A corner of the Land of Rain.
"What's wrong with you, Black Zetsu?!"
The White Zetsu, in one body, inquired.
Black Zetsu's state at this moment is very strange.
It should have been Madara's will manifesting, but it was no longer as composed as usual, and was trembling with fear.
He murmured to himself.
"They're here..."
"It's really here..."
"... How is this possible... Why..."
"Mother!!"
Black Zetsu resolutely broke away from White Zetsu, turning into a pool of black liquid and leaving.
No! We absolutely cannot sit idly by and wait to die!!
We must find a way!
I absolutely must save you, Mom!
You are immortal; even those from People from Beyond the Heavens could never kill you!
Under this terrifying pressure, Kakuzu struggled to raise its head.
"Who... who are these guys...?"
This level of pressure... far exceeds what he faced when he confronted Hashirama Senju!
Tumultuous--
Bang!
Compared to Kakuzu, who was struggling to move, Jiraiya and Orochimaru responded promptly.
Orochimaru was engulfed in pale green, snake-shaped flames of chakra.
For the past three years, he had not given up on learning the art of Severance Release, even though he couldn't master it. However, some of the knowledge he gained through analogy accelerated his analysis of the Dragon Vein Crystal Fragment.
This allows him to enter Sage Mode almost instantly, and his strength is greatly enhanced.
Jiraiya summoned two Toad Sages and, during a brief pause in his Sage Mode, asked a question.
"Gentlemen, do you know who this person is...?"
The Sage Fukasaku frowned. "Byakugan... at least in the hundreds of years that my wife and I have lived, there has never been such a powerful Byakugan user."
Sitting on Kinshiki's shoulder, Momoshiki ignored the others and turned his gaze to the central tower of the Land of Rain.
"Kinshiki, go and kill those guys."
"Yes, sir!"
"Wait a minute..." Urashiki looked at Orochimaru with great interest.
"Is it an application of Natural Energy? I'm quite interested. Leave it to me."
Whoosh!
He flung the fishing rod in his hand, and the fishing line suddenly stretched out, passing through Orochimaru's raised arms.
It entered his heart.
In an instant, a ball of emerald green energy was pulled out by the fishing line, Orochimaru exited Sage Mode!
Orochimaru's pupils dilated violently.
"What's this?!"
Whoosh!
Urashiki, carrying a fishing rod, appeared in front of them with a fake smile.
"It's nothing special, I remember... your name is Orochimaru."
"The other one is Mr. Jiraiya, the teacher of Kagami Uchiha."
"We have a companion whose whereabouts are unknown, and we would like to ask Mr. Kagami Uchiha for information."
"But as you all know, Kagami-sensei has a bad temper, so... please cooperate a little."
Time and space seemed to be frozen.
Their bodies began to freeze from their feet.
Whoosh!
A Black Rod shot through the air.
It passed through Jiraiya's thigh and stopped the time-space freeze!
The others looked over.
On the nearest tall building, three figures in red robes and black cloud patterns stood.
Nagato, Konan, Deva Path Pain.
"Who are you, and why are you attacking Jiraiya- sensei?"
Deva Path Pain indifferently.
Momoshiki spat and sneered, "What kind of puppet game are you playing, you red-haired Rinnegan?"
"And... they're not even natural eyes, how awful!"
Call out!!
A Black Rod flew swiftly toward Nagato.
Shocked, Nagato also swung his Black Rod to block.
Click—
Without a doubt, it was Nagato's Black Rod that shattered.
The difference in strength between the two Yin-Yang Release is like heaven and earth!
Whoosh—
Nagato's chest was pierced by Black Rod, and the flow of chakra became sluggish.
He was all too familiar with this feeling...
How is that possible?!
Bang!
Momoshiki flashed between them and shattered Deva Path Pain with a wave of his hand!
"Yahiko!!"
A heart-wrenching scream.
Nagato gripped the Black Rod tightly with both hands, trying to pull it out.
Momoshiki looked down at him and said, "Don't bother. The purity of these Rinnegan is quite good. It's a waste to have them on someone like you."
"Hand it over!"
"Um?"
Momoshiki looked at her waist.
An Exploding Tag.
Konan picked up Nagato, tears streaming down her face.
I've already lost Yahiko, Nagato, I absolutely cannot lose you too!
Sizzle—
The Exploding Tag exploded.
Momoshiki sneered dismissively.
What do you want to do with this kind of toy?
He calmly and steadily started to catch up with the woman.
Result...
Boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom!
Explosions continued continuously, centered on the Momoshiki.
A full fifteen minutes!
Urashiki floated into the air, watching the scene with great interest, ignoring Orochimaru and the others.
Just a few small fry.
It's more interesting to see Xiaotao make a fool of herself.
The buildings were destroyed, and the nearby sea was boiling due to the impact of the explosion!
Boom!!
The strong wind dispersed the smoke!
Momoshiki was unharmed, except that his Hagoromo was burned to ashes.
His face looked extremely pale.
"Tch... a mere inferior creature!"
He slowly raised his hand.
A deep red chakra energy ball rapidly condensed.
It's getting bigger and bigger!
"Too lazy to chase after it..."
"I will destroy you and this country together!"
"Konan, you should leave now."
The terrifying surge of chakra sealed the fate of the Land of Rain.
Konan desperately tried to pull out the Black Rod stuck in Nagato, but as soon as her hands touched it, she felt weak all over.
Even if you break it, you can't; this Black Rod is much harder than Nagato's!
"Don't want!"
Konan tried again and again.
"I will never... I will never abandon you!"
"I only have you left... Nagato..."
Konan cried helplessly.
Clearly...
The Land of Rain has clearly begun to improve.
Everything was clearly moving in a positive direction.
Why...
Why must you destroy my hope now?
Gods...
What did I do wrong?!
——
"Don't cry, Konan."
A deep voice rang out.
Black Zetsu appeared.
He reached out and grasped the Black Rod on Nagato's body.
Without the slightest delay.
Whoosh!
It's like a hero pulling the sword out of the stone, giving a glimmer of hope to the desperate Konan.
"Black Zetsu... what exactly are you...?"
Nagato watched this scene in shock.
Only he, who was well-versed in Yin-Yang Release, knew just how incredible Black Zetsu had accomplished.
It's no exaggeration to say that Black Zetsu's mastery of Yin-Yang Release surpasses even that of the terrifying Byakugan user!
"I am the manifestation of Uchiha Madara's will."
"Nagato, the situation is urgent, I can only tell you the truth in a simple way."
"You just heard it too, your Rinnegan wasn't something you were born with."
"The true master of the Rinnegan is Uchiha Madara!"
"Lord Madara awakened the Rinnegan in his old age."
"He originally wanted to choose a member of his own clan, the Uchiha, as the successor to his will, but neither Obito nor Kagami Uchiha had the ability to inherit the Rinnegan."
"You were not chosen by the Sage of Six Paths."
"It was Uchiha Madara's choice!"
"Throughout his life, Uchiha Madara longed for the arrival of a peaceful world. He gave the Rinnegan to you, who cherished peace, and created me. While keeping his remains safe, I also bear the mission of assisting you."
"I am the same as Obito; we both want you to become the Sage of Six Paths in the new era and create a peaceful world."
"But right now..."
Black Zetsu's tone turned solemn.
"Nagato, you have failed. Faced with that world-destroying calamity, you didn't even have the ability to resist!"
"The Land of Rain is about to be destroyed!"
"What can you do? You're powerless!"
"We've poured our hearts and souls into this, and Lord Madara has placed all his hopes on you, yet you've accomplished nothing!"
Black Zetsu's words were all profoundly impactful.
"No... I still have a way!"
Nagato gritted his teeth and looked at Black Zetsu.
"You just said... you still have Uchiha Madara's body..."
"I can't do it, but if it's the true owner of the Rinnegan..."
Konan gripped Nagato's hand tightly. "What are you going to do... Nagato!"
Nagato's expression was complicated, but he finally smiled with relief.
"I've wanted to do this for a long time."
"It's alright, Konan."
"I want to bring Yahiko back."
"And then there's Uchiha Madara... If it's Uchiha Madara... this legendary Mangekyo, perhaps..."
"Then we can ask Kagami Uchiha to save the Land of Rain!"
Black Zetsu indifferent.
Forget it, as long as they fall for it, it saves me the trouble of having to resort to other methods.
I was thinking about it too...
Perhaps... it would be better to wait until Kagami Uchiha resolves everything before reviving his mother.
Even he, who so feared the manifestation of Kaguya from the Ōtsutsuki Clan, did not believe that Momoshiki and the others could destroy the Shinobi World possessed by the Kagami Uchiha.
Nagato Hand Seals, unleashing a massive hurricane of chakra.
Heretics...
The Rinne Rebirth!
Endless white light bursts forth from the cracks in the dilapidated building.
It is declaring...
The arrival of a legendary figure.