-sama, your Rinnegan."
After Madara's resurrection, Black Zetsu returned to White Zetsu and removed Nagato's eyes, presenting them to Madara.
After placing the eyes into his sockets, Madara felt a surge of immense power. Now he felt like he could accomplish anything.
'Next, I need to gather the Bijuu, become the Jinchuriki of the Ten-Tails, and find Hashirama to obtain the power of Sage Mode.'
Feeling the vast power within him, Madara thought to himself. With strength surpassing even his prime, not even Hashirama could stop him now.
Black Zetsu spoke up, "Madara-sama, what should we do next? Konoha likely knows about your resurrection by now. They have the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails and Two-Tails. They might even use the Edo Tensei to bring back the First Hokage to deal with you."
"Heh, if Hashirama could actually be revived, that would be interesting. But in his Edo Tensei state, he won't have his full power, which would make it less enjoyable," Madara laughed lightly. "Let's collect the Bijuu from Konoha last. Let them gather their forces. When the time comes, they'll learn the true meaning of despair!"
To revive the Ten-Tails, all that was needed was to collect the Nine-Tails. The order of collecting the other Bijuu didn't matter.
"We've already captured the Three-Tails. After that, we can send the Edo Tensei to the Sand Village to capture the One-Tail. Next are the Six-Tails, Seven-Tails, and Eight-Tails. As for the Four-Tails and Five-Tails, they'll need another two to three years to revive, Madara-sama," Black Zetsu reported.
Hearing this, Madara couldn't help but feel a bit irritated. They would still have to wait two more years.
"Then let's get started, Black Zetsu. You, along with Fugaku and the Edo Tensei bodies, go capture the remaining Jinchuriki."
Madara had no intention of taking action himself, but if there were any problems, he would intervene early.
Just as they were about to leave, Black Zetsu noticed that Nagato still had some life left in him and said, "Madara-sama, this guy isn't dead yet."
"After all, he's a carefully chosen member of the Uzumaki clan. If his life force weren't strong enough, he wouldn't have been able to wield the Rinnegan's power."
It was a matter of gradually adapting to wield the power of both Rinnegan. Obito, even at his peak, could only handle one. If he tried to use both, he would lose himself in the Rinnegan's power.
Madara said this and then left without looking back. Nagato no longer held any value in his eyes. To leave him there, like a withering weed, slowly losing the fire of life, would be his ultimate fate.
After Madara and Fugaku left, Black Zetsu glanced at Nagato and chuckled before sinking into the ground. "A barely useful puppet, it's time for you to leave the stage."
It was a while after Black Zetsu had disappeared that Konan slowly regained consciousness.
"Nagato…"
The first thing she did as she came to her senses was to search for Nagato.
As nightfall approached Konoha, in the Uzumaki household's bedroom, a barrier was set up to isolate sound and sight.
Breathing slightly heavily, a figure spoke, "Kushina-san, you've heard the news, haven't you? Jiraiya is returning to the village after completing his mission."
(End of Chapter)
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Afterward, Yoichi sat by the bed, noticing that the ice-cold drink he had placed on the bedside table earlier was no longer cold. This time had indeed taken a while. He remembered putting it away last time, but this time, the jerk beside him had taken it out and placed it back on the table.
"Kushina-san, do you remember what I just said?"
Hearing Yoichi's words, Kushina furrowed her brows and thought for a moment. Then, with a look of annoyance, she brushed away the hand that was moving around on her body and said, "What did you say?"
"Jiraiya and the others have given up on the mission, so it seems we'll have to wait a little longer to resurrect Minato."
Seeing Kushina's expression, Yoichi knew what she was about to say and continued, "Don't look at me like that. If we had Minato's body, I could use the Edo Tensei to bring him back at any time. But we don't have it, do we?"
Hearing this, the words Kushina had intended to say were stuck in her throat. She knew the process for reviving Minato, but knowing that there was hope yet being forced to wait still made her frustrated. Although it wasn't Yoichi's fault, she still felt like yelling at him.
"You need to help me control the Nine-Tails and absorb its chakra. Once I've mastered the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, I'll go find that guy from the Akatsuki myself and get Minato's body back!"
Kushina said after a moment of silence. She then felt another hand moving around on her body, but she was too lazy to bother with it now, considering what they had just done.
"You can't leave the village for now. There have been many unexpected events in the ninja world lately. In a couple of days, you'll be called to a meeting involving all the Bijuu," Yoichi explained briefly, then got up to put on his clothes and prepare to head home.
As Kushina slowly regained her strength, she turned over and reached for the bedside table. Upon seeing the wedding photo of her and Minato, a flash of embarrassment and anger crossed her mind, and she placed it face down.
She then took a bottle of medicine from the drawer, poured out two pills, and swallowed them with water from the table.
While Kushina was taking the medicine, Yoichi had already finished collecting the small cameras hidden around the room. He then asked casually, "Kushina-san, what did you just take?"
"Vitamins. What's it to you, huh?"
"Never mind, it's fine. Naruto will wake up soon, and I need to go back. In a couple of days, bring Naruto to my house. Sasuke misses him."
After saying that, Yoichi was about to leave but thought to himself, if she wants to take vitamins, maybe next time he'll really replace them with 'real' vitamins.
After leaving Kushina's house, Yoichi first went to the Hokage office. After retrieving his clone, he remembered that he hadn't done his daily sign-in yet on his way home.
This new ability often made Yoichi overlook things. The previous items obtained from signing in were quite ordinary—tissues, instant noodles, a slipper…none of which were useful. However, the daily opportunity couldn't be wasted, and he would destroy any useless items he drew. But what if he got something good?
[Sign-in Reward: Moon Breathing Sword Technique]
"Oh, I actually got something valuable. The breathing techniques from the world of Demon Slayer? I was just one step away from the most powerful Sun Breathing."
Yoichi was a bit surprised to see the Moon Breathing appear on the ability wheel, so he chose to claim it.
The Moon Breathing technique was created by Yoriichi's brother, Kokushibo, after failing to master the Sun Breathing. Thus, he created a less powerful version, Moon Breathing.
Even so, it was considered the strongest breathing technique after Sun Breathing. It could instantly enhance one's physical abilities, and once the Full Concentration Breathing was mastered, it could gradually make the body stronger.
After claiming the Moon Breathing technique, Yoichi quickly mastered it. With his current level of control over his body, learning this was no challenge.
"It won't do much to improve my abilities, but for lower-ranking ninja, it could significantly enhance their strength. I'll give it to Sasuke tomorrow. It's about time he started training. He can use this breathing technique before learning ninjutsu."
Yoichi decided in his mind. The Full Concentration Breathing would be a great help to Sasuke.
Even though the physical abilities of people in the ninja world were strong, the Full Concentration Breathing could still improve the physical abilities of lower-ranking ninja, like a lower-grade version of Sage Mode.
After deciding this, Yoichi headed home. He might have missed dinner, but he didn't want to miss bedtime.
...
Meanwhile, the Senju clan's compound was bustling with activity.
Tobirama, after being taken on a quick tour of Konoha by Tsunade, asked her for a death row inmate upon returning to the compound. He initially wanted a ninja from an enemy village, but since Orochimaru had a few death row inmates left over from his experiments, Tsunade asked Nawaki to bring one over.
Orochimaru was reluctant to give one up, but knowing that if he didn't give it to Nawaki, Tsunade would come knocking with her fists, he reluctantly handed over one of his experimental subjects, a convict fused with Wood Release.
After Nawaki brought the convict back, Tobirama immediately used Edo Tensei to summon his elder brother, Hashirama.
Seeing Hashirama appear, Tobirama breathed a sigh of relief. Although he had faith in his brother's strength, he also feared Madara might have some hidden trick, so he controlled Hashirama upon his summoning.
"Tobirama, it's you."
Upon his revival, Hashirama saw Tobirama and a grown-up Tsunade. Looking at the cracks on his body, he realized his current state.
"I was wondering who would revive me first. But you really shouldn't have invented this forbidden jutsu, summoning the dead from the Pure Land without care. It's not right…"
"Enough, brother. Let's focus on the important matters now. Besides, with Edo Tensei, future generations can call upon the strength of their predecessors in times of crisis. It's beneficial for the village."
Tobirama cut off Hashirama's words and continued, "It seems you've also met the Sage of Six Paths, so there's something you need to know. Madara might have been revived."
Tobirama then explained everything that had happened since his revival, including the previous disputes within the village. He wanted to gather the village's forces to deal with Madara, but the Fifth Hokage, Yoichi, had rejected the idea.
"Tobirama, we may be past Hokage, but we've been dead for a long time. It's better to listen to the opinions of the current generation."
Hashirama scratched his head as he spoke. He didn't want the younger generation to rely solely on the past Hokage. If they always depended on others, they would never surpass their predecessors.
"Besides, the Fifth is married to Tsuna… But Tsuna, why does that guy have so many wives? Are you just one of them?"
Hashirama, concerned more about his granddaughter's happiness than the dangers of the ninja world, asked this question with a serious expression. From Tobirama's words, it seemed like the Fifth had more than one wife.
"Grandpa, don't worry about my affairs right now. I'm doing fine. You should be more concerned about Second Grandpa and Nawaki."
Tsunade replied, feeling a bit uneasy. Although she had been furious at first, she couldn't leave that perverted brat now.
They weren't living together, and that pervert had never neglected her. Even when they ran into Mina at the hospital, the other woman would still greet her cheerfully, holding her arm.
Apart from a few people gossiping in the village, Tsunade felt her life was much better than before.
Except for being restricted from drinking after getting pregnant.
With Tsunade diverting the topic, Hashirama's attention turned back to Tobirama. But seeing Tobirama about to speak again, Hashirama quickly waved his hand.
"Never mind, Tobirama. If the Fifth doesn't want to, then we should handle the matter of Madara ourselves. Let's talk to the Fifth in a few days. If it doesn't work out, so be it. Madara is an issue from our generation. It's only because of our oversight that it's become a burden for the younger generation."
Hashirama pressed down on Tobirama's intentions and continued, "Besides, I want to meet the Fifth and see the village as it is now. Let's talk after I've met with him."
Having just been summoned, there was no need to rush things. From what he had heard from Tsunade, both the Nine-Tails and Two-Tails were in Konoha. If Madara intended to gather all the Bijuu, he would come to Konoha sooner or later.
"Tsuna, is there a casino in the village?"
Upon hearing this, Tsunade's eyes lit up. "There is, Grandpa. I'll take you there tomorrow."
"Tsunade-sama!"
"Brother!"
Tobirama and Shizune called out simultaneously, prompting Hashirama and Tsunade to restrain themselves, though the expressions on their faces showed their reluctance.
But under the watchful eyes of Tobirama and Shizune, the grandfather and granddaughter duo dared not act out, opting instead to sit around the dinner table and talk about other things to change the topic.
...
The next morning.
With nothing else to do, Yoichi decided to take a break, especially since the ninja academy was closed today and tomorrow. The day after was his inauguration ceremony, so the academy was closed.
This morning, Yoichi gave himself the day off to guide his son and other students in their training.
"What I'm going to teach you today is a breathing technique. Once you've trained it to the point where it becomes second nature, you'll be able to instantly enhance your physical abilities several times over."
As Yoichi explained, Sasuke, Haku, Kimimaro, and Itachi stood before him, listening intently.
Yugito didn't need to learn this. She had the Two-Tails within her and was currently training in an even stronger Bijuu Sage Mode.
"Excuse me, is Mina home?"
Just as Yoichi was about to teach them the specifics of the breathing technique, the doorbell rang, followed by Kushina's voice. Yoichi walked over.
He hadn't expected Kushina to come with Naruto so soon after he had suggested it yesterday.
Opening the door, Yoichi saw Kushina holding Naruto's hand and smiled, "Come in. Mina's inside. Naruto, I'm teaching Sasuke a breathing technique right now. Why don't you join us?"
"Okay, Uncle Yoichi."
As soon as Naruto heard Sasuke was learning something, he didn't want to fall behind and quickly ran to the backyard. Yoichi's house had a large courtyard, enough to accommodate many people for training.
After Naruto left, Kushina gave Yoichi a stern look, signaling him not to cause any trouble.
Yoichi smiled and went back to the courtyard. He wasn't foolish enough to try anything with Mina and Mikoto around. He returned to teach Sasuke and the others the breathing technique.
After a morning of teaching, the group barely managed to grasp the basics. Itachi was the quickest learner, mastering it after hearing it twice. He was already attempting Full Concentration Breathing, trying to make it a habit in his daily life.
Kimimaro and Haku also learned quickly, although slightly slower than Itachi. They were both prodigies.
It was Sasuke and Naruto who were slower. By lunchtime, Sasuke had barely managed to use the breathing technique, while Naruto could use it but often forgot to maintain it, unable to keep it up for long periods.
Seeing Sasuke mastering it and taunting him, Naruto clenched his fists in frustration.
"Keep practicing at home. Naruto, come here for a moment."
Yoichi called out to Naruto. He had asked Kushina to bring Naruto over because of the Asura chakra within him.
With the Ten-Tails about to appear, only someone with the Rinnegan could become the Jinchuriki of the Ten-Tails.
Relying solely on Hashirama's cells to evolve his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan was too slow. The Asura chakra could significantly speed up the evolution process.
Leading Naruto to the forest, Yoichi touched him lightly, causing Naruto to fall asleep.
"Spiritual Transformation Technique."
Using this technique, Yoichi projected a spiritual clone from his body and quickly entered Naruto's body.
The age of three was the minimum age for training in the ninja world because, by that age, a child's body could extract and handle chakra.
Inside Naruto's body, Asura's chakra slowly emerged from the depths of his soul.
Spiritual Possession!
Finding the Asura chakra, Yoichi used his spiritual clone to envelop the powerful Yang Release chakra. Soon, he felt resistance from the Asura chakra. Facing the threat of being devoured, Asura naturally wouldn't surrender.
"It's futile."
Yoichi's power continuously flowed from his main body into the spiritual clone, enveloping Naruto in increasingly powerful chakra, making the spiritual clone even stronger.
Eventually, the spiritual clone within Naruto's body grew to a giant size, grabbing the Asura chakra and tearing it away from Naruto.
After extracting the Asura chakra, the spiritual clone swiftly returned to Yoichi's main body.
With the return of this massive Yang Release chakra, Yoichi immediately felt an instinctive craving throughout his body.
Even the surrounding grass and trees seemed to come alive, the wild grass flourishing in an instant, and the trees returning to their lush summer state.
(End of Chapter)
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