Swift and Decisive!

"Mr. Yu, should I summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path first?" Nagato asked.

Riu thought to himself, Heh. There's no need for that, but to be safe, I should put on a show.

"Ah, that's right. Since there'll be quite a commotion, let's conduct both the summoning ritual and the sealing ritual in my Space-Time Dimension!"

Whoosh! Riu's right eye unleashed a Kamui Vortex, drawing Nagato and Konan into the Space-Time Dimension together.

"Raaaargh!! Summoning Jutsu: Demonic Statue of the Outer Path!!"

Nagato formed hand seals. After a painfully strenuous buildup, bang! Amid a cloud of smoke, the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path appeared behind him...

In truth, the Demonic Statue had already been stored in Riu's Space-Time Dimension. Otherwise, with Nagato's current strength, he simply could not have performed a "cross-dimensional" summon.

"Huff... haah... huff... haah... Mr. Yu, I'll leave the rest to you." Nagato panted heavily after completing the summoning.

Riu said to the uneasy Konan beside him, "Konan, move farther away. If you get caught up in this, you'll definitely die."

"Understood." After a moment of hesitation, Konan retreated into the distance, Chakra gathering beneath her feet as though she were ready to handle any emergency at any moment.

Heh. Riu chuckled inwardly and paid it no mind.

After forming the seal, Riu placed his hand on Nagato's abdomen.

Sealing Jutsu: Six Paths Ten-Tails Coffin Seal: Husk Seal!

"Raaagh!!!" The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path howled as it twisted and flowed into Nagato's body.

"Aaaargh!!!" Nagato let out a shrill scream of agony.

"Nagato!!" Konan was about to rush forward when she suddenly stopped, staring in shock. "Th-this is..."

She saw, to her astonishment, that Nagato's emaciated body was recovering at a visible rate.

Once the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path had completely entered Nagato's body, an unimaginably terrifying Chakra storm swept through the Space-Time Dimension...

"Ah!" Konan was blasted far away.

Riu, however, stood as if bathed in a spring breeze. As expected, the Uzumaki Clan's vitality and Body Energy are second only to the Senju Clan's...

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!

Riu rotated his palm, carving a partially opened sealing formula onto Nagato's abdomen as scorching smoke rose from it.

Nagato looked at his own hands in disbelief...

"How does it feel?" Riu asked.

"I feel like I can do so many things now..." Nagato's Rinnegan flickered.

"You'll gradually discover that it isn't merely 'like.' It's only natural," Riu said with a smile.

"Hm?" Nagato raised his head, gazing into the endless distance.

"What is it?"

"I can sense another enormous source of Chakra somewhere extremely far away in this space..." Nagato said.

Riu was slightly surprised. Oh? Now that he possesses the Demonic Statue's power, he can sense the Eight-Tails' Chakra from the same source...

"Don't worry about it. Let's go back."

"Alright."

Whoosh! The Kamui vortex spun, and Riu brought Nagato and Konan back to the tower outside Amegakure.

Riu instructed Nagato, "Nagato, although your legs have recovered somewhat and you can move around simply, your mobility is still far too limited. In future battles, you'll still have to rely on the Six Paths of Pain."

Nagato said gratefully, "Mr. Yu, you are truly my greatest benefactor. I don't even know how I could repay you."

Riu spun a string of lies. "Repay me? You are the reincarnation of the Sage of Six Paths. My mission is to guide the Sage's reincarnation, fulfill the Sage's final wish, and bring true peace to this Shinobi World. We are comrades who share the same ideals, advancing toward a common goal. Why speak of repayment?"

"Mr. Yu..." Nagato was moved beyond words.

"Carry out the tasks I assigned you well. Build Akatsuki into the strongest mercenary organization in the Shinobi World, and then... once the Three-Tails revives, officially begin the operation to collect the Tailed Beasts." As Riu spoke, he pulled up his hood.

"I understand, Mr. Yu," Nagato said respectfully.

From beneath his mask, Riu's Sharingan cast a deep sidelong glance at Nagato, as well as the silent Konan in the corner.

"Very well... I'll come find you again when the time is right. Farewell."

Whoosh! Accompanied by a Kamui vortex, Riu vanished amid the thunder and lightning of Amegakure.

By the time he returned to the base, Yūhi Uzuki and Tobi were already fully prepared.

"Let's go. It's time to head for our new home..." Riu slung the Uchiha Gunbai over his back and strode out through the cave entrance.

Rumble...! Then, amid a deafening roar, the base was reduced to rubble, along with every trace that had ever existed there.

At this moment, in Takigakure of the Land of Waterfalls.

"Everyone, this is the message Uchiha Yu asked me to deliver. He will arrive on time tomorrow at this hour, and he awaits your answer..."

Having finished speaking, White Zetsu seemed terrified of being silenced. He immediately sank into the ground, leaving Takigakure's higher-ups staring in stunned disbelief.

"Village Chief! He must be making empty threats. Takigakure hasn't done anything to offend him, has it?" Everyone turned to look at the elderly man seated upon the throne, leaning on a cane.

He was Takigakure's village chief, Shibuki. Though he was not qualified to inherit the title of Kage, it was said that he possessed tremendous strength.

"I'm afraid it's true. His tracks have appeared in the Land of Fire, the Land of Rain, the Land of Water, and the Land of Lightning. No one understands the rules by which he acts! I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest even if he attacked the Five Kage Summit!"

Shibuki's words caused every Waterfall Village shinobi present to pale.

"What should we do, then? Are you really going to surrender your position as village chief just because Uchiha Yu said so?"

"My position as village chief is insignificant. What matters is that Uchiha Yu has become the common enemy of the Five Great Nations. This Five Kage Summit is being held specifically to decide how to deal with him. No matter how powerful he may be, there is absolutely no chance that he will survive the combined assault of the Five Kage! If we submit to him, we will be making enemies of the Five Great Nations. Therefore, we absolutely cannot surrender!"

Shibuki struck his cane against the ground, making it knock repeatedly.

"The village chief is right! Since ancient times, Takigakure has been a force that even the Five Great Nations dared not casually invade. How can we bow our heads because of a mere Uchiha Yu? If he dares come here, we'll let him taste the power of the Land of Waterfalls!!"

"That's right! We have the power of a Tailed Beast on our side!"

Yet deep concern filled Shibuki's aged eyes. "To be safe, have all the villagers evacuate..."

"Village Chief, this..."

"Do as I say!"

"Yes!"

"Village Chief, should we seek outside assistance?"

"The Kage of the Five Great Nations are all away from their villages right now. I'm afraid no one can make that kind of decision..."

"Then what should we do?"

Shibuki gripped his cane tightly. After what seemed like a long time, he finally made up his mind. "Sigh... Go and bring Kakuzu back..."

"Kakuzu? But because of what happened back then, he already defected from the village and has completely severed ties with us..."

Shibuki's aged eyes flickered. "I understand that man. For money, he can cast aside hatred, emotions, even everything else. No matter the cost, we must bring him back. We cannot do without his strength. He was the man our village chose back then to carry out the mission to assassinate the First Hokage..."