All of the missiles instantly lost their chakra the moment they touched his palm, turning into ordinary chunks of metal that fell harmlessly to the ground.
"That's impossible!"
Nagato's eyes widened in shock.
"How can you use the Preta Path's ability?"
"I can use all Six Paths powers of the Rinnegan."
Sasuke's tone remained calm.
"And I use them better than you do."
He raised his other hand and pointed toward the Animal Path.
"Chibaku Tensei."
A black gravitational core formed above the Animal Path's head.
A terrifying attraction force immediately began pulling in everything around it.
"Not good!"
Nagato hurriedly tried to move the Animal Path out of the area.
But it was already too late.
Steel beams, rubble, broken stone, and even the surrounding air were dragged toward the black sphere.
Within moments, a massive satellite of rock had formed, sealing the Animal Path inside.
"Animal Path!"
Nagato clenched his teeth and immediately ordered the remaining Paths of Pain to attack simultaneously.
Unfortunately, Sasuke's strength completely overwhelmed them.
Whether it was the King of Hell summoned by the Naraka Path or the soul extraction ability of the Human Path, everything seemed utterly powerless before him.
Within only a few minutes, the Six Paths of Pain were defeated one after another.
In the end, only the Deva Path remained standing.
"It's over, Nagato."
Sasuke slowly walked toward the wheelchair-bound man.
"Your strength is respectable."
"But compared to a true god…"
"You are still far too weak."
Nagato breathed heavily.
Blood continuously flowed from the corner of his mouth.
Controlling the Six Paths of Pain placed an enormous burden on his body.
Combined with the recent battle, he was already at his limit.
"I won't... go back with you."
Nagato spoke with difficulty.
"Kill me if you want."
"But don't expect me to submit to Uchiha Kai."
"I already told you."
"The Divine Lord wants you alive."
Sasuke extended his hand.
"Sleep."
A strange wave of chakra entered Nagato's mind.
The Rinnegan wielder instantly lost consciousness.
Sasuke hoisted the unconscious Nagato onto his shoulder.
Then he looked toward the trembling survivors hiding among the ruins of Amegakure.
"From this day forward, Amegakure no longer exists."
His voice echoed throughout the shattered remains of the village.
"You may leave this place and live elsewhere."
"But if anyone dares rebuild Amegakure…"
"Or seeks revenge for Nagato…"
"They will become enemies of the Divine Court."
With those words, Sasuke leapt into the air and vanished into the rain.
Behind him remained only ruins and countless cries of despair.
At the border of the Land of Grass stood Kusagakure.
Unlike Amegakure's steel jungle, Kusagakure was hidden within dense forests.
Most of its buildings were made of wood, blending naturally into the surrounding wilderness.
Inside the council hall, Village Chief Kusano was discussing future plans with several elders.
"Chief Kusano, are we really going to continue opposing Uchiha Kai?"
One elderly elder spoke anxiously.
"I heard Amegakure has already been flattened, and Nagato was captured."
"What?!"
Kusano immediately rose to his feet.
"Is that information reliable?"
"Absolutely."
Another elder nodded.
"Our scouts personally witnessed the ruins of Amegakure."
"There isn't a single intact building left."
Kusano's face instantly turned pale.
He had never imagined Kai's retaliation would come so quickly—or so brutally.
"What do we do now?"
One elder asked nervously.
"Should we surrender to the Divine Court?"
"Surrender?"
Kusano gritted his teeth.
"Kusagakure has existed for generations."
"How can we bow before some brat?"
"But Chief, our strength is nowhere near enough to oppose the Divine Court!"
"Even Nagato, who possessed the Rinnegan, was defeated. How long could we possibly last?"
The elders' words only made Kusano more frustrated.
He knew very well how weak Kusagakure truly was.
Yet submitting so easily was something he simply could not accept.
At that moment, the council hall doors burst open.
A Grass shinobi rushed inside in panic.
"Chief! This is bad!"
"An enemy has invaded!"
"What?"
Kusano immediately became alert.
"Where?"
"Outside the village..."
"There's only one person..."
The shinobi was practically stammering.
"But... the moment he appeared, every patrol squad we sent out lost contact."
Kusano's heart sank.
A single individual capable of wiping out every patrol team...
There was only one possibility.
"Is it Uchiha Sasuke?"
"Most likely..."
"He has a purple eye. It looks terrifying."
Kusano took a deep breath and forced himself to remain calm.
"Send the order."
"All shinobi are to assemble immediately."
"Prepare for battle."
"Chief, perhaps we should—"
"Enough!"
Kusano roared.
"The shinobi of Kusagakure would rather die than surrender!"
"Even if we perish, we will show that Kusagakure is not to be trifled with!"
Soon, every shinobi in Kusagakure gathered in the central plaza.
There were fewer than two hundred of them.
Their strength varied greatly.
The strongest among them barely reached jōnin level.
Faced with such a force, Kusano had already fallen into despair internally.
But as village chief, he had to fight for the dignity of his people.
"Everyone!"
Kusano stood before the crowd.
"The lackeys of the Divine Court have arrived!"
"They wish to destroy our homeland and enslave our people!"
"We will never accept it!"
"That's right!"
"Never!"
The shinobi responded loudly.
Yet fear was obvious in their trembling voices.
At that moment, a cold voice sounded from the village entrance.
"If you refuse..."
"Then all of you can die."
Uchiha Sasuke slowly entered the village.
His purple Rinnegan swept across everyone present.
His face was expressionless.
As though he were looking at a colony of ants.
"So you're Uchiha Sasuke?"
Kusano forced himself forward.
"I am Kusano, chief of Kusagakure."
"There is no deep hatred between us."
"Why must you exterminate us?"
"Because you chose to oppose the Divine Court."
Sasuke's answer was direct.
"Before the Divine Lord, there are only two kinds of people."
"The obedient."
"And the dead."
"How arrogant!"
A young Grass shinobi finally snapped.
"You may be strong, but you're still only one person!"
"There are so many of us!"
"Attack!"
"Everyone attack together!"
The Grass shinobi drew their weapons and charged.
Sasuke simply raised one hand.
"Shinra Tensei."
BOOM!
A tremendous repulsive force exploded outward.
The dozen Grass shinobi at the front never even had time to react.
They were blasted away and smashed into nearby buildings.
Killed instantly.
"What... what kind of jutsu is that?"
"So powerful!"
The remaining Grass shinobi instinctively retreated several steps.
But under Kusano's encouragement, they forced themselves to continue the attack.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
"Fire Release: Fireball Jutsu!"
Countless techniques flooded toward Sasuke.
He merely extended one hand.
"Preta Path: Absorption."
Every single jutsu vanished the moment it touched his palm.
Not a trace remained.
"Impossible!"
Kusano stared in horror.
"What kind of ability is this?"
"The power of the Rinnegan."
Sasuke answered calmly.
"Something insects like you could never understand."
Then he raised his other hand.
"Universal Pull."
A powerful attraction force erupted outward.
More than a dozen nearby Grass shinobi were instantly dragged toward him.
As they flew helplessly through the air, Sasuke slowly drew the Kusanagi Sword.
Cold sword-light flashed.
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