A light rain drizzled from the sky, making Amegakure's already gloomy atmosphere feel even more suffocating.
All six Paths had been defeated. Against that blond man, they had seemed utterly powerless to resist.
His overwhelming strength was like the descent of a true god, bringing an unimaginable sense of oppression.
Even Nagato, who had such faith in his eyes, had to admit that his opponent's power was astonishing beyond belief.
"Rinnegan, Shikotsumyaku, Flying Thunder God."
"Wood Release."
Nagato murmured the names, his gaze conflicted.
Any one of those abilities could create a formidable figure in the Shinobi World, let alone all of them gathered in a single person.
"Jiraiya-sensei once spoke of a man called the Child of Prophecy."
"Could it be him?"
He possessed the same Rinnegan as Nagato, yet was even stronger. For a man like that, destroying a country-or accomplishing whatever he wanted-must have been easy, right?
"I still have one final technique I haven't used."
After a long silence, Nagato looked down and spoke in a low voice.
He still refused to accept defeat. He was unwilling to simply admit his inferiority and submit to this man's command.
River heard him and chuckled softly, extending his hand.
"You mean this one?"
Hum!
A glimmer of black light shone in his palm. Even the surrounding air was drawn toward it, swirling into a vortex.
Then he tossed the black speck in his hand into the air.
Nagato's pupils contracted. As he watched the black speck slowly rise, disbelief filled his eyes.
He had only thought of this technique recently and had never tested it even once.
Yet his opponent had actually used it right before his eyes.
"Planetary Devastation!"
River spoke the technique's name.
The black speck expanded rapidly, becoming a sphere in the blink of an