Where the hell is my giant Demonic Statue of the Outer Path?!!

"Summoning Jutsu."

"Demonic Statue of the Outer Path!!!"

BOOM!!!

The next moment, the heavens and earth seemed to be torn apart by an invisible force. Pitch-black fissures spread from the ground like the arrival of the apocalypse, shaking the entire battlefield.

A suffocating pressure permeated the air, as if the entire world were trembling.

A withered, giant claw tore through the darkness. Accompanied by a sharp, rending sound, jagged wooden spikes flickered like ghosts, flashing with a cold, icy light.

The withered skin on that claw was as pale as a thousand-year-old corpse, and the wooden spikes protruding from its folds exuded an eerie aura, as if it were a demon crawling out from the depths of hell.

Then, the monster's head emerged—a skull as precipitous as a cliff, covered in cracks and the marks of time.

Nine eyes were coldly embedded upon it, each sealed by rough stitches, with only the hideous scars exposed, radiating a thick, deathly aura.

The Eight-Tails and the Two-Tails sensed a familiar aura at almost the same time; the moment they turned, their gazes froze.

Killer B noticed the Eight-Tails' anomaly, his brows furrowing as he whispered, "Hachibi, what's wrong?"

To him, the monster in his eyes did not seem enough to warrant such high alert; the pressure it exerted was far less than the Susanoo from just a moment ago.

However, a monstrous storm was raging within the hearts of the Eight-Tails and the Two-Tails—

"Impossible!!! This aura..." A shocking thought surged through the minds of both Tailed Beasts simultaneously.

"This cannot be..." The Two-Tails' voice began to tremble, struggling to suppress the fear within.

"The Ten-Tails?!!"

The Eight-Tails furrowed its brows, a flash of incredulous suspicion crossing its eyes. "It... how could this be the Ten-Tails? The Ten-Tails was sealed long ago..."

Unease welled up in the Eight-Tails' heart; it knew well that its own origin was closely tied to the Ten-Tails.

As one of the nine portions of chakra separated from the Ten-Tails by the Sage of Six Paths, its instinctual knowledge dictated that the Ten-Tails had long since vanished.

All Tailed Beasts inherited the memories of the Sage of Six Paths and were clear that they originated from the splitting of the Ten-Tails.

Yet now—

It knew that this aura was definitely not that of an ordinary summoning beast; its source seemed linked to the Ten-Tails.

"Run!!!" The Eight-Tails' voice rose instantly, filled with unprecedented tension and panic. "No matter what, get out of here!"

The Eight-Tails could no longer suppress its anxiety. Although it could not understand why Uchiha Yoru would summon such a bizarre monster, its intuition told it that only by fleeing now could they preserve their lives.

The Two-Tails' gaze flickered; it could feel that terrifying pressure and likewise deemed the situation extremely dangerous.

But at this moment, the roar of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path grew increasingly deafening, and that irresistible aura seemed as if it would tear the entire world into fragments.

A heavy pressure filled the air, and the entire battlefield was crushed by this power, leaving everyone unable to catch their breath.

Uchiha Yoru stood atop the head of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, his brows locked in deep thought.

He had originally intended to seal both Tailed Beasts at once, but he suddenly recalled a key detail from the original work—the order in which the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path seals the Tailed Beasts is crucial.

One must seal the One-Tail Shukaku first, otherwise, the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path would collapse and be unable to continue the operation.

With a decision made, Uchiha Yoru smiled slightly and flashed rapidly to stand before the Eight-Tails and the Two-Tails.

"You..." The Eight-Tails looked at Uchiha Yoru, who had suddenly appeared before it, its gaze filled with a hint of vigilance.

However, before the words could finish, Uchiha Yoru's eyes turned instantly cold.

"Genjutsu—!"

In an instant, the consciousnesses of the Eight-Tails and the Two-Tails plunged into darkness.

Their bodies stiffened instantly, their eyes turning hollow as they completely lost perception of the surrounding world, all resistance thoroughly suppressed.

The two Tailed Beasts were reduced to mere puppets of Uchiha Yoru, stripped of any ability to resist.

A cold sneer flashed in Uchiha Yoru's eyes as he turned and walked toward the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, while the Eight-Tails and the Two-Tails followed mechanically under his control.

Oh, right, there was still the Nine-Tails.

Facing the three Tailed Beasts, Uchiha Yoru commanded coldly, "Head to Kumogakure."

Before his voice had even faded, his fingers moved slightly, and he immediately dispelled the summoning of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path let out a loud boom, transforming into a puff of blue smoke and vanishing into the air instantly.

Uchiha Yoru stood there, the corners of his mouth curling into a faint, elusive smile.

There was only one Demonic Statue of the Outer Path in the Ninja World, and he had just sensed a summoning request for the statue coming from elsewhere.

"Interesting..." He gave a cold laugh, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes.

As someone with the templates of Indra and Ashura, his priority in summoning the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path far exceeded anyone else's.

The summoner of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path must be Nagato's side.

However, Uchiha Yoru was in no rush to deal with it. He decided to temporarily leave the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path with them; once he had leveled Kumogakure, he would then head to the Land of Rain.

He leaped up, standing firmly on the shoulder of the Nine-Tails, his gaze deep, as if he could see through every corner of the future.

The massive body of the Nine-Tails then began to move, its heavy footsteps sounding like thunder, shaking the entire earth.

It carried the remaining two Tailed Beasts, and under the control of Uchiha Yoru, it sped toward Kumogakure.

After tonight, Kumogakure would cease to exist!

Meanwhile--

In the Land of Rain, within a collapsed cavern.

Inside the cave, several figures stood, clad in black robes embroidered with blood-red cloud patterns.

Under the dim light, the air was heavy, as if the oppression made it difficult to breathe.

"What on earth is going on?" a creature with a hideous face and a bizarre physique asked in a hoarse voice, his words laced with obvious anxiety and tension.

Black Zetsu. This ancient existence had always been silently manipulating everything from the shadows, but at this moment, he was clearly unsettled.

Pain's face remained cold and stern, yet Nagato, who was controlling him, was filled with shock and deep confusion.

Where the hell did my massive Demonic Statue of the Outer Path go?!!

Just a moment ago, that powerful summoning beast he had once regarded as his ultimate trump card—the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path—had vanished right under his nose!

However, what was even stranger was that the black rods supporting Nagato from behind had not disappeared; they remained tightly connected to him, symbolizing that the existence of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path had not been completely severed.

Nagato could sense that the power of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path was still fluctuating within the Ninja World, only it was being pulled by some powerful chakra, a chakra that provided him with a slight sense of relief from the pressure.

"The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path still exists... but where exactly did it go?" A deep sense of unease welled up in Nagato's heart, and his eyes flashed with suspicion and shock.

He knew this could not be a coincidence.

The disappearance of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path threw him into a panic; his long-standing, meticulous arrangements seemed to have collapsed in an instant.

His original plan relied on the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path to seal the Tailed Beasts, completely sealing them away from the Ninja World to achieve his goals.

Yet, all of this now appeared blurred and uncertain.

"Nagato, continue to summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path." Black Zetsu's voice came again, tinged with impatience.

Nagato took a deep breath, refocused his mind, and began to attempt the summoning once more.

After several failures, anxiety began to show in Nagato's eyes.

Finally, after failure upon failure, the silhouette of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path appeared once again in Nagato's field of vision.

"Hoo—" Nagato let out a sigh of relief, temporarily setting aside the heavy burden in his heart.

He couldn't help but furrow his brows; the disappearance of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path had made him realize the crisis at hand.

"Konan." Pain looked toward Konan, gazing deeply into her eyes.

"Convene a meeting of the Akatsuki organization!"