"Erase me?"
Yoru stared blankly at Pain in front of him, momentarily wondering if he'd misheard.
Was this guy delusional, or had he actually gotten stronger while I stayed put?
He'd only spent two years stabilizing Kirigakure's internal affairs — how did that suddenly make it feel like he'd been left two decades behind?
Sure, the Rinnegan was powerful — no doubt about that.
Even within the Gotei 13, the strongest besides Yoru himself was the 2nd Division Captain, Uchiha Shisui — and the key to his power was that very pair of Rinnegan.
The Sage's Eyes were undeniably overwhelming. If possessing a Mangekyō Sharingan was the ticket into Kage-level power, then the Rinnegan was the entry pass to beyond Kage — a seat at the table of legends.
But still…
Nagato, you're using hand-me-downs! Where do you get off acting so cocky?
Even the real Shisui had to behave in front of me — and you want to challenge me?
"Looks like you really think you've reached the peak of the shinobi world in these last two years, huh?" Yoru sighed softly. "Is it because you finally awakened the power of those eyes? Or because you killed an aging, decaying demi-god?"
"You truly have a hidden hand within the Akatsuki, within Amegakure!" Pain's voice was chillingly cold. "But it doesn't matter. After today, none of that will remain. The will of a god will wash it all away!"
"God…"
Yoru's lips twitched slightly.
This guy was acting like a fresh Uchiha who'd just awakened his Mangekyō — completely delusional and way too eager to talk about "pain" and "justice."
Well then — just like Killer Bee's Lariat had once knocked some sense into Sasuke, it was time for me, the Fourth Mizukage, to straighten out this so-called "God of Pain."
"I recently killed someone else who thought he was a god. What makes you think you'll end up any better?"
"I alone am God… I—what?!"
Pain's Rinnegan eyes widened in shock. In that instant, Yoru vanished from view.
A razor-sharp edge fell from behind.
A powerful repulsive force exploded outward from Pain's body, narrowly intercepting Yoru's assassination attempt.
"Interesting," Yoru's figure reappeared in midair. Though he hadn't decapitated the Deva Path, his hand now gripped the body of a burly man. "As expected of the Rinnegan — even if the eye itself can't track my movements, you used multi-angled vision to predict my strike."
"The Six Paths of Pain," he murmured. "A unique ability granted by the Rinnegan — by embedding special black rods into corpses, you bestow them with Rinnegan powers and shared vision."
"To defeat the Six Paths, you must eliminate the Naraka Path first — the one that handles resurrection through the King of Hell. Only then can you stop the cycle of endless revival."
He casually tightened his grip.
Snap.
The Naraka Path's head was severed cleanly from its body.
Pain's gaze grew darker and more focused. He hadn't expected Yoru to not only know the existence of the Six Paths, but to understand their functions so thoroughly.
In the world of shinobi, intelligence was everything.
With the right intel, the weak could overcome the strong. But if the strong had perfect intel…
Then what awaited the enemy was pure, one-sided annihilation.
The Six Paths of Pain — each one specializing in a unique Rinnegan ability. Aside from Konan, not even the rest of Akatsuki knew the full truth.
How did Yoru learn all this?
Had he known the Rinnegan's secrets since he first approached us? That day he confronted me and recognized the eye… had he already guessed everything?
The Yuki Clan might not be as old as the Uchiha or Kaguya, but they had their own long-standing legacy. Maybe — just maybe — some ancient scrolls really did record the powers of the Rinnegan.
"Ready to learn your lesson, you cosplay god complex edgelord?"
Yoru vanished again. The Rinnegan couldn't track his movements at all — Pain could only react by reflex, activating Shinra Tensei.
But just as the force rippled out—
Before the cooldown even began—
Yoru was already there.
"You call yourself a god?"
His foot slammed into Pain's head from above, kicking him hard to the ground. Then his knee crashed into Pain's chest, pinning him to the shattered ground.
"What a weak little god."
"I am Kami! The true Kami!"
Pain roared in fury, veins bulging across his forehead. His Rinnegan eyes blazed with wrath. "You know nothing of pain! You don't understand what I've suffered!"
"I am the true god, risen from the abyss of suffering! The savior who will lead the world to salvation!"
"Shinra Tensei!!"
With a furious cry, the purple rings in Pain's eyes flared. His chakra surged to the max, unleashing a repulsive shockwave point-blank.
BOOM.
Yoru didn't flinch.
His expression remained calm, almost bored, as he lifted a single hand.
That hand — pale and slender like a woman's — pressed forward against the full force of Shinra Tensei.
And advanced.
Inch by inch.
Against all logic. Against the laws of physics.
Forward.
Pain's eyes went wide in horror.
"This… this can't be happening—!!"
Outside the Iron Capital.
Deep beneath a snow-covered tree hollow—
"This can't be… This isn't possible!" Nagato, hunched in his custom-built wheelchair, looked absolutely stunned. "How can he possess power of this magnitude?! It makes no sense!"
"What's wrong, Nagato?" Konan's pretty face showed visible concern. It was the first time she had ever seen such an expression of disbelief on him.
"…It's nothing."
Nagato didn't want to tell her about Yoru's overwhelming strength and cause her worry. Instead, he pressed his lips together and forced more chakra out of his withered body.
A god is supposed to be invincible. Even when facing calamity and setbacks, that is the burden a god must bear!
"Come, Yuki Yoru… Let me see just how powerful you really are!"
"I, who possess the Rinnegan, am the second Sage of Six Paths—the one and only true god of this world!"
"Super Shinra Tensei!!"
With the support of Nagato's true body and chakra reserves, the Deva Path surged like a machine injected with adrenaline. As Yoru's hand kept pushing through his prior attack, this time, Pain released everything in a single devastating burst.
An invisible tidal wave of repulsion exploded from his body in all directions — the same force he once used to destroy Konohagakure in an instant!
"…Oh?"
A flicker of genuine surprise appeared in Yoru's eyes.
But even under the crushing force of the Super Shinra Tensei, Yoru's body didn't so much as budge.
Not an inch.
Pain's expression turned savage. He used the momentum from his own blast to retreat backward, slamming one hand into the ground.
Puff!
A cloud of smoke exploded into the air, and out came the Asura Path, now standing by his side.
The moment it appeared, the Asura Path's left wrist split open, launching a barrage of fish-shaped missiles toward Yoru's head like guided torpedoes.
"Enkōsen."
A calm voice echoed.
A perfectly circular shield shimmered into existence around Yoru, intercepting every single missile without leaving so much as a scratch.
But Pain wasn't done.
The top of the Asura Path's skull opened like a lotus flower, revealing a high-powered chakra laser cannon, which fired in a blinding instant.
BOOM!!!
Explosions rocked the battlefield.
One after another, waves of destruction surged outward.
Combined with the earlier Super Shinra Tensei, the compound force left the entire meeting hall buried in a dense cloud of debris and mist. The shockwaves could be felt even far beyond the battlefield.
"This level of destruction…"
Minato Namikaze turned his head from where he was fighting alongside Gamabunta against the massive summoned beasts. His brow furrowed deeply.
Gamabunta had just sliced down a red-brown, three-headed hellhound, only for it to split into two separate three-headed versions that charged from both sides.
"This level… is almost equal to a Tailed Beast," Gamabunta grunted. "That Yoru kid—can he really handle this?"
Minato responded seriously, "Believe in him. That guy's strength isn't that simple."
"Don't forget—he hasn't even used his Ice Release yet."
"…That's true, but we're talking about the Rinnegan here."
BOOM!!!
Another massive explosion rocked the Iron Capital, drowning the land in a thick storm of smoke and rubble. All eyes turned toward the epicenter of the chaos.
Deva Path Pain stared intently into the cloud.
He knew full well — even with the overwhelming might of the Asura Path, they hadn't so much as grazed Yoru.
Yes.
An invisible barrier protected him — like a divine Wall of Lamentation that even Saints could not cross. An unshakable wall of despair.
"The true strength of the Rinnegan lies not in its six puppet Paths," Yoru's voice came calmly from above, "but in the true body that possesses all Six Paths in one."
Floating midair, Yoru stared down at him, as if from heaven.
"And I know the condition of your real body."
"Bastard…"
In the shadows, Nagato's face darkened. His body was weak and confined to a wheelchair — a chain that bound him to his mortal shell.
But it was because of that sacrifice that he had saved Konan.
Konan > legs. In Nagato's mind, that had never been a question.
"Yuki Yoru… Let me show you the true power of the Rinnegan!"
Nagato whispered. His hands formed a tight seal.
At the same time, the Deva Path mirrored him — pressing its hands together, its eyes glowing with a radiant purple light.
Beside him, the Asura Path raised its arms and unleashed another barrage of missiles and chakra lasers — a veritable flood of firepower descending upon Yoru.
"Stop, Nagato!" Konan cried in alarm. "This technique will drain too much from your body!"
"I'll only be weak for a couple weeks at most," Nagato replied softly. "Not a big deal."
Then, in a tone brimming with unshakable conviction:
"But the dignity of a god cannot be violated. A god is invincible. That is absolute."
"So—"
A tiny black sphere, laced with terrifying gravitational force, emerged from between his fingers and floated upward.
"Chibaku Tensei!!"
The Deva Path raised both hands high above its head like a high priest performing a sacred ritual — like a god descending from the heavens.
The black sphere floated upward, radiating a tidal pull.
Immediately, every shattered building, every piece of rubble, every rock and chunk of earth in the Iron Capital began lifting into the air toward the sphere.
The Rinnegan's power surged in his eyes, and the black sun above them seemed to ignite — its gravitational force multiplying exponentially.
The sky trembled.
Even the clouds and snow above the Iron Country began to spiral inward. The earth cracked apart. The entire city of iron began to shake violently under the pull.
"No… What kind of power is this?!"
"Damn it! I'm being pulled in!!"
"No—please! HELP!!"
Screams echoed through the streets.
People tried to run, to fight it—but in the face of a universal force like gravity, their struggles were meaningless.
They were yanked from the ground, drawn into the black sphere.
Most didn't even feel pain — they were crushed by flying debris before they got there.
Buildings, rubble, even the massive summoned beasts were all pulled into the gravitational core.
Nagato had no intention of wasting chakra. The moment he cast Chibaku Tensei, the Animal Path unsummoned all the beasts.
"Yo, I'm out!" Gamabunta grunted as his massive body struggled against the pull, leaping from one crumbling rock to the next. "This is your fight now, kid. Stay safe!"
"Thanks, Brother Bunta. I'll handle it."
Gamabunta vanished in a puff of smoke.
Minato stood amid the chaos, eyes locked on the massive black sphere. He scanned the debris, constantly searching for survivors.
"That Rinnegan user… he's far more dangerous than I expected."
"No choice now. This jutsu's power is too extreme. We can't cancel it—only minimize casualties…"
With a flick of his wrist, he threw several Flying Thunder God kunai into the air, using the sphere's own gravitational pull to vault between them in midair.
With golden flashes, he darted through the sky, rescuing Iron Country citizens and samurai one by one.
Both Nagato and Yoru took notice — but neither was particularly concerned.
The Deva Path kept its focus entirely on pulling Yoru toward the center of the black sun.
Even his own body began to lift slightly — gently drawn toward the core.
Yoru stared at the growing Chibaku Tensei calmly. He had no intention of testing its sealing strength firsthand.
Still, he respected Nagato's choice.
Once you confirmed your opponent was overwhelmingly strong, you immediately pulled out your trump card.
That was the correct decision.
They had barely exchanged blows before Nagato went straight to his strongest technique — no hesitation.
"This guy's combat instincts are impressive…"
"…Pity he hasn't seen enough of the world."
Yoru slowly rose into the sky, one hand reaching for the blade at his waist.
His Zanpakutō.
Hyourinmaru.
As the blade left its sheath, an overwhelming cold filled the air.
Four-World Freeze
Gravity, heat, entropy — even the fundamental forces of the universe began to falter.
Yoru hovered in midair, steady and unshaken.
He gazed down calmly at the stunned Deva Path Pain.
His voice, soft yet penetrating, echoed clearly in Pain's ears despite the distance between them—as if it had bypassed space itself.
"You call yourself a god… but tell me, have you ever actually seen one?"
"Wh—what…?"
A monstrous Reiatsu erupted from Yoru's body.
Chilling spiritual energy burst skyward like a storm.
The suffocating cold solidified into whirling frost currents, spiraling around Yoru's form, and radiating outward in a terrifying, spreading tide.
The battlefield—already mangled by the gravitational pull of Chibaku Tensei—was instantly consumed in brilliant white frost.
Snow white. Frozen solid.
"I-Is this… the Fourth Mizukage's power?!"
From the ground below, Fourth Kazekage Rasa stared upward in shock. The Iron Country was already a snowy land, but the moment Yoru's aura exploded, it was no longer snow that blanketed the terrain.
It was pure crystal ice—thick and jagged, shimmering under the pale light.
To freeze an entire region with one release of chakra...
To do so casually, effortlessly...
This—this was the strength of the man who had ended the war between Mist and Leaf, who had forced Konoha to surrender—the true might of the Fourth Mizukage, Yuki Yoru.
"So… you're finally going all out,"
Minato Namikaze murmured, pausing amidst his Flying Thunder God technique rescues. He looked up at Yoru standing alone in the sky, a god among men, wrapped in ice and light.
"It's been two years… and you've grown even stronger."
"Impossible! How did he become this powerful?!"
From the shadows, Zetsu stared up in disbelief at the scene unfolding in the sky.
"Wasn't this guy just sitting in Kirigakure these past two years? He didn't even take part in any battles! How the hell could he have improved so much?! This is impossible!"
White Zetsu's voice trembled.
"That aura… it's already comparable to Lord Madara himself!"
"It's the Shinigami… and the Soul Society,"
Black Zetsu finally realized, his voice low and grim.
"So that's it… That's why we've seen signs of Shinigami across the shinobi world these past two years…"
"Those agents of Soul Society—they've been feeding souls to Yuki Yoru."
"While he sat in Kirigakure as Mizukage, the Shinigami were collecting souls in his place. That's how his power kept growing without fighting himself."
"Damn it… Obito completely underestimated him."
"What do we do now?" White Zetsu asked anxiously. "Do we warn Obito first?"
"No… he's probably already in motion," Black Zetsu said darkly. "We mustn't interfere."
"But Nagato… he must not fall here."
Black Zetsu's voice turned sharp and cold.
"We'll move in close—stand by to extract Nagato's true body the moment something goes wrong."
Even under the constraints of his Gigai, Yoru could still achieve full Bankai.
Yuki Yoru drew his Zanpakutō, Hyourinmaru, and pointed it toward the sky. His icy spiritual pressure howled with power.
Water freezes.
Wind ceases.
Gravity stills.
Even heat dies.
All four forces of the natural world were locked into stasis in that moment.
"Nagato."
Yoru's voice echoed once more, directly into the ears of the man hidden far beneath the Iron Country.
He pointed Hyourinmaru straight at the enormous, growing sphere in the sky — the fully awakened Chibaku Tensei, now coated in a glistening shell of frost.
"Watch carefully."
"This next move... is going to be stylish."