Facing Shigeo now, the two looked like low-level shinobi. Waves of Bakuton (Explosion Style) left them no room to counter.
Kakuzu's secret art was vicious, but as long as he couldn't land a hit, he had no way forward.
Shigeo had no interest in stalling. He only wanted to save Fu.
"Pein, can you handle it alone?" Zetsu asked. They could see the Immortal Duo couldn't stop Shigeo; he was about to break in.
The Genryō Kyū Fūjin (Illusionary Dragon Nine Consuming Seals) normally required ten people to continuously siphon a Tailed Beast's chakra. But the Gedō Mazō (Demonic Statue of the Outer Path) had already absorbed chakra from six beasts; its power was unimaginable. Since Tailed Beast power belonged to the statue to begin with, its chakra output had multiplied hundreds or thousands of times.
Even without nine others, Pein, working with the statue, could continue extracting the Seven-Tails from Fu.
Nearly a day had passed. Soon, the Seven-Tails would be completely gone.
"No problem. Go," Pein said. If Shigeo broke in, he would fight to the death with the statue.
Outside the cave—
Shigeo split off two Wood Clones; they engaged Tobi, Zetsu, and two other members who rushed out.
The valley shook.
Ninjutsu and secret techniques erupted in torrents, but none matched Shigeo's direct assault.
Ranton (Storm Style) cut down gods and demons alike. Raiton (Lightning Style) answered his will and fell from the clouds without handseals. Fūton (Wind Style): Senfū Ran Jin (Thousand-Wind Chaos Blades) closed in from every side. Shōton (Crystal Style), Hyōton (Ice Style), Bakuton (Explosion Style)—attacks launched at random yet with crushing precision.
"Chibaku Tensei (Planetary Devastation)…"
Shigeo's Rinnegan flared.
The ground before him collapsed. Kakuzu spat blood; all four masks were destroyed. If his original heart was taken next, he would die.
As he thought to flee the storm, Shigeo appeared behind him. "Kakuzu. Do you want to live or die?"
Before he could react, a black rod thrust into his heart.
Terror surged through Kakuzu's mind. He plunged into a bottomless abyss filled with visions of butchered flesh and the bodies he had stitched together.
These were his own memories. In this shinobi world, no one else knew what he had endured, but he did.
He had remade his body into Jiongu (Earth Grudge Fear), stealing hearts again and again to grow stronger, grafting them into himself to gain new natures.
His flesh was a patchwork; those hearts were ones he had dug out with his own hands.
Now he saw everything. Was it genjutsu? It didn't feel like it. The past unfolded mercilessly, and the strength he worshiped bent beneath a greater force that compelled him to face himself.
Outside, Kakuzu collapsed. No one knew what he was seeing. Akatsuki still fought "Shigeo" at the cave mouth—
—but they didn't realize they were battling clones. The real Shigeo had already entered the cave and unleashed Chibaku Tensei.
He would entomb the Gedō Mazō.
Pein shouted and hurled ninjutsu to stop him—
Outside, Obito rushed in, panic in his voice. "Fu isn't dead yet!"
Shigeo snapped back to focus. He was here to save Fu. Forget the Chibaku Tensei. He scooped Fu up and vanished.
Outside, Shigeo's remaining clones kept fighting. Three of the enemy were already dead. Hidan had been carved apart by Ranton, his body lying in mangled pieces.
Kakuzu, wracked with pain and ashen-faced, clutched his chest. One flicker, and he was gone.
He knew that if he wanted to live, he had to seek out Shigeo. Otherwise, only death awaited him.
…
Back in Monin Village, Shigeo began treatment. He could extend Fu's life by lending her Tailed Beast chakra from his own body, but that would complicate any future Ten-Tails synthesis. Better to free her completely than bind her again as a jinchūriki.
First, he used the Yin Kon Rin (Soul-Guiding Bell) to anchor her spirit. Then he cast Jūzō Tengen (Ten Elephants Reincarnation) to reroute her fate, and finally infused a measure of chakra granted by the Ten-Tails. Fu's life was secured.
He had nearly destroyed the Gedō Mazō moments earlier. Had he done so, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya would never revive. The shinobi world needed her appearance; otherwise, when the Ōtsutsuki arrived later, how would this world respond?
Shigeo needed answers. He would not prevent Kaguya's resurrection.
That was why he spared the statue in the Land of Rivers.
By now Pein had summoned the statue back. Obito, posing as "Madara," had run out of patience. Shigeo's power grew by the day. If Fu had not still been breathing, Shigeo would likely have destroyed the statue outright.
To seize the initiative, they had to move.
"From this moment, all Akatsuki operations focus on the Eight-Tails and the Nine-Tails. Within one month, we will obtain their Tailed Beast chakra."
With that, Akatsuki mobilized. Obito, along with a stitched-back-together Hidan and Zetsu, headed for Kumogakure. Pein returned to Amegakure; he would take Konan and go to Konoha for the Nine-Tails.
"Nagato, doesn't it strike you as strange? Why didn't Shigeo destroy the Rain?" Konan asked when he returned.
Nagato was lost in the dream. For Mugen Tsukuyomi (Infinite Tsukuyomi), he would pay any price. He could have used projections for the extraction, but Akatsuki's recent losses were heavy. Wanting to pour every drop of chakra into the Gedō Mazō, he had gone to the Land of Rivers himself—reckless to the point of death.
He had still stayed on a nearby high vantage and controlled the Genryō Kyū Fūjin (Illusionary Dragon Nine Consuming Seals) through projections, but he was undeniably more aggressive than ever.
She knew his pain, and his ideals. Yet she wished he would be calm, look around. Was Akatsuki's pursuit truly correct? Who could guarantee that future would be bright? Would their methods really end war and bring peace? Why was it that all she could see now was war and death?
She had supported "Madara" and Nagato's plan in everything. But because of Obito's words, Nagato had abandoned Amegakure's safety. That gnawed at her. He was her friend. She would stand by him forever. But she wanted him, under that promise, to also remember the Rain.
(End of Chapter)
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