"Floating Technique—"
Having decided to use the ring as bait to track down White Zetsu's base, Uchiha Fugaku activated the Floating Technique, sinking into the trunk of a nearby tree to lie in wait.
Several hours passed. Just as Fugaku was beginning to grow impatient, a pale figure slowly pushed its head out from the ground.
It was a White Zetsu clone.
Like a mouse peeking out of its hole, the clone cautiously scanned its surroundings before crawling fully out of the earth. Once it was certain there was no danger, it walked toward the ring and picked it up.
"So, something really did happen…"
According to Akatsuki protocol, every squad was required to transmit status reports through their rings at regular intervals. But several hours had passed with no word from Shennong and Hidan's team. Nagato had immediately suspected that something had gone wrong.
He sent a nearby White Zetsu clone to investigate.
And indeed—the discarded ring with no owner in sight was proof enough of an accident.
"The battle scars around here confirm it."
The clone's eyes swept over the torn-up terrain. The vicious gouges and broken ground told the story of a fierce battle.
And since Hidan and Shennong were out of contact, the most likely losers were them.
Following the traces, the clone soon discovered the place where Fugaku had fought them. There was Hidan's broken scythe… and his discarded ring.
After scouring the area and finding nothing else, the clone pocketed both rings and sank back underground to depart.
It never realized a shadow was trailing close behind.
Hours later, the clone emerged by the sea, with Fugaku silently following. This time, the clone didn't move on. It stopped and waited.
"So he's meeting someone here…" Fugaku immediately guessed.
The handover of the rings would likely reveal more about Akatsuki's movements—perhaps even the location of their base. Though disappointed the clone hadn't returned directly, this meeting might be even more valuable.
Fugaku melted into a boulder, patiently waiting.
Half an hour later—
Whoosh—
From the skies, a figure descended, carrying an unconscious boy in one hand.
The newcomer wore the black cloak patterned with red clouds. His frame was lean, his hair a deep orange, his eyes concentric ripples of gray. A suffocating pressure radiated from him, vast as an ocean.
"Nagato."
Fugaku's eyes narrowed. It was the man himself—not a puppet body, but Nagato in the flesh.
"His legs… they've been healed."
He stood firmly, without crutches or a chair. Just as Fugaku had speculated, Nagato's ruined body had been restored. And if his legs were healed, so too was the rest of his frail condition.
That made him even more dangerous. A fully restored Nagato wielding the complete Six Paths power was far more formidable than the split-up puppet bodies.
Fugaku's gaze shifted to the limp figure in Nagato's hand: a green-haired youth, a stitched scar running beneath his left eye.
"The Fourth Mizukage…"
Not a boy, but the young-looking Yagura, the current Mizukage of Kirigakure. Thanks to early warnings, he had escaped Obito's control and lived on. But now, as the Three-Tails' jinchūriki, he had drawn Nagato's attention—and his capture meant death was close.
"Report. What's the situation with Shennong and Hidan's team?" Nagato asked.
"The area shows signs of a fierce battle," the clone replied, handing over the two rings. "But no bodies were found—only their rings. Most likely, they were either captured alive or killed and carried off. Their rings were discarded to prevent tracking."
"From the signs, can you identify who attacked?" Nagato pressed.
"No. The traces were deliberately obscured. But… given the location, Konoha is the most likely culprit."
"Then the Five-Tails… has fallen into Konoha's hands?" Nagato frowned. His concern was not for Hidan or Shennong, but for the captured beast.
"It isn't confirmed. Our clones in the Land of Fire haven't seen the Five-Tails transported. It's possible Konoha has a sealing tool to conceal it."
"Investigate. Confirm if the Five-Tails is in Konoha's possession," Nagato ordered.
"Yes." The clone obeyed, sinking back into the ground. Only Nagato and the unconscious Mizukage remained—along with Fugaku, still hidden.
Fugaku's heart wavered. Should he strike now? He wasn't certain a sneak attack would succeed, nor whether he could truly overcome Nagato in direct combat.
"Come out."
Nagato suddenly turned, eyes fixed on the rock hiding Fugaku. His voice was cold.
"You noticed me all along?"
Realizing Nagato wasn't bluffing, Fugaku emerged. It was the first time since gaining the Floating Technique that anyone had detected him. But against someone of Nagato's caliber, it wasn't surprising.
"The Floating Technique conceals presence," Nagato said icily, "but it cannot block my perception."
For a moment, surprise flashed in his eyes—Fugaku wielding a White Zetsu's unique ability. But then the answer was clear: with an eye technique that could copy kekkei genkai, Fugaku must have stolen it.
"You followed that clone here. Shennong and Hidan—they fell to you, didn't they?"
"That's right. Both of them are dead by my hand." Fugaku made no attempt to deny it.
"Then it was you who fought me through the Six Paths avatars last time. Tell me, what is Akatsuki's true purpose in hunting the Tailed Beasts?" Fugaku demanded.
Boom—
Even as he spoke, he attacked. Susanoo erupted, its colossal black arm tearing the air as it slammed down toward Nagato.
"Sealing Technique: Absorption Seal."
An invisible barrier appeared before Nagato. The Susanoo's arm dissolved the instant it touched, sucked into nothingness. Even the armor of Susanoo around Fugaku's body unraveled into the vortex and vanished.
Broken instantly.
"Absorption Seal…" Fugaku's eyes narrowed. He abandoned Susanoo and lunged with a kunai. Against a technique that nullified ninjutsu, only close-quarters combat could prevail.
Swish—
With Shisui's instantaneous speed, Fugaku flickered behind Nagato, kunai driving for his heart.
But Nagato's jutsu shifted again.
"Shinra Tensei—"
An overwhelming repulsive force erupted from him, blasting everything away. Fugaku's kunai shattered. His body skidded across the ground, gouging a trench before he crashed over a hundred meters back.
Only Susanoo's emergency defense spared him from injury, though even that cracked under the force.
Fugaku's face hardened. The trial exchange had confirmed it—Nagato had become a nightmare opponent.
Against a single Path, he could counter with the right jutsu. But against Nagato himself, wielding the power of all Six Paths, there was no simple answer.
Nagato's Rinnegan glared at him.
"Uchiha Fugaku… you are no match for me now. Today will be your death."