Minato remained silent. The screams of the villagers reached his ears on the wind, tugging at his heartstrings. However, Kushina was right behind him, and he couldn't leave her side either. A classic trolley problem lay before Minato, leaving him stuck in a dilemma.
"There's no need for the Hokage to deal with such beasts; the Uchiha can handle it," Makiya said with a smile from the side.
"Makiya, you..." Minato started to speak, afraid that Makiya's impulsiveness might disrupt the plan. Summoned beasts weren't something a fighter of Makiya's level should be focusing on; he didn't want Makiya to fall for a diversion.
"Don't worry, I have it handled." Makiya winked at Minato, then pulled a large "brick" from behind his back.
Makiya pressed a few buttons on the side of the brick and held it to his mouth. "Testing, testing. Can you hear me, Tekka? Tekka?"
*Bzzz—*
After a burst of static, Tekka's voice came through the walkie-talkie: "Loud and clear, Lord Makiya. We can hear you."
Makiya's lips curled into a smile. "Go all out. No need to hold back."
"Yes, Lord Makiya!"
Just as Minato was feeling confused, two massive chakra surges erupted from the other side of the village. The rampaging Giant Crustacean and Giant Rhino shuddered violently before being sent flying backward by an unseen force.
One green and one purple skeletal frame appeared out of thin air, growing into massive, hideous skeletons. Flesh and muscle spread from beneath them, eventually covered by skin and armor. In an instant, two armored, half-bodied giants loomed over Konoha.
One giant wielded twin blades while the other held a spear in both hands. They easily tossed the rampaging Giant Centipede into the air, slicing it into three pieces with two swift strokes.
"Is that... Susanoo?" Minato's eyes widened. 'Is it Shisui and Clan Leader Fugaku? No, Shisui is still stationed at the front lines, and Fugaku's eyes haven't recovered yet. So who is it?'
He turned his gaze toward Makiya, hoping for an answer.
"It's Tekka and Yashiro. I helped them awaken their Mangekyo a while ago," Makiya said, resting a hand on his hip. "The two of them didn't disappoint; they've already developed Susanoo to this stage."
Nagato's face was as dark as thunder as he glanced at the delivery room behind Makiya and Minato. According to Madara's plan, his mission in Konoha was simply to play the role of an avenger persecuted by the village and cause widespread destruction. The goal was to make Itachi deeply understand the pain and hatred brought by war.
But Nagato had his own plans; he didn't intend to follow the path Madara had laid out. Possessing the Rinnegan, he viewed himself as a god. He planned to collect the Tailed Beasts for the Gedo Statue to devour, evolving it into the legendary Ten-Tails. He would then become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, using absolute power to intimidate the entire ninja world into peace.
In fact, Nagato's logic was sound. Humans respect power more than virtue, especially in a supernatural world where the gap in natural talent creates such vast disparities in strength that true equality is impossible. Human nature, etched into DNA, ensures that people can never fully understand one another. Peace could only be achieved through the intimidation of absolute strength.
When the strongest speaks, their word is law, and people are naturally forced into peace.
Nagato had already tracked down most of the Tailed Beasts. Aside from the Two-Tails, which had mysteriously vanished, the Nine-Tails was the most difficult to capture. Now that the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was in a weakened state, it would be a waste of a golden opportunity not to try.
*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*
Four figures landed behind the Deva Path puppet, each wearing a black robe with red clouds. Minato counted the numbers and turned to Makiya with a suspicious look.
'Weren't there supposed to be six puppets? Why are there only five?'
Makiya also found it strange. The Six Paths of Pain were strongest when gathered together. Why was one missing?
Because the plot had diverged significantly, only the Deva Path still used Yahiko's body. The other four looked completely different from what Makiya remembered, making it impossible to tell them apart at a glance.
One of them grabbed his own wrist and pulled. A string of small missiles emerged from the joint. With a series of beeps, countless missiles were activated, curving through the air with an agility that would make Americans envious and a precision that would leave the "White Elephant" stunned.
One look at the operation was enough to identify the Asura Path. Without any visible aiming, the myriad of missiles automatically flew toward the delivery room.
Makiya unsheathed his Kusanagi Sword, and in a flash of blade light, numerous missiles exploded in mid-air. However, the sheer quantity of modern thermal weaponry released by the Asura Path was staggering. Even with Makiya's sword skills, he couldn't intercept them all, forcing him to resort to ninjutsu.
Susanoo materialized, its skeletal frame shielding the delivery room. A second later, a series of intense explosions rocked the area as smoke and the fires of war filled the air.
Minato vanished in a flash of golden light.
Sensing that the soul auras inside the delivery room had vanished, Makiya immediately deactivated Susanoo. Missiles, bombs, laser beams, and various kinetic weapons poured out endlessly. Even with Makiya's vast ocular power, he couldn't withstand such a rapid rate of consumption.
*Rumble—*
The chain of explosions swallowed the delivery room. Countless laser beams shot from the Asura Path's head, carving red lines through the dust. It was said that Rinnegan users could connect to a divine space containing an inexhaustible supply of miraculous weapons.
'Probably connected directly to a US military arsenal.'
"Fire Style: Prison Garment of the Setting Sun!" Makiya clapped his hands. Intense golden flames erupted around him, and through his immense control, they condensed into a golden cloak draped over his shoulders.
"Bansho Ten'in!"
The Deva Path repeated its old trick, extending a hand toward Makiya to release an attractive force. Makiya allowed the chakra on his feet to dissipate, voluntarily flying toward the puppet.
The temperature of his flames was terrifyingly high. As long as he got close, he could scorch and crack the opponent's skin even without using any other ninjutsu.
The Deva Path frowned. Chakra-controlled puppets ultimately had drawbacks, such as lacking the sensitive skin of a real human. It wasn't until the auspicious robes on its body began to spontaneously combust that it realized Makiya's intent.
"Dammit... Shinra Tensei!"
A massive repulsive force slammed into Makiya. Much like the gravitational pull from before, this unique force seemed to act on every cell in his body, making it impossible to resist. He could only let the opponent control his movement.
However, Makiya's flames were highly versatile. The golden fire spread rapidly, acting like sharp spikes thrusting into the rock, anchoring his body to the ground.
With his legs buried deep in the earth, Makiya endured the terrifying pressure of Shinra Tensei, plowing two slowly melting furrows into the ground.
The Six Paths puppets shared a common vision. Through the eyes of the other puppets, Nagato discovered that the Deva Path's eyebrows had been scorched yellow by the heat, making it look quite ridiculous.
Yahiko's body meant everything to Nagato. Makiya's actions were no different from a direct slap to his face. Not being a man of many words, Nagato could only glare at Makiya with a fierce gaze.
Being stared at by five pairs of purple Rinnegan was admittedly quite pressuring. If it were a certain "Godly" person with the surname Tang, he would surely shout, "You have sought your own death!"
Against an indiscriminate repulsive attack like Shinra Tensei, Susanoo was somewhat ineffective. The larger the surface area, the greater the force it received. While Makiya could withstand the impact alone, activating Susanoo would likely cause him to be flipped over instantly.
Each of the Six Paths possessed unique abilities, and with their shared vision, ordinary taijutsu simply couldn't compete. Unless one possessed the extreme taijutsu of someone like Might Guy, which surpassed normal perception, the only option was to find a way to take them down one by one.
'Kill the Naraka Path first, since it can repair the puppets. Everything else will be easy after that.'
*Whoosh!*
Minato appeared beside Makiya. "Makiya, how is it? Can you hold them off?"
"No problem," Makiya waved him off. He had some things he wanted to say to Nagato and didn't want Minato to overhear. Pointing toward the massive monsters locked in battle, he said, "Minato, go help Tekka and the others. You know the side effects of the Mangekyo. Ending the fight quickly will prevent further losses."
Minato hesitated. "But what about your side..."
"It's a breeze."
"Alright. Call me if you need backup." Minato finally decided to trust Makiya regarding Kushina's safety and chose to return to the village to deal with the rampaging monsters first.
The Animal Path's summons weren't too strong, though the multi-headed hound that could split infinitely was quite a nuisance.
After Minato left, Nagato sneered through Yahiko. "What arrogance. Before a god..."
"Enough, Nagato. Doesn't saying 'Kami' every other sentence make you cringe? Even if it doesn't, you should think about Konan's feelings. She's been keeping a straight face just to play along with your performance. It's exhausting."
Nagato's pupils contracted. "What... how do you know... Is it Jiraiya...?"
Makiya nodded. "That's right. Madara Uchiha told me."
"Madara Uchiha?"
Nagato remained silent for a moment before laughing coldly. "So you know my name. What of it? How can a ninja from a Great Nation like you understand..."
"The Eye of the Moon Plan, right?"
Nagato's jaw dropped. "That guy Madara... he even told you about that?"
'Damn Black Zetsu, damn Madara Uchiha... I really can't trust them!'
Makiya nodded matter-of-factly. "Of course. Madara even told me you've been disobedient and asked me to find an opportunity to take you out. To be honest, I think your plan is okay, but there's one problem."
Nagato's heart pounded. In all the years since awakening the Rinnegan, this was the first time he felt things were spiraling out of his control. A sense of dread toward the unknown washed over him. "What problem?"
Makiya walked forward slowly. "And that is... as the core of the plan, you aren't strong enough!"
Nagato had expected some profound insight, but hearing "not strong enough" left him dazed. He felt a sense of utter absurdity. He, the possessor of the Sage's Eyes, wasn't strong enough?
"Then who is? You? Just because you got a lucky upper hand doesn't mean you should delude yourself. I haven't even gotten serious yet." Nagato shook his head and laughed. Even the Deva Path's face displayed a rare, stiff smile.
In the next instant, a figure woven of gold and blue vanished and reappeared. A fist wreathed in flames suddenly materialized in front of the Deva Path.
Time seemed to slow down. In slow motion, Makiya's fist, wrapped in blue aura and coated in golden flames, slowly made contact with Yahiko's chin.
Under the massive force, Yahiko's jaw followed the movement of Makiya's fist. His cheek distorted violently, pulling his entire facial structure into a grotesque, broken expression.
*Whoosh!*
Time resumed its normal pace. The Deva Path's figure was sent flying instantly, hurtling through the forest like a cannonball. It smashed through countless trees and boulders, kicking up clouds of dirt and debris, before finally slamming into a protruding rock wall. The impact flattened its once-spiky hair and head.
The Deva Path's upper body was buried in the rock while its lower half dangled on the other side. It looked pathetic.
"This is..." The other puppets only barely reacted after the Deva Path had already vanished. What good was shared vision if the final decision-maker was still Nagato? Makiya's speed only needed to exceed Nagato's neural reaction time.
"Those few moves earlier were just a warm-up. Now I'm getting serious. I'm returning those words to you in full." Makiya cracked his knuckles. A deep blue streak on his forehead began to glow, looking like a third eye.
"How... how dare you treat a god like this... Unforgivable!" Coming to his senses, Nagato was overcome with shame and fury. Being rendered completely helpless for the first time filled him with alarm and a creeping sense of cowardice.
The Deva Path erupted with repulsive force, shattering the boulders trapping its waist. It soared into the air, striking a Crane Wing pose. "Come then, Makiya Uchiha! Since you acknowledge my plan, let's see who is more worthy of becoming the god of the new world!"