Dozens of miles away from Konoha, Nagato's six clones were rushing toward the village.
Suddenly,
four figures emerged from the ground beneath their feet and launched a surprise attack.
Two of them activated Susanoo and grabbed two of the Nagato clones.
One of them had lightning wrapped around his hand, resembling a lightning-infused longsword, and quickly slashed at another clone.
A huge ice cone shot out in front of one of the six Nagato clones, piercing through it.
Boom—
Faced with the ambush, the Deva Path clone among the six Nagato clones suddenly unleashed a powerful repulsive force.
The four Susanoo arms were blocked, the lightning sword was stopped, and the massive ice cone shattered.
The ambush failed.
The six Nagato clones halted together, staring coldly at the four attackers.
The four who ambushed them also stood alert, ready for confrontation.
They were Uchiha Fugaku, Spore Clone No. 1 disguised as Uchiha Shisui, Spore Clone No. 2 disguised as a Snow Clan ninja, and Hatake Kakashi.
This was all the Kage-level strength Uchiha Fugaku could currently mobilize.
Without involving lower-level ninja, it was futile to face someone of Nagato's caliber. Not only would Genin or Chunin be ineffective, but they could suffer heavy casualties just from the aftershocks of the battle.
"What terrifying strength… Is that the Rinnegan?"
Hatake Kakashi's scalp tingled as he looked at the six Nagato clones.
He had been surprised to receive a dispatch order from Uchiha Fugaku.
What kind of enemy required him, the Fifth Hokage, someone impersonating Uchiha Shisui, and a powerful yet unknown ninja to move together?
Initially, he thought it might be overkill—but after just one exchange, that thought vanished.
Only one among the six had blocked the coordinated ambush by all four of them.
What shocked him even more was that the six opponents all had the Rinnegan—eyes said to be wielded only by the Sage of Six Paths.
"So we've already been discovered."
The Deva Path clone said with mild surprise.
They had concealed their movements the entire way—yet they were still found so quickly.
"Why have you come to Konoha?"
Uchiha Fugaku asked.
Though he had his suspicions, they were only guesses. It was better to clarify now if the enemy had other objectives.
"I came to kill you."
The Deva Path clone stared directly at Fugaku.
"To kill me?"
Fugaku thought to himself, so his suspicion was true.
"Who sent you to kill me?"
"No comment."
The clone refused to answer.
Iwagakure had issued the bounty under strict conditions: their involvement was not to be revealed.
"Even if you won't say, I can guess—Iwagakure, right?"
Uchiha Fugaku sneered.
Hearing Fugaku's words, the clone's expression didn't change, but he replied:
"I was planning to kill you in Konoha, but since you've come here, there's no need to go that far."
"Kill me? You're not strong enough."
Uchiha Fugaku replied coldly.
"The difference in strength between us is like heaven and earth. You have no chance of winning."
The Deva Path clone raised his hands and pointed them at Fugaku and his companions.
"Shinra Tensei—"
A terrifying repulsive force surged from the clone's hands like an invisible tidal wave, slamming into the four.
"Susanoo—"
Fugaku activated the third form of Susanoo, shielding himself and the others.
The next moment—
Bang—
A violent impact struck. Susanoo was pushed back forcefully, sliding back several dozen meters before coming to a stop.
Its left-hand shield failed to reflect the force. Cracks ran across the shield and even the entire body of the Susanoo.
This attack was more powerful than a five-tailed beast bomb.
A casual strike with more force than a Tailed Beast Bomb—that was Nagato's power.
"Not bad. Take this!"
Fugaku's expression was grave.
He had always known Nagato was strong, but experiencing it firsthand made it all the more clear.
He poured chakra and ocular power into Susanoo, repairing its cracked form.
Boom—
Susanoo hurled the black spear in its right hand at terrifying supersonic speed toward the Deva Path clone.
Boom—
The clone raised its hand, and the spear slowed rapidly.
It stopped more than ten meters away, then exploded.
The shockwave was completely blocked by the repulsive force of Shinra Tensei.
It didn't harm the clone at all—not even a speck of dust landed on his clothes.
Shinra Tensei didn't just grant powerful offense; it was also an unparalleled defense, akin to Susanoo.
"Real Illusion—"
Seeing the black spear fail, Fugaku immediately changed tactics.
He dispelled Susanoo and cast Real Illusion on all six Nagato clones, drawing them into its illusionary realm.
Swish—
As the illusion took hold, Spore Clone No. 1, Spore Clone No. 2, and Kakashi sprang forward.
They launched various attacks while the clones were immobilized.
Real Illusion mimicked reality so perfectly that it was nearly undetectable, making Fugaku nearly invincible in this domain.
However, this time it didn't work as planned.
The Rinnegan, being a higher-tier ocular power than the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, had strong resistance to illusions.
The clones quickly realized they were under genjutsu.
Using the power of the Rinnegan, all six dispelled the illusion nearly instantly.
At that moment, Spore Clone No. 1, Spore Clone No. 2, and Kakashi had just reached them—their attacks had yet to land.
"Summoning: Hellhound—"
"Sealing Technique: Absorption Seal—"
"Mechanical Armor—"
The six clones immediately launched counter-techniques and began to repel the assault.
Not only that, the trio was pushed back and soon found themselves surrounded and endangered.
"The Real Illusion was broken so fast!"
Fugaku was increasingly surprised.
Swish—
He activated the Body Flicker Technique and charged toward the six clones.
Holding a kunai infused with Wind Style chakra—glowing like a green longsword—he struck at a tall Nagato clone.
This one, he knew, was the Naraka Path. It lacked strong combat ability, but had the crucial ability to resurrect other paths.
Naturally, it had to be eliminated first.
"Banshō Ten'in—"
As Fugaku lunged for the Naraka Path, the Deva Path immediately intervened.
A gravitational pull dragged Fugaku toward him.
In his other hand, the Deva Path formed a black rod and thrust it toward Fugaku mid-air.
Clang—
Fugaku twisted mid-flight, blocked the black rod with his "green longsword," and activated Susanoo again.
Susanoo's giant hand slammed toward the Deva Path.
"Repulsion Barrier—"
In this melee range, using Shinra Tensei indiscriminately would harm allies.
The Deva Path formed a compact repulsive barrier, halting Susanoo's hand exactly one meter from impact.
Just then, Susanoo's other hand extended and snatched the Naraka Path.
The Deva Path had never been Fugaku's real target.
The clones tried to stop him; the Naraka Path tried to retreat.
Spore Clones No. 1 and 2 and Kakashi intercepted the other paths.
Susanoo's arm suddenly extended to dozens of meters, grabbed the Naraka Path, and crushed it.
Crack—
Under the immense pressure, the Naraka Path was reduced to pulp.
"Naraka Path destroyed?"
The Deva Path frowned.
Was it a coincidence, or did Fugaku know too much?
"Shinra Tensei—"
The Deva Path clone snorted coldly.
If he hesitated again, more would fall.
He now used Shinra Tensei at full power, ignoring the risk to allies.
Boom—
Fugaku's Susanoo was struck hard, knocked back over a hundred meters.
Giant cracks appeared all over the construct, like shattered glass.
With a sharp sound, the entire Susanoo collapsed.
(End of Chapter)