"Putting on such a big show. Don't end up killing the brat."
Chōmei couldn't shake his concern. While his Tailed Beast Ball wasn't the strongest, it was still a devastating strike for ordinary ninja.
"Relax, I know exactly what I'm doing."
Tsunade was full of confidence. Kawaki had already explained Nagato's abilities to her.
Deflecting a Tailed Beast Ball—Nagato had more than one trick up his sleeve.
While the two exchanged thoughts through their senses, the Tailed Beast Ball was already upon Nagato.
From afar, observers could no longer see him; he vanished entirely behind the monstrous sphere.
"You can still run now."
A few more onlookers decided to evacuate.
"But fleeing won't save you either."
An elderly man wiped the cold sweat from his brow. His legs shook violently, yet he stood frozen in place nonetheless.
[Preta Path]
Nagato assumed a defensive stance, and an invisible barrier materialized before the Tailed Beast Ball.
The explosion everyone expected never came. Instead, the enormous ball began shrinking visibly.
In just a few breaths' time, the dozens-of-meters-wide Tailed Beast Ball vanished entirely.
"Tastes good. Feels even better."
Nagato bounced a little in place, his face brimming with satisfaction—a clear mockery aimed at Chōmei.
This Tailed Beast Ball had not only replenished his chakra stores, even boosting his vitality.
Tsunade's voice dripped with disbelief—her performance impressively convincing.
"Nothing impressive about it. You're just weak."
As soon as Nagato spoke, murmurs rippled through the crowd.
The mere absorption of a Tailed Beast Ball was shocking enough. But this arrogant remark? Simply intolerable.
That was the Hokage!!!
That was a Tailed Beast!!!
If even that counted as weak, what did that make them?
Just insects?
Yet nobody dared voice any complaints. None could deny that the Akatsuki Village boy truly had the might to back those words.
"Pathetic."
"You haven't won yet!!!"
Tsunade's bravado had completely faded. She no longer possessed the sharpness she once had when declaring she'd deal with Nagato first, then Yahiko.
Her bluster rang hollow.
"Almost there."
Nagato tossed those two words aside and took the initiative to attack.
His back rippled suddenly, and six mechanical arms burst forth suddenly.
Three pairs of arms interlocked, then pulled apart—revealing a line of hidden missiles inside his joints.
In the next instant, dozens of missiles tore into the air, raining destruction down on Chōmei.
Due to his tremendous size, Chōmei couldn't dodge all of them effectively.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
One explosion after another rang out. Chōmei bellowed in agony, the sound splitting the air.
As the smoke cleared, Chōmei's body was littered with wounds.
Two pairs of wings were badly damaged, making flight nearly impossible.
Of course, Nagato wouldn't miss such a golden opportunity. Nagato retracted his mechanical limbs and rocketed toward Chōmei.
[Antenna Impact!]
Chōmei flapped his wings desperately, aiming his massive antennae at Nagato again.
"Same trick won't work twice on me."
Nagato swiftly sidestepped, gripping two black rods in his hands and driving them harshly into the base of Chōmei's wings.
"Ahh!!"
Another pained scream erupted. Chōmei panicked as it realized its wings had gone completely numb.
An unnatural force had disrupted its chakra flow, leaving Chōmei unable to fly as it plummeted straight toward the ground.
With a loud crash, Chōmei's massive antennae buried deep into the earth, its body twisted into an ungainly position.
[Summoning Jutsu]
Nagato summoned the Giant Snake-Tailed Chameleon. It extended its tongue and tightly wrapped around Chōmei.
The chameleon lifted Chōmei from the ground. The beast now appeared completely exhausted.
Its wings sagged limply, and its body was riddled with wounds refusing to close.
This wasn't purely an act by Tsunade—after all, back in the original plot, the Asura Path could seriously injure a Six-Tails Jinchūriki outright.
Though she wasn't as gravely injured as she appeared, she had still sustained some minor injuries.
To make the deception more believable, Chōmei's form began shrinking until finally revealing Tsunade's true appearance.
Two black Receivers remained embedded in her back as the chameleon's tongue coiled tightly around her body, suspending her midair.
Her face pale and drained of color, blood trickled from the corner of her mouth down to her chin.
No matter how you looked at her, she clearly lacked the strength for another fight.
Thus, the outcome was decided.
The mighty Hokage actually defeated by an unknown figure from Akatsuki Village.
Though shocked, those who witnessed the battle firsthand had no choice but to accept reality.
After all, seeing truly is believing. This was the most exciting and intense battle they had ever watched.
From today onward, Nagato, leader of Akatsuki Village, would likely become famous across the entire Ninja World.
"Well then, Hokage-sama?"
Gliding forward, Nagato stopped right in front of Tsunade, his tone dripping with mockery.
Only Tsunade could see the faint concern hidden deep within his eyes.
"Nothing much. If you've got the guts, kill me already."
"My husband will never let this slide!"
"At that time, you—and the entire Akatsuki Village—will die alongside me."
Tsunade glared at Nagato with burning fury, hurling threats at him.
At this moment, she fully embodied the pitiful image of a fallen warrior.
"Oh, I'm so scared."
"You really think I won't do it?"
Nagato's voice shifted instantly—from playful to deadly serious.
Holding one black rod, he pressed it directly against Tsunade's throat.
It almost seemed like he'd end her life in the next second.
In truth, inside his heart quivered ever so slightly—what if his teacher found out how he'd treated his wife? Would he get beaten senseless?
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He knew exactly how much Kawaki adored Tsunade—it was painfully obvious to him.
"No way, he's actually daring enough to kill the Hokage?"
"This kid must be mentally ill."
"Does he even know Tsunade's husband is Kawaki Hatake?"
"That joke wasn't funny."
Only a few remaining onlookers continued watching events unfold—if the Hokage really died here, things in the ninja world were about to get chaotic.
No one could predict the chaos if someone like Kawaki Hatake lost control.
The destructive power of a Kage-level shinobi was undeniable—but Kawaki was far beyond an ordinary Super Kage.
"You wanna test me?"
Tsunade stood firm, showing the unyielding spirit of a true warrior even in the face of death.
"You really think I won't?"
Nagato glanced sideways, and with his Black Receiver, slowly drove it into Tsunade's flesh.
"Let go of my sister — my teacher's wife!"
Before the voice had even faded, the ninjutsu was already upon Nagato.
He exhaled sharply, like someone who'd finally touched solid ground, then twisted gracefully mid-air to retreat.
That poor chameleon didn't stand a chance against Minato's Rasengan, and Tsunade fell into Nawaki's arms.
"It seems you've won."
Nagato glared coldly at Minato and Nawaki, though inwardly he was delighted.
If you hadn't arrived soon, I'd have been stuck figuring out how to wrap this up.
As for Kakuzu and Konan's safety, he wasn't worried at all. This whole charade basically screamed, "No script received yet."
"How dare you hurt my sister like that! You just wait!"
Before Nawaki even finished speaking, Minato yanked him away, vanishing on the spot.
"Guess they've got speed on their side."
Of course, Nagato made no move to chase them — the purpose of this grand performance had already been fulfilled.
At this moment, spies from the two major hidden villages were already taking action, just as he'd expected.
"Return at once and inform Tsuchikage-sama — Nagato of the Akatsuki has easily defeated Tsunade, the Hokage."
"Return immediately and report to Kazekage-sama — Tsunade, the Hokage, narrowly escaped death at Nagato's hands."
...
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