The Masked Man, already marked, no longer posed any threat in Minato's eyes.
Minato swiftly performed a Shunshin, dashing forward and placing his hand on the Masked Man.
"This is... the Contract Seal," the Masked Man realized. "You're trying to separate me from the Nine-Tails."
"In that case, the Nine-Tails will no longer belong to you," Minato said.
At that very moment, the Nine-Tails, rampaging through Konoha in the distance, shifted its eyes from the Three-Comma Sharingan to vertically slit pupils.
Anya, having already dealt with [Deva Path] and [Asura Path], set his sights on one direction and surged forward with purpose.
Ever since Pain had decided to stop him, Anya had already activated [Division Technique]. Unlike Jiraiya, who acted without proper intelligence, Anya naturally knew everything about Pain's identity. However, since he didn't yet know exactly how many Pains there were, locating the original body ahead of time was necessary.
Inside a massive tree created by a divine paper technique, Nagato spoke to Konan beside him, "Both Pains have been destroyed. He's coming. Hurry and leave."
Konan shook her head firmly. "I won't run. Let him come. There's something I must ask him."
Before long, the barrier outside shattered. Anya, his body flashing with lightning, burst directly through the tree's hollow, standing before the two.
Instantly, Konan spread her arms wide, shielding Nagato.
Anya approached slowly, holding the Blade of Indifference, his gaze calm as he looked at Nagato and said, "I gave you a chance, and you chose to refuse it."
Before Nagato could speak, Konan spoke first, "Master, don't you have anything to say to me?"
Anya replied indifferently, "No."
"Well then, I do." Konan, normally calm, grew emotional, her eyes slightly reddening. "Why did you take me away from Rain Country? You gave me a ray of light, showing me another way to live. But that light was snatched away in an instant. Now all I can do is catch fleeting glimpses of a light that doesn't belong to me—looking up while drowning in despair."
After hearing Konan's heartfelt words, Anya's killing intent weakened considerably, and a sense of guilt welled up inside him. Truthfully, from the beginning, he hadn't intended to take their lives. He already knew the origins of the Rinnegan—there was no telling what tricks Madara had played with it. The Uzumaki clan's physical constitution had been drained so thoroughly by the Rinnegan that they looked neither human nor ghost. For others, the results would only be worse. Letting Akatsuki form was probably for the best. With his knowledge of future events, he could easily reap the rewards later.
"Konan," Anya began, "from the very start, I never lied to you. Taking you as my student, I did have my own motives..."
"But you promised me you'd ensure their safety. And yet, Yahiko died," Konan accused. "Master, I know your abilities and methods. Danzo could never have bypassed you to attack us."
"You're giving me too much credit. If I were truly omnipotent, Haku wouldn't have died."
Konan froze in shock. "Big sis Haku... she's dead?"
Anya, unwilling to dwell further, warned, "Konan, I've already kept my promise to you. I won't kill him today. But if he dares to provoke me again with that half-awakened Rinnegan, there won't be another chance."
After Anya left, Nagato and Konan each fell into a long, silent contemplation.
Finally, Nagato spoke in a cold tone: "It seems he is the enemy of God mentioned by Madara. He's indeed powerful—his soul force is the darkest and strongest I've ever seen. No wonder every time I saw him before, I felt fear. Before I gathered all six Paths of Pain, I wasn't his match. I wonder how many such powerful ninja exist among the other hidden villages. Konan, if we want to realize Yahiko's ideal, we need help."
After a long silence, Konan collected her emotions and softly smiled: "I'll help you."
In the Konoha village, Hiruzen Sarutobi used the Ruyi Staff in his hand to push the Nine-Tails out of the village while numerous Konoha ninja charged forward to attack the beast.
However, these attacks were mere annoyances to the Nine-Tails, only fueling its rage further. With a casual swipe of its paw, the ground trembled violently. This terrifying chakra far exceeded what any human could handle and was incomparable to other tailed beasts.
Under the erosion of this chakra, the attacking ninja's bodies tore apart like paper, leaving the air and ground drenched in blood-red. The scene was shockingly brutal.
"We must stall it until the Fourth arrives!"
Shinku Yuhi also arrived at the frontlines, loudly commanding the Konoha ninja to restrict the Nine-Tails' movement.
"Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to lead those young ninja into the barrier?" Sarutobi was surprised when he saw Shinku.
Shinku replied: "Don't worry, Third. They've already entered the barrier safely. This place needs me more. Do you know where the Fourth went?"
Hiruzen shook his head: "Not sure yet. According to normal circumstances, the Nine-Tails shouldn't have been able to break free from its seal under his control. Something must've happened. Regardless, we cannot let the Nine-Tails destroy the village."
"I'll go," Shinku volunteered. She led a group of ninja to the exact front of the Nine-Tails.
After fierce and brutal fighting, most of the ninja on the frontline were nearly wiped out, and the aged Hiruzen Sarutobi fell to his knees, physically overwhelmed: "That monster won't stop."
Minato, who had defeated the Masked Man, emerged on the highest point of the Hokage Rock in Konoha. Witnessing this situation, without hesitation, he summoned Gamabunta directly into the battlefield.
"Puff..."
With a loud bang, the massive Gamabunta stood in front of numerous ninja.
The Nine-Tails opened its jaws, preparing to unleash a Tailed Beast Ball at Konoha.
"You won't be destroying this place."
Minato immediately darted toward the Nine-Tails and executed the hand seals for the Flying Thunder God Technique. In an instant, the Nine-Tails disappeared from Konoha.
Hiruzen froze for a moment before realizing: "Did he take it with him?"
"Boom... boom..."
A distant explosion echoed. The Nine-Tails' Tailed Beast Ball exploded completely.
Anya, who was rushing toward Konoha, heard the explosion from afar and instinctively tensed up. Channeling chakra through her entire body, she transformed into a streak of lightning, speeding toward the location of the blast.
Damn it, my Warhawk Puppet was destroyed—I have no choice but to rush on foot now. Minato, please wait for me. Don't do anything reckless.
When Anya arrived, she saw Hiruzen Sarutobi staring blankly at an empty space nearby.
Following his gaze, Anya looked over and saw the Nine-Tails, bound by several chains, raising its claw toward a baby lying on an altar.
Minato and Kushina rushed forward at the same time to shield the child. Sharp claws pierced through their bodies, stopping just inches away from the infant.
Anya's Mangekyo Sharingan activated instantly. She unsheathed the Blade of Indifference, shattered the barrier before her, and darted to Minato's side.
"Anya, how did you get here?" Minato smiled weakly as he greeted her.
Anya, who could see through souls, immediately understood what was happening. "Dead Demon Consuming Seal… It seems I arrived too late."
"But still," she continued, "I'd like to give it a try."
"Roar! Roar!" The Nine-Tails let out a series of triumphant roars after landing its strike.
"Be quiet."
With just a glance from Anya, the Nine-Tails froze completely, as if paralyzed. It instantly fell silent and stopped roaring.
Everyone watching stood in stunned silence.
After dealing with the Nine-Tails, Anya unleashed her ultimate Dojutsu on Minato: [Reversal].
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