Chapter 175: Instantly Defeating the A-B Combo, Invincible Nagato

"I never expected the White Zetsu clones to have such an effect."

Nagato looked down at his feet, his gaze seemingly piercing through his cloak, scrutinizing the bones, meridians, and even the cells beneath his pale skin. Upon closer inspection, one could see a hint of astonishment in his eyes.

As the creator of the Six Paths of Pain, Nagato's understanding of the human body over the years rivaled that of the most elite medical ninjas. He knew all too well the state he was in now.

Although he had been disabled for many years, controlling the Six Paths of Pain had kept him from forgetting how to walk. Or, more accurately, he had never forgotten what it felt like to walk before losing his legs.

The sensation of walking with the Six Paths of Pain was entirely different from walking with his own legs before they were lost. Just like how reanimated bodies felt no pain, the Six Paths of Pain also felt nothing when injured. However, basic tactile sensations were still present.

The legs transplanted from the White Zetsu clone had restored sensation to Nagato's lower body. The feeling of walking was no longer like controlling the Six Paths of Pain but exactly like it had been before he lost his legs.

Yes, it felt just like his original legs, as if they had never been lost. There was no rejection, no healing or adaptation period—it was as if Nagato had never been disabled.

This seamless integration left Nagato utterly shocked. Even the most advanced medical techniques paled in comparison to the capabilities of the White Zetsu clones.

After the initial shock, Nagato grew even more wary of Obito Uchiha, who was posing as "Madara Uchiha," and Black Zetsu. These two were far from simple. Their approach to him likely wasn't just about collecting the Tailed Beasts to revive the Gedo Statue. Their desire for the Gedo Statue might be for purposes even he couldn't fathom.

'Could it be that the Rinnegan isn't actually my innate Kekkei Genkai?' Nagato pondered silently, increasingly convinced that this speculation might be true. Otherwise, as the wielder of the Rinnegan, he wouldn't have needed them to teach him the Six Paths Techniques and the Black Rods of Yin-Yang Release. Even the method of drawing power from the Gedo Statue had been provided by them.

Thinking this, Nagato touched the Ring on his finger, secretly instructing Konan to remain vigilant against those two.

With that, Nagato vanished in a blur, leaving the underground base.

Regardless of their motives for approaching him, the Rinnegan and the Gedo Statue were now his possessions, and that was an undeniable fact.

Through the Rinnegan's ability to see chakra, Nagato could tell that Obito's chakra reserves were pitiful compared to even his weakest state, let alone his current peak condition. If it weren't for Obito's elusive intangibility ability, Nagato could easily crush him.

As for Black Zetsu, he was nothing more than an intelligence operative. If not for the usefulness of White Zetsu's abilities and the fact that they provided 100,000 White Zetsu clones as cannon fodder to buy time, Nagato could have openly killed them without needing to resort to sneak attacks.

Moreover, upon after calming down, Nagato realized their weakness and lack of confidence. If they weren't so weak and insecure, they wouldn't have relied on him so heavily, providing him with the Gedo Statue's power and even helping him restore his legs. They could have easily ambushed him during his weakest moments, after losing the Six Paths of Pain, to steal the Rinnegan and the Gedo Statue.

But they hadn't done so!

Clearly, they needed his strength, hoping he would grow more powerful to deal with the Leaf's Wood Release user and to collect the final Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails.

Thus, in Nagato's eyes, Obito and Black Zetsu no longer posed a threat. He simply needed to remain cautious and prevent them from ambushing him.

Compared to these two schemers, the Leaf's Wood Release user, the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, and Itachi's younger brother were the real threats.

After leaving the underground base, Nagato immediately took to the skies, using repulsive force to propel himself at incredible speed toward the Cloud Village's battlefield.

Every five seconds, a sonic boom echoed through the sky as he accelerated.

"Such immense chakra... His target is... Killer B and the others!"

Nagato's approach was immediately detected by Naruto.

"Naruto, be careful. This person's chakra is second only to you and Yagyu," Minato Namikaze, who was in Nine-Tails Chakra Mode and Sage Mode, also sensed Nagato's presence. While attacking his son, he solemnly warned, "Even in my prime, my chakra was far inferior to his. He is likely the leader of the Akatsuki."

"Yeah... This chakra feels familiar," Naruto replied, instinctively defending himself while nodding gravely. "He must be the true body behind the Six Paths of Pain... Jiraiya's disciple!"

Hearing this, Minato's expression darkened. Over the past nine days, he had learned from Naruto about Jiraiya's death and that his killer was none other than his own student.

"Such a butterfly effect... It seems my strength has truly frightened them," Yagyu mused, also noticing Nagato's approach.

Not only that, but his Byakugan, which had evolved to see dozens of kilometers away, also detected that Nagato's legs had been restored.

Just like how Madara Uchiha in the original story had severed a White Zetsu clone's arm and transplanted it onto himself, Nagato had simply cut off his necrotic legs and replaced them with those of a White Zetsu clone. The integration was seamless, with no discomfort or rejection, much like how Orochimaru had transferred his consciousness into a White Zetsu clone, eliminating the need for further body transfers.

The White Zetsu clones were undoubtedly the most effective medical tools in the world.

What amused Yagyu was that he hadn't expected Black Zetsu and Obito to go this far. Not only had they taught Nagato how to use the Gedo Statue to sustain his life and restore his physical abilities, but they had also helped him regain his legs.

Weren't they afraid that Nagato, once restored, would immediately turn on them?

Or had Madara Uchiha implanted a curse mark in Nagato as well?

Unfortunately, Yagyu's Byakugan, while capable of long-range vision and perspective, couldn't see in color or penetrate clothing to detect curse marks on the heart. Otherwise, he could have checked whether Nagato had a curse mark left by Madara.

"His target isn't us but the Cloud Village's battlefield?" Seeing that Nagato wasn't heading straight for them but instead toward the Cloud Village's battlefield, Yagyu instantly guessed his intentions and smiled meaningful.

Nagato's arrival would be a devastating blow to the Cloud Village.

The Third Raikage, already at the pinnacle of the Five Kage, had been a nightmare for Killer B and the Fourth Raikage. Even working together, they couldn't break his defenses, only managing to stall him and prevent him from wreaking havoc.

Facing Nagato, whose power had reached true Super Kage-level, they would undoubtedly feel utter despair.

And indeed, that was exactly what happened!

Propelled by repulsive force, Nagato quickly arrived at the Cloud Village's battlefield.

"Enemy attack! It's an Akatsuki member!"

"A flying ninja? Who is this? Why isn't he listed in the Leaf's provided Akatsuki roster?"

"Look! He has the Rinnegan... He's the leader of the Akatsuki!!"

"Such... such terrifying chakra!"

"..."

Nagato's arrival was immediately noticed by the Cloud ninjas.

As he descended from the sky, many were puzzled. Over the past days, whether they were genin, chunin, or jonin, everyone had memorized the appearances and names of all Akatsuki members. Yet, Nagato's face wasn't in the handbook.

However, someone soon noticed his eyes and immediately guessed his identity.

As the Cloud ninjas shouted warnings, the entire battlefield erupted into chaos.

Yet, instead of fear or the urge to flee, the Cloud ninjas were filled with rage and hatred. After all, they had lost countless comrades because of this man.

Now, their target had finally appeared.

Some of the more hot-headed Cloud ninjas, already driven to madness by days of relentless fighting, ignored the vast difference in strength between themselves and the Akatsuki leader. They unleashed powerful long-range Lightning Release techniques or combined their sword skills with Lightning Release, sending arcs of blue-white electricity hurtling toward Nagato.

In an instant, countless crescent-shaped lightning arcs and branching bolts, resembling shuriken and kunai, converged on Nagato from all directions.

Their hate-filled eyes and murderous expressions were all taken in by Nagato.

"It seems you major villages are finally experiencing the hatred and pain we minor villages have endured for so long," Nagato said calmly, spreading his arms. "But rest assured, your deaths will herald the dawn of peace. There will be no more war or suffering... Shinra Tensei!"

BOOM!

In an instant, an invisible storm erupted from Nagato's body.

Like a rapidly expanding dome of light, it dispersed the drizzling rain. As the dome touched the ground, a massive explosion followed.

The hard, wet earth was instantly carved into a colossal crater.

Every Cloud ninja, White Zetsu clone, and reanimated shinobi within the area was obliterated, reduced to dust.

"Summoning Jutsu... Gedo Statue!"

After unleashing a Shinra Tensei that, while not on the scale of the Almighty Push, was still devastating, Nagato didn't head toward the battlefield where the Third Raikage, Fourth Raikage, and Killer B were fighting. Instead, he remained airborne, forming hand seals to summon the Gedo Statue from the Rain Village's underground base.

With a loud poof, a massive cloud of white smoke appeared.

"ROAR!"

A few seconds later, a roar that seemed to come from the top of the food chain echoed across the battlefield.

The shockwave from the roar dispersed the enormous cloud of smoke, revealing a monstrous figure larger than any Tailed Beast. Its body was a dull wood color, humanoid in shape, with a gaping mouth, arms, and legs. Its eyes were bound with white bandages.

Standing atop this creature was Nagato, his expression cold as he gazed down like a god.

From his back, a white tube connected him to the Gedo Statue, channeling vast amounts of chakra into his body. This chakra contained various nature transformations, though Nagato, in his current state, couldn't perceive or utilize them. Otherwise, in addition to the five basic nature transformations, he could have wielded the Magnet Release of the One-Tail, the Lava Release of the Four-Tails, and more.

Even without these abilities, Nagato now possessed infinite chakra.

"Banshō Ten'in!"

Once connected to the Gedo Statue, Nagato extended his hand, converting his immense chakra into gravitational force. From a great distance, he pulled Killer B toward him.

"B!"

Seeing this, the Fourth Raikage's eyes widened in shock.

Taking advantage of his distraction, the Third Raikage appeared before him in an instant, his finger thrusting forward like the sharpest weapon in the world.

The Fourth Raikage, reacting a split second too late, could only dodge instinctively.

Unfortunately, his arm was still grazed by the Third Raikage's finger.

Squelch!

The sound of flesh being pierced echoed as the Third Raikage's finger didn't just stab into the Fourth Raikage's arm but sliced through it like a blade, severing it completely.

"Damn it, old man!"

Despite losing an arm, the Fourth Raikage didn't cry out in pain. He merely cursed before charging toward the Gedo Statue, leaving his father behind.

As for Naruto's shadow clone, it had already dissipated. After nine days of continuous battle, even though Naruto had replenished his shadow clones, their numbers were far fewer than at the start.

"You bastard... I'll blow you to pieces!" Killer B, unable to break free from the gravitational pull, quickly entered full Eight-Tails transformation and launched a Tailed Beast Bomb at the Gedo Statue.

In response, Nagato raised his hand, creating a massive translucent white dome-shaped barrier in front of the Gedo Statue.

The Tailed Beast Bomb collided with the barrier and was instantly absorbed by the Preta Path.

"Chibaku Tensei!"

Instead of absorbing the chakra from Killer B's attack, Nagato clapped his hands together, creating a small black orb that he tossed into the air.

In an instant, the rain over the Cloud Village's battlefield ceased.

Countless raindrops, as if magnetically attracted, began converging toward the black orb, which was now emitting a blinding white light.

Before it even reached its peak, the black orb had already transformed into a massive water sphere.

Crack... Crack... Crack...

Along with the raindrops, the countless corpses on the ground, as well as the living Cloud ninjas, White Zetsu clones, and reanimated shinobi, were pulled toward the orb.

They were like puppets being yanked by invisible strings, utterly powerless to resist. Even the massive Eight-Tails, Gyūki, was slowly being lifted into the air, though its ascent was slower compared to the smaller objects.

"B, destroy it! Don't let it pull us in!" Gyūki shouted within Killer B's mind.

Unlike the gravitational pull of Banshō Ten'in, Chibaku Tensei was entirely different. Once fully drawn into the black orb, not only would they lose control of their bodies, but their chakra would also be rapidly drained.

This thing was a seal!

"I know, Gyūki!" Killer B responded, preparing to launch another Tailed Beast Bomb with Gyūki's help.

Clang... Clang...

At that moment, the sound of chains rattling reached his ears.

The noise was so loud that even in his full Eight-Tails form, Killer B instinctively turned to look.

Several massive chains, nearly as thick as his tentacles, were rapidly approaching him.

The Gedo Statue, unaffected by the gravitational pull, had opened its mouth and unleashed these chains, which now wrapped around Killer B's fully transformed body.

In an instant, the chakra he had been gathering for another Tailed Beast Bomb dissipated.

His massive body, no longer being pulled toward the black orb, was now being dragged toward the Gedo Statue by a force even greater than the gravitational pull.

What was more terrifying was that Killer B and Gyūki found they couldn't break free from the chains. Their coordination and control were severely weakened, as if they had been hit by a sealing technique.

"Raiton: Raijin's Axe!"

At that moment, a furious shout rang out.

The Fourth Raikage, who had also been caught in the gravitational pull, had used his incredible speed to leap from rock to rock, reaching the top of the Gedo Statue. With his right leg enveloped in lightning, he brought it down like a thunderous axe toward Nagato.

Looking up at the Fourth Raikage, who was bleeding profusely but still determined to attack, Nagato simply raised his hand and said, "Shinra Tensei."

In an instant, the Fourth Raikage was sent flying like a cannonball.

Whoosh... Whoosh... Whoosh...

Not only that, but Nagato's arm also transformed mechanically, launching several homing missiles that streaked toward the Fourth Raikage, unaffected by the gravitational pull.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

A series of explosions lit up the sky, accompanied by clouds of fiery smoke.

"BROTHER!!" Killer B screamed in anguish.

In just a few moves, Nagato had nearly defeated the A-B Combo, which the Third Raikage had failed to overcome in nine days.

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