The battered Kakashi stared in shock at the Fifth Hokage, standing within the shattered remains of his Complete Susanoo.
The enemy they had just faced—especially one who could fight the Hokage on equal footing—was terrifyingly strong.
But what shook him even more was the Fifth Hokage's power.
Even against such an opponent, the Hokage prevailed, cutting him down with his own hands.
If he could slay someone of that level… then just how powerful is the Fifth Hokage?
"Back then, even Uchiha Madara might not have been any stronger," Kakashi thought, the sheer might displayed forcing him to recall the legendary figure.
He was convinced: the current Hokage, Uchiha Fugaku, now stood on par with the Madara of old.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
In the distance, Konoha shinobi rushed toward the battlefield.
They had obeyed Fugaku's strict order not to approach, keeping their distance while monitoring the fight.
Now that the battle was over, and Fugaku had emerged victorious, they finally dared to come closer.
"Lord Hokage! "
"Lord Hokage! "
Their voices carried awe as they bowed respectfully, eyes wide with shock.
After witnessing such devastation—vast craters like lakes carved into the earth—how could they not be shaken?
The battle between Fugaku and the Deva Path had completely overturned their understanding.
Until now, they had believed that no matter how strong a Kage-level shinobi was, sheer numbers would eventually bring them down.
The Third Raikage's death had been the perfect example.
But after what they had just seen, they began to doubt.
Against power of this scale, could numbers really make a difference?
Thankfully, the one who had prevailed was their Hokage.
If Fugaku had fallen and the enemy advanced on Konoha, they would have had no hope of stopping it.
"To think the Akatsuki had someone this strong… It's a relief he's been slain by Lord Hokage," Kakashi muttered.
As a former ANBU Commander, he had deeper knowledge of Akatsuki than most.
Even so, he had never imagined they had a fighter exceeding even Wood Release users in strength.
The only comfort was that Konoha's Hokage was of equal caliber—and had triumphed.
"Not quite," Fugaku shook his head.
He knew better than anyone that the six Paths he had destroyed were not Nagato himself but controlled bodies.
Given time, Nagato could create six more with the same overwhelming power.
"Hokage-sama, are you saying the enemy isn't dead—that he escaped? " Kakashi asked in alarm.
"No. He didn't escape. I killed him," Fugaku replied evenly.
"Then what do you mean? "
Instead of answering directly, Fugaku posed a question:
"Isn't it strange that the legendary Rinnegan—said to belong only to the Sage of Six Paths—appears in six different people? "
Kakashi frowned. "For six people to share those eyes… Yes, it's more than strange."
"And when I struck them down, though their bodies bled, it was far less than a normal human's," Fugaku continued. "I suspect they were not truly living people at all, but something more akin to Sunagakure's puppets."
Kakashi's eyes widened at the thought. The devastation wrought by the 'Paths' had been beyond comprehension, and yet Fugaku was suggesting they weren't even alive. If they were puppets, that meant the enemy could create more at will.
"Bring back the remaining four corpses for analysis. We may uncover something," Fugaku ordered.
He left it at that, withholding deeper knowledge for now. Too little was known about Nagato; he couldn't reveal more without raising suspicion.
Still, it was important Konoha understood this much—the true enemy wasn't dead, and their future decisions would depend on that fact.
Meanwhile, inside a hidden Akatsuki base within the Land of Fire—
"…Defeated."
Nagato's expression twisted with shock as he withdrew from the destroyed Paths. His tone was heavy, a mix of disbelief and rage.
He, who wielded the Rinnegan of legend and proclaimed himself a god… had been defeated.
"Defeated? What are you saying? " Konan, who had been watching him closely, froze in confusion.
"My six Paths, including the Deva Path crafted from Yahiko's body, have all been destroyed," Nagato said grimly.
"That's impossible! How could you lose? "
Konan's eyes widened. She knew better than anyone how powerful he was. His strength was beyond Kage level—closer to the mythical "super-Kage."
Someone like him should have been invincible.
"I lost… to the Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Fugaku," Nagato admitted, shaking his head.
Even he hadn't expected it. He had believed no one in the shinobi world could oppose him. Yet he had fallen to a man whose name had once been little more than a whisper.
"The Fifth Hokage is that strong? " Konan's voice trembled. She had heard Fugaku defeated the supposed "Uchiha Madara," but never thought his power could eclipse even Nagato's.
"I underestimated him," Nagato said gravely. "Even though I held back certain techniques—since these were only Paths, not my true body—it's clear. He is beyond ordinary limits."
His expression hardened with resolve.
"I've decided. I will accept Shennong's treatment. My legs must be healed."
Shennong, a skilled medical-nin whom Akatsuki had recruited, had once proposed a method of restoring Nagato's crippled legs. Nagato had rejected it, fearing his secrets would be exposed or manipulated. He had believed his current power was enough.
Now, after tasting defeat, he could no longer cling to that belief.
Konan nodded firmly. "I'll monitor Shennong during the treatment. He won't harm you."
Back in Konoha, Fugaku returned with four of the corpses. The village's emergency alert was lifted, and the bodies were handed to the analysis division. A council meeting was immediately convened.
"One strike carved craters as wide as lakes. If such an attack had landed inside the village…" one clan head muttered, cold sweat beading his brow. The thought of Konoha's destruction and near-total casualties chilled everyone.
"An enemy stronger even than a Wood Release user… inside Akatsuki? "Another clan head?" whispered in disbelief.
Everyone knew what Wood Release represented—power beyond ordinary Kage, capable of wiping out elite jonin in moments. Yet Akatsuki possessed someone even stronger.
"Thankfully, Lord Hokage was here. Without him, Konoha would already be lost," one elder said, bowing deeply toward Fugaku. His prestige in their eyes had only grown.
Nara Shikaku raised a question: "Hokage-sama, you declared an immediate state of highest alert. Did you already know of this enemy's existence? "
"I had reason to suspect," Fugaku replied smoothly. "Because of the Wood Release user, I've long kept an eye on Akatsuki. Through certain channels, I learned they might have a shinobi with the Rinnegan."
The clan heads exchanged uneasy glances.
"To think the legendary eyes of the Sage of Six Paths… in Akatsuki's hands. It's fortunate such a foe is already dead."
But Fugaku shook his head. "No—I suspect otherwise."
Just then, the door opened and Yamanaka Inoichi, head of the analysis division, entered.
"Hokage-sama, your suspicions were correct. These bodies have been dead a long time. They were most likely nothing more than puppets."
Fugaku's gaze swept the chamber. "As you've heard—what we destroyed were not true bodies, but controlled corpses. Which means the enemy himself is still alive."
The room fell silent, the weight of his words pressing down on all.
Konoha still faced this threat.
The only solace: if the Fifth Hokage had beaten him once, they could trust he could do so again.
"We must increase surveillance on Akatsuki," Shikaku urged, and the council unanimously agreed.