Uzumaki Nagato began to waver and fell silent. Uchiha Kō, unaware of all this, continued to torment Salamander Hanzō.
"Oh, right, Konan, bring Yahiko over. I have a way to bring him back to life." Uchiha Kō smiled at the girl, then continued stomping on Salamander Hanzō.
Salamander Hanzō suddenly looked up, wanting to see the expression on the face of the person on top of him. Resurrected from the dead? Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous! Who did he think he was? The Sage of Six Paths?
Even the legendary Sage of Six Paths didn't have this ability, so why should you Uchiha Kō, have it? He suddenly sneered, which caught Uchiha Kō's attention.
"Laugh, laugh, laugh, you're everywhere, shut up!" Uchiha Kō looked at Salamander Hanzō, took out a wooden board from his Storage Scroll, and slapped it across Hanzo's mouth.
Salamander Hanzō immediately became quiet, no longer making a sound, but his eyes were fixed on what was in front of him.
Konan was stunned upon hearing this. Her tragic beauty was heart-wrenching, but the shock in her eyes made her tremble. To be brought back to life! This was the first time she had ever heard of such a thing!
Uzumaki Nagato realized what was happening. "Konan, hurry! Brother Kō wouldn't lie! Yahiko can come back to life!"
Konan nodded. "Okay! I'll go right now!" After saying that, Konan quickly ran to Yahiko's body, picked him up, and placed him in front of Uchiha Kō.
"Nagato, come here, give me a hand and hold this old guy down!" Uchiha Kō laughed, then beckoned to Nagato. Nagato nodded quickly and took Salamander Hanzō Uchiha Kō. This time, he stepped on Hanzo's face.
Salamander Hanzō gritted his teeth in pain. Damn it! It's bad enough that Uchiha Kō humiliated me, but you little brat dare to humiliate me too! Just as Salamander Hanzō was about to fight back, Nagato pulled out a black stick from somewhere and stabbed it into Salamander Hanzō's arms.
Salamander Hanzō felt his hands go numb. He couldn't draw chakra, and his hands were stiff and unable to move an inch. He was completely stunned. What was going on?! Before he could even process what was happening, two iron rods pierced through his legs, pinning him to the ground.
"Nagato brat! What have you done! Why can't I move or circulate my chakra! What are these sticks?!" Salamander Hanzō was shocked. These sticks not only sealed his pressure points but also prevented him from channeling his chakra.
In other words, at this moment, Salamander Hanzō is like a fish on a chopping board, completely at the mercy of others. Even a six-year-old child with a knife could easily kill Salamander Hanzō, who is known as a demigod of the Ninja World.
"Shut up!" Uzumaki Nagato slapped him across the face, his two purple Rinnegan fixed on Salamander Hanzō. Salamander Hanzō was taken aback when he saw those eyes, then became wary.
Because those eyes carried an inexplicable pressure that made his very soul tremble! That's right, it was the power of those eyes! Damn it! Why does this kid have such eyes!
He was completely immobile; aside from ensuring basic breathing, he was no different from someone in a vegetative state.
Uzumaki Nagato laughed. "Can you be quiet for once? If you disturb my Brother Kō, I'll destroy you." Uzumaki Nagato's words were cold and penetrating, making Salamander Hanzō ashamed.
Uchiha Kō glanced back at Salamander Hanzō and Uzumaki Nagato, sighed, then turned back and first touched Yahiko's heart and carotid artery; they were still warm.
Then he looked at Yahiko's abdomen, where there was a bloody hole that was still bleeding. Uchiha Kō slowly said, "He's not dead yet. I can heal this kind of injury." After saying that, he extracted chakra and then released a blue light through his left eye.
A greenish-blue light enveloped Yahiko's entire body. The bloody hole in his abdomen was now wriggling and healing, and the organs that had just been scraped were also beginning to repair themselves thanks to the effects of the green light.
His heart, which had stopped beating, began to pump blood throughout his body. Soon, Yahiko's pale face slowly regained its color. Konan covered her mouth, unable to believe what she was seeing. Could someone really bring the dead back to life?
After finishing all this, Uchiha Kō closed his left eye, feeling a little sore. "This is my Mangekyo Sharingan. Resurrection arrived just in time; he wasn't dead yet, so I healed his injuries."
"But even if he really dies, I can bring him back to life." Uchiha Kō slowly stood up, turned and walked towards Nagato. The next moment, Yahiko hurriedly stood up, "Nagato, kill me! Otherwise, you and Konan will both die!"
After saying this, he immediately looked around. When a person is closest to death, the images that appear in his mind are his entire life playing out like a revolving lantern.
Then he saw Nagato fighting Salamander Hanzō, Konan crying beside him, and the back of Uchiha Kō. He touched his abdomen and found it was perfectly flat. Could this be a dream?
No, if it's a dream, how could Salamander Hanzō be here! And being trampled under Nagato's feet! Besides, the pain from those Kunai piercing him couldn't be faked!
Uchiha Kō patted Nagato on the shoulder. "Go take a look. Yahiko is alive. Leave this guy to me!" After saying that, Uchiha Kō looked at Salamander Hanzō and the four black rods on his body.
Konan burst into tears; the great joy and sorrow of her life had come too suddenly.
"Konan, I'm alright! Don't cry!" Yahiko quickly comforted her.
"You bastard!" Uzumaki Nagato and punched Yahiko in the left cheek. Yahiko winced in pain, but he knew Nagato hadn't meant to kill him!
"What right do you have to make decisions for me? Do you think it's cool to face death calmly? Have you ever considered me, or Konan's feelings! Without any one of us, Akatsuki is no longer Akatsuki! Do you understand?" Nagato grabbed Yahiko by the collar and lifted him up!
Yahiko smiled bitterly. Faced with the furious Uzumaki Nagato, he didn't dare to talk back. After all, he understood that Nagato was doing it for his own good, so what was there for him to pursue?
"Nagato, be gentle! Yahiko just woke up, and we don't know how well he's recovered yet!" Konan stepped forward and grabbed Nagato's other hand. Nagato was taken aback, then released his grip on Yahiko's collar and nodded.
Just now, the moment Nagato pulled Konan to protect her, Konan accepted reality and made up her mind about Nagato. Even now that Yahiko has been resurrected, if someone asks Konan who she likes, she will probably say Nagato without hesitation.
"Hmph! I'll let you off this time for Konan's sake. But if there's a next time, abandon us and take all the blame yourself, don't blame me for beating you up!" Nagato said arrogantly, then walked towards Uchiha Kō.
"Ding, Uzumaki Nagato's corruption level has been detected to be 0. Mission complete. The original storyline has been altered, Yahiko's death and the birth of a god! Reward: Golden Rinnegan, second skill Space Severing."
Uchiha Kō's eyes lit up. Space Severing! Then, the system demonstrated in his mind that he could use spatial power to separate people or objects during battle.
For example, if this skill were used on Hidan, it would separate his body from his limbs in an instant!
Konan glanced at Yahiko and said, "Nagato is right! Yahiko, you can't keep acting like this!" After saying that, she followed Nagato and walked alongside him toward Uchiha Kō.
Yahiko was taken aback. What happened? And didn't Konan call me "brother" before? Why is she calling me Yahiko now? He sighed. After the checkup, he found that there was nothing seriously wrong, so he got up and followed the two.
When the three arrived in front of Uchiha Kō withdrew his consciousness from his mind. He looked at the three children and smiled, "Finished catching up?"
Uchiha Kō's eyes held amusement as he glanced at Konan, Nagato, and Yahiko. He paid particular attention to Konan and Nagato, making Konan's face flush and Nagato feel somewhat awkward.
"Brother Kō, um, thank you!" It was Yahiko who spoke. He scratched his head, not expecting that Uchiha Kō would travel so far to save him.
Uchiha Kō glanced at Nagato, then slowly said, "It's nothing, Chief Yahiko. I should be thanking you for the rice seeds. The first batch has been planted, and we're just waiting for next year's harvest."
"I never expected that Brother Kō, as the Hokage, would care about such agricultural products!" Yahiko was taken aback.
"Whether you're the Hokage or the common people, aren't you all human? Humans need to eat, and Chief Yahiko's gift can increase food production. You could say that Chief Yahiko has done a better job than I have as the Hokage!" Uchiha Kō praised generously.
Yahiko scratched his head. Had he really done that well?
"Brother Kō, shouldn't we be thinking about how to deal with Salamander Hanzō? After all, Yahiko almost died because of him!" It was Uzumaki Nagato who spoke. His face was very ugly, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes!
Konan nodded. She had absolutely no liking for the man who had kidnapped and attacked her! Yahiko almost died because of him. If Yahiko had died, given Nagato's personality, no one knew what path the Akatsuki would take in the future.
Salamander Hanzō raised his head, looked at the three Akatsuki, and finally sighed, "History is written by the victors. Since I have lost, you may kill me or do whatever you wish."
He now understood that his path could only go this far. His more than twenty years as a leader had been filled with humiliation, glory, forbearance, and compromise—a rich and complex experience. He had no regrets.
Yahiko's expression was complicated. He wanted to forgive Salamander Hanzō, but when Nagato glanced at him, he held back. For some reason, he was now a little afraid of Nagato.
Seeing this, Uchiha Kō shook his head helplessly. He looked at Salamander Hanzō and said, "Hanzo, to put it bluntly, you are no longer the spirited person you once were, who wanted to make the Land of Rain a great power."
"Now you're more like a monstrous dragon coiled around the head of the Land of Rain. Anyone who offends your authority is eliminated, just to ensure your rule. Am I right?" Uchiha Kō saw through people's hearts; he had seen this kind of thing more than once.
Aren't the Third Hokage and Salamander Hanzō the same kind of people?