Chapter 154: The Complete Susano'o Gets Crushed, Black Zetsu’s Advice  

Ever since learning the truth about the Rinnegan five years ago, Nagato's mindset had been quietly shifting. 

Yes, his beliefs had been shattered, but at the same time, he became even more convinced that a true god existed in this world—it just wasn't him. 

And the existence of Hyuga Hitoshi only reinforced this belief. 

Slowly, as he began to grasp the power of the Sun God Seal, he finally understood just how deep and unfathomable that man was. 

If there were a god in the ninja world… 

It could only be Hyuga Hitoshi. 

Hyuga Hitoshi had already sensed Nagato's unwavering faith in him. He also felt relieved that he had once guided Nagato onto the right path. Whether it was the feedback from his golden finger or Nagato's current attitude, both proved that Hyuga Hitoshi had made the right choice. 

The massive illusionary figure in the sky slowly faded, but that single, resounding word—"Approved"—echoed in everyone's ears for a long time. 

Uchiha Madara scanned his surroundings, but he couldn't find the person who had spoken. 

For the first time, he felt his scalp tingle and a chill run down his spine. 

He admitted it—he had underestimated the current ninja world. He had also underestimated the power that Nagato had just used. He couldn't even comprehend what that illusionary figure and golden eye represented, let alone understand how they had formed. 

All he knew was that after receiving the mysterious illusion's approval, Nagato's expression, which had been tense while looking at the falling Chibaku Tensei, suddenly relaxed. 

In fact… 

"As the leader of the Sun God Kingdom's special operations group, 'Akatsuki Zero,' I give Uchiha Madara a final ultimatum." 

Nagato slowly raised his hand, pointing at Madara, his voice solemn and steady. 

"Considering your unwavering belief in peace, I am willing to overlook the past, but you must unconditionally join the special operations unit and continue working for the peace of the ninja world." 

He's giving me a chance? 

He wants me to work under someone else, to serve like a dog, just like Nagato does now? Even if I wanted that power, I'd have to kneel on one knee and beg for it? 

What a joke. 

I am Uchiha Madara! 

No one has ever been able to command Uchiha Madara! 

At that moment, Madara laughed. He gave Nagato a look, as if telling him to figure it out himself, then pointed at the Chibaku Tensei in the sky. 

The message was clear. 

If you want Uchiha Madara to submit, at least show me you have the strength to make it happen. 

And even if I were to follow someone, it sure as hell wouldn't be Nagato. 

Who does he think he is? 

He's just a pathetic pawn I manipulated! 

"…That's your choice?" 

Nagato nodded slightly. The next second, a scorching energy surged from his body, turning wild and violent. The chains wrapped around him snapped one by one as his body slowly lifted into the air. 

"As a subordinate, I have always been grateful that His Eminence the Sun God once acknowledged my ideals." 

"Those who have never experienced pain can never truly understand the pain of others. That's just how this world works. And my pain… was caused by you and Uchiha Obito." 

If that's the case… 

"Feel the pain." 

Just as you once made me feel it. 

An invisible force spread from Nagato, and the burning heat of the Sun God Seal made his body uncomfortable. The price of using it beyond its limits was the strain it placed on him. But he was an Uzumaki—he wasn't worried about the toll. 

Compared to the Rinnegan's past drain on him, this was nothing. 

To put it bluntly, he had just been slacking in his training. 

He needed a stronger body. 

Super Sun God Eight Gates Released!

Open the gate. 

Open! 

"Think about the pain." 

Think about where this pain comes from. Why not think about how to improve? How to avoid bringing pain to others? 

Rest Gate, open! 

"Accept pain, understand pain." 

Accepting pain is the only way to truly understand it. 

Life Gate, Wound Gate, open! 

"Those who don't understand pain can never understand true peace!" 

Someone who doesn't understand pain will never truly understand peace! 

Shut Gate, View Gate, open! 

"I will never forget Yahiko's pain." 

Just like Yahiko's pain back then, Nagato will never forget the moment Yahiko collapsed in his arms. That pain belonged to Yahiko, but it was also the pain of the world! 

Yang God Eight Gates Formation, Shock Gate! 

Open! 

"From this moment on, let the world feel pain!" 

Death Gate 

Open!

Eight Gates Formation! 

Boom! 

A red mist of blood shot into the sky, and the violent chakra distorted the surrounding space. The waves of energy made the onlookers nearby hold their breath, not daring to make a sound. Even the Second Hokage, who had studied the Eight Gates, was shocked by what he saw. 

The Eight Gates Formation—something that required deep mastery of Taijutsu and extreme self-discipline to activate the Death Gate—someone had actually succeeded? 

No, something's not right! 

In an instant, both the Senju brothers and Uchiha Madara in the sky stared at Nagato in shock. 

Unlike the usual state of someone who had opened the Eight Gates—where their body would be on the verge of burning out—Nagato's energy was still overflowing. In fact, the speed at which his life force was depleting was almost negligible! 

The Sun God Seal on his forehead kept supplying chakra, recharging the life force he was losing, repairing his body, and replenishing his blood. The chakra in his heart was nearly at full capacity. 

"Not enough!" 

Immense power surged through Nagato's body, but he refused to stop. The pain of his past life made him roar in agony, his twisted expression showing the immense suffering he was enduring. Suddenly, a golden aura enveloped him, and in the next instant, he shot into the sky. 

With his movement, the previously shattered Adamantine Chains reformed, becoming even thicker and strangely burning with scorching flames. The chains wrapped tightly around Uchiha Madara's Complete Susano'o. 

"Adamantine Chains!" 

"Explode!" 

As if deciding that Madara's full form would only get in the way of stopping the falling meteor, Nagato combined high-level Taijutsu techniques—Taijutsu Regeneration, Breathing Techniques, and the Eight Gates Formation—into an advanced form of Adamantine Chains. With the addition of Solar Sage Mode, the massive chains completely bound the full-body Susano'o, squeezing the Edo Tensei body as if trying to crush it to pieces! 

Arrogant fool! 

Realizing Nagato's intent, Uchiha Madara was furious.

Madara Uchiha—he had only ever had his Susano'o destroyed once in his entire life. And even then, it was only his armored Susano'o that got crushed by Hashirama Senju's True Several Thousand Hands, not his full-body Susano'o. In the end, it was just the Nine-Tails being weak, not that he was lacking in power! 

No one would believe this if he said it out loud, but what was Nagato thinking? Did he really think he was Hashirama Senju, trying to crush his Susano'o like that? 

Madara was furious. He was ready to show Nagato a lesson right then and there. 

But he had clearly underestimated just how insane Nagato was. Before he had fully mastered this power, Nagato let out a roar, his face twisting in a way that made his entire appearance turn eerie and distorted. 

"A bag of rice... Buy one and carry it home!!" 

BOOM! 

With all eight gates open, Nagato threw a punch from a distance straight at Madara's full-body Susano'o. The sheer force of the distorted space shattered its tough armor and tore through half of Madara's body and head in an instant! 

The shockwave didn't stop there—it continued straight into the meteor in the sky, shaking it violently. 

BANG! 

As soon as Madara could no longer maintain his Susano'o, the immense power of the Adamantine Sealing Chains completely shattered it into dust. 

But Nagato was just getting started. 

Now that no one was interfering, he turned his attention to the meteor above and launched a relentless attack. Punch after punch, he vented his rage and pain like a madman. Every hit cracked the massive rock apart, his crazed assault leaving even Madara, who was regenerating, completely stunned. 

But Nagato didn't stop. He poured out all his suffering from the first half of his life, feeling the overwhelming strength surging through him. Being stronger than Madara Uchiha himself made him respect the source of this power even more. He felt proud of who he was and even more determined to dedicate himself to the peace of the ninja world and the existence of the Sun God Kingdom! 

Madara couldn't understand these emotions. He wasn't Nagato—he was just the source of Nagato's suffering. Sure, he had experienced pain himself, but that didn't mean he could relate to Nagato's feelings. 

Not that it mattered. He wasn't interested in understanding them. 

What left him speechless was Nagato's sheer strength. 

His shattered Susano'o, the crumbling meteor in the sky, and the dust and debris falling alongside the rain… 

Watching it all unfold up close, Madara was more shaken than he had ever expected. 

Why? 

Why was Nagato neither an Uchiha nor a Senju? Why wasn't he using the Rinnegan's power, the very power of the Sage of Six Paths? And yet, his strength was terrifying. 

This was worse than being killed—his entire belief in power and the way he viewed the world had been shattered. He couldn't understand the source of Nagato's strength. 

And it wasn't just him—even Obito and the Senju brothers watching from below found it absurd and surreal. 

Obito, who had just obtained the Karma mark, had a grave expression. He wondered if he had any chance of winning against Nagato in his current state. But after thinking about it for a while, he realized he probably wasn't a match. The distorted space alone could cancel out Kamui, and his Limbo Clones would likely be useless. He couldn't even throw debris at Nagato. If it came down to pure Taijutsu and Sukunahikona, he wouldn't last long against Nagato. 

"That mark… It granted Nagato the ability to keep the Eight Gates open permanently? And it seems like his Eight Gates technique isn't just normal Taijutsu—he's also using natural energy." 

Tobirama Senju, deep in thought, had already taken an interest in both the Sun God Seal and the person who modified the Eight Gates technique. He was certain he and that person would have a lot to talk about. But he didn't even consider connecting this modified Eight Gates to Hyuga Hitoshi. 

Why? 

Because that kid was always busy until late at night—how could he have time to research and improve Ninjutsu? 

But he didn't understand Hyuga Hitoshi's stamina and determination. Some people were just born geniuses. And the truth was, Hitoshi really had created this new version of the Eight Gates. 

"You're right—he's not just using normal natural energy." 

Hashirama scratched his head. In Sage Mode, he could clearly sense the blazing energy flowing through Nagato. 

"It's probably some kind of energy even stronger than natural energy. But it's strange—absorbing something that terrifying would normally cause instant death. How is he able to use it for so long? And on top of that, combine it with the Eight Gates?" 

Hashirama was amazed. 

"In the end, it's all because of that so-called 'Sun God Seal.'" 

Tobirama sighed. "That power is truly unbelievable." 

"Yeah, I was just wondering how to deal with that meteor," Hashirama said. "Didn't expect it to be taken care of so easily."

Staring at the figure moving in the sky, Hashirama let out a bitter smile. He couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated, like he had been surpassed. But then again, Nagato was his leader, so it didn't bother him too much. Wasn't it natural for a leader to be stronger than his subordinates? 

Besides, even if Nagato was the leader, that didn't mean he could beat Hashirama when it came to building houses. 

Yeah, that meant he was still useful. 

No one could ever understand the way the First Hokage thought, but right now, all that was on his mind was construction. 

With the crisis over, and Uchiha Obito seemingly too intimidated to act up, he was now hesitating as he watched from the sky. So thinking about bricklaying wasn't that unreasonable. 

--- 

"Sun God Seal." 

From the shadows, Hagoromo was secretly observing. He controlled a few toads to quietly take away a small piece of Hashirama's chakra and the scattered remains of his Edo Tensei body. Then, using sealing techniques, he locked away a portion of it and successfully escaped. 

His goal was complete. As long as he used the power of the soul's origin to regenerate the souls of Asura and Indra, the Sage of Six Paths would be able to truly bring his two sons back to life. 

But... 

With the power of the Sun God Seal and the way things stood in the shinobi world, Otsutsuki Hagoromo found something strange—reviving them might not actually change anything. 

"Let's take it one step at a time and observe first. Either way, reviving them will take time." 

After cautiously glancing at Nagato, who was still raging in the sky, he shifted his gaze to a certain spot in the air. Then, with a soft "poof," the toad finally disappeared over the ocean. 

At the same time— 

On the ground, Uchiha Madara returned to normal. He frowned as he noticed a missing corner from his Edo Tensei body, his eyes filled with doubt. But in the next moment, his gaze locked onto Nagato in the sky, and he clenched his fists tightly. 

This power... 

He had lost. 

Lost to that brat he once dismissed without a second thought. 

He was clearly unwilling to accept such an outcome, but he didn't even know how to deal with Nagato now. More importantly, he had no idea how to take back his Rinnegan. 

If he could reclaim his eyes and be fully revived, then he would have an even stronger trump card. 

Madara's expression turned serious as he fell deep into thought. If everything went as planned—if he was resurrected and got his eyes back—would the power of Limbo: Border Jail be enough to turn the tide and activate the Infinite Tsukuyomi? 

Nagato alone was already a major obstacle. No one could say for sure whether there was someone in this world who could see through Limbo's clones. Compared to his original plans before his death, Madara felt like he was seeing the shinobi world for the first time. Too many things were happening beyond his expectations. 

This sense of losing control left him unsure of what to do next. 

But he still had his allies. 

"Madara-sama, over here!" 

Black Zetsu, still wrapped in the plant-like form of White Zetsu, finally appeared at the edge of the battlefield, waving at Madara. 

Madara snapped out of his thoughts and walked over as he remembered something. 

Right now, Nagato was still venting his anger and hadn't noticed them. 

"Where were you earlier? What happened to Obito? Why is Nagato this strong? And what exactly is this Sun God Seal from the Sun God Kingdom?" 

How am I supposed to answer so many questions at once? 

Hyuga Black Zetsu rolled his eyes as hard as he could before shaking his head. 

"Madara-sama, all I can say is that times have changed. But your Infinite Tsukuyomi plan will actually go smoothly. You don't need to fixate on Nagato's eyes. When he invited you before, you should've just joined him. Now, things have become unnecessarily complicated." 

What do you mean? 

Uchiha Madara didn't understand at all. What did he mean by "times have changed" and that the Infinite Tsukuyomi plan would proceed smoothly? Based on what he knew, did people really agree to being trapped in a fake dream for the sake of so-called peace? 

Madara's face was filled with disbelief. 

"This is the truth, Madara-sama."

Black Zetsu shrugged. 

"As for the Infinite Tsukuyomi plan, Lord Hitoshi has already made arrangements. It's just not the right time yet. He seems to be preparing for the final fusion, so for now, it's not happening. But judging by the timeline, it shouldn't be long. His—uh, Lord Hitoshi's doll is my informant. She mentioned it." 

Doll? What the hell is that? 

Uchiha Madara was completely confused. 

"Fine, let me put it another way." 

Black Zetsu paused for a moment, then pointed at Nagato floating in the sky. 

"Madara-sama, what do you think of the Sun God Seal?" 

Madara thought for a moment and sighed slightly. "It's an incredible power, something beyond my understanding." 

He had to admit it. 

Nagato, with the Sun God Seal, had defeated him head-on. 

"So, Madara-sama, would you like to have that kind of power?" 

Just like how he once manipulated Madara into pursuing the Infinite Tsukuyomi, Black Zetsu was at it again, carefully leading him toward the idea. 

He knew Madara well—knew exactly what he could never refuse. 

In reality, anyone who bore the Sun God Seal was already under Lord Hitoshi's power. 

It was a strange kind of influence, but in Black Zetsu's view, strength always came with a price. 

"You have a way?" 

Madara's eyes lit up. 

He might have just found a way to reconnect with the ninja world. 

"These past few years have been rough." 

Black Zetsu shook his head but still gave Madara some hope. 

"I've heard that in the upcoming Third Joint Chunin Exams—soon to be renamed the Ninja World Grand Exam—Lord Hitoshi of the Sun God Kingdom will offer Sun God Seal slots to outstanding villages and ninjas. This is real insider information, personally confirmed by my informant. According to her, Lord Hitoshi doesn't care about the background or origins of the participants. Once they enter the exam, they will all be considered candidates, nothing more." 

This would be the first time the Sun God Kingdom publicly offered Sun God Seal slots. 

Hyuga Black Zetsu was certain this news would shake the entire ninja world. 

But he had a feeling that Lord Hitoshi was not only expecting this reaction—he was secretly encouraging it. 

It almost seemed like he wanted the Joint Chunin Exams to spiral into chaos. 

Maybe it was just Black Zetsu's imagination, but still… 

"Would he really be willing to share this kind of power with outsiders?" 

Madara looked skeptical. 

But Black Zetsu didn't seem like he was lying. 

Of course, saying he wasn't tempted would be a lie—but Madara's instincts told him this wasn't as simple as it seemed. 

"This is nothing." 

Black Zetsu shook his head. 

"You don't understand Hitoshi's ways. Honestly, if you were a woman and he took you as a divine consort, the Sun God Seal would just be a starting gift." 

So, he's just a scumbag. 

Madara scoffed in disdain. 

"But the Sun God Seal doesn't work too well with Edo Tensei bodies. If you want to participate, Madara-sama, you'll have to use the time between now and then to earn enough merit to exchange for a revival slot." 

Black Zetsu stroked his chin, already drafting a rough plan for Madara. 

He felt like he was doing Madara a favor. 

After all, the Infinite Tsukuyomi would inevitably be activated, and his mother would eventually be unsealed. 

The truth about how he had used Madara would come out sooner or later. 

Rather than wait for Madara to snap and beat him to a pulp, why not lay the groundwork in advance? 

Maybe, just maybe, Madara would appreciate his efforts and let go of his grudge. 

See? Peace is just around the corner. 

The ninja world's future is looking bright. 

"Besides, compared to the questions you were asking earlier, I think we should get out of here first. If Nagato comes back, you won't be able to run." 

Black Zetsu clung to Madara like a parasite. 

Madara understood the situation. 

A tactical retreat wasn't shameful. 

Following his instincts, he let Black Zetsu activate the Mayfly Technique and escaped. 

Meanwhile… 

In the sky. 

An intense battle broadcast had finally come to an end. 

Hyuga Hitoshi looked at Otsutsuki Isshiki—drenched in sweat, hesitant to flee, yet wary of staying. 

After watching the fight and experiencing the power of the Sun God Seal firsthand, Isshiki was caught in a dilemma. 

Hitoshi spoke again, asking the question that struck straight to the soul. 

"So, tell me—does using chakra like this still count as 'elegant' in your book?" 

--- 

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