In the underground base, Konan looked at Deva Path Pain, who had been summoned back, her face filled with shock.
Since the creation of Nagato's Six Paths of Pain, any opponent they faced has been completely annihilated. Even Hanzo the Salamander, known as the Demigod, fell against just three of the Six Paths. Yet, in mere minutes, only Deva Path remained of the Six Paths. The strength of this new opponent was unimaginable.
"Who is this… who could it be?" Konan looked at Nagato, confusion filling her eyes.
"It's the Kurogami, and Jiraiya-sensei is with him," Nagato replied, covering his mouth as he coughed. "Prepare to evacuate. Jiraiya-sensei already knows about the Gedo Statue. The Land of Rain isn't safe anymore."
For the statue to unleash its full power, it needed the chakra of all nine tailed beasts—powerful weapons the Five Great Shinobi Nations held. If its existence became known, the reactions from the nations were inevitable. The Akatsuki of today was not the powerhouse it would later become. Apart from Nagato and Konan, the remaining members were a mysterious individual in a mask and the enigmatic Black and White Zetsu. In Nagato's frail state, confrontation with the Five Great Shinobi Nations could spell disaster.
Moreover, he'd already been defeated by the Kurogami.
"Understood." Konan glanced at Nagato with a pained expression, wanting to speak, when suddenly, a rumbling noise sounded overhead.
Nagato looked up, stunned, as a thick black fog spread across the rock ceiling above them. The fog dissipated, revealing sunlight pouring into the underground base.
"Well, well, our 'new god' of this world," Shin remarked with a smirk as he descended into the base, his gaze fixating on the Gedo Statue behind Nagato.
Konan's face went pale, but she still stepped in front of Nagato. However, Nagato's voice interrupted, "Konan, stand down."
Nagato knew the depth of Shin's strength. Konan's paper jutsu, while formidable, wouldn't stand a chance against the dark release of this mysterious ninja. The dark release seemed like an unusual jutsu combining attraction and absorption, rendering jutsus useless against it.
Only those skilled in Yin-Yang Release could hope to counter such a terrifying power.
Konan's body trembled, but she finally retreated.
Nagato sat in a stone chair, the Gedo Statue looming behind him and Deva Path standing silently beside him as if on guard.
Shin studied Nagato. The once-vibrant red hair of the Uzumaki clan now looked like dried straw. His frame was skeletal, and even the powerful Rinnegan seemed dull and lifeless.
"Whatever you intend to do… let Konan leave," Nagato said, taking a deep breath.
"Nagato!" Konan's face filled with alarm. Before she could respond, Nagato raised a hand, causing her to faint.
Shin raised an eyebrow. "Is that a unique application of the Human Path? I suppose it helps that she trusts you."
"However, I promised Jiraiya I wouldn't kill you…"
"Nagato!" At that moment, a concerned voice echoed as a tall figure jumped into the scene—it was Jiraiya, the Toad Sage.
This time, Jiraiya didn't stand beside Shin; instead, he positioned himself protectively in front of him, casting a concerned look at Konan. "What happened to Konan?"
Shin shook his head. "It seems you still don't trust me. I didn't touch Konan—Nagato did it himself."
Jiraiya sighed. "Do you think your actions inspire confidence?"
"I didn't expect you to trust me." Shin shrugged as a menacing black mist spread from his feet, quickly enveloping the entire cave.
"Devouring Void!"
"Not good!" Jiraiya and Nagato's faces shifted in alarm, but the gravitational pull of the dark fruit technique was so intense that they had no time to react.
The dark-dark fruit required no hand seals or movements and exhibited no chakra fluctuations—an advantage that made it nearly impossible to anticipate. Within moments, everyone was pulled into the dark dimension.
"Mission accomplished!" Shin smiled as he entered the dark dimension, where he could control everything. Only those with extraordinary power could break free.
"Hm, no sign of Black Zetsu, Obito, or White Zetsu. Perhaps they're in the Land of Water?"
During this period, the Land of Water was under Uchiha Obito's control, so it wasn't surprising that the Akatsuki's leadership wasn't here.
In later years, after Obito's manipulation of the Fourth Mizukage was exposed and Terumi Mei took control, Obito operated more directly within the Akatsuki.
With his Rinnegan, Nagato had been in contact with Obito long enough to recognize the stealth of White Zetsu and may have even developed a technique to detect him. It wasn't unusual for White Zetsu to be absent.
"So, Obito and Black Zetsu don't know I've captured Nagato. This could be useful."
In this domain, Shin looked over his "spoils" with satisfaction.
"Sharingan is valuable, but the Rinnegan is even better! Fortunately, I don't have to choose—I can have both!"
"Most importantly, there's the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path—the true Divine Tree. Even if its chakra is largely depleted, it holds countless secrets."
"This haul rivals everything I've obtained in the past two years!"
With the transformative powers of the Munch-Munch Fruit, Shin began by merging Uchiha Fugaku's Mangekyō Sharingan into the Rinnegan. A tomoe appeared in the Rinnegan, greatly amplifying its power.
Sporting the Rinnegan, Shin felt a resonance with his chakra, a melding of Senju and Uchiha bloodlines within his body.
"The Rinnegan arises from the fusion of the sage body and sage eyes. Unexpectedly, it's also aiding my bloodline fusion."
"However, the Gedo Statue remains troublesome. Even with the transformative abilities of the Munch-Munch Fruit, it's difficult to integrate it into my body."
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Chapter 117: Akatsuki's Ambition is now available.