At this moment, Konan gazed at the figure suspended in the air, her thoughts completely frozen.
She didn't know what Nagato had experienced during this time, how he had obtained such immense power, or why he was here now.
However, she had completely understood the fact that she and he now stood on opposing sides.
Even Konan herself hadn't noticed that, at this moment, she genuinely didn't want her former friend to become an enemy of Sawara Kiri.
As for the reason behind this—whether it was fear of him dying at Sawara Kiri's hands, or fear of Nagato, who had suddenly gained such power, disrupting her current 'status quo'—that remained unknown.
Almost instinctively, she spoke.
"Nagato?"
However, Nagato, suspended high in the sky, didn't spare her a single glance. Instead, he stared directly towards Sawara Kiri, completely ignoring her presence.
His three eyes were fixed on Sawara Kiri, and his voice seemed completely devoid of human emotion as he said indifferently:
"Originally, I thought that foolish woman alone would be enough to subdue you."
"For a mere mortal, to achieve such a degree is truly astonishing."
"Sawara Kiri."
Hearing the term 'foolish woman,' Uchiha Hikari, who had just climbed to her feet, felt her eyelids twitch, and a fierce glint appeared in her scarlet eyes.
Sawara Kiri, on the other hand, looked up at him with interest, a slight smile on his face:
"It should clearly be my side that's astonished."
"As a former defeated opponent, you shouldn't be the kind of fool who doesn't learn from his mistakes."
"Nagato."
Listening to his mocking taunts, Nagato's face showed no anger, only a calm gaze towards him.
Defeated opponent.
Although it had only happened a few months ago, Nagato suddenly felt it was somewhat distant now.
Before personally acquiring this power, he indeed harbored an intense, almost unspeakable fear and anger towards this man.
Whether it was Konan being taken, or himself being toyed with, or that feeling of powerlessness after escaping—
But everything was different now.
Nagato lowered his head, looking at his palms.
Unlike their usual flesh tone.
Now, the skin on these palms was already a plaster-like pale.
With his current ocular power, he could clearly see the true nature deep within his body, beyond its superficial appearance.
The flesh originally hidden beneath his skin had, after he obtained this power, turned into a grayish-white, like a plant. Chakra meridians spread throughout his body like fibers, continuously supplying him with energy, and his well-trained muscles were gnarled and solid like old tree roots.
Even at a more fundamental level, the outside of every single cell had extended a wall-like membrane, all filled with a vast power that he could never have imagined before.
At this moment, he was no longer human.
However, all this power came at a heavy price.
To obtain that Tenseigan, Yahiko died on the moon, and he himself was severely wounded. The power possessed by those who called themselves Ōtsutsuki descendants far exceeded their original estimations.
It wasn't until his spirit, through Black Zetsu's connection, established a link with the deity hidden deep within the moon that he was reborn.
Thus, he merged the Tenseigan and Rinnegan, becoming a true 'God.'
And all these sacrifices were for this moment.
"Boom—"
Suddenly, Nagato's narrowed three eyes widened abruptly, and a violent gust of wind immediately spread out from his body as the center. The intense impact caused everyone present to tremble underfoot, and their clothes flapped with a rustling sound.
Uchiha Hikari blocked the wind with her arms, her black robe clinging tightly to her torso, outlining perfect curves.
Sawara Kiri, however, remained standing in place, his surrounding Limitless devouring all impact and wind like a bottomless black hole.
"Sawara Kiri."
"Are you pleased?"
Nagato's voice suddenly rose at this moment, locking onto Sawara Kiri with a gaze so fierce it was almost tyrannical. He clapped his hands together with a 'snap,' and his entire body, with this action, burst forth with light that burned like raging flames.
Not only that, but a pair of pitch-black hands also extended from behind him, clapping together at Nagato's chest and abdomen with a snap, as if he had grown a second pair of hands.
"Roar—"
At the same time, the Gedo Statue in the distance behind him, which had already devoured the Chakra Tree, also let out a deafening roar as if in response.
Nagato's voice became increasingly hoarse, as if he wanted to unleash all his fury at this moment:
"Since that's the case, let me make you aware."
"The price of slandering a God."
His power, his sacrifice, his anger, his endurance... all were for this moment.
"Edo Tensei!"
Almost the instant his voice fell.
Sawara Kiri seemed to see a black and yellow round face with a disgusting grin behind Nagato, its expression malicious.
Uchiha Hikari immediately noticed the anomaly in the ground beneath her feet.
"Rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble"
Continuous tremors like an earth roar, countless wooden coffins rose one after another from underground, breaking through the earth.
The girl couldn't help but show a look of astonishment, staring incredulously at each of these coffins before her.
Edo Tensei?
How could this be?
As Uchiha Madara's direct successor, she naturally knew about this Jutsu. In fact, the reason she brought the young Nagato and others to her side back then was to prevent Uchiha Madara's 'resurrection' and achieve her own goals.
Furthermore, many of the powerful Ninja corpses required for Edo Tensei were in her possession.
But why was the Chakra emanating from these corpse coffins so powerful now?
As she wondered, Uchiha Hikari seemed to suddenly remember something, her eyes widening abruptly, and she gritted her teeth, muttering:
"Black Zetsu—!"
"Precisely, Uchiha Hikari."
From Nagato's back, a slick black head emerged, looking down at her with a mocking smile: "You've truly worked hard all these years."
Uchiha Hikari wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, her gaze towards Nagato growing increasingly fierce.
However, before she could say anything more, the foremost coffin had already fully emerged from the ground.
Before the coffin lid could open on its own, a muffled 'boom—' was heard from inside.
The entire wooden coffin lid of the Divine Tree was instantly kicked open with a powerful blow, sending up a cloud of floating dust.
Uchiha Madara, his body still covered in cracks, stepped out of the coffin, his scarlet Sharingan sweeping his surroundings with a sharp gaze, only to see a scorched earth.
He instinctively frowned, a hint of confusion appearing on his face.
This was not according to the plan he had set before.
Had that Uchiha Hikari really betrayed him after all?
As he thought, his gaze had already swept across to the two familiar figures on the opposite side.
Sawara Kiri.
Uchiha Hikari.
'Wait?'
'Why is Uchiha Hikari over there?'
'Who then is the one who summoned me—'
Uchiha Madara thought instinctively.
Turning his head, he saw Nagato's figure high in the sky.
His brows immediately furrowed into a knot.
At this moment, it wasn't just him.
Upon hearing the commotion outside, one coffin after another was opened, and more and more familiar figures appeared before everyone.
"Madara! Why are you here?!"
A familiar, foolish voice came from behind him. As Uchiha Madara's gaze turned back, he saw Senju Hashirama's astonished expression.
Senju Tobirama, beside him, had already taken a battle stance, immediately picking up a Kunai and holding it in reverse grip, looking at him with vigilance, while also reminding him:
"Big Brother, we're already dead!"
"This is Edo Tensei, someone has summoned us."
"Eh? Tobirama, I told you not to research those strange Jutsu, didn't I? Now look—"
However, Uchiha Madara's gaze did not linger on the two of them. Instead, it turned to the increasing number of kicked-open coffins.
Retsu, Shamon, Ishikaw, Mū, Byakuren, Hōzuki Gengetsu, Ay—
These guys, they actually summoned all the deceased Kage-level Ninja?
Their target, however, was only the two people in front of them.
What exactly was going on here?!
What had the Ninja World become?
At this moment, it wasn't just Uchiha Madara who felt confused. Everyone present, after emerging, couldn't help but feel a bit lost, instinctively associating it with the Second Hokage's Jutsu that could desecrate the souls of the dead.
However, upon seeing that he was also among them, they paused, and instinctively began to look around.
Soon, they discovered the figure floating in the sky.
And the group of people standing in the distance.
Senju Hashirama was undoubtedly the most oblivious among them. He immediately spotted Tsunade, who was enveloped by the Susanoo in the distance and whose clothes bore the Senju clan crest, and his face lit up with excitement:
"You're... Tsunade-chan?!"
"Big Brother, Tsunade-chan was already almost this age when I died. How could it be her?"
"Eh? Is she Tsunade-chan's daughter then?"
A vein throbbed on Tsunade's forehead. At this moment, facing such a situation, she didn't know whether to be anxious or angry, and she said urgently:
"I am Tsunade!"
"Hashirama Grandpa, you were summoned by that bastard in the sky, be careful of him—"
However, before she could finish speaking.
Nagato, floating high in the sky, had already snorted coldly, a brilliant light erupting from the center of his brow, and his right hand brought two fingers together.
"Heavenly Puppet Life!"
Almost the instant his Jutsu fell, scattered spiritual spheres shot like raindrops into every Edo Tensei body.
The group of people who had just been loudly arguing suddenly froze, then their hands dropped to their sides.
When they looked up again, their expressions had changed somewhat.
"This is... ocular power?!"
Uchiha Madara looked down at his hands, his voice filled with astonishment.
How could this be?
Ocular power that even he, a Rinnegan wielder, couldn't defy?
What exactly was this thing?
Clearly, although these people were peak champions from the previous season, they were out of touch with the current version changes upon their return.
Uchiha Madara could clearly feel that he understood his current situation perfectly, yet his body and even his spirit were completely unable to defy the commands of the person in the sky.
Could it be that there was an even higher evolutionary stage of ocular power above the Rinnegan?
Was this the true Yin-Yang?!
Senju Tobirama also realized this point.
"Sorry, Big Brother."
His voice carried a hint of solemnity: "My Jutsu, this time, might cause trouble for future generations."
"It's not the first time anyway, what does it matter?"
Senju Hashirama's tone was quite open-minded, though his expression also held a hint of curiosity as he looked at the two in front of him.
To actually drag all of them out to fight against future generations—
That was truly surprising.
And, it seemed like those two didn't even put any of them in their eyes?
"Using Konoha's Jutsu to kill Konoha's people, huh?"
"This old man doesn't have any objections."
The tall, burly, black-skinned man with an explosive haircut, standing like an iron tower, mumbled, then turned his head and saw his descendant's uncertain expression, and spoke:
"Darui, you should have inherited the Third Raikage's title, right?"
"Do you know these two guys in front of us?"
Standing beside him was the Third Raikage.
He was now staring at the man with the gentle smile, his expression taut. Even though the other party had clearly grown a lot, he recognized him at a glance.
"Sawara Kiri—"
"Nidaime(2nd)-sama, that is Konoha's strongest Ninja of this generation."
"Even when I was alive, he was already called the new God of Shinobi, the undisputed number one in the Ninja World, even surpassing Senju Hashirama."
"I was personally killed by him."
"And, he was only in his teens that year."
"Huh—?!"
The Second Raikage's expression clearly couldn't hold up. Even Senju Hashirama instinctively turned his head to look at him upon hearing this. Senju Tobirama, who knew his older brother's strength best, looked utterly incredulous, his dark eyes wide as he stared at him:
"What?!"
The First Kazekage Retsu's expression was one of shock, as if he had heard a bad joke, his mouth twitching:
"In his teens, he's comparable to Senju Hashirama?"
"Hey! Second Raikage, why did you choose an idiot as the Third Raikage?"
The Second Raikage had no mind to pay attention to the others' teasing, only staring at the Third Raikage.
The Third Raikage nodded heavily, with no intention of retracting his previous statement:
"When I died, I had not only successfully fused with the Eight-Tails to become a perfect Jinchuriki, but I was also outnumbered, and I even used various Jutsu-restricting barriers for a pre-emptive ambush, but he still defeated me head-on with only Taijutsu."
He stared intently at Sawara Kiri, who still wore a gentle smile, gritting his teeth:
"That kid is simply a monster!"
"Hiss—!!!"
Upon hearing this battle record, all the former Kage present, not to mention others, even Senju Hashirama himself couldn't help but gasp.
The only one who remained calm was Uchiha Madara.
He had also personally fought this kid, and ultimately died of exhaustion.
His memory was still quite clear.
When he killed him, Sawara Kiri should have been only seventeen or eighteen, right?
Looking at him now, about ten years must have passed.
How much would he have grown in ten years?
"Hmph."
Suddenly, he curled his lips slightly and stepped forward:
"It doesn't matter."
"Whether it's Sawara Kiri or Nagato."
"Just eliminate them all."
Although it was only an Edo Tensei body, it could still exert eighty to ninety percent of his strength. How could it be compared to their previous battle?
Senju Hashirama also froze for a moment upon hearing this, turning his head to look at Uchiha Madara, who was standing beside him.
They were the two most familiar people, yet seeing him standing by his side instead of opposite him, Senju Hashirama inexplicably felt a strong sense of unfamiliarity.
After a moment of daze, he couldn't help but give a wry smile:
"I really didn't want to stand alongside you in this situation, Madara."
"Do you think I want to, you bastard?!"
"My body isn't even under my own control!"
Uchiha Madara loudly protested, but his actions remained very honest.
It wasn't just them.
One former Kage after another, no matter how they discussed among themselves, their bodies all lined up like puppets, forming a military formation facing Sawara Kiri and the other person.
Sawara Kiri, however, merely met Nagato's gaze in the sky, then suddenly chuckled softly:
"Is this your trump card?"
"Nagato."
Nagato looked down at him, his tone indifferent: "It's merely the prelude to a God, mortal."
"You've gained a bit of insignificant power, and you're already spouting 'mortal, mortal'..."
"Nagato, you still haven't understood."
Sawara Kiri looked up, suddenly reining in the gentle smile on his face, and pointed a finger at him:
"You are the challenger."
Nagato's expression suddenly turned stern, and his three eyes erupted with an extremely fierce light.
Almost the instant their words fell, all the Edo Kage charged towards him in unison.
"Boom—!"