BOOOOM—!!!
Almighty Push (Maximum) ended.
The land was left with a crater nearly twenty kilometers in radius. A devastated scar.
From the hundred-meter-high dust cloud shrouding the sky, the Deva Path of Pain descended, landing straight into the heart of the ruins.
After Almighty Push (Maximum), the Rinnegan's Deva Path abilities would be temporarily sealed. But Pain had no concerns. No one could survive a direct hit from that technique.
He paced through the wreckage, searching.
For any trace, any remains, of Sasuke Uchiha.
But beyond scattered splinters of a wooden dragon and lingering patches of black flame, there was nothing. No proof Sasuke had ever existed.
"He was completely annihilated…"
But when he leapt onto a large chunk of the wooden dragon, his expression shifted.
A massive seal was inscribed there.
"This is…" He studied it, eyes narrowing. He found the tell.
—"A Delayed Summoning Seal."
"It can be set to activate after a preset interval. Triggers automatically. Impossible to destroy manually. Even Jiraiya-sensei never mastered it. The highest grade of summoning seal."
"Uchiha Sasuke… why, in his final moments, would he leave this? Was he calling for reinforcements? Or…"
A possibility struck him. Pain's gaze sharpened into absolute seriousness.
"He's not dead…!!!"
POOF—!!!
Right then, the seal activated. A massive plume of smoke. A dying, gargantuan snake collapsed onto the ground.
"This is… Orochimaru's summon, Manda?"
Manda's eyes bore a hexagram pattern. His jaws moved weakly, a dying breath filled with endless resentment. "Damn… brat… You used those eyes… to control me… Despicable… I, the great Manda… reduced to this… end…!"
Manda died. The hexagrams in his eyes faded. Sasuke, leaning on a fang, stumbled out from the snake's mouth.
"Ugh… At the last second, Susano'o cushioned some of it… but the impact still… feels like every bone is shattered."
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh—!!
Black rods shot toward him. Sasuke couldn't even dodge. One pierced his shoulder. Another his knee. He collapsed, barely catching himself with his right hand to avoid kneeling fully.
Nagato's chakra flooded Sasuke's body through the rods.
Vrrrm. In the background of his mind, the blurred lines of a Rinnegan flashed.
Sasuke was immobilized. "The Rinnegan's Six Paths technique… disrupting an opponent with chakra. Compared to the Madara of old, it's child's play… But for me right now… it's a heavy burden."
Tap.
The Deva Path dropped down from the dragon fragment. "You could have just escaped cleanly. Why come back just to throw your life away?"
Sasuke met his gaze. "I have reasons I can't back down from. And honestly? That last move of yours was impressive. To develop the Six Paths abilities of the Rinnegan to that level… Truly, it opened my eyes."
"Oh…?" The Deva Path paused. He let out a long, thoughtful breath, then asked probingly, "You seem quite knowledgeable about the Rinnegan. Did 'Madara' tell you?"
Sasuke said, "The 'Madara' you're referring to… the one with the mask. That's probably not Madara."
Pain's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"
Sasuke lowered his gaze, thinking fast. He's one of Obito's men, but seems unaware of Obito's true identity. Back then, Naruto tried to talk to him… and succeeded. I'm not good at diplomacy, but Nagato is formidable. If we could sway him to our side… the impact would far outweigh killing him.
Perfect. I'm immobilized anyway. Let's try talking.
He looked up. The Deva Path was waiting, intently. He cared about this.
Sasuke smirked. "You could kill me right now. You sure you don't want to?"
"Well," Pain said. "You're the first to fight me to this extent. Honestly, Uchiha Sasuke, your strength earns my respect. If you continue to grow, you will surpass me someday…"
"So?" Sasuke prompted.
"If you were willing to work for Akatsuki," Pain offered, "I would let you be my successor."
Sasuke scoffed. "Hah. You think that's possible?"
"That answer makes me respect you more," Pain said. "No. Even if you agreed, I wouldn't keep you close. The harder someone is to control, the bigger a threat they become. I am my own reference point. Now, before I end your life, explain your earlier words. 'Madara is not Madara.' What did you mean?"
"Exactly what it sounds like," Sasuke said. "The real Uchiha Madara died many years ago. The masked man claiming to be Madara inherited his will. His true identity… is Uchiha Obito. Who 'died' at the Battle of the Kannabi Bridge."
Pain's expression grew heavier. "You… Are you speaking the truth?"
"I don't know the details of how you met," Sasuke said. "But if he were Madara, why wear a mask? Madara was the shinobi who clashed with the First Hokage time and again. Why would he be so… indirect?"
Pain clenched his fist. "…I had doubts. He claimed he and the First Hokage were both grievously wounded. That he was an 'empty shell' now."
"Heh." Sasuke snorted. "An empty shell… Haven't you heard? A starved camel is still bigger than a horse."
Pain fell into deep silence. He replayed every detail of his interactions with 'Madara'. The blind spots he'd ignored, captivated by the man's words, now came into sharp focus, corroborating Sasuke's claim.
All these years… Has he been deceiving me?
He said I was the reincarnation of the Sage of Six Paths… Could that… also be a lie?
Pain's voice was low. "How do you know this?"
"Even if I told you, you wouldn't believe me," Sasuke replied. "Your existing knowledge will dictate your judgment. At least… wait until I've seen your 'true body'."
Pain wasn't surprised Sasuke knew about his true body. He'd assumed 'Madara'—no, Obito—had told him.
But now… that didn't seem to be the case.
Swoosh.
A black rod slid from the Deva Path's sleeve. He strode forward.
—"Unnecessary. There are too many questions surrounding you. Eliminating you is safer. But… thank you for telling me about 'Madara'."
Sasuke inwardly sighed. Looks like I really am bad at this…
"You know, Nagato," he said, voice steadying. "I didn't come back, as you put it… to throw my life away. You've already missed… your chance to truly kill me."
Zzzzzt—!
The cursed cloth of the White Cursed Seal's Stage Three rapidly receded from Sasuke's body.
Not vanishing. Being absorbed. Becoming part of his own power.
In the shadows, Orochimaru watched, a pleased smile touching his lips. "He drained all his remaining chakra to use Yasaka Magatama. Not just to break free from Chibaku Tensei… but to push his mind and body to the absolute limit. To absorb the power of 'Stage Three'."
Sasuke's supporting hand slowly lifted. He gripped the black rod in his knee. Yank. It came free. His bent leg straightened. He pulled the rod from his shoulder.
"You…!!" The Deva Path's pupils constricted.
Bad. The Deva Path's powers haven't recovered yet!
Clang.
Sasuke tossed the bloody rods aside.
—"You held back earlier. I acknowledge that courtesy. I'll wait for your power to return."
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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