Chapter 120: Enhanced Nagato at His Peak

Chapter 120: Enhanced Nagato at His Peak

“Madara, what are you doing here?”

Nagato’s wariness toward Obito Uchiha, disguised as Uchiha Madara, far exceeded his caution toward Shinkuro Otsutsuki, the current Rinnegan wielder.

At least Izayoi had been honest about his purpose—he’d come to reclaim the Ten-Tails’ Statue.

But Obito’s intentions remained a mystery.

Worse still, it was Madara—or the man claiming to be him—who had granted Nagato the Yin-Yang Release: Black Rod and the Six Paths Techniques. He’d even aided in capturing the Tailed Beasts without asking for anything in return. That generosity felt deeply unsettling.

Nagato couldn’t believe the legendary Ninja World Asura would act so selflessly.

Now, with Konan absent and the Six Paths of Pain reduced to just the Deva Path and Asura Path, Obito’s sudden appearance only deepened Nagato’s suspicion: Was he here to make his move?

Unfazed, Obito stepped out of Kamui’s Dimension, adopting Madara’s posture and lowering his voice. “Nagato, you’ve seen it yourself—Pain can’t defeat that brat.”

“So what?” Nagato replied flatly. “Are you telling me to retreat, or will you finally drop the act and fight yourself?”

“My injuries haven’t healed. I can’t use much of my dōjutsu power,” Obito repeated, his tone laced with meaning. “But… I can restore you to your peak strength.”

Nagato narrowed his eyes. “If you have such a method, why haven’t you used it on yourself?”

A faint smile tugged at Obito’s lips. “It’s precisely this method that allowed me—an old relic—to stand before you today.”

“…What method?”

Nagato mentally calculated Madara’s age, finding the lie plausible. Ōnoki, the oldest of the Five Kage, was seventy-six and still considered a junior compared to Madara. Kakuzu, who’d lived alongside the First Hokage and Madara, was eighty-eight—his life prolonged only by the Earth Grudge Fear.

Yet the man before him looked youthful. Under Nagato’s Rinnegan-enhanced chakra perception, the left side of Obito’s body radiated potent Yang Release chakra, while his right eye pulsed with Yin Release energy.

There was no doubt—he possessed a secret technique akin to Earth Grudge Fear, a forbidden art to prolong life.

“Obito.”

Obito suddenly spoke his own alias, then gestured toward his body. A white substance oozed from him, coalescing into a White Zetsu clone beside him. Unlike others of its kind, this clone had no defined face—only a swirling vortex and an empty eye socket.

“Yo! I’m Obito!” the clone chirped, snapping a salute at Nagato. “Chief, nice to meet you! What’s a bowel movement like?”

The voice and tone were identical to Obito’s.

In that moment, Nagato understood why the real Ninja World Asura had seemed so erratic, committing acts so beneath his dignity.

That Obito wasn’t the true Madara at all—it was this unique White Zetsu clone.

Eyeing the Yang-chakra-imbued clone, Nagato turned back to Obito. “Is this your solution?”

“Obito’s one part of it. You’ll also need this…” Obito retrieved a vial of green liquid from Kamui’s Dimension.

“What is it?”

“Hashirama Senju’s cells. Or more accurately… White Zetsu cells.”

Nagato’s expression darkened. “I see.”

He studied the clone again, finally grasping the source of its immense Yang chakra.

They’re all products of Hashirama’s cells.

“You want me to inject Hashirama’s cells?” Nagato’s voice tightened. “I’ve heard Konoha’s Wood Release experiments—those who received the cells all died from chakra overloads. How can you guarantee I won’t suffer the same fate?”

Obito raised a hand, conjuring a sapling. “Because you possess the Rinnegan, Obito, the Ten-Tails’ Statue, and your Uzumaki bloodline. The Sharingan and Wood Release balance each other—that’s what I learned after transplanting Hashirama’s cells during the Warring States Period. His cells kept me alive and allowed me to create Obito.”

He stepped closer. “The Rinnegan is the strongest of the Three Great Dōjutsu. Your Preta Path can absorb any energy, easily suppressing Hashirama’s cells. Even if something goes wrong, the Ten-Tails’ Statue will handle it.

“And you’re an Uzumaki—distant blood relatives of the Senju. Our clans intermarried often during the Warring States Period. You likely carry a strong atavistic resurgence of Senju blood. No one else, not even other Uzumaki or Senju, rivals your chakra reserves. With the Rinnegan and Obito’s help, you’ll not only assimilate Hashirama’s cells perfectly—you’ll awaken a Wood Release far stronger than mine.”

Nagato hesitated. Normally, he’d dismiss such claims outright. His dream was to make Yahiko a god, creating a “new world” through Pain. Without Izayoi’s interference, he believed he could achieve it alone.

But Shinkuro’s arrival had shaken him.

Shinkuro’s Rinnegan matched his own in power—and unlike Nagato, he wasn’t crippled. The Six Paths of Pain, even split into separate forms, stood no chance against him. Once Shinkuro eliminated them, he’d come for Nagato—the true “Outer Path.”

Obito’s offer was timely.

Yet Nagato couldn’t ignore his instincts. Obito had never been trustworthy. Was this a trap? A way to sabotage him through the cells?

He and Konan had always suspected Obito and White Zetsu, keeping them at arm’s length.

But then Obito spoke again—

“Don’t you want to protect Yahiko and Konan?”

Those words crystallized Nagato’s wavering resolve. His eyes sharpened with determination as he declared, “Do it. How do we proceed with the transplant?”

“Obito…”

“I understand.”

Obito Uchiha handed a test tube to the White Zetsu clone of himself. The latter accepted it, then bounced cheerfully toward Nagato, grinning, “Leader, I’ll be merging with you shortly—don’t resist, okay?”

“Proceed,” Nagato nodded.

Instantly, Obito’s body split open like a Venus flytrap, engulfing Nagato whole. Yet his face remained open, leaving Nagato’s head exposed.

Nagato’s hand lifted involuntarily. He uncorked the test tube, and a vine erupted from his fingertip, slithering into the glass like a tentacle to absorb its contents.

Thud—

A heartbeat exploded in the dim, barrier-sealed chamber, deafening in its intensity. Nagato’s eyes widened as a sharp tendril pierced his left chest, invasive liquid surging toward his heart.

His failing organ—once sluggish from deteriorating health—now pounded with renewed vigor, not with arrhythmia, but with the vitality of youth reborn.

“Leader, use Preta Path to absorb my Yang Release chakra!” Obito’s voice urged.

Nagato activated Preta Path. A translucent sphere of chakra—a White Gale barrier—enveloped him.

Then, the impossible unfolded.

Within the glowing cocoon, Nagato’s emaciated frame—pale skin stretched over bones, sunken eyes, brittle hair—transformed. It was as if time reversed, turning an aged corpse into a vibrant young man.

At thirty-two, he should’ve been in his prime, yet moments ago, he’d resembled a paralyzed elder. Now, he emerged radiant: smooth ivory skin, rosy cheeks, and flowing crimson hair that framed a strikingly handsome face.

The former Nagato was a withered relic; this new form was a boyish phoenix risen from ashes.

Obito Uchiha’s visible eye widened behind his mask, awash(End of Chapter)

Chapter end