To be honest—
Even though his body was already on the verge of collapse,
Nagato still didn't want to die.
After all, he carried far too much on his shoulders:
Yahiko's ideals, and Konan—now captured by Konoha.
"If you use the Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique to revive Uchiha Madara,"
the masked man—Obito—said slowly, watching Nagato's hesitation,
"we'll find a way to bring you back with Edo Tensei."
"To be frank with you, Orochimaru is already optimizing the forbidden technique. As long as the purity is high enough, we'll revive you immediately."
"At that point, even if you're dead… you'll still be alive."
"Heh."
Nagato glanced at Obito, Black Zetsu, and White Zetsu, then let out a cold laugh and shook his head.
He wasn't stupid.
Earlier, his anger had clouded his judgment—but now he saw it clearly.
These people were layering schemes on top of schemes.
"Nagato,"
Obito said flatly when he realized the act had been seen through,
"let's be honest. You must sacrifice yourself and revive Uchiha Madara. Only then will we have any chance of contending with the Fifth Hokage."
"That's right,"
Black Zetsu sneered.
"You're just a pawn. You should know your place."
"For the Eye of the Moon Plan,"
White Zetsu added coldly,
"Just die properly. Lord Madara will avenge you."
"Hahahaha…"
Looking at their undisguised faces, Nagato burst into a bitter, almost manic laugh.
"So that's how it is. Once I've lost my value, you plan to discard me?"
"Let me tell you something—
the Rinnegan are still mine—"
Buzz!!
Before he could finish, a terrifying surge of ocular power erupted from his Rinnegan.
Pfft—
But just as Nagato tried to activate his power, Obito—who had shown no movement until now—vanished in a blur.
The next instant, he appeared behind Nagato.
A wooden spike pierced straight through Nagato's back and burst out of his chest.
"You… you…?"
Nagato stared down at the wooden rod protruding from his chest, disbelief flooding his face.
He never imagined Obito would be this ruthless.
After all, they were all pawns—born from the same root. Why go this far?
"I didn't want to do this,"
Obito said calmly as he pulled the spike out of Nagato's body,
"but you refused to cooperate."
"If you won't choose a dignified end, I'll give you one"
"For the Eye of the Moon Plan, there's nothing I won't do."
Pfft—
The moment the spike was removed, blood sprayed out violently, soaking Nagato's robes in red.
Cough… cough…
His Rinnegan dimmed rapidly as his life force drained away. He tried to speak, but only blood spilled from his mouth.
Already at the end of his strength, that single blow was fatal.
"Do you know what the true Eye of the Moon Plan is?"
Obito said slowly, looking down at him.
"Collecting the nine tailed beasts and creating tailed-beast weapons—that's just a smokescreen."
"The real plan is to revive the Ten-Tails and cast Infinite Tsukuyomi upon the entire world."
"So that's how it is…"
Collapsed on the ground, Nagato's eyes flashed with sudden clarity.
Deep down, he had always suspected the plan wasn't that simple.
Now, it was confirmed.
"Do it,"
Obito said curtly, gesturing toward Black Zetsu.
"Alright."
Whoosh—
Before Nagato's despairing eyes, Black Zetsu merged into his body, seizing control of it completely.
"So this… is the fate of a pawn…"
As his body was taken over, Nagato's heart strangely calmed.
In the end, he had lost—to fate, and to himself.
The only consolation was that Konan, at least for now, was safe in Konoha.
Thinking about it now… it almost felt ironic.
A few seconds later—
Black Zetsu, controlling Nagato's body, spoke coldly.
"I have control. We can begin."
"Good."
Obito nodded expressionlessly. Beneath the surface, anticipation mixed with deep hatred.
"I'm ready too."
White Zetsu quickly dragged Madara's preserved corpse up from beneath the ground, his voice trembling with excitement.
"Finally… Lord Madara can be revived."
The next instant—
Nagato's body erupted with terrifying chakra. His hands formed dozens of seals in rapid succession.
Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique.
Boom!!
The Rinnegan released an overwhelming surge of ocular power.
Moments later, an eerie green aura enveloped Madara's aged, lifeless body.
Gradually—
The shriveled, ancient corpse began to change.
Wrinkles smoothed out.
Withered flesh regained vitality.
Life surged where there had been none.
"His body… it's becoming younger?"
"As expected of Lord Madara—his life force is terrifying."
Obito and White Zetsu couldn't help but murmur in awe.
After a while, the green energy slowly dissipated.
At the same time—
Nagato's body collapsed to the ground.
His chakra and life force vanished completely.
He was dead.
And in stark contrast—
The man lying nearby slowly opened his eyes.
Uchiha Madara had revived.
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