Several kilometers from the battlefield.
On the trunk of a massive tree, Obito, wearing his spiral-patterned Uzumaki mask, watched the scene unfold from afar.
The Six Paths of Pain had descended from the sky, surrounding Namikaze Mirai like divine executioners.
"Nagato actually made a move at this time? Should we go help him?"
Zetsu, half-emerged from the tree branch like a pitcher plant, tilted his head curiously.
"No need."
Feeling the faint warmth of the newly restored Sharingan in his left eye socket, Obito replied coldly, his tone emotionless.
"You and I both know Nagato's personality. He always fancies himself a god, he'd never allow anyone to trample on his authority. If we step in, we won't earn his gratitude… only his ire."
Zetsu thought for a moment, then nodded slightly.
"It seems that's really the case. Nagato's arrogance runs quite deep."
This battle, they both knew, was Nagato's stage, his grand declaration to the Ninja World. After being humiliated in the Rice Relief Incident, Pain's divine reputation had shattered. The Akatsuki's prestige crumbled, and even in the Land of Rain, many had defected to the Land of Fire under Mirai's refugee policies.
Nagato's divinity had been mocked. His "godhood" questioned.
This fight was his answer, his attempt to reclaim the title of a god. And anyone who interfered… would become his next target.
Zetsu's expression turned solemn. "He's been losing control ever since then. The pride of a god is a fragile thing."
"Exactly." Obito murmured.
Zetsu shifted his gaze. "By the way, Obito… how's your eye?"
Obito's single visible eye gleamed faintly beneath the mask. "Better than expected."
Inside his left socket, the reimplanted Sharingan pulsed with raw power, chakra coursing through it like liquid fire. Unlike Kakashi, Obito was Uchiha, his body could withstand the eye's full power.
And with the regenerative cells of White Zetsu, powered by Hashirama cells, fused into half his body, he no longer feared blindness.
Still, as he felt the eye's pulse, his thoughts grew heavy.
That eye… was once a gift. A bond. His last link to the past.
Reclaiming it meant severing that connection forever.
But there was no choice left for him.
As the eye stabilized, a flood of memories and power poured into his mind. The jutsu sealed within it revealed itself — Kamui.
The same ocular power as his right eye, yet opposite in function. While the right eye's Kamui excelled in defense and spatial evasion, the left's Kamui was pure offense — the power to tear open space itself.
A single glance could sever reality.
'With both eyes united… even Susanoo is within reach.'
He clenched his fist beneath the cloak, his confidence solidifying.
'Namikaze Mirai… this time, I won't lose.'
Obito's gaze fixed on the distant sky, where Mirai and Pain faced each other amid the crimson clouds.
No matter who won, this war would change everything.
When the storm ended, a new world would rise.
…
On the battlefield below, the clash of gods unfolded before countless stunned eyes.
"What… is that?!"
The shinobi watching from below could barely comprehend what they were seeing.
"Pain?! That's Pain!!"
In Raikage Ai's eyes, a wild glint of satisfaction flashed.
Though Pain's name had been tarnished, those eyes, the Rinnegan, were real. The eyes of legend, of the Sage of Six Paths.
'Fight him!' Ai thought viciously. 'Fight and kill each other!'
If both Mirai and Pain destroyed one another, the Five Great Nations could finally breathe again.
…
In the air, seated on his metallic throne, Mirai gazed calmly at the six figures surrounding him.
They were identical to the forms he had seen before, except for Nindō and Shuradō, whose new bodies had replaced the ones he had destroyed in their last encounter.
"Namikaze Mirai," Tendo Pain declared, his voice deep and resonant, "your actions defy the will of the gods. As punishment, you shall receive divine judgment!"
He thrust his hand forward.
"Shinra Tensei!"
Boom!
A monstrous repulsive force exploded outward. The metallic throne was hurled backward, torn from its magnetic hold.
But before Pain could press his advantage, a chill crept up Nindō's spine.
Mirai had vanished.
Appearing behind Nindō, Mirai's right hand crackled with electromagnetic light, ready to strike, when Naraka Path lunged forward, palm outstretched to absorb his chakra.
Mirai twisted his body, his leg whipping upward with blinding speed.
Thud!
The kick connected with Naraka Path's abdomen, sending him hurtling backward like a broken doll.
"We can't let him take us down one by one!"
Nagato's voice thundered through Tendo's body, sharp with urgency. It was impossible to face Namikaze Mirai individually; the only way was to unite all six Pains' chakra into Tendo.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Animal Path bit her finger and slammed her palm to the ground.
Bang!
A massive Rinnegan-eyed bird burst from white mist, screeching as it dove toward Mirai.
While the summon distracted him, the other Pains began transferring their chakra. Energy surged into Tendo Pain's body like a tidal wave, while the others collapsed, drained of power.
The air grew heavy. The earth trembled.
"Is this… his true power?"
Ai's breath caught in his throat as the overwhelming pressure rolled across the battlefield.
Terrifying. Divine. Suffocating.
Even he, the Raikage, felt fear.
'If even my father couldn't defeat a monster like this… what chance do I have?'
Still, the thought brought him grim joy. The stronger Pain became, the greater the chance that Mirai would fall.
"Namikaze Mirai," Tendo Pain said, his Rinnegan glowing, "you will regret angering a god."
He extended his arm once more.
"Shinra Tensei!"
The world seemed to bend. Space itself warped into an arc, distorting under an overwhelming wave of force.
Down below, the shockwave ripped through the battlefield.
Winds roared. The ground buckled. Thousands of shinobi threw themselves down, clutching the earth to keep from being blown away.
Mirai was hurled backward like a meteor, but even as he fell, Pain's next words rang out.
"Chibaku Tensei!"
The small black sphere shot into the sky.
Instantly, the ground convulsed. The air roared with deafening turbulence.
Rumble!!!
The land cracked open, and boulders, no, entire fragments of the landscape, rose into the air, drawn toward the growing black core.
"Retreat! Retreat, now!!!"
Raikage Ai bellowed as his shinobi screamed in terror, clinging to the shattering earth.
Those too slow were lifted into the sky with the debris, their bodies slamming into the forming sphere, screams cut short as the rocks closed around them.
The Konoha forces, led by Uchiha Fugaku, fell back as well, retreating beyond the gravitational pull.
When the chaos subsided, a vast sphere of stone hovered in the heavens, an artificial moon of destruction.
Everyone on the ground stared upward, breathless.
Even Orochimaru's pupils dilated in awe. "Mirai…?"
He had seen it himself, Mirai pulled into the heart of that sphere.
'Could it be…?'
Rumble…
A faint vibration trembled through the air.
Nagato's brow furrowed in confusion.
Then—
Boom!
The entire sphere shuddered violently.
"Impossible!"
Nagato's voice quivered. 'Chibaku Tensei could imprison even a Tailed Beast. How—?'
BOOM!!!
The sphere cracked apart, fissures spiderwebbing across its surface. Then—
BOOOOOM!!!
The rock moon exploded, fragments scattering like meteors.
From its center emerged a blinding storm of blue lightning.
Golden hair danced in the light.
Mirai floated there amid the storm, his aura crackling with power, eyes burning with calm fury.
Nagato's breath hitched. 'He broke Chibaku Tensei…?'
Before the shock faded, Mirai's voice echoed coldly across the sky.
"Pain, this next move will be my strongest."
…
In a dark cave deep within the Land of Rain, Nagato's frail body trembled as he pressed his palms together. His ribs were visible beneath his thin skin, but his eyes burned with unyielding obsession.
"Konan… I can't stop now. Not when I'm this close."
"Are you going to use that move?" she asked quietly.
"At this point, there's no choice. I must prove that Pain is the true god of this world!"
He poured every drop of his remaining chakra into Tendo Pain.
In the sky, Tendo's body glowed with divine light.
Mirai clenched his fist, the world shifting in his vision, colors fading into a lattice of magnetic currents. He could feel every ion, every metal particle trembling around him.
He stood at the center of it all.
The axis of the magnetic world.
Tendo Pain spread his arms. "Super Shinra Tensei!!!"
Mirai's own chakra flared violently. "Magnetic Field Burst Punch!!!"
The two forces collided.
Whiiiir—BOOM!!!
Silence.
Then, a white light brighter than the sun swallowed the world.
"Run!!!"
Raikage Ai screamed, but it was too late.
The light devoured everything.
When it finally faded, the battlefield was gone.
A colossal crater, over a kilometer wide, yawned where the plains had once been.
Orochimaru shielded his eyes, peering up through the stinging air. The sky had turned crimson, clouds burned away by the clash of forces.
In that red sky stood one figure, golden hair swaying in the heated wind.
Tendo Pain was gone.
Only Namikaze Mirai remained.
…
Konoha Year 55.
Under the leadership of the Fifth Hokage, Namikaze Mirai, Konoha launched a reform to overthrow the One Country, One Village system.
The combined Iwagakure–Kumogakure army of thirteen thousand clashed with Konoha thirty kilometers outside the Capital of the Land of Fire.
The Six Paths of Pain appeared and engaged in battle with the Fifth Hokage.
In this battle, the Six Paths Pain were completely annihilated. The sky above the Capital burned red for days.
That day, the Capital of the Land of Fire, and hundreds of surrounding towns, including Konoha Village itself, witnessed the heavens dyed crimson.
The era of One Country, One Village ended.
And the Land of Fire was officially renamed:
Republic of Fire.
*****
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✓ Killed For 100 Years in Hueco Mundo, Aizen Invited Me To Soul Society!
✓ Naruto: Senmei Asahi
✓ Naruto: Uchiha's Intelligence Dealer
✓ Naruto: The Fifth Hokage Is Naruto's Uncle
✓ Naruto: Who Made Him a Ninja?
✓ Bleach: In My Second Reincarnation, I Became The Ninth Kenpachi
✓ To Love-Ru: Spoiler Route [R-18]
✓ Naruto: The Accidental Incubus [R-18]