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Chapter 197 - Chapter 197: The Great Battle Concludes

The Susanoo, carrying both Jizo and Kagutsuchi within it, was irresistibly pulled towards the black sphere high in the sky by the Chibaku Tensei.

"Let me give you a boost!" Kagutsuchi yelled to Jizo at the critical moment. He moved forward swiftly, grabbed Jizo's body, and hurled him forcefully downwards.

As his body shot out from within the Susanoo construct, Jizo instantly dispelled the giant warrior he had maintained for so long. The sky-blue titan vanished without a trace in mid-air, while Jizo's body rocketed diagonally downwards like a cannonball, aiming towards the location he had pinpointed earlier.

Almost there!

Flying through the air, feeling the immense gravitational pull from above, Jizo stared fixedly at the direction of Nagato's hidden refuge, muttering under his breath. Suddenly, blood tears streamed from his left eye.

Far away, within the cave hidden beneath the mountainside, the emaciated figure of Nagato sat on a large, modified wheelchair. At that moment, all his attention was focused through the Deva Path, continuously pouring chakra into maintaining the Chibaku Tensei.

Just then, Nagato abruptly sensed an immense danger descending upon him. He instinctively shifted his body to the side.

SHIIING!

A massive, sky-blue chakra blade materialized seemingly from nowhere, piercing straight through the mountainside cave wall. It grazed Nagato's left side, tearing a deep wound.

Although the attack didn't kill Nagato, it severely injured him. His body ravaged by the sudden wound, he could no longer maintain the Chibaku Tensei.

BOOM! CRASH! RUMBLE!

The massive collection of rock, earth, and trees pulled high into the sky collapsed, raining down onto the landscape below in a deafening cascade of impacts.

Shinra Tensei!

Nagato let out a low grunt. A powerful repulsive force erupted from around him, blasting away the phantom Susanoo blade still embedded in the cave wall and deflecting the continuously falling debris.

"Nagato!" Countless paper butterflies rapidly converged, forming the figure of Konan beside Nagato. She looked at him with deep concern.

"I'm alright," Nagato said, glancing at his heavily injured left side and waving a dismissive hand. His gaze then shifted to Jizo and Kagutsuchi, who had landed not far away.

Jizo's current state looked terrible. He clutched his eyes, his body extremely weak, only able to stand with Kagutsuchi's support.

In the distance, Kakuzu, Sasori, Suijin, and the two basic clone bodies were all rushing towards their location at full speed. As for the Deva Path and Preta Path bodies, without Nagato's chakra controlling them, they had collapsed inertly onto the ground. Seeing the deactivated Paths, Sasori and Kakuzu both wore expressions of dawning realization. So, the leader of the organization is just a puppet, controlled by someone else from behind the scenes.

Nagato paid no attention to the arriving Akatsuki members. He raised his head, looking at Jizo and Kagutsuchi, and asked gravely, "How did you discover my secret?"

Kagutsuchi shrugged. "Just a guess." He aimed to keep Nagato uncertain about the true extent of their knowledge. The goal of severely injuring Nagato had been achieved. What happened next depended entirely on Nagato's choice. If Nagato truly intended to kill or capture them at any cost, they would have no choice but to flee, temporarily abandoning Yakugakure and Ansei Hall. Without Jizo as their main combatant, they no longer possessed the strength to fight Nagato directly.

However, Kagutsuchi knew they couldn't show weakness in their demeanor.

Nagato stared intently at Kagutsuchi and the weakened Jizo for a few moments, then said slowly, "Regardless of what you know, you both die here today." With that, Nagato slowly raised his right hand, resolved to eliminate the threat Jizo posed. That last attack had allowed Nagato, for the first time since awakening the Rinnegan, to feel the chilling touch of death.

Shimmer~

Just as Nagato prepared to strike, a swirling spatial vortex appeared suddenly, and Obito materialized beside him.

"That's enough!" Obito declared, grabbing Nagato's raised right hand.

"You intend to stop me?" Nagato turned, glaring coldly at Obito.

"I'm not stopping you; I'm saving you," Obito countered. "If you continue this fight, you might actually die! Our plan hasn't even officially begun, and you're prepared to fight to the death here against these irrelevant people?"

"Nagato, don't fight anymore! Let's retreat for now!" Konan pleaded from the side, extremely worried about Nagato's injuries.

Hearing their words, Nagato remained silent for several seconds before stating, "They will be an obstacle to our plan."

"They're merely a larger stumbling block, nothing more!" Obito argued. "Wait until the Gedo Mazo is fully restored. Once our plan begins, no one will be able to stop us. If you truly die here today, or suffer irreparable injury, that would be a devastating blow to our plans."

"I will not be defeated!" Nagato retorted coldly.

"You are already injured!" Obito stated emphatically, looking directly at Nagato.

After a long, heavy silence, Nagato finally spoke two words softly: "Let's go."

Shimmer~

The swirling spatial vortex reappeared. Obito vanished, taking Nagato and Konan with him into the Kamui dimension.

Poof! Poof! Two clouds of smoke rose from the battlefield as the bodies of the Deva Path and Preta Path were reverse-summoned away.

Seeing their leader disappear, Kakuzu and Sasori cursed internally but quickly retreated as well.

Kagutsuchi, Suijin, and the two basic clone bodies did not pursue the departing Akatsuki members. They had successfully withstood Akatsuki's assault; there was no need to create unnecessary complications. Moreover, while the battle might have seemed like a draw on the surface, Tatsuya's side had gained a distinct advantage. Not only had they eliminated one minor Akatsuki member (Iwamoto), but they had also forced both Nagato and Obito out from the shadows. With these masterminds exposed, many of their plans could no longer proceed as originally intended. For Tatsuya, thwarting Akatsuki's plans was a victory in itself.

Swoosh~

Sounds of movement came from the distance as Pakura's figure flickered rapidly into view. She soon arrived beside Kagutsuchi, Suijin, and the others.

"Did the Akatsuki flee?" Pakura asked, glancing around at the landscape dramatically altered by the Chibaku Tensei and looking at Jizo, who was clearly suffering from extreme exhaustion.

"They didn't flee. They chose to retreat," Kagutsuchi corrected her, his expression serious.

Pakura fell silent upon hearing this. Before this battle, Tatsuya had shared some intelligence about Akatsuki with her, but their true strength had still far exceeded her expectations. Thinking this, Pakura's gaze swept over Kagutsuchi, Suijin, and the two basic clones. If not for the sudden appearance of these members of the "Divine Court," Yakugakure's strength alone would have stood no chance.

"What about Orochimaru?" Kagutsuchi asked, noticing Pakura's contemplative gaze but ignoring it.

Hearing the question, a strange expression flickered across Pakura's face. "He fled!"

"Fled?" Kagutsuchi echoed, slightly surprised. Even with Pakura revealing her Scorch Release Kekkei Genkai, it seemed unlikely she could have scared Orochimaru into outright retreat.

Pakura nodded. "Yes. He seemed to have no intention of continuing the fight with me."

"Oh? No intention of continuing the fight?" Kagutsuchi murmured thoughtfully, a knowing look on his face. It seems Orochimaru is preparing to leave Akatsuki.

 

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