Hanzō stood unmoving, watching coldly as the chakra dragon ravaged the battlefield.
Only after the last of the Ame-nin collapsed lifeless did the dragon drift back toward him.
A massive dragon head loomed before him.
Hanzō showed not a hint of fear.
"So you're the true leader behind Akatsuki," he said calmly.
"To think you possess the Rinnegan… truly unexpected."
His answer was a furious roar.
The chakra dragon arched upward—
then hurled itself down toward Hanzō like a falling mountain.
Hanzō raised his head, and at the final instant, his hands blurred.
"Body Flicker Technique."
BOOM!
The cliff exploded open, rubble raining down.
A huge crater gaped where Hanzō had stood—
but the man himself had vanished.
He escaped at the very last moment.
Meanwhile, Nagato finally collapsed.
The metallic spike embedded in his back shattered, and the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path dispersed in a huge cloud of smoke.
"Nagato!"
Konan rushed to him, horrified.
Nagato was gasping for breath, his body skeletal and withered.
His once-vibrant red hair had lost all color, hanging in damp, lifeless strands.
When the statue's tendrils pierced him, it had drained an enormous amount of his life force in an instant—
leaving him a breathing corpse.
Yuan watched from afar.
"That was the Ten-Tails' husk… even unfinished, its pressure is terrifying.
A complete Ten-Tails would be monstrous."
His eyes swept the ruined canyon.
The cliff face had caved in, a massive trench carved through the earth.
Even where Yuan stood—hundreds of meters away—the shockwaves had reached him.
He then glanced to the side and let out a cold smirk.
"So that old dog Danzō ran faster than I expected.
The moment he sensed danger, he bolted without a trace."
The instant Nagato summoned the Gedo Mazo and swatted away all of Danzō's Root shinobi—
Danzō fled, guarded by his two most trusted operatives.
Yuan turned his gaze briefly toward Nagato and Konan.
Under their feet, he could still sense the faint, murky presence of Zetsu, silently watching.
A breeze blew.
Yuan's figure flickered—
and vanished.
Far from the battlefield, on a rocky mountain path, three figures sprinted at full speed.
Danzō.
Yamanaka Fū.
Aburame Tōru.
They had already put more than ten kilometers between themselves and Nagato.
Suddenly, Danzō stopped.
He turned sharply, his single visible eye cold as ice.
"That red-haired brat…
To think he could summon such a monster.
He must be the true leader of Akatsuki."
Fū and Tōru stiffened.
They too had felt that overwhelming pressure—
a presence so suffocating that even hardened Root operatives feared it.
"With an enemy like that,"
Danzō muttered darkly,
"Hanzō will no longer be able to keep Suna and Iwa in check for Konoha."
Konoha had long supported Hanzō behind the scenes, using him to restrain the movements of the other great villages.
A peaceful Akatsuki was the last thing Danzō wanted.
A new voice cut in:
"Danzō-sama, watch out!"
Fū stepped forward immediately and slashed his short blade.
A kunai came flying from the shadows—
and clanged violently against his blade.
Tōru reacted instantly, releasing a cloud of dark mist—
which scattered into countless microscopic insects.
Both Root operatives entered high alert.
Danzō glared toward the trees.
"Who dares ambush me?
Are you seeking war with Konoha?"
Silence.
Only the sound of distant rain.
Suddenly, Tōru pointed.
"My insects report a strange chakra signature from that direction."
Danzō and Fū turned toward the forest.
"Secret Technique: Poison Fog."
A massive cloud of black smoke shot toward the trees.
Everything it touched—branches, leaves, bark—
withered instantly.
Fū frowned.
"Nothing…? Did he block even your insects?"
Tōru's face tightened with disbelief.
"No. My insects… they all died at once."
Inside the forest—
Yuan let a faint layer of flame fade from his palm.
A pile of ash drifted down from his hands.
He exhaled softly.
Aburame insects are troublesome if ignored.
Yuan had blended his chakra into the surrounding terrain, masking his position.
Even the insects could not fully pinpoint him—
—until they swept across the entire forest.
He then lifted one hand.
Golden chakra pooled in his palm like honey.
The insects swarmed toward it instantly, crazed with hunger.
He could feel their excitement—
his chakra was an irresistible feast to them.
Once enough had gathered—
Yuan triggered the trap.
The golden chakra burst into searing flames,
instantly incinerating every last insect.
He looked toward Danzō.
Then pressed one hand to his chest.
Transformation Technique.
His form shifted into that of a tall, thin man dressed in black.
Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!
A massive torrent surged forward, forming the head of a water dragon that roared toward Danzō.
Fū slammed his palms against the Earth.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"
A stone wall burst upward, blocking the impact.
BOOM!!
Water exploded in all directions.
In that instant, a figure flashed beside Danzō—
a kick cutting through the air with enough force to split stone.
Danzō leapt backward.
Tōru crossed his arms to block.
The impact sent him flying back like a fired cannonball, blood spraying from his lips.
At the same moment, Fū appeared behind Yuan, blade slicing down—
—but the attack cut only empty air.
Yuan's body vanished.
Danzō's low voice rang out:
"Wind Release: Great Vacuum Sphere."
He exhaled rapidly—
launching a barrage of high-speed air bullets streaking through the air like invisible arrows.
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