Seeing Uzumaki Nagato's appearance, the chat group members were momentarily stunned.
[Chat Group]
Sword God Ryuma: "Is this really Uzumaki Nagato?"
Whitebeard: "The one who controlled those 'almighty god' puppets and made all those grand declarations… looks like a sickly twig?"
Pirate King Roger: "Not what I expected at all. I thought he'd be some towering warlord."
Fire Fist Ace: "Damn, he looks like he's one strong breeze away from collapsing."
Doflamingo: "Fufufufu! Those Rinnegan are clearly draining his life force."
Senju Tobirama: "No surprise. Those eyes never belonged to him in the first place."
Lucas floated down and landed lightly in front of Uzumaki Nagato, his expression calm yet piercing. "It seems that these eyes, which don't belong to you, have placed an immense burden on your body. Your vitality… it's almost drained, isn't it?"
Nagato met Lucas's gaze without flinching. "These eyes are mine!" he declared firmly.
Lucas sneered. "Don't kid yourself. If they were truly yours, they wouldn't be eating away at your life like this."
Suddenly, five more of Nagato's Paths of Pain appeared around him, each one bearing the Rinnegan. They moved swiftly, surrounding Lucas.
Nagato's voice was calm but authoritative. "You dare stand against a god? Then be prepared for divine judgment."
Lucas chuckled, unimpressed. "You think these puppets can stop me? Naïve."
Without another word, he moved. In an instant, he appeared before Asura Path and struck. His Armament Haki-infused punch, combined with the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, shattered the puppet into fragments.
Nagato's expression tightened.
"Missile barrage—fire!"
Asura Path transformed, its body shifting as multiple missile launchers emerged. A swarm of projectiles shot toward Lucas.
Without hesitation, Lucas activated the power of the Gold-Gold Fruit. With a wave of his hand, the ground beneath him turned into flowing gold, rising to form a massive shield.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The missiles detonated against the golden wall, causing ripples across its surface but failing to penetrate.
Suddenly, Preta Path lunged from behind, aiming to drain Lucas's energy. Before it could even make contact, the golden ground churned like a tidal wave, smashing into the puppet and trapping it in a massive golden hand.
Nagato's eyes narrowed. "No chakra absorption?"
Preta Path's ability should have neutralized any attack based on chakra, yet it failed to affect the golden construct at all.
Lucas smirked. "Figured it out, huh? Too bad it doesn't change anything."
He waved his hand, and the golden waves beneath him shifted into razor-sharp white threads. In the blink of an eye, the Hell Path—the one responsible for reviving the others—was impaled.
"Three down."
Nagato clenched his fists. He had planned to retreat and repair the Deva Path, but now, with Hell Path destroyed, that option was gone.
At that moment, Asura Path transformed further, saw blades and drills emerging from its arms. Meanwhile, Animal Path performed a Summoning Jutsu, calling forth a monstrous beast with Rinnegan eyes.
Nagato refused to surrender. He had spoken with such arrogance before—bowing down now would be humiliating.
Lucas remained unfazed. He raised his hand. "Let's finish this."
Two clones of Lucas appeared at his sides, each pulling golden longswords from the shifting gold beneath them.
"Divine Departure!"
"Wave Slash!"
"Dragon Flash!"
All three attacks landed simultaneously. Animal Path was sliced in half before it could issue another command. Asura Path, despite its reinforced body, was cleaved apart by the sheer force of the wave slash. Human Path—which had no real combat ability—was instantly decapitated before it could react.
Peng!
With Animal Path dead, its summoned creatures vanished in puffs of smoke.
Nagato's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Nagato!"
A voice called out in concern. From above, Konan descended, her paper wings spreading as she rushed toward him.
Lucas raised a finger. "Birdcage."
Thin white threads shot into the sky, weaving together into a cage that enclosed Konan, cutting off her approach.
Nagato, desperate, activated the last ability at his disposal. From his machine-like lower body, a black chakra rod launched toward Lucas. Anyone pierced by the rod would fall under his control.
Lucas didn't even blink.
CLANG!
A barrier of Armament Haki formed in front of him, deflecting the rod effortlessly. The projectile spun in the air before embedding itself harmlessly in a distant wall.
Lucas sighed. "Enough of this."
In an instant, he appeared in front of Nagato and grabbed his face. Before the weakened man could react, Lucas forcibly extracted his Rinnegan, plucking both eyes from their sockets.
[Chat Group]
Senju Hashirama: "@Lucas, how about letting him go? Nagato was manipulated his whole life, and unlike Uchiha Obito, he hasn't committed truly irreparable crimes."
Uchiha Madara: "Hashirama, are you sympathizing with him just because he's an Uzumaki?"
Senju Hashirama: "Shut up, Madara! This is all your fault!"
Lucas sighed. "Alright, fine. Since you said so, I'll let him go."
Lucas raised his hand, channeling medical ninjutsu. Instantly, Nagato's agonized screams faded, his wounds rapidly closing as the healing chakra restored his body.
Looking at him, Lucas spoke with a rare hint of sympathy. "You've used the Rinnegan too many times. Your body is drained, your life force nearly gone. Even with my healing, you won't last more than a few years."
Nagato, now missing his Rinnegan, seemed eerily calm. After a long pause, he finally muttered, "So… the Rinnegan was never truly mine?"
Lucas nodded. "Of course not. Like I said, it was left in your care by Uchiha Madara. And no, I'm not talking about the Madara you knew—the one in the mask was just another pawn, like you."
Nagato frowned. "The man in the mask… he called himself Uchiha Madara, but I never fully believed him."
Lucas smirked. "His real name is Uchiha Obito—a disciple of the Fourth Hokage of Konoha. In terms of seniority, Jiraiya's ranking would make him your… nephew."
Uzumaki Nagato: "…"
Nagato's expression froze. His entire worldview seemed to crack apart in that moment. The man he had known as "Madara"… his supposed leader and benefactor… was actually his nephew?!
Konan, who had just been released from the Birdcage, walked forward, her expression one of disbelief. "Is what you said true?"
Lucas shrugged. "Of course. I've never lied to you since we met—because frankly, there's no need to."
Konan and Nagato fell silent. They understood. With Lucas's overwhelming strength, they weren't even worth deceiving.
[Chat Group]
Lucas: "@Uchiha Madara, do you want to send me your Rinnegan Red Packet? Saves me the trouble of looking for another pair."
A pause.
Then, after a long moment of silence, Madara directly sent his Rinnegan Red Packet to Lucas.
Lucas smirked in satisfaction as he placed the newly taken Rinnegan from Nagato in his storage. He then activated a Summoning Jutsu—instantly, the Gedo Statue appeared before them, towering over the battlefield.
Konan's eyes widened. "That's the Gedo Statue… It's bound to the Rinnegan! How did you summon it? I didn't see you transplanting Rinnegan."
Lucas chuckled, revealing the Rinnegan pattern in his eyes. "Don't be so surprised. The powers of this world go beyond your understanding."
Konan took a step back. "But… if you have the Rinnegan now, does that mean…?" She looked at Nagato's empty eye sockets.
Lucas cut her off, his tone calm. "I still need to study these eyes. And if you want Nagato to live for a few more years, don't even think about giving them back to him. That would only shorten his lifespan even further."
Konan clenched her fists. "Then… what should we do?"
Lucas sighed. "Go to Konoha."
Both Nagato and Konan froze.
Lucas continued, "Konoha has Senju Hashirama's cells—which are full of vitality. If he undergoes a transplant, it might replenish his life force. Even without the cells, Konoha's medical ninjutsu is advanced enough to restore his eyesight with a different pair of eyes."
Konan looked at Nagato, then back at Lucas. Finally, she let out a deep sigh. "If that's the only way…"
Lucas remained expressionless. The Rinnegan was a necessity, and he wasn't about to let it stay in anyone else's hands.
Nagato, unlike Uchiha Obito, lacked Hashirama's cells. He couldn't just replace his eyes and function normally. That was why Lucas didn't bother giving him any new ones.
"If you're going to Konoha, I can send you there."
Lucas then signal Minato in the chat group and throw a marked three prong kunai to the ground, he summoned Namikaze Minato.
"Minato," Lucas said casually, "Take them to Konoha."
Minato, already understanding the situation, nodded without question and reached out toward Nagato and Konan.
Lucas raised his hand. A floating earth platform descended from the sky, carrying Fourth Mizukage Yagura, who was restrained by powerful sealing techniques.
Yagura's face twisted in agony as Lucas grabbed him, forcibly extracting the Three-Tails' chakra.
The moment the Chakra entered the Gedo Statue, one of its eyes slowly opened.
Lucas watched as the process continued, the Three-Tails' chakra transferring steadily.
He glanced down at Yagura, whose body trembled violently. "Stop whining. I'm leaving you with some chakra—you won't die."
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