That mysterious repulsive force that can deflect any ninjutsu and this equally bizarre suction force that pulls me in, they cannot be used simultaneously!
Hanzo of the Salamander was certain of this. Nagato had clearly used these powers out of raw instinct, and in doing so, had instinctively exposed this fatal flaw.
As these thoughts raced through his mind, Hanzo's feet landed firmly on the ground. However, before he could fully process the tactical implications, a colossal shadow descended from above.
Without a moment's hesitation, Hanzo vanished using a Body Flicker. A split second later, the Gedo Statue's massive palm slammed into the earth, shattering the terrain where he had just stood.
The exchange felt extensive, but in reality, Hanzo and Nagato had only been clashing for a minute or two. In that brief window, the Gedo Statue had already systematically wiped out every other shinobi Hanzo had brought with him.
Troublesome, Hanzo thought grimly.
The Gedo Statue's strength was so absurdly high that he genuinely didn't know how to counter it. It was at this moment that Hanzo's confidence, previously unshakable, began to waver.
I can't win?
He hadn't even considered the possibility of losing yet, but the sudden thought "I can't win" forced its way into his mind. If this were the Hanzo of old, such a notion wouldn't even exist. How could I, Hanzo of the Salamander, ever lose?
But now, with his spirit no longer what it once was, he found himself plagued by doubts he shouldn't have had. Just as Orochimaru said: The Demigod was no longer a Demigod.
While Hanzo was momentarily dazed by his own wavering resolve, Nagato, who had been slightly thrown off by Hanzo's evasive maneuvers, regained his composure. In an instant, the tide of battle shifted in a subtle yet profound way.
Nagato grew more ferocious with every passing second, while Hanzo began to feel a creeping sense of dread.
With the Gedo Statue at his side and the fodder cleared out, Nagato centered himself. He stopped using standard ninjutsu and clapped his hands together, funneling a massive surge of chakra back into the Gedo Statue.
"HAAAH!!!" Nagato roared.
The Gedo Statue complied, its hideous and terrifying form letting out a heaven-shaking roar that once again blew the falling rain away with pure sonic force. Having been infused with even more of Nagato's chakra, the statue seemed more "alive." After its roar, it opened its maw and unleashed a massive exhalation toward Hanzo.
It wasn't a chakra dragon this time, nor was it fire or water. Instead, it was a swarm of chakra chains. These chains moved like serpents, flexible and lethal, surging toward Hanzo.
Whether it was a master's intuition or pure survival instinct, Hanzo felt an overwhelming sense of danger the moment those chains closed in. He felt that if he were snared, even for a second, he was a dead man!
His premonition was correct. Those chains possessed the power to directly bind and seal even the Tailed Beasts.
Gripped by fear, Hanzo didn't waste a heartbeat. He skated backward to avoid the first wave of chains, his hands blurring through a series of seals before he barked:
"Water Release: Great Explosive Water Colliding Wave!!!"
His chest expanded before he spewed out a colossal torrent of water while retreating. "Colossal" barely did it justice. At that moment, Hanzo was like a man made of water, and the supply was inexhaustible. In a matter of seconds, the valley was seventy to eighty percent filled, creating a massive lake that submerged the surrounding area.
It was at this point that Diarmuid raised an eyebrow, sensing something was off. In his memory, this battle between Hanzo and Nagato was never this intense. Usually, Hanzo realized he was outmatched midway through, retreated, and it wasn't until much later that Nagato perfected the Rinnegan and the Six Paths of Pain to kill Hanzo in the Hidden Rain Village.
The previous exchanges, while spectacular, only seemed like minor deviations due to this being a "real world" where battles are naturally more chaotic. But the Great Explosive Water Colliding Wave was a red flag. This level of terraforming definitely hadn't happened in the original canon of this fight.
The Gedo Statue reached down and scooped Nagato up, placing him atop its head. Since Nagato's legs were useless, he couldn't move on his own. However, this adjustment slightly delayed his plans. The surging currents of the Great Explosive Water Colliding Wave were too violent, instantly swallowing Yahiko's body and Konan.
"Orochimaru, can you make that woman lose consciousness?" Diarmuid asked suddenly.
"Without a doubt," Orochimaru chuckled.
He wove a series of signs and pressed his hand to the ground. "Summoning Jutsu."
Diarmuid looked on with mild surprise. You didn't even use blood as a medium? But then he remembered that Orochimaru sometimes did and sometimes didn't, it seemed to depend on his mood.
There were no visible changes; not even the typical white smoke of a summoning appeared. No one noticed that within the newly formed lake, a tiny white snake no larger than a finger had abruptly appeared near Konan.
Konan didn't notice it either. She was struggling against the turbulent water, swimming toward Yahiko's drifting body nearby. Just as she grabbed hold of him, she felt a slight prick on her hip.
The white snake had bitten her, but it was so faint she assumed it was just a piece of debris or a stone swept up in the current. It wasn't worth noting. In fact, even with an X-ray view, one wouldn't find a single mark on her skin. Orochimaru was meticulous.
As Konan pulled Yahiko toward her, she was suddenly overcome by a wave of dizziness and accidentally swallowed some water.
Poison...? she thought immediately. It had to be. Some of the surrounding water was indeed tinged with a faint purple hue. Hanzo was a poison master, and his Water Release was naturally toxic; it was perfectly logical that the churning water had carried some of his venom to her. She didn't suspect foul play from a third party.
"Damn it..." Konan's vision blurred. She tried to swim to the surface, but her strength failed her.
Just as she was about to pass out, the Gedo Statue's massive hand reached down and fished her and Yahiko's body out of the water.
"Nagato..." Konan managed to whisper before falling unconscious.
"It's done. Is the plan starting?" Orochimaru asked with a smirk.
Diarmuid nodded, his voice deep and resolute. "Help Hanzo kill Nagato first, then force Hanzo to retreat..."
"Understood," Orochimaru replied.
He had no objections; he was fully aware of Diarmuid's plan. They had reached a consensus on the way here. If you want to control the Land of Rain, you can't just walk in and take it. You need an entry point, you need to control an internal faction.
Currently, there were two powers: Hanzo's and the Akatsuki's.
Diarmuid had ruled out Hanzo's forces immediately. It was inconvenient, and the majority were die-hard loyalists. In the original timeline, they resisted the Akatsuki for years after Hanzo's death. Nagato had to implement a reign of terror in the Hidden Rain just to weed them out. Diarmuid had no interest in that headache.
Therefore, he chose to take over the Akatsuki first, then double back to kill Hanzo and consolidate the nation.
The question was: how do you take over the Akatsuki? Yahiko was dead, meaning the next leader was Nagato. With the Rinnegan awakened and the trauma of Yahiko's death shifting his ideology, Nagato would soon bloat into a man "calling himself a God." You couldn't just walk up to a "God" and tell him you're the new boss. Nagato wouldn't allow anyone but Yahiko to lead him.
And Diarmuid wasn't exactly a master of "Talk no Jutsu."
Furthermore, he was genuinely interested in the Rinnegan, not just for research, but as a card to play. He already had Rin, which gave him leverage over Obito. If he secured the Rinnegan as well, Black Zetsu would definitely lose his cool. Zetsu would come looking for him, trying to manipulate him into the "Eye of the Moon Plan." That was exactly what Diarmuid wanted: to turn the tables on the ancient schemer and guide Black Zetsu's actions from within.
Coming back to the present, Diarmuid intended to give Nagato a "release" here. It was a cynical way of putting it, but considering how miserable Nagato's life was about to become, an early death wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
Once Nagato was dead, the Akatsuki would effectively collapse, leaving only Konan to hold the pieces together. But Konan alone could never sustain the organization, let alone get revenge on Hanzo. She would be forced to seek outside help to achieve her goals.
Diarmuid would be that "outside help." He would "avenge" Yahiko and Nagato, and in exchange for his help, or through a calculated trade of interests, he would take control of the Akatsuki and the entire Land of Rain.
One step leading to the next.
It was sinister and dark, but logically sound. The only one he felt slightly sorry for was Konan. But Diarmuid wasn't a man burdened by conscience, and Orochimaru was hardly a saint.
The plan was in motion.