[Universal Pull!!]
A deep roar erupted from the center of a deafening explosion. The two figures embedded in the stone wall instantly launched toward the source.
Before they could fully close the distance, however, the gravitational pull abruptly vanished midway.
Yet Minato and Obito, still caught in its grip, continued flying toward Nagato due to inertia.
Whoosh—Whoosh—
Two chakra rods shot forth from Nagato's hands like spears.
An invisible shockwave surged behind them, vastly increasing their speed until they became terrifyingly fast.
The two airborne figures narrowed their eyes.
Though still reeling from a heavy blow and slightly sluggish in reaction, both now sensed danger rapidly approaching.
Nagato held his hands at an angle to the ground, his eerie Rinnegan locked onto the enemies he had drawn in. Secretly, he exerted himself forcefully.
First using Universal Pull to draw the enemies closer.
Then instantly switching to Shinra Tensei to launch weapons from his hands for a long-range attack.
This was the sequence of jutsu he had just executed.
There was no need to hide his movements with other techniques or resort to flashy or complex ones.
Just these two moves laid bare—whether they could evade depended entirely on the enemy's skill.
This was Nagato's confidence in his own strength.
The next instant, two sprays of blood erupted in midair.
Minato and Obito's forms froze briefly mid-fall before plummeting downward as if struck head-on by a massive impact.
Within this half-breath interval, Nagato swiftly advanced toward the enemy.
Shwa—
One of the figures vanished within a faint red glow. The lingering metallic scent of blood in the air silently revealed the wound just inflicted.
Only Minato remained at the original spot.
Clearly injured far worse, he could no longer even form hand seals.
The Rinnegan gleamed faintly as Nagato's gaze followed the fading red light.
At the same time, his hands quickly slid out from beneath his sleeves, two black rods slipping effortlessly into his palms.
Obito widened his eyes, watching Nagato glance past him without even directly acknowledging his presence.
He tried desperately to pull out the rod that had pierced through his body, attempting to break free from Nagato's restraint.
But soon, the pain wracking his body forced him to abandon all struggle.
As if anticipating Obito's movement, Nagato sharply lowered his hands.
The two rods easily pierced both legs, letting crimson blossoms bloom upon the earth.
Letting out a cry of agony, Obito barely registered a blur flash past his eyes before sharp stabs of pain shot through both hands.
In the blink of an eye, the once-overwhelmingly powerful Obito found himself pinned to the ground by Nagato, limbs immobilized and unable to move.
"Damn it!"
The moment Obito felt his body pierced by the rods midair, a terrible premonition surged into his mind.
Immediately, he attempted to activate the Flying Thunder God Technique to escape.
However, the rods' ability to disrupt chakra flow exceeded his expectations.
Interfered like this, his attempt at Flying Thunder God failed completely.
So when Nagato rushed up close to him,
he could only feebly raise his arms as a last-ditch effort to resist.
Resulting in an obvious outcome, he was instantly shattered again, finally knocked flat onto the ground.
A piercing gaze locked onto his limbs. Obito couldn't even lift a finger. His thoughts were slowing down.
Blood flowed from his wounds, pooling beneath his body.
Blood loss gradually sapped his strength.
Even the Three Tomoe in his eyes had unknowingly vanished, reverting to plain black-and-white eyes.
Thud—
Lying face-down, Obito caught only a glimpse of a growing foot through his peripheral vision.
Then.
All sensation left him, and he fell into a deep coma.
Frozen in his final moment of sight was Nagato's cold face and indifferent sidelong glance.
Meanwhile, the Nine-Tails Cloak around Obito's body, already extremely thin after several battles, slowly dissipated into the air after he lost consciousness.
Thus, Obito lost all combat capability.
Given the rate at which he was bleeding, if not treated in time, he would also lose his life.
"The foolishness of the weak!"
Nagato sighed lightly, withdrawing his right foot from atop Obito's head.
Maybe that's how the weak endured—when plans failed, they clung to effort and hope, however slim.
To them, this became their last refuge.
Truthfully, Nagato didn't dislike such behavior, for in his childhood, he had also been just as 'ridiculously pathetic.'
Yet now that he stood on the stronger side, he could somewhat understand the contempt his enemies once felt toward him.
Thinking thus, Nagato shifted his gaze toward Namikaze Minato, who had taken advantage of his momentary distraction while dealing with Obito to create some distance.
Minato himself wasn't in great shape either; Nagato had a swift opening to take him down.
"Obito..."
Minato held his shoulder, from which blood continuously streamed out of a wound.
At his feet lay a recently removed Chakra Rod.
Minato's face bore a tinge of paleness as he complexly observed his disciple lying beneath his enemy's foot.
In merely the blink it took him to evade,
the enemy had completed suppression over Obito's mobility.
The only slightly fortunate thing was that his disciple hadn't been immediately killed.
Earlier when he fled his original spot, he hadn't intended to abandon Obito without trying to save him.
But his own power simply wouldn't allow those extra few tenths of a second.
Had he insisted on pulling Obito away together, perhaps he too would now share Obito's fate.
The fight would've ended right then and there.
This was the only logical choice he could make in the heat of the moment.
Minato licked his dry lips. He felt the weight of the moment crushing down on him.
It was clear now—just the two of them stood no chance against Nagato.
Meeting Nagato's direct stare, Minato maintained vigilance while preparing to reposition himself at any moment to dodge possible attacks.
Despite having consecutively used several Rasengan infused with chakra nature transformations just now,
his body hadn't suffered much due to the Nine-Tails' power enhancing his stamina.
"Your turn is next!"
Nagato raised his hand again, fingers pointing forward. As his palm slowly clenched, the gravitational force activated and the air began to solidify.
Phchtt!
Minato Namikaze's wounds suddenly spurted blood, scattering like mist into the air before him.
His body was pulled helplessly toward Nagato's outstretched palm by invisible force.
Namikaze Minato gritted his teeth and vanished from the spot, escaping Nagato's ninjutsu once more.
At the exact moment he disappeared, a kunai flew from where he'd stood, speeding under gravitational pull straight toward Nagato.
Swish—
The kunai sliced through space, reaching Nagato in an instant.
Wrapped in a thin layer of the Nine-Tails' chakra, its power rivaled an average Rasengan.
Bang!
The kunai struck the invisible transparent barrier before Nagato.
Visible ripples spread outward from the point of impact, but Nagato remained completely unaffected, not even shifting an inch.
Clink!
The spinning kunai failed to penetrate further, dropping lifelessly to the ground after losing all momentum.
...
Kushina and Tsunade leaned together, seemingly whispering quietly while glancing past Saitama toward Nagato and the others behind.
It was as if they were laughing at Saitama—even though he was their current opponent.
Saitama slowly arched his back, speaking with a threatening tone:
"You really shouldn't be focusing on other people right now."
But what greeted him from the opposite side was a blazing fist.
After a few exchanges, Tsunade stayed on the offensive.
Boom—
Saitama leapt high into the air.
Tsunade's punch landed exactly where he had stood moments before.
The area within a radius of over ten meters exploded into fragments, like a shattered mirror spreading outward in weblike cracks.
Seeing how Tsunade landed a direct hit, Saitama couldn't help but furrow his brow.
Monster Strength Fist was truly a glitch within close-range combat—an attack he couldn't withstand unprotected.
Otherwise it would lead to severe injury or even death.
Remember, even with his transplanted Hashirama cells granting terrifying regeneration capabilities.
Fortunately for him, despite Tsunade's speed boosted by the Nine-Tails Cloak, she still couldn't keep up with Saitama.
Having already figured out her weakness, Saitama had no intention of holding back.
Dodging Tsunade's punch, Saitama paused mid-air as if entering slow motion.
Using [Snake Sage Art], he kicked against the air itself—as if natural energy formed steps underfoot.
Instantly, Saitama changed direction and accelerated mid-flight, shooting rapidly toward Tsunade.
Swish swish—
Tsunade hadn't yet retracted her previously thrown punch when Saitama arrived, leaving her unable to retaliate promptly.
Without hesitation, Saitama struck her repeatedly.
Immediately, blood sprayed everywhere, staining the vision red.
Yet almost instantly, her wounds regenerated, and she followed up with another punch.
Unsurprised, Saitama timely adjusted his posture, twisting his body agilely to evade her blow.
Boom!
Tsunade's fist missed him, grazing his waist before crashing into the ground.
The same pattern played out once again.
The hard ground cracked and sank downward.
Tsunade's expression turned slightly fierce.
But Saitama had anticipated this situation before dodging the punch.
So he lifted both feet into the air early, then grabbed one of Tsunade's shoulders with one hand and swung sideways.
During this process, his hand didn't stay idle.
Lightning flashed between them, and a cross-shaped scar appeared on her chest.
Muscles curled beneath the wound, faintly exposing the fragile and pink internal organs inside.
Tsunade spat blood, her body still sliding sideways from Saitama's grip.
"Tsunade-sama!"
Kushina reacted immediately.
Chains and chakra tentacles quickly shot out, sweeping toward Saitama.
Ding ding ding— The chains scraped noisily across the ground. Saitama glanced sideways and rapidly increased the distance before the attacks arrived.
Before leaving, he kicked Tsunade's head again, sending her flying.
Tsunade tumbled repeatedly, flying in Kushina's direction, forcing the latter to quickly retreat and catch her injured companion.
Da—
After landing, Saitama took a deep breath to steady himself.
From that brief exchange, he hadn't taken any damage at all.
But as the opponent, Tsunade was in much worse shape.
This time, Saitama clearly noticed that the healing speed of Tsunade's chest wound under the [Strength of a Hundred Technique] was significantly slower than before.
The Strength of a Hundred Technique might be monstrous, but her regeneration ability still had its limits.
As long as he inflicted injuries fast and heavily enough,
Just like now, Tsunade's healing would become restricted, even nearly impossible.
"Ha…ha…"
True to Saitama's observation, Tsunade was half-kneeling on the ground, panting heavily.
Her wounds had mostly healed already.
But everyone present could feel that her aura and vitality had greatly diminished.
The youthful appearance she had maintained until now also seemed to show signs of aging.
"Kushina..."
Tsunade fixed a serious gaze on Kushina, who had approached her.
The red Tailed Beast Cloak on her body and Kushina's emerging chakra gradually merged together.
Soon, she replenished the chakra consumed earlier.
"He moves too fast—I can't grab him."
Tsunade pressed her lips tightly, frustration clear in her eyes. She inhaled deeply and stood up.
"I understand."
Kushina nodded, lips pressed tight, deep in thought.
If they couldn't stop Saitama from moving so fast, neither of them stood a chance.
Prolonging the battle was not beneficial for them.
"Still got time for casual chat?"
Saitama shrugged, then seized the moment when the two showed slight carelessness.
Like lightning tearing across the night sky, Saitama dashed forward rapidly.
When he was less than ten meters away from them,
His eyes narrowed slightly, and he forcefully pushed off the ground with his right foot.
The spot where his foot landed shattered like a spider web, and he used that momentum to accelerate again.
"This is exactly what I'm waiting for!"
The two of them, who had remained still until now, suddenly had their eyes flash with an unprecedented brilliance.
Kushina quickly clasped her hands together as the red chakra surrounding her body erupted once again, spreading across the space like a sunset.
"Hmm?"
Saitama hesitated for a moment, realizing that the opponent's earlier carelessness had merely been a trap.
And now he was the one caught on the line.
However, he didn't slow down. Instead, he held his breath and summoned even more Sage Chakra within himself.
Crackling loudly, the ninjutsu in his hand grew even brighter, radiating intense white light outward.
Invisible waves emerged from the tip of the technique, shaking the very space itself.
[Adamantine Chains – Sealing Bind!]
Facing Saitama directly, Kushina widened her eyes and suddenly unleashed the carefully prepared jutsu she had been building up for.
"This is..."
Saitama stopped moving forward, his body frozen mid-attack posture, like a statue that had always existed there.
At his feet—
Or rather, centered around Kushina—
Across a radius of over ten meters on the ground, a rune formation composed of chains appeared.
The Nine-Tails' red chakra played a crucial role in stabilizing the Sealing Formation.
Right now, Saitama was immobilized by these sudden restraints.
A storm of thoughts raced through Saitama's mind as he began struggling, channeling his inner chakra.
[Monster Strength Fist!!]
Tsunade appeared once again, repeating her signature move, as if she had already anticipated Saitama would be restricted in movement.
Boom—
The Monster Strength Fist crashed into Saitama once more like a blazing cannonball.
This time, instead of being sent flying by the impact, he stood his ground and took every bit of the force head-on.
The full power of Tsunade's Monster Strength Fist
Sent Saitama's back erupting like a morning glory bursting open in midair.
Various tiny fragments flew out from Saitama's back within Kushina's view.
"Got him!"
A flicker of delight crossed Kushina's heart.
Saitama definitely had more strength than this, but perhaps because he felt psychologically superior, he let his guard down slightly, enabling the two of them to successfully ambush him.
Maintaining the ninja seals with both hands, Kushina didn't stop controlling the chains and sealing formation at her feet just because Tsunade had hit the target.
She hadn't forgotten that the enemy might have a Ninjutsu or ability that nullifies damage.
Keeping her eyes fixed on the bleeding Saitama, Kushina suddenly lunged forward with the crimson chakra tentacles behind her back.
These chakra tentacles weren't part of the Tailed Beast Transformation, but rather more flexible 'tails' shaped under the Nine-Tails' enhanced power.
Three tails stabbed toward Saitama from three different directions, faint crimson spreading through the air.
Whoosh—
At the moment when Tsunade punched straight through Saitama's body, his form suddenly expanded outward.
As he expanded, Saitama grabbed tightly onto Tsunade's arm, preventing her from pulling it back.
"It's a Wood Release Clone!!"
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