A kunai whistled through the air, launched from the hand of Hanzo of the Salamander. It didn't strike anyone, instead thudding into the muddy earth directly in front of Nagato.
"Yahiko is the leader of the Akatsuki. The entire organization's hopes rest upon him; therefore, he cannot be allowed to live," Hanzo declared.
As his voice fell, the expressions of both Nagato and Yahiko shifted drastically.
"You, the red-haired one. Pick up that kunai and kill Yahiko. Do that, and I will let you and this woman live," Hanzo said coldly.
Konan let out a cry of anguish. "Yahiko! Nagato! Don't worry about me! Just run!!!"
Neither Yahiko nor Nagato moved.
Nagato's fragile nature resurfaced at this critical moment. His face was a mask of agony, and one could even see a flicker of hesitation in his eyes.
"Pick it up... Nagato," Yahiko spoke softly.
Nagato's mind was a blur of static. Hearing Yahiko's voice, he instinctively obeyed as he always did, reaching down to pull the kunai from the mud.
Seeing this, a small smile played on Yahiko's lips. He looked into Nagato's eyes one last time.
If it's you... perhaps you are the only antidote for this terminal world... Yahiko whispered in his heart.
"Kill me, Nagato!" Yahiko suddenly roared.
The shout jolted Nagato awake. He spun toward Yahiko, but before he could react, Yahiko lunged forward, throwing himself straight onto the blade of the kunai.
From their hiding spot, Diarmuid and Orochimaru watched with strange expressions.
Diarmuid felt a sense of déjà vu. If he recalled correctly, Rin, who was currently back at base, had done the exact same thing, throwing herself onto Kakashi's Chidori.
Is this a tradition for Jiraiya's students? Do they all love this move?
Orochimaru, meanwhile, was stunned by the sheer absurdity of the development. Good grief. Hanzo says one word and you just commit suicide on the spot?
In this moment, Orochimaru began to doubt the logic of this world. Are modern shinobi really this naive? At least put up a fight!
But Orochimaru's cynicism stemmed from a lack of understanding regarding the bond between the trio. He hadn't even recognized them as Jiraiya's former pupils. Even Jiraiya himself had taken a long time to recognize them when they finally reunited.
Yahiko understood Nagato better than anyone. He knew the terrifying power Nagato harbored, but he also knew how weak his friend's spirit was. Their enemy was Hanzo of the Salamander, the living legend and "God" of the Land of Rain. Yahiko knew he was no match for him. He also knew that, in his current state of mind, Nagato stood no chance either.
An experienced veteran like Hanzo wouldn't make mistakes. There was no time to give Nagato a pep talk. Yahiko could die, but Nagato and Konan had to live. Especially Nagato, the "antidote."
So, he chose to die by Nagato's hand. Not for the reasons Orochimaru imagined, like believing Hanzo would actually keep his word, but because this was the only way to force Nagato to face reality in the shortest time possible. It was the only way for them to "survive."
"You and Konan... must... must... live on..." Yahiko whispered into Nagato's ear, blood trickling from his mouth.
He died with a smile, looking as though he were already certain that they would make it. As his final strength evaporated, he collapsed into the mud.
Yahiko, the leader of the first generation of the Akatsuki, was dead.
Hanzo watched the scene with mild surprise. To be honest, he had only intended to sow discord; he hadn't truly expected Nagato to kill Yahiko.
The results were better than expected. I say the word, and you just die?
Though he found it bizarre, he reasoned that these were the leaders of the Akatsuki, people who gathered for the sake of "naive ideals." Perhaps it wasn't so hard to understand after all.
Recovering from his surprise, Hanzo's gaze hardened. "Kill them!"
His command triggered a rain of kunai and shuriken. A lethal barrage of steel soared toward the dazed Nagato, who seemed lost in shock.
Just as the weapons were about to shred him, Konan let out a grief-stricken scream: "Nagato!!!"
That scream snapped Nagato out of his stupor. The first thing he saw was Yahiko's corpse. Instinctively, he raised his arm.
The eyes were open.
BOOM!
The massive wave of kunai and shuriken, which should have turned him into a pincushion, suddenly slammed into an invisible wall and were repelled in every direction.
This was the power of the Rinnegan.
Watching from afar, Orochimaru suddenly turned to look at Diarmuid.
"What are you looking at?" Diarmuid snapped, feeling a bit defensive.
"That technique... looks a lot like yours," Orochimaru said curiously.
"Ahem. Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet and Flame Bullet look similar too..." Diarmuid dodged the question.
Orochimaru smiled but didn't push further.
The moment after blocking the projectiles, Nagato swept his hand outward. In an instant, his Rinnegan shone with a cold, unwavering resolve. His entire aura shifted. Seconds ago, he was a timid, low-presence youth; now, he radiated the pressure of a prehistoric beast.
He looked up, locking onto the positions of Konan and Hanzo. That single look sent a jolt of alarm through Hanzo.
"Those eyes... You aren't just some ordinary brat, are you?" Hanzo muttered in disbelief.
Before he could finish, Nagato used a Body Flicker Technique, appearing instantly before Hanzo.
Hanzo, living up to his title of "Demigod," slid backward, creating distance between himself and the two youths. As he moved, his Chakra surged. Without even performing hand signs, he slammed his hand onto the ground.
"Fire Release: Explosive Flame Formation!"
The ground beneath Nagato and Konan was instantly covered in a massive array of Paper Bombs.
Under normal circumstances, Nagato could have dodged, but he prioritized Konan's safety. He grabbed her, yanking her off the ground so the tags wouldn't stick to her, and hurled her away from the blast zone.
The next second, the Paper Bombs detonated. A violent explosion of fire and smoke swallowed Nagato whole.
"Not much of a showing... for the Rinnegan," Orochimaru remarked, clicking his tongue. Don't tell me he's dead already?
Diarmuid remained silent, a faint smile on his face as he watched the smoke clear.
As the dust settled, Konan landed near Yahiko's body, her restraints having been cut by Nagato during the toss. But Nagato remained stationary. His legs had been shredded, a bloody mess. He had taken the brunt of the Explosive Flame Formation on his lower half, using the Rinnegan to shield his vitals at the last second. Otherwise, he would have been killed instantly.
Seeing Nagato crippled, Hanzo breathed a sigh of relief. "Finish them!"
The Hidden Rain shinobi moved in. Simultaneously, the twenty members of the Root sent by Danzo also joined the fray. One group began slaughtering the remaining Akatsuki members, while the rest charged at Nagato.
The Akatsuki's combat strength was currently lackluster, and Yahiko had brought few men to prove his sincerity. They were quickly overwhelmed by Hanzo's elites.
Nagato's eyes burned with pure rage. He slammed his blood-stained palm onto the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu: Gedo Mazo!!!"
The earth shattered. A colossal hand erupted from the soil, sweeping in a massive arc and swatting the encroaching shinobi away like flies. Then, the monstrous, husk-like entity known as the Gedo Statue tore itself out of the ground, letting out a deafening roar that literally pushed the falling rain aside with its sonic force.
Shock filled Orochimaru's eyes. "What is that? I can feel a terrifying power emanating from it... it makes my skin crawl."
As one of the Sannin and a summoner contracted to Ryuchi Cave, Orochimaru took great pride in his Summoning Jutsu. Very few summons in the world could rival his. But this Gedo Statue was on a different level entirely. Its mere presence was enough to shake a master like him.
This wasn't just another boss-level summon like Manda, Katsuyu, or Gamabunta. This thing felt more terrifying than a Tailed Beast!
"The Gedo Mazo... Didn't he yell the name clearly enough?" Diarmuid chuckled.
"What is the Gedo Mazo?" Orochimaru asked, cutting to the core of the matter.
Diarmuid replied softly, "The legendary Divine Tree. It is the husk of the Ten-Tails, a horror that only the Rinnegan can control. If the nine Tailed Beasts are absorbed into that statue, it will be fully resurrected as the ancient cataclysm, the Ten-Tails."
"The Ten-Tails?" Orochimaru's eyes widened with greed and awe.
On the battlefield, the situation had flipped. The Gedo Statue had effectively paralyzed the surrounding shinobi with fear. Even Hanzo looked on in disbelief.
"HAAAH!!!" Nagato clapped his hands together, his expression turning manic.
Dozens of black, metal-like spikes erupted from the Gedo Statue, piercing deep into Nagato's back. The massive Chakra reserves of the Uzumaki clan were drained at a staggering rate. Nagato's healthy frame withered before their eyes. Within three or four breaths, he had become a skeletal wreck, a sickly shadow of his former self.
With Nagato's sacrifice, the Gedo Statue was activated. A massive dragon made of pure Chakra surged out from its mouth!
Wherever the dragon passed, it ripped the souls of the shinobi directly from their bodies. There was no defense; to be touched was to die instantly.
"I'LL KILL YOU!!!" Nagato roared, his gaze fixed on Hanzo with pure hatred.
The Chakra dragon swept toward Hanzo. But Hanzo lived up to his legend; he used a Body Flicker just before the dragon could reach him, reappearing a safe distance away.
"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!" Hanzo materialized and spat a concentrated jet of water.
He noticed Nagato's legs were useless and he couldn't dodge. Hanzo's logic was simple: No matter how powerful the summon, if I kill the summoner, the jutsu will end.
But before the blade of water could strike, the Rinnegan in Nagato's eyes flared. A powerful repulsive force radiated outward, shattering the Water Severing Wave in an instant!