Had things really reached this level already?
What was that terrifying pressure?
Beside Nagato, Uchiha Obito was in no better shape. His expression was extremely grim—especially after watching Uchiha Ren suppress the entire Hidden Rain Village with overwhelming force. His scalp felt numb.
He truly hadn't expected the Fifth Hokage to act with such ruthless efficiency.
Akatsuki had only just attacked Konoha—and almost immediately, the Fifth Hokage had come knocking at the Hidden Rain Village's door.
No breathing room at all.
This was disastrous.
Nearby, Konan was drenched in cold sweat, standing stiffly atop the tower, her face deathly pale. Watching the Hidden Rain Village—something they had spent years building—reduced to ruins under Ren's sheer presence filled her heart with agony.
However—
As Akatsuki's leader, Nagato quickly forced himself to calm down.
After taking a deep breath, Rinnegan power surged through his eyes. His body slowly lifted from the tower, rising into the air until he faced Uchiha Ren from afar.
"Fifth Hokage…"
Nagato ground out the words through clenched teeth. The killing intent in his Rinnegan was no longer concealed.
"Heh."
Uchiha Ren curled his lips slightly and said calmly,
"Since Akatsuki dared to strike Konoha, you should've been prepared to face my wrath."
Indeed.
Once he decided to annex the Hidden Rain Village, Ren had departed Konoha at top speed.
The timing was perfect.
After suppressing the Hidden Rain Village with Conqueror's Haki, he had conveniently encountered Nagato, Obito, and Konan all at once.
Very good.
Extremely good.
Nagato laughed in rage, his voice cold and sharp.
"Then I'll show you the true terror of the Rinnegan!"
Buzz!!
As violent ocular power erupted from his eyes, five figures shot out from the tower and landed on the platform below.
That's right—
The Six Paths of Pain.
Since the Deva Path made from Yahiko's corpse had already been destroyed, Nagato had created a new Deva Path using another body.
"Can't you be a little more creative?"
Uchiha Ren glanced at the Six Paths of Pain and said with blatant disdain,
"The Rinnegan is completely wasted in your hands."
Then his gaze shifted.
"Don't you think so… dead last, Uchiha Obito?"
His words landed squarely on the masked man who had remained silent the entire time.
Obito's voice turned cold.
"Fifth Hokage, I don't know what you're talking about. I don't know anyone named Uchiha Obito."
"Back on the night of the Uchiha massacre, I already told you to stop pretending."
Ren shook his head helplessly.
"You've really gotten addicted to playing Uchiha Madara, huh?"
"Don't you understand that a pheasant can never become a phoenix? Dead last will always be dead last—even if you turn dark, even if you wear a mask."
"That's enough—!!"
Boom!!!
Before Ren could finish, the masked man finally snapped.
His anger erupted uncontrollably.
This was too much.
Ren's every word was like rubbing salt into an open wound.
Absolutely infuriating.
"Getting angry now?"
Ren remained perfectly calm and said something even more explosive:
"Uchiha Obito—do you know how Nohara Rin really died?"
"She was set up by Uchiha Madara, Black Zetsu, and White Zetsu. From beginning to end, you were nothing more than a pawn."
"What nonsense are you spouting?!"
The moment Rin's name was mentioned, Obito's emotions completely destabilized.
"I saw it with my own eyes! Rin chose to die to Kakashi's Chidori! Are you saying I saw wrong?!"
"Sometimes," Ren replied indifferently, "what you see isn't the truth—just what others want you to see."
He looked at Obito as if staring at an idiot.
"To force you into submission, Madara placed a curse seal on Rin's heart and implanted the Three-Tails into her."
"That's why she deliberately died by Kakashi's hand."
"If you'd thought about it for even a moment, you would've figured it out."
"But you—an idiot—believed it without question."
Buzz!!
Those words struck Obito like a lightning bolt.
His mind went completely blank as he stood frozen in place.
Impossible.
Could Rin really have been murdered by Madara's schemes?
Then didn't that mean—
By inheriting Madara's will, he had acknowledged the wrong master and helped the very enemy who destroyed everything?
In an instant, Obito's heart plunged into confusion and turmoil.
After witnessing Rin's death, he had come to believe the shinobi world was nothing but endless cruelty.
That was when he fell into darkness.
He accepted Madara's ideology and resolved to use the Ten-Tails to cast Infinite Tsukuyomi, creating a world without war—a perfect world where Rin still lived.
And now—
Uchiha Ren was telling him it had all been a lie.
How could he possibly accept that?
Below them, Nagato in midair and Konan atop the tower were completely stunned by the exchange.
The masked man had always introduced himself to Akatsuki as Uchiha Madara.
But now—
It seemed Uchiha Obito was his real identity.
"Right."
Ren smiled faintly.
"Black Zetsu. White Zetsu."
"You can come out now."
He looked straight at Obito and said meaningfully,
"Others may not know who you are—but I do, Black Zetsu."
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