New World's Kami!

Orochimaru's thought was much the same as Nagato and the others had earlier—it was like a super-miniature black hole that kept expanding on Earth. Did humanity have any other choice besides destroying that black hole or praying it would vanish on its own?

Go kneel before a black hole and reason with it?

Oh, Uchiha Yue was still a little different from a natural disaster like a black hole. After all, Uchiha Yue was a living person. Maybe, just maybe, they could use talk-no-jutsu to get Uchiha Yue to voluntarily stop destroying the world?

That was assuming they could break through that domain, catch the attention of Uchiha Yue standing above the sky before their chakra ran out, and pray that Uchiha Yue was in a good enough mood to just watch them die instead of personally smashing them to death.

But even Nagato didn't think he could pull that off. Maybe it could have been done before Uchiha Yue grew strong, but now it was too late.

"You've got to be kidding me. How can a human this powerful and terrifying exist in this world? Am I under some weird genjutsu right now?"

Scorpion stared at the map pinned to the blackboard, his core hidden in his chest feeling dazed. He had the sensation of just winning a billion yen only to find out the world would end tomorrow. How long had it been since he finished modifying himself? He hadn't even gotten to feel proud yet, and oh ho, the world was ending. Everything he had done before—his puppets, his self-modifications, all of it—had turned to bubbles under the shadow of the apocalypse.

"Kill him. If we just kill Uchiha Yue, this so-called end is over, isn't it? Then..."

He was about to say something so clueless when the leader's words echoed in his mind. Even the leader, who possessed the Rinnegan, wasn't a match for Uchiha Yue. Did he think he was?

If he could kill Uchiha Yue, then the Akatsuki would be his to lead.

At that moment, Scorpion felt lost. He didn't know what the meaning of his existence was, what all his past efforts had been for. His so-called ideals, under the threat of a disaster as terrifying as a natural calamity, shattered like foam at a touch.

It wasn't just him. Even Orochimaru felt suffocated and lost at that moment. He suddenly realized that the immortality he had pursued for so many years, his so-called ideals and dreams, were so fragile. This was also the first time he truly felt how fragile humans were.

Unless...

Suddenly, Orochimaru lifted his head. His gaze seemed to pierce through the ceiling and see the cosmic planets beyond the planet. Unless he stopped being a Ninja World person.

"If Uchiha Yue is really as terrifying and suffocating as you say, then I have one idea: leave this planet and search for other life-bearing planets in space."

The moment Orochimaru spoke, the room fell silent. Nagato looked at the others, feeling the atmosphere had brewed enough. He was about to bring up the sliver of hope they still had, but Orochimaru's words made Nagato shut his mouth and sink into thought.

"Wait, Nagato, why are you lost in thought too?"

Seeing this, Black Zetsu grew anxious. This wasn't right. Shouldn't they be steering the conversation toward the hope Uchiha Obito carried? How had it shifted to fleeing the Ninja World?

This plan... Black Zetsu thought it over. It actually seemed somewhat feasible. The moment that crossed his mind, Black Zetsu panicked. Of course, he knew about outer space—the Ninja World did have the concept of the cosmos.

But after thinking it through, Black Zetsu let out a heavy sigh of relief. Sure, interstellar migration was a good idea, but there was no time to develop space battleships. By the time they figured out the necessary technology, the world would already be destroyed.

If Black Zetsu could see that, Nagato and the others naturally could too.

"Orochimaru, that plan won't work. It takes too much time. We don't have enough time left. By the time you develop the relevant technology, the Ninja World will be destroyed."

Uchiha Obito stepped forward and shook his head. Unlike Black Zetsu, whose plan had to be executed on this planet, Uchiha Obito didn't care. Even if they moved to a new planet, as long as there were still people, it wouldn't stop him from creating a world with Rin.

But this plan was too impractical. The Ninja World currently had no relevant technology. By the time they advanced science enough, the world would already be destroyed. What use would it be then?

And what if? What if that monster's power could extend into space? Wouldn't they still die?

"Sigh!"

Orochimaru let out a helpless sigh. No matter how brilliant his mind was, he truly had no solution now. Couldn't kill, didn't dare gamble, couldn't escape?

What now? Just wait to die? He never thought he, Orochimaru, would end up as collateral damage because of that old fool Shimura Danzō's wrong decision. The more he thought about it, the more absurd it seemed, to the point he almost wanted to laugh. Unfortunately, he couldn't travel through time. If he could, he would go back to the Uchiha massacre and kill that old bastard Shimura Danzō.

"Xi, there's no need to fear, no need to panic. The world may be ending, but the Akatsuki will not perish along with it. Because we have an Ark of Salvation that can lead everyone to the shores of a new world!"

Seeing everyone like this, Nagato cracked a faint smile. He struggled to stand up from his wheelchair, manipulated his poorly-signaled legs, then awkwardly sat back down. Spreading his arms, which had good signal, he spoke with the compassion of a priest.

At those words, Orochimaru and the others immediately fixed their eyes on Nagato.

Then Nagato laid out their salvation plan and led everyone into Uchiha Obito's Kamui Dimension for a look.

"This calamity is a great opportunity. As members of the organization, you may bring whatever population you wish to select into the Ark of Crossing Worlds. When the new era dawns, every member of the organization will become a subordinate god ruling the world under me. Rejoice! You will witness the birth of a new world. You will become the subordinate gods of the supreme Kami of the new age!"

"And I will bring ultimate peace to this world. From now on, there will be no more war, no more pain, because I will bring ultimate peace!"

Nagato grew more and more excited. Finally, driven by the Rinnegan, his body slowly rose, arms spread wide.