At the exit of the spatial passage to the Moon, two brilliant flashes of white light suddenly flared. Immediately after, the figures of Nagato, Konan, and the remaining five Paths of Pain puppets materialized before the assembled Akatsuki members.
Looking at Nagato, withered and seated in a wheelchair, alongside the five Paths of Pain puppets clad in their Akatsuki uniforms, the expressions of all the Akatsuki members shifted subtly. This was the first time their enigmatic leader had publicly appeared before them in this true, vulnerable form. With Nagato's arrival, Tendo Pain, who had been inactive on the ground, also rose to his feet once more. With this, Akatsuki's fighting strength on the Moon instantly swelled to fourteen members.
After Konan's real body arrived, her paper clone had already dispersed into countless origami butterflies, fluttering away. Konan was directing these paper scouts to various locations to investigate the Moon's inner world and gather intelligence.
"Let's go," Nagato commanded, his gaze sweeping over everyone present before quickly turning towards Tatsuya and his group in the distance. He spoke in a hoarse, commanding voice, "We'll go meet the Divine Court together." After speaking, he paid no mind to the reactions of the other Akatsuki members and directly levitated, controlling the Six Paths of Pain as they advanced. Behind him, the Akatsuki members followed in disciplined silence.
Standing on the hilltop, watching the formidable procession of Akatsuki members advancing with imposing momentum, a peculiar look appeared on Tatsuya's face. He hadn't expected Nagato to mobilize the entire Akatsuki this time, bringing their full might to bear.
Are they planning to annihilate us here in one fell swoop? A faint, enigmatic smile touched Tatsuya's lips beneath his mask. If it weren't for Guren's presence, Tatsuya probably would have already used the Reverse Summoning Technique with his three primary clones to return directly to the ninja world. Since a direct escape wasn't an option, then it seemed a head-on confrontation was inevitable.
With the power Tatsuya currently possessed, if he weren't so concerned about exposing his true identity, he truly wouldn't fear a battle with the entirety of Akatsuki. However, even if Tatsuya's main body couldn't act without restraint, Jizo alone—now significantly empowered by the integration of Hashirama's cells—would be more than enough to give them a serious challenge. Thinking this, a sense of keen anticipation couldn't help but rise in Tatsuya's heart. Perhaps this battle would be the perfect opportunity to truly test Jizo's current strength!
Just as Nagato and the Akatsuki members were approaching, Tatsuya quickly formed a sequence of hand seals. A Shadow Clone flickered into existence beside him, only to be immediately dispelled a moment later.
Watching the Shadow Clone appear and then instantly vanish beside "Brother Tatsuya," Guren looked both surprised and utterly confused. She didn't understand why he would perform such a seemingly pointless action.
High above, Jizo, who was just emerging from the depths of one of the lunar palaces, suddenly jolted. He had received a message from the main body, relayed via that briefly existing Shadow Clone. After receiving the information, Jizo also quickly formed hand seals. Poof, poof, poof! Several plumes of white smoke erupted beside him, and three standard clones—not his permanent counterparts—were summoned by Jizo. Their primary task in the coming conflict would be to protect Guren. After summoning the three clones, Jizo led them rapidly towards the ground below.
On the ground, Nagato, leading the Akatsuki contingent, arrived a short distance from Tatsuya's group.
"You are the leader of the Divine Court?" Nagato's eyes narrowed intently as he looked at Tatsuya, who stood protectively before Kagutsuchi and Suijin. From Tatsuya, Nagato sensed an immense, almost suffocating threat. It was the first time he had ever felt such a sensation from an opponent. Even Jizo, who had managed to injure him by a fluke in their previous encounter, hadn't exuded this level of latent power. Nagato immediately deduced Tatsuya's true position.
"That's right," Tatsuya tilted his head slightly, his voice disguised, an unnatural timbre masking his true tones. "I am Ryujin, leader of the Divine Court."
"Ryujin?" Nagato murmured the name softly, committing it to memory. This name, this individual, had never appeared in the annals of the ninja world before. Why were the members of this 'Divine Court' all so profoundly mysterious, as if they had all suddenly emerged from the very shadows of existence?
His penetrating gaze swept over Tatsuya, and then lingered for a moment on Kagutsuchi, Suijin, and Guren arrayed behind him, before Nagato spoke again, his voice a low growl. "Hand over whatever you have obtained on the Moon, and I will permit you to leave."
A slight, almost mocking smile played on Tatsuya's lips. "Nagato, there's no need for such petty tricks and transparent bluffs. War or peace—the choice is yours." Tatsuya didn't believe for a second that Nagato would let them off so easily. If he allowed Tatsuya and his group to depart without a decisive battle, Nagato would likely find it exceedingly difficult to maintain his authority and command respect within Akatsuki in the future. Such a pronouncement was merely an attempt to probe Tatsuya's strength and resolve. Nagato should also be well aware that Tatsuya, as the proclaimed leader of the Divine Court, would certainly not yield easily to Akatsuki. Powerful individuals, after all, were invariably proud.
Hearing Tatsuya's dismissive words, Nagato's expression remained impassive, his gaze fixed intently, unblinkingly, on Tatsuya.
SWOOSH!
Just then, the piercing shriek of a sonic boom descended from directly above. Hearing the sound, everyone looked up. In the sky, a rapidly expanding ball of blue light was plummeting towards them like a falling meteor.
Seeing this descending orb of energy, Suijin quickly leaped aside, his hands blurring through seals as he unleashed a Water Release ninjutsu. "Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"
A massive barrier of water surged upwards from the ground. This water wall was unlike ordinary constructs of its kind; it was an astonishing seven to eight meters thick. The descending ball of light slammed violently into the water wall, sending geysers of water high into the air, which then cascaded down to form a shimmering, semicircular curtain.
As the water curtain fell away, three figures, enveloped in the imposing azure framework of a skeletal Susanoo, appeared before everyone. It was Jizo, flanked by his three newly summoned clones.
Dispelling the Susanoo around him, Jizo took a few steps forward and bowed slightly to Tatsuya. "Leader." In front of outsiders who didn't know their true relationship, maintaining such appearances was still necessary.
"Mm, you're here," Tatsuya acknowledged with a calm nod. With that, he turned his head back to face Nagato and his formidable group, then continued, his voice carrying an edge of command, "They're all yours. Guren, you leave first."
"Don't worry, leave them to me," Jizo declared, a fierce, predatory excitement glinting in his eyes as he stepped forward, positioning himself as a bulwark in front of the others. Behind Tatsuya, the three combat clones moved to Guren's side, preparing to escort her to safety.
Guren opened her mouth, a part of her wanting to stubbornly insist on staying and fighting, but as her gaze swept over the assembled might of the Akatsuki members, a dejected, downcast look couldn't help but cloud her features. After one last, lingering glance at Tatsuya, she obediently turned and followed the three clones, taking a detour as they began to make their way towards the distant spatial passage.
Watching Guren and the three clones depart, Nagato issued a curt order to Sasori and Deidara. "You two, go stop them."
Sasori didn't utter a sound in response, simply turning and giving chase with silent efficiency. Deidara, on the other hand, pouted, clearly reluctant. "Tsk, why me, un?" he grumbled under his breath, but under Nagato's intense, unwavering glare, he had no choice but to grudgingly follow Sasori.
"Heh heh! Your opponents are us!" Seeing this, Jizo let out a menacing laugh, and an incredibly powerful, almost tangible ocular energy instantly erupted from him. Immense, sky-blue chakra rapidly gathered and solidified around Jizo's body, and a colossal, fourth-stage armored Susanoo materialized before everyone's astonished eyes. The massive Susanoo swung its right arm fiercely, and four Yasaka Magatama—comma-shaped projectiles of pure, destructive energy—shot towards the direction Sasori and Deidara were heading.
Nagato merely raised his right hand lightly and met the four incoming Yasaka Magatama with a focused Shinra Tensei.
RUMBLE!
Under the overwhelming repulsive force, the four Yasaka Magatama seemed to crash against an invisible, unyielding wall of air, exploding violently in mid-sky. The fierce collision was so potent that it seemed to make the entire area where everyone stood tremble perceptibly.
Looking at the imposing blue giant opposite him, Nagato's eyes were grave. This Divine Court member's ocular power… it seemed to have grown significantly stronger since their last encounter.