The second half of the Fourth Shinobi World War (part two)

"Nagato, this is our third meeting, but I never imagined you were already dead."

Shazo sighed to Nagato, "I was hoping to fight you again when you were healthy, but I missed the chance."

Then he looked at Obito Uchiha: "I didn't expect that even you would be killed this time. And judging from your appearance, have you already tried the Sage of Six Paths form by using the bloodline of the Uchiha Clan?"

Obito Uchiha's eyes widened as he ripped off his mask. "The Fifth Hokage Shazo!"

"What... what exactly do you know?"

Shazo: "Heh, I know a lot, but I don't need to tell this enemy."

He turned to Orochimaru and said, "Help me deal with this Uchiha for a bit."

Orochimaru glanced at Obito Uchiha, who was enraged and had displayed his Sage of Six Paths form, and stuck out his tongue, saying, "Fifth Hokage, this monster is too difficult to deal with!"

Shazo, however, dismissed it, saying, "Don't be fooled by appearances, Orochimaru."

"Obito Uchiha's Six Paths Obito form is a combination of the fully matured Rinnegan, the Uchiha bloodline, and the White Zetsu body; the power originally belonged to Madara Uchiha, not him."

"Moreover, how could such an excessively powerful force be contained by mere [Impure World Reincarnation]?"

"Furthermore, Obito Uchiha's Kamui, which originally belonged to him, has been replaced. How much power do you think he can still unleash?"

Orochimaru remained reluctant. "My Fifth Hokage, no matter how much Obito Uchiha is weakened, is still Sage of Six Paths Level being. To me, a Kage-level Ninja, it's like a child looking at an adult; even if I jump, I can't hit his vital points."

Shazo laughed and said, "Orochimaru, why do you think I arranged for you to accompany me to ambush and kill these two? Of course, it's because I believe you have enough power to crush Obito Uchiha without [Kamui]."

"You think I don't know you've cultivated to the Ryūchi Cave Sage Mode?"

"You think I don't know you devoured the White Phosphorus Snake?"

"Orochimaru, I am a qualified Fifth Hokage of Konoha. Within the boundaries of Konoha, I am fully aware of everything."

Orochimaru sighed deeply, "Alas, you, Hokage, are indeed more powerful than my teacher. Nothing can be hidden from you."

"You're absolutely right. My strength is indeed enough to crush Obito Uchiha without [Kamui]. He's just a piece of trash."

He raised his head, his snake-like eyes locking onto Obito as if he were looking at a plump rodent. "I'll handle this guy."

How Obito Uchiha into a rage, swearing to kill Orochimaru, and even saying he would Impure World Reincarnation Edo Tensei and torture him repeatedly for a hundred years.

Orochimaru simply responded with "Useless trash, come and hit me then," easily luring and beating up Obito Uchiha.

Shazo looked at the silent Nagato and asked, "Do you know how you died?"

Nagato replied dejectedly, "It's Zetsu, the black Zetsu."

"He controlled me, used the [Outer Path: Samsara of Rinne Rebirth] to revive Madara Uchiha, and then I died."

"Then he Impure World Reincarnation, controlled me, and tricked everyone in Akatsuki, including Konan, into attacking Konoha."

"I... I have no way to resist—"

Shazo nodded and said, "Yes, your Rinnegan belongs to Madara Uchiha. He had already planted various methods to control you within it. Since you were betrayed by your strongest power, of course you couldn't break free from Black Zetsu's control."

Nagato lowered his head. "Yahiko is dead, so many Akatsuki are dead, and my use of the Rinnegan to avenge him and fulfill Yahiko's dream was all part of someone else's conspiracy—what does my life really mean?"

Shazo began to move his body; he had already noticed that Nagato's consciousness was gradually fading.

Nagato is actually a kind-hearted person with a gentle nature, but he was forced into a corner by death and despair, and for the sake of his comrades, he could only desperately pretend to be a strong and evil mastermind behind the scenes.

If he were really as bad as he pretended to be, he wouldn't be in so much pain.

Shazo said to Nagato, "Don't worry, I've arranged for two sealing masters to deal with Konan. She definitely won't die."

Hearing this, Nagato, who had been feeling groggy, suddenly became much more alert and managed a weak smile, saying, "Thank you, but I can't hold on any longer."

Shazo said, "You're welcome. I'll seal you away as soon as possible."

Nagato seemed to relax, the light that had been in his eyes disappeared, replaced by a fierce killing intent.

He immediately spread his arms wide, his Rinnegan shining brightly, and his surging eye power and Chakra surged out like a tidal wave.

[Heavenly Dao: Shinra Tensei]

In Setsuna, the earth shook and mountains trembled, and the force swept across everything, scraping everything on the ground clean and turning the entire battlefield into a white wasteland.

Orochimaru and Obito Uchiha, who were locked in a battle in the distance, were caught in the crossfire and were blown far away by the repulsive storm, like two leaves in a gale.

But Nagato was horrified to discover that Shazo in front of him had not been blown away; he had simply raised his hand to protect his eyes and blocked the direct attack of [Shinra Tensei].

Because Shazo blocked the repulsive force's attack, the ground behind him was not directly hit by the repulsive force and instead rose above the surrounding fresh ground, forming a ridge.

"Nagato, you're much weaker in your Impure World Reincarnation form than when you were alive."

Shazo said disappointedly, "He's even weaker than when I fought you in the Land of Rain many years ago. It seems that Black Zetsu Nagato worried about Nagato and deliberately shut down all his thinking abilities."

"This is really boring."

"Forget it, we should get rid of these mindless puppets as soon as possible. I'm still looking forward to the battle with Madara Uchiha."

"Hey, I wonder if I can beat him."

As Shazo muttered to himself, Nagato calmed down from the boiling of Chakra and once again accumulated enough Chakra.

He raised his hands again, preparing to unleash his next Ninjutsu.

But this time, Shazo didn't give Nagato a chance. He appeared beside him instantly, and the black sphere that appeared between his hands was pressed onto Nagato's body.

[Dark Style - Netherworld Prison]

The black hole simulated by Dark Style Impure World Reincarnation chakra was tearing at Nagato Chakra body. Although it did not devour his Chakra and ocular power, it was able to tear apart the jutsu structure within the Impure World Reincarnation body.

Nagato, who was completely indifferent, was almost completely devoured by [Dark Style: Netherworld Prison], which swallowed half of his body.

This level of damage would be fatal to an ordinary person, but it would be insignificant to an Edo Impure World Reincarnation. Even someone like the Second Hokage, who was shattered by Madara Uchiha, could piece himself back together.

However, the tearing action of [Dark Style: Netherworld Prison] reached a deeper level, actually destroying [Impure World Reincarnation].

The structure of the techniques.

In an instant, Nagato's body exploded into a shower of Impure World Reincarnation debris.

The offerings that had been moved to the Pure Land had committed suicide, but were instead moved back and lay in the center of the Impure World Reincarnation.

Shazo scratched his head and sighed, "Oh dear, this technique was a bit too powerful. It directly sent Nagato back to the Pure Land, and I didn't even have a chance to seal him away."

He shrugged and then took to the air.

Seeing that Orochimaru's battle was progressing smoothly, he had already revealed his Eight-Headed Serpent form, Six Paths Obito and having his eight heads attack in turn.

Just as Shazo said, the Impure World Reincarnation Six Paths Obito so weak that he questioned his own existence, Orochimaru naturally took advantage of his misfortune, beating him until he was completely stunned.

Now, Obito can only barely resist using the repulsive force of the Rinnegan, and it's clear he can't hold out for long.

Shazo smiled and said, "Orochimaru, Obito to you. I'm going to support the other battlefields."

The Eight-Headed Serpent raised one of its heads, nodded silently to indicate that it understood, and then continued to focus on attacking Obito Uchiha.

Shazo's support consisted of Hatake Sakumo and Kaguya Kimimaro.

Their opponent, the Third Raikage, truly deserves the title of "the strongest Third Raikage of all time."

Even with his Impure World Reincarnation body, the Third Raikage was still able to overwhelm Konoha 'Konoha White Fang and Kimimaro with his Lightning Release Chakra Mode.

When Shazo arrived at the battlefield, he found it littered with Kimimaro's broken bones. Chakra was nearly depleted, and he was panting heavily.

The short sword in Konoha White Fang's hand had been replaced by Kimimaro's bone sword, and his body showed signs of slowly detaching from the Impure World Reincarnation, clearly indicating that he had reached his limit.

Shazo asked, "Senior Hatake, is the Third Raikage really that strong?"

Hatake Sakumo replied earnestly, "Fifth Hokage, the Third Raikage is indeed very strong. I am no match for him now."

Shazo asked curiously, "You're no match for him now, do you mean you could have fought him when he was alive?"

Hatake Sakumo nodded confidently. "My speed, reaction time, coordination, Chakra are all lacking right now. Combined, the deficiencies are too great, and I can't fully utilize my strengths."

The Third Raikage suddenly spoke up, scoffing, "Even the mighty Konoha White Fang would try to shirk responsibility?"

"Your condition is worse than when you were alive, does that mean I'm stronger than I was?"

Hatake Sakumo blushed, gritting his teeth but unable to refute.

He was never a Ninja who was good with words, otherwise he wouldn't have been driven to suicide by mere rumors.

Ignoring the Third Raikage, Shazo patted Hatake Sakumo on the shoulder reassuringly. "I believe in you, Hatake- senpai."

Although both Hatake Sakumo and the Third Raikage were close-combat Ninja, they were completely different types.

The Third Raikage was skilled in Nintaijutsu, possessing top-tier attack power, defense, and stamina. His fighting style was characterized by wide-ranging, aggressive attacks.

Hatake Sakumo is skilled in Short Sword Technique, and his attack power is also at its maximum, even capable of splitting the hardest puppets. However, his defense is the same as that of an ordinary Ninja. His fighting style is to move around and engage in close combat, seizing the opportunity to finish off the enemy with a single strike.

Even in his Impure World Reincarnation state, the Third Raikage could still gain powerful attack and defense capabilities through Nintaijutsu, and his stamina was even stronger than when he was alive.

In some ways, the Third Raikage was even more formidable than he was in life.

However, Hatake Sakumo relies on skill in combat, is not like that. His physical weakness makes his skills significantly weaker, and his attack power is even weaker.

However, Shazo wouldn't try to prove something with words if it couldn't be proven with facts.

He looked at Kimimaro and asked with concern, "How are you feeling? Are you feeling unwell?"

Kimimaro shook his head gratefully and said, "My body is fine, it's just that the intensity of the battle was too high for me, I'm very tired."

Shazo breathed a sigh of relief, "Then you should get some rest. Leave the rest to me."

The Third Raikage stood with his arms crossed, calmly watching Shazo. Apart from mocking Hatake Sakumo earlier, he did not interfere with Shazo's conversation with his Ninja.

It wasn't until Shazo turned to look at him that the Third Raikage spoke, "You are now the leader of the Allied Shinobi Forces. For the sake of Kumogakure, I will show mercy."

Shazo heard his thoughts through [Mantra] and couldn't help but laugh, "I never expected the Third Raikage to have such conflicted feelings."

"You want to kill me, to remove the mountain weighing down on Kumogakure, but you also fear that if I die, no one will be able to stop the ruthless Akatsuki and Madara Uchiha, leading to the destruction of Kumogakure."

"If you ask me, you're just being delusional."

Shazo's smile vanished, and he said coldly, "You really think you're the strongest Ninja in the Ninja World just because you can fight ten thousand Iwagakure Ninja for three days and three nights?"

"Give it your all, and I'll show you just how big the gap is between you and the true strongest."

The Third Raikage didn't speak, but instead circulated his Chakra to its maximum speed, causing dense arcs of electricity to erupt from his entire body, like plates of ring armor concealing his muscular physique.

[Lightning Release Chakra Mode - The Strongest Armor]

Shazo raised his hand, and a Truth -Truth-Seeking Orb had somehow materialized in his palm. He had also activated his Byakugan, ready for battle.

The Third Raikage roared, "Lightning Oppression Horizontal Chop!"

He leaped high into the air, transforming his Lightning Release Chakra into a high-intensity electric current, which gathered in his hand. Using the force of his downward descent, he unleashed a powerful chop at Shazo.

However, Shazo's [Mantra] is most sensitive to Lightning Release Chakra, and he immediately realized that the old man didn't have much Chakra in his hands, and that the real concentration was in his elbows.

The Third Raikage didn't use [Lightning Oppression Horizontal Chop], but rather the more powerful [Lariat].

As expected of the Third Raikage, the most cunning and best at disguising himself. He fought for so long, doing whatever was told, but now he's resorting to tricks.

If Shazo hadn't been able to see through it so easily, he might have actually been caught off guard by this unexpected attack.

However, even if he was tricked by the Third Raikage, it didn't matter. Shazo, at the peak of the Sage of Six Paths Level, had already transcended the realm of Ninja and was not someone that could be harmed by Nintaijutsu.

In the Ninja World, the only Taijutsu that could pose a threat to him are probably Might Guy's [Evening Elephant] and [Night Guy].

But that was only if Shazo didn't use the Truth-Seeking Orb.

Shazo had no intention of toying with the Third Raikage. He softened the Truth-Seeking Orb and, using Conqueror's Haki's Haki, attached it to his hand.

He countered the Third Raikage with the highest level of skill, using the Truth-Seeking Orb fist, which was as black as ink.

This punch shattered the Strongest Lightning Release Armor, destroyed the Third Raikage's arm, and also disrupted the Lightning Release Chakra concentrated in his elbow.

The Third Raikage's Reanimated Body was reduced to a sky full of Edo Impure World Reincarnation by Shazo's punch.

Moreover, there is no trend of reunification.