A supernova. An explosive beam of incandescent particles.
A blinding flash, and a sizzling stream of light completely engulfed Nagato's figure.
boom!
The world was drowned in a roar and blinding glare.
— Super Shinra Tensei!
THE HUM!
At the same moment, the power hidden in Nagato's body burst out, condensing in front of him into an invisible shield of repulsive force. The space in front of him was distorted, ready to reflect any threat.
But everything inside him collapsed.
I lost.
He lost. Finally. Irrevocably. He couldn't even leave a scratch on Uchiha Yue. What a pathetic irony. What a ridiculous fiasco! It's like an entrant who chose between Moscow State University and MGIMO, and eventually failed the exams even at the vocational school. Silent, hysterical laughter shook him from the inside out.
It's so funny...
Uselessly. It was all useless! These are the so-called Eyes of the Sage... The greatest deception in history!
At that moment, Nagato regained his sight. He understood everything. How can a pathetic Rinnegan compete with the true might of a Mangekyo Sharingan?
The one who was called the Sage of the Six Paths... Haha, the one who left behind the legend of the almighty Rinnegan was only a mortal. A mortal who lived in an era before Uchiha Yue was born.
Only a Mangekye can stand up to a Mangekye!
Fortunately, he still had one last trump card. A chance to survive.
"Just wait, you damned Uchiha Yue," a desperate thought beat in his mind. "When you die of old age, I will find your grave and dance on your bones!"
Almost simultaneously with the activation of Shinra Tensei, Nagato triggered the teleportation mechanism of his Sealing Armor. He only needed to buy a split second, and he would be able to...
— no! Uchiha Yue, you're not...
But the next moment, when his field of repulsion collided with the attack, Nagato's face contorted in horror. He felt as if a gigantic mountain-crushing press had crashed down on him. The power in his body, his entire chakra, evaporated in an instant under that crushing, absolute pressure.
The shield of repulsive force shattered into dust.
His body was left defenseless against the flow of pure energy. It was at this moment that the teleportation was triggered, but... it was too late.
The glow dissipated. Uchiha Yue indifferently looked at the void where Nagato had been standing, and lowered his hand, covering his eyes again. In the battle with the Sage of the White Snake, he really did not fight at full strength, using only the basics of hand-to-hand combat. But everyone knew that the true power of Shinobi lies in their ninjutsu.
Even the legendary Eight Gates, which were wielded by taijutsu master Maito Guy, were inherently a forbidden ninjutsu technique.
This blow was delivered almost effortlessly.
Moreover, such attacks didn't consume much of his energy. All the power released into space eventually returned to his body, obeying a closed cycle. It had been two months since he had awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan. Two months of continuous growth.
Akatsuki base.
"I wonder how Nagato is? Can he really kill Uchiha Yue?"
Konan leaned against the cold wall near the secret room, lost in painful thoughts. She remembered their first meeting with Yue, when he blew off half of Nagato's body with one blow. His strength was already monstrous back then. And now... It's been over a month. Can Nagato handle it?
Is he still alive?
Maybe he's already…
"No, it can't be! Conan shook her head violently. "Nagato won't lose!" He won't die, he can't die! No way!"
She remembered his confident smile before he left. He insisted that he had gained a higher power that transcended everything. Some Uchiha Yue, some Mangekye... he would have killed him long ago if it hadn't been for the barrier of that damned valley. How could such a self-confident, powerful Nagato lose?
He's probably trampling on Uchiha Yue's head right now, ripping out his eyes. He will become the god of the new world!
— Conan.
Uchiha Obito and Black Zetsu approached her. They had come to find out the details of Nagato's plan, especially the method of blocking the dojutsu that Orochimaru and the others had developed for him. The couple looked like safety inspectors who had come to a dangerous facility. Nagato was their contractor, and Uchiha Yue was the very object that could only be approached with full protection, dressed in power armor and armed to the teeth. They needed to make sure their contractor didn't go to work bare-chested, which would be tantamount to suicide.
However, before they could say a word, a soft but distinct sound came from the secret room behind Conan. It was like something heavy had fallen to the floor.
Conan froze. Her face instantly turned deathly pale. Ignoring the newcomers, she rushed inside.
Obito and Zetsu exchanged glances.
—NAGATO!!!
A scream of horror, denial, and abysmal pain tore through the silence of the shelter.
"This is bad,— Zetsu hissed.
They hurried after her.
Conan was kneeling in the center of the room. With horror and despair in her eyes, she clutched her head to herself. A head in a familiar helmet. Her eyes were sightless, wide open, and the acrid smell of burning emanated from the charred flesh.
— no!.. No!.. Nagato!.. How did you become like this?! Don't die, please, don't die! I only have you left! No!!!
Big tears were dripping onto the dead face. Her own face was contorted with grief that was impossible to bear.
Just now, he was here, full of strength, confident of victory, ready to conquer the world. He was so invincible, so strong.…
And now, there was only one thing left of the once indestructible Nagato... a smoking head in her trembling hands.