I'm Sorry I Couldn't Entertain You, My Lord

Yahiko and Konan supported Nagato, who had lost both eyes, and pushed themselves to the limit as they retreated toward Amegakure.

Even though they had already gotten far from the riverbank battlefield, the terrifying explosions and the violent waves from clashing chakra behind them still shook the ground beneath their feet.

The three staggered all the way to the outskirts of Amegakure, finally breaking away from the most dangerous area for the moment.

Yahiko and Konan stopped at the same time, panting as they looked back toward the region shrouded in a vast forest, now dominated by the towering figure of a blue giant that seemed to prop up heaven and earth.

"What is that... a ninjutsu?!" Konan's voice carried a faint tremor. She stared at the Perfect Susanoo, more than two hundred meters tall, and even from this distance, its Coercion still made it hard for her to breathe, as if it could tear the sky apart and suppress the earth itself.

She could not help but worry fiercely for Menma, who had stayed behind alone to cover their retreat.

Yahiko's expression was just as grave. His orange hair clung to his forehead with rain and sweat, and he clenched his fists tightly.

"Believe in him... Menma... he'll definitely be fine!" It sounded like he was comforting Konan, but even more like he was trying to convince himself.

Just as they were filled with worry, the seemingly invincible blue giant abruptly vanished between heaven and earth without warning, like a punctured bubble, leaving only the dense forest that had appeared out of nowhere to prove that everything just now had not been an illusion.

The thunder of battle also came to an abrupt stop, and the direction of the battlefield sank into an unsettling dead silence.

"What's going on?