Nagato panted heavily, looking very weak as he said to Konan, "...Konan, come here."
Konan walked over to Nagato, looking at him with unbearable pain.
She pleaded, "Nagato, I beg you, stop talking. I've already lost Yahiko; I can't lose you too."
Nagato coughed violently, even coughing up blood, but he still forced himself to speak.
"...Konan, I'm sorry, I don't think I'm going to make it."
"Take my Rinnegan and run. Escape to a country without war, to a place without conflict."
"If possible, bury Yahiko in the place where we used to train with Master Jiraiya."
"Yahiko and I are going home!"
Konan wiped her tears away vigorously, her head shaking like a rattle. "No, no, Nagato, don't die. You can still be saved. You must be savable."
"You are the child of prophecy Master Jiraiya spoke of. You are the reincarnation of the Sage of Six Paths, the one who will bring change to the world."
"..."
Nagato gave a weak smile and looked up at Yahiko's corpse nearby. "From the very beginning... I have been a coward."
"I believe them now. Perhaps my Rinnegan was transplanted into me when I was a child."
"How can someone like me, who can't even protect his comrades, be any kind of savior?"
Nagato tremblingly reached his fingers toward his eye sockets, seemingly wanting to gouge out the Rinnegan.
Konan grabbed his hand, her voice choking up. "There must be a way, there must be!"
"That's right, Ryou! Ryou's forbidden jutsu!"
Konan shouted in Ryou's direction, "Ryou, save Nagato! I'll agree to anything!"
"...Konan... don't..."
The Gedo Statue had stopped. Danzo's Baku blew away the poison mist released by the Salamander, revealing the scene beneath the statue.
Hanzo was overjoyed. "Nagato is finished! Indeed, how could a Ninjutsu like that not have side effects?"
"Haha... the Rinnegan is mine!"
Behind Hanzo, Danzo thrust a Kunai toward his back. The plan had changed; the Rinnegan was up for grabs.
Danzo didn't expect that he had only stabbed a Water Clone. Hanzo had already used Body Flicker to rush toward Nagato.
He looked back with a cold sneer. "Danzo, I knew someone like you would betray me. I've been on guard against you all along!"
"Once I seize the Rinnegan, I will destroy Konoha sooner or later!"
"Destroy Konoha? You?!"
Danzo gave a cold shout and used the Body Flicker Technique to pursue Hanzo.
At that moment, Nagato had a sudden, violent reaction. He clutched his painful eyes tightly; it felt as if they were about to fly away.
Konan looked at Nagato with extreme concern. "Nagato, what's wrong?"
"...I don't know. It suddenly reacted violently! Just like before."
On the battlefield between Ryou and Minato.
A dark, gaping hole sat at the center of the explosion. The edges of the earth and stones were charred and cracked, with rubble and scorched remains scattered everywhere.
The cold rain sizzled against the remaining embers, sending up wisps of white smoke that mingled with the dust and mist in the air.
Ryou crawled out from the ground, panting heavily. His right hand had been reduced to a skeleton, and the skin on his body was scorched.
This was the terrible price of using a forbidden jutsu.
Ryou burned a life spore within his body, and a powerful regenerative force instantly erupted.
His Chakra recovered rapidly, the bones of his right arm were instantly repaired, and flesh quickly regrew over them.
In the blink of an eye, Ryou had returned to his peak state.
With a snap, there was the sound of stones shifting in a mud pit not far from Ryou.
Minato appeared from the rubble, carrying Ryoma.
Minato's clothes were tattered, and he no longer looked like the dashing Yellow Flash.
As for Ryoma, one of his arms had been blown off, and even his sunglasses were gone.
It was also the first time Minato and Ryou had seen the eyes of the Aburame Clan; they looked just like a normal person's, with nothing special about them.
Ryou scratched his head, somewhat speechless. "Could it be... that Fire Release really can't kill anyone?!"
Minato was concerned about Ryoma. "Ryoma, are you okay?"
"I'm fine!"
Ryoma shook his head without even a frown.
An entire arm had been destroyed; how could he be fine?
But Ryoma was already grateful just to be alive. Honestly, with a forbidden jutsu like that, it wasn't a matter of losing a piece here or there.
It was the kind of thing that would result in being completely vaporized.
Ryoma felt deeply guilty for being a burden to Minato.
Ryou's Great Flame Rasengan had exploded right between him and Minato. It wasn't just a simple explosion; it was accompanied by a powerful spiraling force.
Like a tornado, it violently pulled in everything around it.
Ryoma's arm had been torn off by the powerful spiraling force of the Great Flame Rasengan. At the moment of the explosion, Minato had used his own body to shield him and tank the blast.
Minato was fine because he had Senjutsu protecting his body, but one of Ryoma's arms was completely ruined.
Ryoma reminded Minato, "Minato, the mission is what's important. Don't worry about me anymore!"
Minato nodded, gave Ryou a deep look, and then threw a flying thunder god kunai toward Nagato's direction and teleported away.
Ryou didn't stop him, which Ryoma found very strange.
"Uchiha Ryou, what else do you have up your sleeve?!"
Ryou shook his head with a faint smile. "It's over. It's already over. Uchiha Madara has arrived!"
"What?!"
Ryoma's pupils shrank to pinpricks.
Hanzo and Danzo raced desperately toward Nagato, both wanting to reach him first to seize the Rinnegan.
Hanzo was in the lead; his speed was clearly superior.
Candy and Snowy suddenly appeared in front of Nagato and Konan. One cat held the Gunbai, while the other held the Kama.
They stood before Hanzo and Danzo, protecting Konan and Nagato.
Snowy swung the sickle and barked at Hanzo, "Hanzo! If you dare take another step, the world will be turned upside down!"
But Hanzo didn't care about these two Ninja Cats at all.
Candy rushed forward, waving the Gunbai. "Snowy, let's go!"
"Hanzo, give me your life!"
Hanzo formed hand seals and cast the Water Prison Jutsu. Before Candy could even wave the Gunbai, he was taken out instantly.
He and Snowy were trapped together inside the water prison.
With the boost from Ryou's life spores, they could handle a Jonin, but they were clearly no match for a Kage-level expert like Hanzo.
Hanzo rushed to Nagato's side, kicking away Konan who was blocking him. He was about to grab Nagato and take the Rinnegan.
"Nagato, it's over. These eyes were a gift from the Sage of Six Paths to the Land of Rain. You can't handle such powerful dōjutsu power."
"Only I am his most suitable host."
Hanzo laughed loudly, already dreaming of the day he would lead the Land of Rain to become a Great Nation.
From then on, the Land of Rain would no longer be a puppet of the Great Nations.
But Minato was faster. His flying thunder god kunai reached Nagato in an instant, and his figure followed immediately after.
Appearing just like a Yellow Flash.
"I'm sorry, Nagato! I'm not worthy of being your senior brother."
Minato gripped his Kunai and slashed toward Nagato's eyes.
He could have easily snatched the Rinnegan with a single swipe, but Minato still intended to destroy it.
Because such a powerful eye shouldn't exist in the Ninja World. It would only cause conflict for everyone, just like Ryou's previous Immortality Technique.