Boom!
The ground shook violently! After the massive Chibaku Tensei sphere crashed down on Deva Path, the earth finally settled down.
But just then, the ground trembled again.
Suddenly, several tail-like appendages pierced through the fallen sphere.
At the same time, a massive wooden creature ripped through the enormous sphere, revealing its head!
"Gedo Mazo?" Uchiha Akira frowned slightly as he looked at the roaring wooden creature.
However, Zetsu was not surprised. By this point, Nagato summoning the Gedo Mazo was a completely expected move.
It wasn't the first time Uchiha Akira had seen Gedo Mazo, but now he noticed something different about it.
"Could it be because it already has a tailed beast sealed inside? Is that why the Gedo Mazo looks different now?"
Remembering his last encounter with the Gedo Mazo, Akira couldn't help but ponder. This was the only reasonable explanation.
After all, the Two-Tails' Jinchuriki, Yugito Nii, had been captured by the Akatsuki, and was likely sealed inside the Gedo Mazo.
"Uchiha Akira, show me what you've got! Use all your tricks!" Standing atop the Gedo Mazo, Deva Path seemed reinvigorated, shouting defiantly.
"Really? You want me to use everything? Alright, if that's what you want," Akira replied calmly.
Suddenly, the confident expression on Deva Path's face faltered. A sense of unease settled in.
What was Akira about to do?
Without further ado, Akira clapped his hands together and shouted, "Summoning Jutsu!"
Bang!
With Akira's summoning, the Gedo Mazo beneath Deva Path vanished in an instant.
A huge cloud of white smoke appeared behind Akira, and the Gedo Mazo reappeared there!
It turned out that Akira had drawn a unique ability this time—the power to perform Deva Path's summoning. Now, Akira could summon the Gedo Mazo too!
"Your Gedo Mazo is mine now!" Akira grinned at Deva Path, whose face twisted in disbelief.
It was indeed a disgusting turn of events. Deva Path had thought he could rely on the Gedo Mazo for power. Who would have thought that, in the blink of an eye, Akira would steal the summoning from him?
Even worse, Akira could now summon and use the Gedo Mazo himself! What could be more infuriating?
How could they continue to fight like this?
Despite his expression, filled with disgust and frustration, Deva Path activated his Rinnegan. The Gedo Mazo, now standing behind Akira, raised its huge hand and swung it towards Akira.
But Akira was prepared. His complete Susanoo raised its arm to block the attack.
The Gedo Mazo's massive palm struck Susanoo's arm hard, forcing it to retreat several steps.
"So, you can summon the Gedo Mazo, but without the Rinnegan, you can't control it fully, can you?" Deva Path smirked as he successfully made the Gedo Mazo attack Akira.
He felt smug—after all, Akira had used his chakra to summon the Gedo Mazo, but Deva Path could still control it using his Rinnegan. What a perfect outcome!
Sure, he had felt disgusted a moment ago, but now, it was Akira's turn to be frustrated.
Feeling pleased with himself, Deva Path manipulated the Gedo Mazo once again, raising its arms to strike Akira's Susanoo.
"Why are you smiling? What's there to be happy about?" Akira commented, watching Deva Path as he grinned. He paid no attention to the Gedo Mazo's incoming attack.
Akira's Susanoo neither dodged nor blocked the strike.
This puzzled Deva Path. What was Akira doing?
Was he really going to take on the Gedo Mazo's attack directly? Did he have that much faith in Susanoo's defense, or was he underestimating the Gedo Mazo's power?
But then, as the Gedo Mazo's massive hands were about to strike, it suddenly vanished in a puff of white smoke!
Deva Path was stunned for a moment, then quickly realized what had happened—Akira had dispelled the summoning.
Deva Path cursed himself for being foolish. Even if he could use his Rinnegan to control the Gedo Mazo, the summoning itself relied on Akira's chakra, which meant Akira could unsummon it at any time.
The idea of letting Akira spend his chakra to summon the Gedo Mazo and then controlling it was flawed from the very start.
Sighing in frustration, Deva Path summoned the Gedo Mazo again, and it appeared at his feet once more.
Previously, the Gedo Mazo had always appeared with a roaring presence—intimidating and full of power.
But this time, it simply stood quietly under Deva Path, without a sound.
"Summoning Jutsu!" Sure enough, as soon as Akira saw Deva Path summon the Gedo Mazo, he summoned it right back again.
"Can't you take this seriously for once?" Deva Path retorted, summoning the Gedo Mazo again while attempting to grab control over it, visibly irritated.
It was like they were stuck in a stalemate, both trying to control the same piece—neither side willing to concede.
The Gedo Mazo was caught between the two, summoned back and forth between them so often in those few minutes that it had probably been summoned more than ever in its entire existence.
The mighty husk of the Ten-Tails, always summoned with an awe-inspiring presence—today was unlike anything it had ever experienced.
"Enough, enough. This is pointless," Akira finally said, having summoned the Gedo Mazo over ten times. He saw no further fun in it.
Once more, the Gedo Mazo was summoned by Deva Path, but this time it appeared exhausted, its head hanging low as though it had been completely drained of energy.
"I feel kinda bad for the big guy," Kakashi muttered, who had regained consciousness and was watching from a distance.
"Agreed," Fugaku and Jiraiya nodded in unison, sympathizing with Kakashi's sentiment.
The Gedo Mazo was undeniably powerful—able to crush even a massive kilometer-wide sphere with ease.
But now, its tormented state was undeniable.
So, was this the power of Uchiha Akira and the Rinnegan?
The powerful beast had become nothing more than a toy in their hands.
It was fortunate that Naruto wasn't here to witness this. If Kurama had seen this, it would have felt strangely familiar.
Kurama, the strongest of the tailed beasts, had always been a feared entity.
Yet, against Madara, it had knelt under his glare.
Against the First Hokage, it had been easily captured, as if Hashirama was handling a mere pet.
The mighty Nine-Tails had almost been broken when facing Madara and Hashirama—so similar to the current state of the Gedo Mazo.
Ignoring Kakashi and the others' sympathetic comments, Akira clapped his hands, and a surge of chakra flowed out. He shouted, "Wood Release: Wood Human Technique!"
A massive wooden humanoid appeared, towering over everything.
The Mangekyo Sharingan's power was utilized, and Akira's complete Susanoo attached to the wooden humanoid like armor.
Susanoo-clad Wood Human—this was Akira's ultimate form.
"Men's true passion lies in piloting Gundams!" Akira laughed. The thrill of using the Wood Human Technique felt similar to that of piloting a giant mecha.
And with Susanoo covering it, the thrill was doubled!
Deva Path's face darkened. Using the Rinnegan's power, he forced the Gedo Mazo to stand tall, ready for another round. Thus began the battle between two colossal beings once more.
Kakashi and the others watched, quickly retreating. The further away they could get, the better.
With their severely injured bodies, they couldn't afford to be anywhere near a battle of this scale.
Boom!
The wooden human's fist collided with the Gedo Mazo's, unleashing a tremendous storm.
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POWER STONE!!!
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Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 300+ at patreon.com/Emik01.