Not unwilling, but afraid (continuing the burst, update 1/3)

How did Shazo find Nagato?

It's of course simulated using Magnet Style, and it's the [Magnetic Control] ability shared by Misaka Shazo.

Nagato used the [Rain Tiger at Will Technique] to infuse his Chakra into the clouds, attaching himself to the water vapor and raindrops to scout the entire Amegakure).

Shazo was able to follow suit and use [Magnetic Control] to Ionization the humid air, marking the flight paths of the entire Amegakure.

There are two known conditions.

First, the paper angel Konan can fly and is very good at it.

Secondly, Nagato is nearly paralyzed, and Konan takes care of all his daily needs and mobility.

That's why he suggested shifting the battlefield to lure Nagato away from the heavily protected Amegakure, and his movement would inevitably involve Konan carrying him, flying at high speed.

Just as he had predicted, Konan flew over to the new battlefield, leaving a clear flight path in the humid air.

Shazo dispatched his Wood Clone to trace the Ionization trajectory in reverse.

Before the battle even began, he naturally found the place where Konan had taken off for the last time, which was also where Nagato was hiding.

After a period of searching, Shazo's Wood Clone found the hidden Secret Chamber and the Nagato Secret Chamber.

Logically, since Shazo found Nagato's true form and even stood behind him, he should have taken advantage of Nagato's distraction while he was controlling the Six Paths of Pain, slit his throat, gouged out his eyes, and completely destroyed the root of the Fourth Shinobi World War.

Yes, the one who triggered the Fourth Shinobi World War was not Nagato, not Obito Uchiha, not even Madara Uchiha, and certainly not Kabuto Yakushi, but these Rinnegan.

Without those eyes, there's no Sage of Six Paths Level combat power; the battle will still come down to the military strength of the ninja villages.

On the battlefield, it comes down to who has a larger product of the number and weight of Ninja Ninja; in logistics, it comes down to who has more abundant supplies; and in endurance, it comes down to who has more efficient Ninja training.

Ultimately, the Fourth Shinobi World War will still be a war that lasts for many years, is extremely unpleasant to fight, and will only end when everyone is exhausted.

Instead of a game where a few Sage of Six Paths level Ninja could take on everything, while 100,000 White Zetsu and 80,000 Ninja served as background figures, cheering and providing casualty statistics.

That wasn't a war at all; it was a family dispute between Kaguya Otsutsuki and her eldest son, Hagoromo Otsutsuki.

However, the two true gods did not engage in direct combat as they had last time, thus avoiding the worst-case scenario of turning the world into ruins again at the cost of the Ninja World's pointless sacrifice.

Although only Shazo's clones found Nagato, their thoughts were no different from Shazo's.

So Shazo's clones made a decision instantly, entering the Secret Chamber without hesitation, drawing the Ninja Blade they had specially brought, wanting to give Nagato a quick death.

Shazo even considered that the Rinnegan's level was too high, and that it would suppress Ninjutsu and even Kekkei Genkai, so he specially had his clone carry his equipment.

He had specially prepared equipment in the Hokage's office so that there wouldn't be any accidents when he attacked Nagato in such an occasion.

However, when Shazo's Wood Clone actually got close to Nagato, a strong warning appeared in the minds of Shazo and all his Wood Clone.

The book "The <Five Spirits Battle True Interpretation>" provides a clear description of this, stating that it is Talent developed after practicing the Five Elements Techniques and activating the Kekkei Genkai Ring.

Whenever a practitioner faces mortal danger, their spiritual awareness perceives an inevitable death and thus issues a warning—a spiritual warning of certain death.

At another time, Shazo would not hesitate for a moment and would immediately retreat to avoid any potential fatal danger.

But today he hesitated, and hesitated for a long time.

After all, the Ninja Blade in Shazo 'Wood Clone's hand was only a foot away from Nagato's back; a simple thrust forward would have killed this troublesome guy.

Moreover, his fingers would be only a foot away from the Rinnegan; once pried out, he would obtain the strongest item, far surpassing the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.

With an overwhelming temptation looming in their faces and a deadly warning weighing on their hearts, only heaven knows how conflicted Shazo's clones were at that moment.

In the end, Shazo withdrew from the decision.

He also has Plane Dreamscape, and he can become stronger on his own, even stronger than Six Paths Madara. There is no need for him to risk his life to seize the Rinnegan.

No need, you don't need it!

[Ah, I really want the Rinnegan, but I'm too scared to ask for it!]

Shazo carefully analyzed where the danger came from.

Did Nagato unleash his potential during a life-threatening crisis and summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path?

Impossible. Even if the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path devoured all the Tailed Beast and reverted to the Ten-Tails, it could only kill Shazo's Wood Release clone, not Shazo's main body which was nearly 10 kilometers away.

Hidden in the shadows, Black Zetsu used his miraculous attack, just like he killed Obito and Madara Uchiha?

Shazo shook his head; that was impossible.

Strength is strength; it doesn't mean that the weak can defeat the strong simply because the level of strength is high enough.

Black Zetsu was able to subdue Obito Uchiha and Madara Uchiha Uchiha he had tricked them into believing he was a tumor and had already tampered with their bodies.

Shazo was not deceived into using external forces to change himself; he used only his own power.

Could it be Obito Uchiha?

He used the excuse of going to the Land of Water, but actually hid in the Kamui Dimension, lurking nearby to try and steal the Rinnegan?

Shazo sneered. Obito Uchiha is not Six Paths Obito; the difference between the two is like that between a dog and a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

If Obito Uchiha dares to show his face in front of Shazo today, he can forget about living.

Three years ago, before Shazo had solved the problem of power output in Swift Style mode, he was able to use the speed of Swift Style alone to prevent Obito from leaving the Kamui Dimension.

Today, Shazo was even faster. He rushed over and used his right index finger, modified with Steel Style, to shove it into Obito's forehead, turning his Delia into slurry.

After much deliberation, Shazo finally settled on one target – the Hagoromo Otsutsuki.

Yes, it could only be him.

If the Fourth Shinobi World War, which Shazo was familiar with, was designed and instigated by the Sage of Six Paths, then he is the only one who meets all the conditions.

Although the Sage of Six Paths is dead, he can still interfere in the Ninja World at any time and is absolutely capable of killing Shazo on the spot.

If the Sage of Six Paths intends to let his mother out for a breath of fresh air before sealing her away even more tightly, then Sode must be prepared to receive the [Infinite Tsukuyomi].

Therefore, they did not want Nagato to die young, did not want the Rinnegan to escape Madara Uchiha's control, and did not want Madara Uchiha to escape Black Zetsu's control.

Shazo became more and more certain that if he dared to disrupt Black Zetsu's plan, the Sage of Six Paths might actually jump out of the Pure Land and kill him.

Shazo didn't want to die, so he decided to trust his intuition and his deductions, and abandoned his plan to kill Nagato and seize the Rinnegan.

The moment the decision was made, the spiritual warning reflected by the Kekkei Genkai Ring vanished without a trace.

Only one of Shazo's clones remained standing behind Nagato; the rest of the Wood Clone retreated and disbanded to relay the information to the main body.

The remaining Wood Release clones created tiny, thorny thorns using Wood Release and placed them near Nagato's throat. Then, they used Ice Style to condense ice crystals, creating the illusion of Kunai.

Shazo took the initiative to remind Pain Heavenly Dao, which woke Nagato. Then, using the repulsive force that Nagato was most familiar with and the thorny thorns, he cut Nagato's throat and made him bleed.

This action did not change Nagato's belief that he was a god, but it did change his perception of Shazo.

Nagato Shazo Zuo as a powerful figure who could rival him, so naturally he would not ignore Xia Zuo's interests and thoughts.

When Nagato heard Shazo make his third request to take Jiraiya away, he seriously assessed the situation and was no longer angry because of Shazo's threat to kill Konan.

Because Nagato knew that Shazo was fully capable of carrying out his threat, it wouldn't be an insult to him, but a very serious demand.

Nagato's thoughts ended abruptly, because Konan was his ultimate bottom line.

Konan's existence is not only more important than Nagato's own life, but also more Nagato's pursuit of the ideal of peace in the Ninja World. She is the only existence that Nagato cannot give up.

Shazo proved to Nagato with two rounds of attacks that he could not protect Konan from Shazo's attacks.

Without hesitation, Heavenly Dao bowed his Nagato and accepted Shazo's condition through Pain: "Fifth Hokage, you may take Jiraiya and leave."

Shazo smiled slightly, raised his hand, and loudly commanded, "Konoha Ninja! Ceasefire!"

With his shout, the giant Forest that occupied the entire battlefield rapidly decayed and disappeared in just over ten seconds, turning into rotting mud covering the ground.

The sudden disappearance of the Forest revealed the situation of several battlefields.

The most eye-catching part is the battlefield of Susanoo.

Shisui Uchiha's green Susanoo and Uchiha Itachi's red Susanoo, like two giants from a barbaric era, were frantically swinging their four arms, launching an attack on each other.

The green Susanoo more clearly defined and stronger, but it did not gain the upper hand.

The red Susanoo a semi-phantom weapon engulfed in golden flames. It is not only incredibly sharp, capable of slicing through giant trees with ease, but its length can also be altered at will.

However, Shisui Uchiha feared most was not the sharpness of the sword, but its characteristic of being a sure-kill weapon.

This sword is called the Totsuka Blade, Uchiha Clan records clearly refer to it as Divine Weapon.

The Totsuka Blade is a type of grass sword. Its blade is sharp and can extend and retract freely. The sword itself possesses the most powerful Sealing Technique. Anyone struck by it will be permanently sealed in its hilt, and their soul will be trapped in a dreamlike Genjutsu from which they cannot escape.

In other words, once stabbed, life ends.

Even with the Totsuka Blade being so dangerous, upon hearing Shazo's order, Shisui Uchiha did not hesitate at all. Ignoring the danger of being struck by Uchiha Itachi's Totsuka Blade, he immediately took a step back.

Uchiha Itachi was actually powerless to pursue. Although he held his own with the Totsuka Blade, the pressure on his body was too great when he activated the Fourth Stage of Susanoo.

At this moment, Uchiha Itachi was weeping blood, his eyes were stinging, and his vision was blurred.

The two Susanoo then retreated, ending their battle.

The battle between Jiraiya and Konan was equally intense.

Despite being limited by the Forest and in full strength, Konan still possesses an absolute advantage in mobility and initiative.

Jiraiya was stronger than Konan, but he had been severely beaten by Six Paths of Pain before, and his speed couldn't keep up with Konan's, so he could only passively defend.

However, he had already summoned Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima, the two Toad Sage, and entered Sage Mode with their support, allowing him to completely ignore Konan's normal attacks.

The battle Kakashi Hatake and Kakuzu, however, turned out to be one-sided.

Kakashi, an Elite Jonin, has destroyed Kakuzu's two hearts thanks to the accurate intelligence provided by Shazo and his excellent tactical design.

Just as Shazo called for a halt, Kakashi Hatake seized the opportunity once again, wielding [Lightning Release: Lightning Blade].

They charged towards Kakuzu, whose rhythm had been disrupted by the trap.

Just a Kakuzu away from losing his last heart and returning to dust.

Even Shazo himself did not expect that his order would save Kakuzu.

But Kakuzu's life or death is not important, especially since Kakashi Hatake has verified the information that Shazo knew. Even Special Jōnin could kill him, so it doesn't matter if he is let go today.

After Kakuzu, Kakuzu's strength and life were frozen 50 years ago after he was possessed by the Earth Grudge Fear Feast.

He appears to be a powerful, hidden Kage-level Ninja, but in reality, he is a spirit trapped in the old era, decaying and awaiting death.

The battle between Akatsuki and Konoha has ceased.

Shazo made a point of observing Jiraiya, as well as the Toad Sage on his two shoulders.

Shazo discovered that Jiraiya's attitude towards him had changed drastically, from fear and keeping his distance to respect and admiration, and even a sense of trust.

The eyes of Sage Shima and Sage Fukasaku were filled with apprehension, and they tried their best to conceal their fear.

The two Toad possessed senses far surpassing Jiraiya's, and after witnessing the battle between Pain Heavenly Dao and Shazo, they were terrified by the scene, which resembled a battle of gods.

They were so terrified that they couldn't provide timely and effective support to Jiraiya, preventing Jiraiya from successfully unleashing his powerful Senjutsu, which led to a stalemate between him and Konan.

Otherwise, not to mention the ultimate killing move [Senjutsu: Genjutsu: Toad Confrontation Chant], even [Sage Art: Sage Art: Goemon] could defeat Konan, whose movement space is limited.

Of course, Jiraiya probably couldn't bring himself to kill Konan; he was more likely to use [Barrier: Canopy Method Formation].

Capture Konan to end the battle.

Unfortunately, Jiraiya's Senjutsu Mode skills were too poor, and he could only perform it with the help of the Toad.

When the two Toad Sage lost their focus due to fear, he was unable to use any of his Senjutsu and could only passively take the beating.

It was precisely because of his poor performance, compared to Shazo's astonishing combat power, that Jiraiya changed his attitude towards Shazo.

At this point, Konoha Ninja and Mount Myōboku realized the terror of the Akatsuki and the power of the Fifth Hokage.