Nagato opened his eyes, gazing calmly at the young man before him cloaked in black flames. "Uchiha Sasuke, is it?"
Sasuke's voice was cold and resolute. "Nagato, fight me with everything you've got!"
Nagato smiled faintly. "Before I agree, may I ask—what is your purpose in battling a dead man like me?"
Sasuke's reply was sharp and unyielding. "I want to become stronger—strong enough that no one can stand in my way!"
Nagato remained composed, his tone steady as he said, "Becoming stronger is the lifelong pursuit of nearly all shinobi, myself included. But strength must be built on the foundation of the right beliefs; otherwise, you'll stray down a misguided path. I've made too many mistakes in the past and understand this all too well. Tell me, what is your reason for seeking strength? That will determine whether I accept your challenge."
Sasuke's eyes burned with intensity. "The reason I, Uchiha Sasuke, seek strength is to take vengeance on those who inflicted pain upon the Uchiha in the past. That's right—I will turn the flames of revenge into the fires of war!"
His voice grew darker. "I will annihilate the ignorant fools of Konoha—those who laughed and lived carefree lives while the Uchiha clan was being massacred. Every last one of them will be wiped out!"
Nagato's expression darkened. "Revenge... Konoha, you say? So, you intend to destroy what Naruto has risked his life to protect?"
Sasuke sneered coldly. "Hmph, Naruto? To be honest, he and the Amegakure he's currently in are also on my list of targets!"
"Oh?" Nagato's gaze sharpened. "Naruto and Amegakure, you say? It seems allowing you to live would cause great trouble."
"Heh~" Sasuke smirked. "So, you're saying you want to kill me? Fine, give it a try if you think you can! I'll make sure Kabuto doesn't interfere with your Edo Tensei. You're free to fight with all your might!"
"In that case, I won't hold back!"
Nagato extended his hand towards Sasuke.
——Banshō Ten'in!
SWOOSH!
The gravitational pull dragged Sasuke forward. But having faced the Rinnegan before, Sasuke remained calm.
"Here it comes—the Rinnegan's gravitational pull, the same ability Naruto has used. But I can also use this pull to launch an attack!"
However, Nagato's expression shifted slightly.
——Shinra Tensei!
BOOM!
The pull suddenly reversed into a repulsive force!
"Ugh!"
Caught between the push and pull, Sasuke was slammed as if hitting an invisible wall, sent flying backward!
From the edge of the battlefield, Kabuto Yakushi adjusted his glasses and observed with interest. "Let's see just how powerful Nagato is when fighting with his fully restored body and his own consciousness."
Though Sasuke had taken a heavy blow, his Blaze Release Chakra Mode protected him, leaving him unharmed.
"If Nagato's abilities are like Naruto's, there's a five-second interval between his repulsive forces. And with his limited mobility, this might be my chance!"
Sasuke activated the second stage of his Susano'o, unleashing a massive arrow aimed directly at Nagato's position.
WHOOSH!
But Nagato's hands moved swiftly through a series of seals.
——Summoning Technique!
BANG!
A gigantic summoned panda appeared in front of him, its sturdy body blocking the arrow. Without pausing, Nagato continued weaving seals.
BANG!
Next, a summoned bird appeared, carrying Nagato into the sky as it dove toward Sasuke!
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
From beneath Nagato's sleeves, black rods shot out, embedding themselves into the skeletal structure of Sasuke's Susano'o!
BUZZ!!
To Sasuke's shock, his Susano'o began to disintegrate!
"He's using those black rods to inject his chakra into the Susano'o, disrupting it?!"
——Banshō Ten'in!
As Sasuke reeled from the disruption, the gravitational pull once again yanked him into the air!
"This time, he's not following up with a repulsive force. Is he planning to absorb my Blaze Release Chakra? Too bad for him—I didn't create this mode to be absorbed!"
"Before you can absorb it, I'll destroy your body!"
——Blaze Release: Flame Lance!
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
Three spears of black flames erupted from Sasuke's fiery cloak. Just as Nagato prepared to activate the Preta Path's absorption, the lances pierced through both him and his summoned bird!
Sasuke sneered. "If it weren't for your Edo Tensei body, you'd be dead by now~!"
POOF!
But in a puff of smoke, Nagato's pierced body transformed into a wooden log.
Sasuke's eyes widened as he turned. "A substitution jutsu?! That absorption move earlier was just a feint?!"
——Asura Path: Mechanical Arm!
On the ground, Nagato's true form emerged, a mechanical arm extending from his shoulder and grabbing Sasuke, who was still cloaked in Blaze Release!
"What the hell is this?!" Sasuke exclaimed in disbelief.
Nagato bit down on a scroll and formed seals with his hands.
——Sealing Flame Formation!
SWOOSH!
The Blaze Release Chakra surrounding Sasuke was stripped away, flowing through the mechanical arm and into the scroll, where it was sealed!
——Asura Path: Rocket Propulsion!
CLANG! CLANG!
From Nagato's back, rocket boosters ignited, propelling him instantly in front of Sasuke!
——Human Path!
SWOOSH!
Nagato's hand reached Sasuke's chest, pulling out a spectral form—a fragment of his soul!
Sasuke's face twisted in horror. "What is this?! Something like my soul is being pulled out of my body! Neither Naruto nor Madara has used this move against me!!"
Driven by survival instinct, Sasuke channeled his chakra into the skeletal arm of his Susano'o, desperately gripping onto his soul. But even that couldn't stop the extraction!
His face turned pale. "Damn it! As this soul-like thing is being pulled out, my strength is draining away!!"
CRACK! CRACK!
Nagato's killing intent was resolute. As he pulled at Sasuke's soul, the mechanical arm on his other side transformed into a precise laser cannon, aimed directly at Sasuke's face!
BUZZ! BUZZ!
The humming laser made Sasuke's heart sink. "It's over... I'm done for."
"Ugh!!"
Suddenly, Sasuke's eyes burned with searing heat!
A fiery red chakra erupted from his body, manifesting as a crimson Susano'o arm. It tore off Nagato's mechanical arm and summoned a flaming gourd-shaped object, from which descended a massive sword!
Kabuto's eyes widened in shock. "The Totsuka Blade!?"
SWISH!
At the last moment, Nagato ceased his soul extraction and used his rocket boosters to retreat, narrowly avoiding the blade!
From the sidelines, Kabuto's gaze grew contemplative. "The Totsuka Blade. Judging by the fiery red chakra, that isn't Sasuke's power."
He thought back. "It was the same before—when Might Guy tried to kill Sasuke, the Yata Mirror appeared, seemingly independent of Sasuke's will. Could it be..."
Kabuto's sharp mind pieced it together. His eyes flicked toward the third coffin on the right.
"Itachi... Even in your slumber, are you still protecting your brother with those eyes of yours?"
Having narrowly escaped death, Sasuke no longer dared to hold back.
He unleashed the Perfect Susano'o, causing the training ground to collapse under its weight.
——Chibaku Tensei!
Nagato clasped his hands together, forming a black gravitational core and hurling it into the sky.
As massive rocks ascended, Sasuke stood tall and defiant. "That move... Naruto once used it to create a massive sealing star. My Perfect Susano'o could break free, but in hindsight, there's a better way—to attack the gravitational core itself!"
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
The Heavenly Bow of Indra formed, firing successive Kagutsuchi Arrows at the core. When the attack reached a critical threshold, the gravitational core shattered!
CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!
The falling debris scattered across the battlefield.
Within the Perfect Susano'o, Sasuke sneered arrogantly. "What now? Is that all you've got?!"
Nagato murmured, "It can't be helped..."
SWOOSH!!
His iconic red hair of the Uzumaki clan began to flow as if caught in an unseen wind.
——Adamantine Sealing Chains!
Suddenly, golden chains erupted from Nagato's back, wrapping around the Perfect Susano'o, binding its arms, legs, wings, and neck, dragging it toward the ground!
Sasuke's confidence wavered. "What is this?! Another Rinnegan ability?!"
From afar, Kabuto's glasses glinted ominously. "Oh? The Adamantine Sealing Chains—a powerful binding technique unique to the pure-blooded Uzumaki clan. If wielded by Mito Uzumaki or Kushina Uzumaki, its strength could suppress even the Nine-Tails. Nagato's Uzumaki chakra may not match Mito's, but it rivals Kushina's. These chains are more than enough to suppress Sasuke's Perfect Susano'o!"
CRASH!!
The Perfect Susano'o was forced to its knees under the chains' pull.
"Damn it!!!" Sasuke roared, struggling to break free.
——Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!
GURGLE GURGLE!
The ground beneath the Susano'o turned into a swamp, robbing it of footing.
Sasuke's face twisted in panic. "No! Without solid ground...!"
With its wings bound and footing lost, the Perfect Susano'o toppled forward under the chains' relentless pull.
"Now!"
As the Susano'o's head drew closer, Nagato's eyes sharpened. At the perfect moment, he extended his hand toward Sasuke's cockpit.
——Super Shinra Tensei!
BOOM!!!
A colossal repulsive force shattered the Susano'o's head, sending Sasuke flying!
"ARGHHHH!!!"
Though the Susano'o absorbed most of the impact, the residual force slammed Sasuke heavily into the ground!
THUD!!
Nagato's rocket boosters ignited again, propelling him toward the defenseless Sasuke. His hand, imbued with the Human Path's soul-extracting power, reached out for the final blow!
Sasuke screamed, "Kabuto! What are you waiting for?! Stop him!!!"
Kabuto smirked coldly, adjusting his glasses. "Ah, it seems Sasuke has finally realized his place." He formed a hand seal with two fingers.
SNAP!!
Nagato's hand froze inches from Sasuke's face.
The Edo Tensei was forcibly halted by Kabuto's command!
Nagato's eyes slowly closed as his body fell still.
From the sidelines, Kabuto mused, "They'll likely relocate their base after this. But no matter—I've left behind a phantom clone. When Naruto arrives, I'll use the resonance of the Rinnegan to share the location of the Edo Tensei caster with him."
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