Chapter 170: Have You Ever Experienced Despair?
"It's over, Danzō."
Hiruzen Sarutobi pointed his golden staff at Shimura Danzō, his voice deep and solemn.
"This time, you've lost."
"Lost, have I…?"
Danzō stared hard at Hiruzen. He could feel the chakra fading from his body. And of course, he could see what was happening on the other side of the battlefield—he knew he had lost.
Though as an Edo Tensei (Reanimation), many of his abilities were restricted, he still enjoyed the advantage of a body that couldn't feel pain and access to seemingly limitless chakra.
Even so, he was no match for his old friend.
Especially now, with Orochimaru overwhelmed and unable to assist, Danzō had relied solely on his own strength—and it wasn't enough.
Looking at the man he had known for nearly seventy years, Danzō fell silent for a moment.
The bonds between ninja are a strange thing. Danzō had always deeply resented Hiruzen—he believed the man had stolen the title of Hokage from him.
Even in death, that bitterness had never faded.
But as everything now drew to a close, something inside him stirred—something complicated and unspoken.
"You're wrong, Monkey," Danzō suddenly sneered, his voice cold. "I didn't lose."
"I was simply unlucky. Just one second too late. I didn't lose to you."
"Still denying it at the end?" Hiruzen said, disappointed.
"Deny it? If the village had been under my control, things never would've come to this. There's no way I could have lost to you."
With those final words, Danzō's body began to dissolve, fading away with the Edo Tensei release—leaving behind only the corpse of an unknown shinobi.
"…Sigh."
Hiruzen could only sigh as he watched him disappear.
Their battle had left him emotionally drained. But he didn't have the luxury of lingering in that mood. His eyes turned to the side—Kitagawa Gen was walking toward him.
"You did well, Gen," Hiruzen said, genuinely moved.
Even while locked in combat with Danzō, he'd been paying attention to the larger battlefield. He had seen Gen's performance—how skillfully he wielded his power.
The way he seized the opportunity and took down the Fourth Raikage and Fourth Kazekage in a flash of brilliance… It left Hiruzen thrilled.
This… this was the future of Konoha.
"You really do remind me of our old master…"
Of course, Hiruzen was also a little troubled. Gen had gone for the kill without hesitation—but after a moment's pause, he simply shook his head.
"By the way… how did you learn Dust Release?"
Hiruzen asked, glancing meaningfully at Gen.
"I had an inkling of it back during our mission in the Land of Earth."
Gen casually flicked the blood off his blade as he looked toward the others—many of the Iwagakure and Kirigakure shinobi had now leapt onto the observation platform.
"Land of Earth?" The moment he said that, everyone looked toward Ōnoki.
The old Tsuchikage twitched visibly. Of course he remembered that incident—it was when Deidara had been kidnapped!
"But I didn't pay much attention to it at the time," Gen continued. "I just remembered the feeling."
He turned and smiled at Deidara.
"Then, about a month ago, Deidara challenged me to a sparring match. He used Dust Release again, and that reawakened the memory."
He didn't say more—but everyone understood.
A moment of inspiration years ago, refined and clarified through experience, had finally borne fruit thanks to Deidara himself.
It sounded simple, but everyone knew how miraculous—and difficult—such a feat really was.
"Jōnin Kitagawa, what about your Ice Release?" Genji couldn't help asking. The Yuki clan had been wiped out during Obito's manipulations—Ice Release was thought extinct.
Seeing it again stirred something in him.
"Yes. I once encountered a ninja who used Ice Release. That encounter eventually led me to develop it myself."
Gen nodded, offering a bit of face-saving context for Kirigakure. Then, turning back to Deidara, he added with a grin:
"Deidara, your art really is amazing. Without it, I probably wouldn't have won so easily."
"Of course!" Deidara said proudly.
But his cockiness earned him a thump on the head from an exasperated Ōnoki.
The Tsuchikage's emotions were complicated. A Konoha ninja had learned Dust Release—and not just any ninja, but one who also wielded Flying Thunder God.
In normal circumstances, he would have considered such a person a dangerous threat to be eliminated at all costs.
But now—
BOOM—
At that moment, another thunderous explosion rocked Konoha, the ground trembling beneath their feet.
Everyone instantly snapped back to alertness, turning their gazes toward the distance.
"The One-Tail hasn't fully recovered. Let the sealing squad handle that—we should go check things out ourselves," Hiruzen said after a pause. He turned to Ōnoki and Genji.
"Thank you both for your decisions today. Once this is all over, I hope we can have deeper discussions. But for now, let's focus on the task at hand."
"I have no objections," Genji said with a nod.
Ōnoki just grunted, but said nothing more.
What could he say? Things had already progressed this far.
The only silver lining was that Hiruzen would likely offer compensation—and Deidara had indeed inherited Dust Release.
But when he glanced at Deidara again, seeing the boy's eyes practically sparkling as he looked at Kitagawa Gen, Ōnoki felt another wave of frustration.
"How is Konoha's genius this terrifying? He killed the Fourth Raikage and Kazekage… and mine's just an art-obsessed idiot."
Meanwhile, far away…
Now transformed into his Ōtsutsuki form, Kitagawa Gen sensed what was happening in the village.
He had to admit—this Divine Tree Clone technique was far superior to any Shadow Clone.
Driven most likely by the God Tree's Core within his body, Kitagawa Gen's sensory link with his clone allowed for real-time information sharing.
The moment the battle on the other side ended, he instantly became aware of it.
"Looks like it's time for me to pick up the pace too."
Kitagawa Gen muttered to himself. His clone taking down two Kage didn't surprise him in the slightest.
After all, the clone had access to his intel, the Flying Thunder God Technique, and even Dust Release.
Though weaker than the original, with those tools, success was inevitable—so long as the opportunity was seized.
"Still, this Demonic Statue of the Outer Path… what a pain."
Staring at the roaring beast, he couldn't help but curse under his breath.
The statue, as the husk of the Ten Tails, remained absurdly durable—even without the tailed beasts' chakra inside.
Though the Sword of Totsuka could leave visible scars on it with every strike, Nagato's relentless control allowed the statue to regenerate again and again.
"No wonder they had to seal it on the moon. But why can't my eye control this thing?"
Dodging a massive arm swing, Kitagawa Gen frowned, puzzled.
"Is the authority to control it… locked specifically to the Rinnegan?"
As the statue's limbs swept across the battlefield, the ground quaked violently. Clouds of dust and debris surged toward him. He shook his head slightly, then suddenly surged forward in a burst of chakra.
With a thunderous roar, the Totsuka Blade slashed once more.
"Raaagh!"
The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path howled as it met the strike with a massive fist. The moment the two forces clashed—
BOOM!
A deafening shockwave erupted, releasing a shrill screech as it tore through the air.
The blast wave rippled outward, forcing Kitagawa Gen to retreat rapidly into the sky.
Below, the mighty statue was slammed into the ground, utterly disheveled.
"You're not nearly as unstoppable as you pretend to be," Gen muttered.
With a groan, the behemoth began rising again. Its colossal mouth opened, revealing the hidden figure of Nagato within.
Panting heavily, Nagato was connected to the statue by countless black rods, sweat soaking his pale face.
Controlling this thing wasn't easy—not even for him.
And yet, his gaze stayed locked on Gen, lips curled into a twisted smile.
"Where's that arrogance now? Weren't you the one who looked down on everyone?"
Gen raised an eyebrow, still calm as ever. After this exchange, he had roughly gauged the statue's current capabilities.
It wasn't beyond him—not yet. After all, he hadn't shown all his cards.
"I'll admit, the Rinnegan is impressive. But there's something you still don't understand."
As he spoke, chakra surged within him again.
High above, an immense energy began to ripple through the clouds.
"I've never liked unnecessary bloodshed. To me, you're no different from ants—killing for fun would be beneath me."
The chakra around him pulsed violently.
Nagato suddenly felt it—an unbearable pressure, as if something immense was descending upon them.
He instinctively looked up, eyes wide with unease. Though the sky was still dark and clouded, he could feel it—something terrible was coming.
"But don't get the wrong idea. When an ant stands in your way, you step on it."
Gen's tone remained calm, even playful.
"I held back to avoid damaging the Rinnegan. But now, I find myself curious about something else."
His voice shifted—serene, yet distant. Even mocking.
"Have you ever wondered what it feels like… to be one of the ants crushed underfoot?"
As his words fell, silence seemed to swallow the world.
A dense shadow blanketed the battlefield, and Nagato stood frozen, staring up in disbelief.
And then—Gen's voice echoed one last time.
"Let me put it another way... Have you ever felt despair?"
---