Black Zetsu made a good point.
Right now, the Akatsuki couldn't be considered a complete organization. Obito (posing as "Madara") was operating in the shadows and wasn't a formal member. Konan and Zetsu wouldn't act, and the remaining active members—Orochimaru, Hiruko, and Sasori—couldn't pose a real threat to the Three Kage.
Hiruko's strength didn't need much elaboration. Without the augmentation of celestial phenomena, his Chimera Technique was still in experimental stages—his combat ability barely matched that of an elite jōnin.
Sasori was even worse off.
Though Obito had successfully arranged for Sasori's return to Akatsuki—saving his life in the process—his entire arsenal of puppets had been destroyed by Kirigakure. Every single one, including the human puppet of the Third Kazekage, was gone.
A puppet master without puppets was like a tiger without claws. Most of Sasori's combat power had been stripped away—he was barely an elite jōnin now.
As for Orochimaru...
Now that guy was genuinely a top-tier powerhouse. If he went all out, summoning a horde of Edo Tensei undead, he might actually turn the tide.
But Orochimaru was far too scheming. He'd never risk everything in a confrontation against three Kage under these conditions. At best, he'd sit back and observe. Realistically, that still left him at elite jōnin level for now.
The mighty Akatsuki... and the only members they could field were essentially cannon fodder.
If they were the ones sent in first, forget intimidating the Three Kage—Akatsuki would become a laughingstock across the shinobi world.
"That's why I still believe it's best if you go yourself, Nagato—as the Deva Path of Pain," Black Zetsu said in a low voice. Inwardly, he added, "It might also help soothe a certain someone's fragile ego..."
Ever since Black Zetsu had taken the initiative during the negotiations with Orochimaru, Obito had been somewhat resentful. In Obito's mind, Zetsu was a product of Madara's Yin-Yang Release—an instrument of Madara's will—while he himself was the true heir to the name Uchiha Madara.
To act in Madara's name was to wield Madara's authority.
So Zetsu stepping in unprompted had overstepped that line—enough to irritate "Sir Ego" over there.
"You're right..." Nagato nodded slowly, agreeing with Zetsu's assessment. Konan, however, frowned deeply, about to speak—but Nagato offered a faint smile. His gaunt yet sharp features exuded a kind of overwhelming conviction.
"Don't worry, Konan. With the power of the Rinnegan, victory is inevitable. Even Kage will kneel before the might of God."
"Nagato..."
Konan could only nod in silence.
Nagato said no more. He began to control the Six Paths of Pain, sending them toward the site of the Three Kage Summit.
The Land of Iron was a cold country blanketed by year-round snowfall—but at that moment, it felt as if a terrifying force had descended from the heavens.
In an instant, the blizzard ceased. The low-hanging clouds scattered violently.
Yoru, who had been speaking during the summit, suddenly froze. His expression turned strange.
The next moment, an immense suction force tore the roof from the meeting hall. With the ceiling gone, everyone instinctively looked up.
What greeted them was not a sky full of swirling snowflakes—but a rare, clear expanse of blue sky.
The ever-present cloud cover above the Land of Iron had been pierced, as though something had ripped open the heavens. Through the hole in the clouds, sunlight poured down onto the snowy landscape below, casting a radiant glow.
Descending with that sunlight was a solitary figure.
He wore the trademark black cloak adorned with red clouds. His feet didn't touch the ground. With the sun at his back, his features were obscured—only the cold, impassive ripple-pattern of his Rinnegan eyes could be seen, gazing down from above.
He seemed not like a man, but a divine being from the heavens—a god descending upon the mortal realm.
"What terrifying chakra...!"
"Who the hell is that?! He just barged into the Kage Summit?! Is he insane?!"
"No... I can't move... at all..."
"Is he... is he a god?"
All eyes turned to Pain, stunned. The samurai of the Land of Iron were elite warriors—but none had ever seen such an entrance. A god descending from the sky—who could even process that?
Forget defending the meeting. Forget driving the intruder away. They didn't even have the courage to meet his gaze.
Only Mifune, the general of the Land of Iron, narrowed his eyes in suspicion.
"This cloak... that face... Isn't that the Akatsuki member Yahiko from before?"
Mifune himself had hosted the last Kage Summit. He remembered it clearly—especially how Akatsuki had come forward back then to solve their security dilemma. If not for Akatsuki, it would've been a logistical nightmare.
So he remembered Yahiko's face well.
But—
"No... something's off. Yahiko never had eyes like that... Just who the hell is this?!"
The room fell into chaos.
At the conference table, the three Kage also wore grave expressions.
Rasa, the Kazekage, sensed the aura surrounding Pain and furrowed his brows. Minato, the Fourth Hokage, kept his eyes locked on Pain's and felt a shiver run through him.
Yuki Yoru, the Fourth Mizukage—
His face remained calm. As if this appearance had been entirely expected.
"Hey, you—"
Baki, Rasa's aide, instinctively tried to speak—but the moment he did, an invisible and overwhelming pressure crashed down like a divine decree.
Rasa acted at once, activating his Magnet Release to form a shield of gold dust. But it was useless.
In the blink of an eye, both Rasa and Baki were blasted backward—gold dust and all—sent flying like ragdolls.
Minato acted immediately, grabbing Fugaku and teleporting both of them out of the meeting chamber using Flying Thunder God.
And just as they disappeared—BOOM.
A crushing wave of unseen force flattened the entire building. In seconds, the conference hall was obliterated.
Plumes of debris shot skyward.
Fugaku and Minato, now safely outside, stared grimly at the floating figure within the dust cloud.
"Lord Fourth... those eyes..."
"Yeah," Minato said gravely. "No mistake about it. That's the Rinnegan—the legendary eyes of the Sage of Six Paths."
"I can't believe it... the Rinnegan actually exists..."
Fugaku muttered in disbelief, clenching his fists.
The Uchiha had always prided themselves as the greatest dōjutsu clan in the world. Sure, there was the Byakugan and the mythical Rinnegan—but the Byakugan was comparatively weak, and the Rinnegan had never truly appeared.
The Sharingan reigned supreme.
Most Uchiha believed that. So did much of the shinobi world.
What Rinnegan? Just a legend.
And yet now—it had appeared. Publicly. Visibly. Overwhelmingly.
"Whoever he is, if he's here to disrupt the Kage Summit, that makes him our enemy!" Minato said firmly, brandishing a Flying Thunder God kunai. "Clan Head Fugaku, keep an eye on Mifune and the Land of Iron's samurai. They provided the venue—we can't let them get dragged into this fight."
"Understood."
Fugaku's eyes turned into three-tomoe Sharingan, and he shifted into battle stance.
The smoke and debris from the destroyed building still filled the air, kicked up by the tremendous repulsion force of Shinra Tensei. Amid the devastation, only two figures remained standing, completely unmoved.
"Yahiko… No—Nagato."
Hōzuki Mangetsu's expression wavered as he looked at Pain in disbelief. But Yoru simply raised his head, his gaze calm yet complex as it settled on Pain's face.
"I told you before—if you ever ran into trouble, come to Kirigakure," Yoru said quietly. "I never thought our next meeting would be under these circumstances."
"You think I've gone astray, Yuki Yoru?" Pain replied coldly, cutting him off before he could speak further. "No. A god's choices are never wrong. What's wrong… is the world itself."
"Because of war, I lost my parents. Because of war, Yahiko died. Because of war, the shinobi world has become this twisted mess."
"This summit isn't about war," Yoru said, frowning slightly. "This three-Kage meeting is for peace and the future. Every infrastructure project we're planning is for peaceful development, economic recovery—for helping our people live better lives—"
"And yet… only for the three great nations!" Pain sneered. "In the eyes of you major powers, there's never room for small countries."
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Wave!"
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Spear!"
An angry voice interrupted him.
Waves of gold dust surged like a tidal wave, suspended midair by magnetic control and then compressed into dozens of sharp spears—fired directly at Pain from every direction.
"So, you're just like them after all, Yuki Yoru."
Pain's expression didn't change. His gaze lingered on Yoru briefly before he slowly raised one hand—and unleashed another Shinra Tensei.
BOOM!
The gold dust spears shattered instantly, and Rasa was blasted backward again, vomiting blood midair.
"Lord Kazekage!"
"Wind Release: Blade of Wind!"
Baki quickly formed hand signs and launched a wind jutsu like a whistling blade—but it too was torn apart by another wave of Shinra Tensei.
"Can he repel all forms of attack?!"
Baki was stunned. Not daring to engage again, he grabbed Rasa's limp form and withdrew to a safer distance.
But before he could even take a breath, a thunderous crash echoed behind him.
A new figure landed beside them—Minato's heart dropped the moment he turned around and saw it: a hulking, red-cloud-cloaked man—Asura Path.
"They've got reinforcements…"
Rasa and Baki's hearts sank as well.
The Asura Path ignored them completely. Its right arm extended unnaturally, transforming into a weapon system, and then fired a barrage of chakra missiles without warning.
BOOM!!!
A massive explosion ripped through the area, engulfing them in thick smoke and debris.
A golden flash cut through the dust.
Minato had appeared just in time, pulling Rasa and Baki out with Flying Thunder God before they were incinerated.
"Thanks, Lord Fourth…"
Rasa clutched his chest, his breath ragged. Baki had already lost consciousness.
"Please stay back, Kazekage-sama. Fugaku—take care of him. I'm going to assist the Mizukage!"
"No problem!"
Fugaku nodded without hesitation.
But before Minato could throw more Flying Thunder God kunai, a new wave of white smoke suddenly erupted from the city in the distance.
BOOM!
Giant summoned beasts—centipedes, crabs, lobsters, chameleons, dogs, and rhinoceroses—burst from the smoke and rampaged through the streets. They were huge and grotesque, like monsters from myth, wreaking havoc immediately upon arrival.
In moments, the Iron Capital was thrown into chaos. Civilians were injured or killed by the beasts left and right.
At the same time, the Asura Path—who had just fired on Rasa—raised its arms and launched another barrage of chakra missiles, causing even more destruction. Explosions rocked the streets, and smoke billowed high as flames began to consume the city.
Mifune pulled himself from the wreckage of the meeting hall, trying to rally the samurai to defend the capital.
But the Land of Iron's swordsmen were no match for monsters of this scale. One by one, they were crushed—ripped apart by explosions and crushed beneath the weight of the summoned beasts.
"Damn it…"
Minato's face darkened.
The enemy had come targeting the three Kage. But in the end, it was the innocent civilians of the Land of Iron who were paying the price.
How could Minato just stand by and let that happen?
But the situation at the destroyed meeting hall was no better.
That being from the sky—the one floating above them all—was clearly the leader of the attack. Possibly the strongest member.
Two years ago, Yuki Yoru had been a powerhouse. But after becoming Mizukage, he hadn't fought in any wars or consumed any more souls. His strength probably hadn't increased much since then.
And for the enemy to brazenly invade the Kage Summit like this—he had to be absurdly powerful.
In this scenario…
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The destruction within the capital continued. Explosions, screams, cries for help—they filled the air. Minato had no time to hesitate.
He had no choice.
He had to trust Yuki Yoru.
"Come on… Fourth Mizukage…"
Chomp.
Minato bit his finger, formed hand seals, and slammed his palm to the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
A massive puff of smoke erupted—and from it emerged the giant toad, Gamabunta, sword sheathed at his side.
"Well well, long time no see, Fourth… another damn war, huh?"
"…Hold up. What's with those eyes?!"
Gamabunta stared in disbelief at the summoned monsters wreaking havoc.
"Those are the Sage of Six Paths' eyes—the Rinnegan! Why the hell do all these summons have them?! What the hell is going on here?!"
"It's a long story," Minato said grimly. "The enemy is definitely a Rinnegan wielder. That much is certain."
"Great. First the final weapon of the Six Paths Era… now this? Damn pain-in-the-ass era we live in."
Gamabunta gripped the hilt of his sword. "Still, if you're asking, then of course I'm in. Let's go!"
"Let's do this, Bunta!"
A shrill siren echoed through the capital—the city's emergency evacuation signal.
Civilians scrambled to flee in panic. The samurai tried to regroup, but they were powerless against the massive summoned beasts. With Minato and Gamabunta now in the fight, the tide began to shift slightly.
Amid the roaring explosions, at the very center of the battlefield, Yuki Yoru stood before Pain. He let out a faint sigh.
"I don't know your true motive. Whether you're here to sabotage the alliance of the three nations… or simply to stall someone's movements…"
He shook his head.
"But I guess it doesn't matter now. One way or another, we're going to have to fight."
"…So you knew."
Pain's expression darkened. "It seems… there are traces of you within the Akatsuki after all."
Yoru said nothing. He looked calmly at Hōzuki Mangetsu beside him.
"Execute Soul Society Combat Directive No. 2."
"Soul Society Directive No. 2, huh?" Mangetsu nodded slightly. His body rippled like water and vanished.
Moments later, he reappeared in the ravaged Iron Capital.
One by one, he removed scrolls and activated seals. Several soul extractors were deployed.
In the blink of an eye, the souls of those killed in the chaos were drawn into the devices.
Back at the ruined summit—
"Madara told me you've mastered the art of consuming souls to strengthen yourself," Pain said, still impassive.
"That kind of power… it's evil. It can only lead to more war."
"Yuki Yoru—your very existence is a curse on this world."
"And as God, it is my duty to erase that curse… right here, right now."