Death can return you to the Pure Land?
Uchiha Madara was certainly not naive enough to think Orochimaru would show him mercy and simply let him go.
Regular ninjas might not be able to harm a spirit, but his opponent definitely could. If nothing else, that terrifying female snake had just shown her ability to devour.
"If this is the last battle…"
Uchiha Madara clenched his fist, a strange purple light flashing in his eyes. "Then I must fight my heart out."
"Roar…"
At that moment, a roar suddenly sounded. A crack appeared on the shoulder of the Gedo Statue, swallowing half of Uchiha Madara, who was caught off guard.
The next instant, with a 'bang,' the massive body turned into a puff of smoke and, along with Uchiha Madara, vanished from the spot.
This sudden turn of events greatly surprised both the man and the snake. The former instinctively licked his lips. "The contract seal from before took effect… No!"
Even if the contract seal had released Madara's summoning of the Gedo Statue, he shouldn't have disappeared. It was more like a reverse summoning.
But what kind of Summoning Technique could pull both of them away together? After a moment of thought, Orochimaru remembered someone, and that person would absolutely not allow the Gedo Statue to disappear.
"Nagato… that guy… stole my prey."
Orochimaru grinned. "But if it means dealing with Madara, I might be able to forgive him."
In their previous battle at Amegakure, Nagato had reached a very high level of mastery over the Rinnegan. Although he lost an eye due to Obito's attack, his abilities might not have decreased that much.
Uchiha Madara was also not at his peak. A fake eye could only be used in a limited way for its jutsu. If you really compared them, Nagato had the advantage.
Of course, this was only considering the strength of these two; others were a different story.
As he was thinking, he suddenly heard White Snake Sage's voice from below. "I've finished helping you. I'm going back to Ryūchi Cave now to digest what I gained."
She had also benefited greatly from this night of fighting, especially the solar energy absorbed from Little White Snake, which seemed to have a unique effect on nourishment and evolution. She couldn't wait to absorb and understand it.
"That's good too," Orochimaru nodded slightly. "Take your time. This isn't the first time."
With White Snake Sage as an ally in future battles, he would have a much easier time.
"I'm not as fast as you. At least… give me a week."
White Snake Sage glanced at Orochimaru and vanished from the spot.
"A week… heh, so be it." Orochimaru looked to the west. With the powerful aura of Little White Snake's movement, finding its whereabouts would be no problem. However, there were hidden concerns.
From Roran west to Mount Myōboku was about twenty days of travel for a ninja. How many more days of travel west from Mount Myōboku would it take to reach the sea, however, was unknown.
And in the ocean, the substances that could help Little White Snake expand its body were, quite literally, immense.
With an almost limitless energy supply and almost limitless opportunities for growth, to what extent would it develop? Orochimaru couldn't estimate.
There was no definitive conclusion as to which was superior between quality and quantity, especially since Little White Snake's soul strength was not much weaker than his own.
"Huu…"
With a jumble of thoughts, Orochimaru exhaled deeply, but he didn't rush back to Mount Myōboku. He was digesting what he had gained from this trip while waiting for news from Kabuto.
The battle between Nagato and Uchiha Madara should have a result soon.
…
A little while ago, on the swampy ground about thirty to forty miles outside Amegakure, Nagato hovered under the gray clouds, looking at the giant statue he had summoned back with a solemn expression.
The Gedo Statue was closely connected to the Rinnegan. Ever since he learned of Madara and Obito's 'conspiracy,' he had paid attention to the Tailed Beast Plan and naturally increased his focus on the 'vessel.' Thus, he had received news almost as soon as the Gedo Statue disappeared from Amegakure.
Nagato was shocked at the time, myriad thoughts flooding his mind. He even suspected that besides the Rinnegan, there were other means to summon the Gedo Statue.
Therefore, before summoning the Gedo Statue back, he had even gathered almost all the combat power still in Amegakure as support, waiting for the enemy's arrival.
Nagato was very cautious, but he absolutely did not believe there was another enemy as strong as Orochimaru in the ninja world, one who could render numerical superiority useless.
Even so, upon seeing the figure who returned with the Gedo Statue, Nagato and the many ninjas of Amegakure were greatly surprised because this face was too famous in the ninja world.
"You… are Uchiha Madara?"
Having prepared himself for death, and then suddenly escaping a deadly situation, Uchiha Madara felt it was a sign of desperation. However, when his gaze fell on Nagato, this good mood was immediately ruined.
Red hair, possessing the Rinnegan… Although he had never seen Nagato when he grew up, he immediately recognized his identity. But what shocked and even angered him was that the other party only had one Rinnegan; his other eye was just a normal eye.
So, Uchiha Madara frowned and did not answer Nagato's question. Instead, he asked, "Where did your other eye go?"
"You have no right to question me."
Nagato's eyes sharpened, and his immense chakra flowed out with great power, pressing down on the enemy on the Gedo Statue. "Answer my question, who exactly are you? Why can you summon the Gedo Statue?"
Uchiha Madara's face darkened. What was his status that he would be reprimanded like this, having only suffered losses at the hands of Hashirama and, just now, Orochimaru?
But compared to the anger in his heart, his current confusion was greater.
What were Obito and Black Zetsu doing? Why did Nagato, who inexplicably obtained the Rinnegan, not only fail to use the Reanimation Jutsu to revive him but also show such great hostility?
The important thing now was to obtain enough information from the other party.
Thinking of this, Uchiha Madara's lips suddenly curled into a cold smile. "What is my status, don't you recognize me? As for why I can summon the Gedo Statue…"
His eyes opened slightly, and they also flashed with purple light. "Although I have lost the Rinnegan now, my chakra has not completely left me. Do you think your eyes came from where? Without my Rinnegan, would you have the ability to stand before me?"
"This is my Rinnegan!" Nagato was inexplicably shocked.
Before, he thought it was the half Rinnegan that was stolen which created this pseudo-eye. But feeling that same chakra, he was now unsure which was real.
Was it Obito's claim when he attacked him, or the current emphasis of the other party?
Numerous thoughts flashed through his mind, but Nagato quickly cast them aside.
After all that had happened, he had not only grown in strength. Regardless of which possibility was true, he was now certain that Uchiha Madara meant him no good, and that was enough reason.
With that thought, Nagato raised his palm towards Uchiha Madara and launched an attack. "Shinra Tensei!"
And at almost the same time, Uchiha Madara also opened his hand and shouted, "Shinra Tensei!"
Two fierce and surging shockwaves were suddenly generated and instantly collided. Although they were invisible forces, they created strange ripples in the air, and the sound of explosions echoed continuously.
The ninjas of Amegakure turned pale with shock and quickly covered their ears, but it was useless. Let alone ninjas like Konan and Hiruko, even Yakushi Kabuto in Sage Mode was frantically fleeing into the distance.
However, even as they fled, their eyes were involuntarily drawn to this clash that seemed to be between gods.
Although the battle that had taken place outside Amegakure had been grand in scale, it was still disturbed by heavy rain and dark clouds. As ninjas, they could only gain some frenzied perceptions.
But now, the battle was happening before their eyes.
The roaring sonic booms, the surging air currents… As soon as the two clashed, they displayed power far beyond that of everyone else.
On the swampy ground, under the surging impact, mud, reeds, and moss were squeezed and thrown to the sides, tearing open the entire swamp and revealing a bottomless chasm.
This destructive power was deeply imprinted on their hearts, leaving no room for any resistance.
Hiruko murmured, "Is this the power of a Sage?"
Compared to this, what were eye techniques, what were kekkei genkai? Everything he pursued was like a child's toy, fragile and ridiculous.
The other Akatsuki members were also greatly shocked. Although they had known how terrifying Nagato, the leader of the Akatsuki, was, they never expected it to be to this extent.
"Tsk tsk… After seeing this battle, we can only be spectators."
Yakushi Kabuto pushed up his glasses. He was the calmest among them.
Even someone as powerful as Nagato was actually just defeated by Orochimaru-sama. There was nothing to be afraid of.
Glancing around, he smiled. "Although it's not my place to give orders, still pay attention to the masked man Obito… He is now a rogue ninja of our Akatsuki organization."
Everyone's gaze suddenly focused. Such a grand battle would surely attract the attention of other ninjas.
Scouts from the five great ninja villages were one thing, but the masked man Obito's strength was very tricky. No one could say with 100% certainty that they could avoid his elusive abilities.
The Akatsuki ninjas dispersed in pairs, guarding the surroundings.
Hiruko stood beside Yakushi Kabuto, gazing with infatuation at the two figures unleashing their power on the swampy ground. Suddenly, he said, "Yakushi Kabuto, if we worked together, we would have a chance to replicate this power."
"Heh, after trying so many times, you're still not giving up?" Yakushi Kabuto smiled. "If it were that easy, the Rinnegan would be common as dirt, and it wouldn't be revered as divine power."
"With your knowledge and my skills, it might not be impossible."
Facing Yakushi Kabuto's indifferent attitude, Hiruko's expression suddenly turned grim. "Orochimaru was able to obtain power comparable to a Sage, and I will definitely be able to…"
Hearing this, Yakushi Kabuto twitched the corner of his mouth, no longer hiding his disdain.
"You… you really are his disciple." Hiruko's heart raged, and his eyes suddenly turned fierce, as if he would attack at any moment. However, he ultimately held back.
Yakushi Kabuto ignored the other party and shifted his gaze to the center of the battlefield, where things were changing again.
Boom, boom, boom…
Dust billowed. Shattered water mist, accompanied by a chasm stretching for hundreds of miles, slowly pressed forward under Nagato's icy gaze.
Uchiha Madara's brows furrowed, finding it unbelievable that he had lost to this junior in a chakra contest. The east wind was not strong enough to overcome the west wind, and a fake had surpassed the original?
Although there were countless reasons he could find now, a great sense of shame weighed heavily on his heart.
However, even so, Madara instinctively made the correct response at this moment.
With a flash of his body, he appeared directly behind the Gedo Statue.
The shockwave, losing its recoil force, hit the Gedo Statue with double the power.
"Aaaaah…"
With a tremendous roar, a huge wound appeared on the Gedo Statue, causing it to stagger and almost lose its footing.
"This guy…"
Uchiha Madara gritted his teeth, and a white pipe suddenly extended from his body, penetrating into the Gedo Statue.
With this thing enhancing his control, the Gedo Statue roared and sprouted countless withered branches, which surged madly towards Nagato in the sky.
"Don't forget, what you can do, I can too."
Nagato held his hands apart, pushing away countless branches. The purple light in his eyes flickered, and he met the Gedo Statue's violent gaze without wavering. The frenzied movements suddenly stopped.
In a chakra contest, Uchiha Madara, who had only recently returned from the Pure Land and did not even truly possess the Rinnegan, was inherently not as powerful as the enhanced Nagato.
By leveraging his understanding of the Gedo Statue, he could only barely contend with him to a draw.
But Uchiha Madara had given his all, while Nagato still had reserves. He extended his other hand towards Uchiha Madara, and a cold light flashed in his purple eyes. "Die!"
A surge of powerful force erupted, directly tearing through the white pipe and sending Uchiha Madara crashing down to the ground.
With such a direct attack, Nagato believed that even Orochimaru would sustain considerable injuries, let alone Uchiha Madara, who had not undergone the enhancement surgery.
This old fellow, even if he reappeared in the ninja world, was already out of touch with the times.
And the facts were indeed as such. Madara lay on the ground powerlessly, every part of his body in pain. In his former body, this would have certainly killed him instantly.
But even with such injuries, Uchiha Madara showed no signs of discouragement. Instead, his lips stretched sideways into a 'smile.'
Nagato's expression tensed. Uchiha Madara in his vision was suddenly engulfed by black matter, and then instantly sank into the ground.
"This guy…"
After a few seconds of eye technique cooldown, Nagato opened his palm and low shouted, "Banshō Ten'in!"
Large chunks of soil were ripped from the ground, but he found nothing. Uchiha Madara was nowhere to be found.
"To use himself as bait, to lure me into using Rinnegan eye techniques, and then seize the opportunity to escape…"
He muttered, and Nagato's eyes became solemn.
He had been taught another lesson by an old man.