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Nagato's refusal did not come as a surprise to Obito. Midorima, though undeniably irritating, was ultimately nothing more than an obstacle in Nagato's path—not his final objective. In other words, whether Midorima lived or died held little intrinsic importance to Nagato. The only reason the man had become such a complicating factor was the Six-Tails sealed within him. If Obito had been in Nagato's position, he too would have refused to trade his lifelong dream for Midorima's life. The exchange was fundamentally unbalanced.
Once Nagato had rejected his proposal, Obito did not hesitate. His objective was the Rinnegan. Whether Nagato lived or died was ultimately irrelevant. And now that Nagato had refused him, there was no longer any reason to show restraint. Furthermore, the explosive tag assault Konan had unleashed earlier had literally leveled an entire mountain. In a broader sense, the shockwaves had likely rippled across the whole island.
Uchiha Itachi would have undoubtedly noticed the anomaly. Obito had to resolve this matter before Itachi tracked him down. Otherwise, the situation would become exceedingly complicated. His opportunity might very well be lost forever.
Thus, without a shred of hesitation, the instant Nagato declined his offer, Obito launched a ferocious assault directly at Konan. A sky-darkening barrage of fireballs surrounded them both, and Konan felt a sharp, throbbing headache bloom behind her eyes. If she were alone, Obito's techniques would not be enough to threaten her life. But Nagato, seated in his mechanical chair and utterly drained after his cataclysmic battle with the Allied Forces, had no chakra left to spare. He was in no condition to defend against Obito.
Konan's cloak billowed outward, dissolving into sheet after sheet of paper that swiftly formed a protective "paper wall" between her and Obito. When the fireballs collided with the paper, the resulting explosions were deafening.
"My 'paper' techniques may manifest as sheets of paper, but they are not ordinary paper at all. Their essence is chakra. While they may be at a disadvantage against Fire Release, they will not behave like real paper—offering no resistance and simply fueling the flames," Konan declared.
"But paper is still paper! To me, there is no meaningful difference!" Obito roared.
The very space around them seemed to distort and warp. The air currents shifted with the twisting fabric of reality, flowing in rhythmic, unnatural patterns. As the distortion intensified, the velocity of the swirling air increased exponentially. In the span of a heartbeat, a vortex of raging wind had formed.
The paper sheets that Konan had meticulously positioned in the air began to flutter and whip violently under the force of the gale. Even Konan, hovering in mid-air, felt the immense pull of the spatial distortion. The wind was so fierce that she could barely keep her eyes open. She was forced to shield her face with her sleeve, yet even so, she never once abandoned her position in front of Nagato.
A spiraling serpent of flame, fueled by the vortex, surged towards them, threatening to engulf both Nagato and Konan in its fiery maw. Konan refused to yield. The paper sheets around her folded themselves into razor-sharp shuriken and shot through the raging inferno. They flew in a desperate, all-consuming storm—staking everything on one final, suicidal gambit!
But the moment she witnessed the paper shuriken pass cleanly through Obito's body, a cold wave of dread washed over her. She cursed her own carelessness. If seven hundred billion explosive tags could not so much as scratch him, what possible good would a handful of paper shuriken do?
Her fears were confirmed in the very next instant. Obito held nothing back. The flames he spewed forth twisted and coiled under the spatial distortion, taking the form of a monstrous fire serpent. The shelter where Nagato and Konan had taken refuge was instantly swallowed by the inferno. There was nowhere left for them to hide. Within moments, both Nagato and Konan were consumed by the roaring flames.
But Obito felt no sense of relief. He had been planning for this moment for a very long time. He had deliberately orchestrated the mutual destruction of the Akatsuki and the Allied Shinobi Forces, draining Nagato's chakra to minimize the threat he posed. Yet Konan's unrelenting vigilance—even going so far as to prepare seven hundred billion explosive tags—had far exceeded his expectations. If he had not encountered Midorima earlier, if he had not been forced to confront the brutal truth that a single Mangekyo Sharingan was not enough to achieve his ambitions—or even to defeat Midorima—he might never have been driven to this point.
In the end... he owed a debt of gratitude to Midorima.
Obito did not allow the flames to continue burning unchecked. He needed the Rinnegan. Nagato's death was of no consequence, but if the Rinnegan were to be "cooked" by the fire, the loss would be immeasurable. Even if they were not fully ruined, any damage whatsoever was unacceptable. The flames had primarily served to force Nagato and Konan apart. Killing Konan would have been a welcome bonus, but even if she survived, as long as Obito could isolate Nagato, he was confident in his ability to claim the Rinnegan.
Uchiha Itachi could arrive at any moment. Time was slipping away. Obito stepped through the flames and stood directly before Nagato. The air, superheated by the inferno, was searing and suffocating, as though it might ignite at any second. Nagato, already drained beyond measure, appeared even more haggard in this oppressive heat. His head hung low, his body slumped against the backrest of his chair, barely able to keep his eyes open. Obito fixed his gaze on Nagato, yet his guard remained raised. He did not believe for a second that Konan had been eliminated so easily. She might very well be lurking somewhere nearby, watching his every move.
"You have nowhere to run," Obito stated.
"I never intended to run. Besides... I am in no condition to flee," Nagato replied, forcing his head up with visible effort. His eyes, though weary, locked onto Obito with unwavering intensity. "Tell me... are you truly Madara?"
"You still doubt me?" Obito countered.
"I should believe you. After all, you have aided me all these years. But at the same time, I should not believe you. I have never seen your true face. And frankly, Uchiha Madara may very well be long dead by now," Nagato said.
"That... only proves how little you understand me," Obito replied, his peripheral vision scanning both sides warily for any sign of Konan. The Kamui technique required a brief instant to activate. If Konan launched a surprise attack at the right moment, she might genuinely succeed in harming him.
The corner of Nagato's mouth curved into a faint, knowing smile. "Who you really are... no longer matters. I wanted to end all wars. I wanted future generations of children to live in peace... I always imagined that the one to kill me would be Midorima, or perhaps someone from the Allied Shinobi Forces... But you... you have truly surprised me."
Obito said nothing. His index and middle fingers were already extended, mere inches from Nagato's eyes. But just then, Nagato spoke again: "Go to hell..."
In an instant, a small, pitch-black sphere shot from Nagato's hand. The surrounding objects—even the flames themselves—began to be drawn inexorably towards the black orb.
Planetary Devastation...
Obito recognized the technique in a heartbeat. Without a moment's hesitation, he struck the black sphere, shattering it in a single blow. The clumps of earth that had just begun to adhere to it crumbled away instantly. But then, the ground beneath them began to tremble. A massive, shadowy form loomed into view, and an overwhelming, suffocating pressure crashed down upon the area.
The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path!
Cold sweat erupted across Obito's body. If that thing were fully summoned, killing Nagato would become exponentially more difficult. He had to end this now, in a single, decisive strike. But just as he moved to deliver the killing blow, the partially materialized Demonic Statue abruptly vanished. Obito's gaze snapped back to Nagato—only to find that the man's head had already slumped forward. He was utterly still. The life had gone out of him.