A deathly silence hung over the battlefield.
Ian surveyed the masterpiece he had forged with his own hands, his expression unreadable.
He was highly satisfied.
Psychological destruction was far more effective than physical slaughter.
He snapped his fingers lightly.
A crisp snap detonated in the depths of everyone's souls.
A gentle power instantly swept across their minds, which were on the verge of collapse. The agony of being repeatedly slaughtered and the gruesome memories of being torn apart were completely soothed in an instant.
However, the terror of being dominated by absolute power, the helplessness of having no control over their own bodies, and the feeling of being lambs to the slaughter remained.
They transformed into an indelible brand, carved deeply into everyone's soul.
"Stand up."
"Line up by the hidden villages of the Five Great Nations."
The order was given.
The tens of thousands of shinobi, who had been slumped on the ground just moments ago, shuddered violently and scrambled to their feet.
Stumbling and crawling, using both hands and feet, everyone moved at the fastest speed they had ever mustered in their lives to find their respective village's formation.
In the panic, an Iwagakure Jonin even knocked over the Tsuchikage, Onoki, who was in his way. Yet, the Jonin didn't even spare him a glance, merely sprinting even more desperately toward his squad, terrified that if he was a step too slow, he would be "purified" once again.
In just a dozen breaths, five massive and orderly shinobi formations took shape.
They stood perfectly straight, chests puffed out and heads held high, deliberately suppressing their breathing until only the sound of the wind could be heard within the ranks.
Ian waved his hand again.
A squad of expressionless Uchiha clan members stepped out from behind him.
Then, the judgment began.
They slowly walked into the formations. Those over a hundred pairs of Rinnegan acted like highly efficient, precision scanners, rapidly reading the memories of every shinobi and peering into their souls.
Under the Rinnegan, no sin could hide.
An elite Jonin from Iwagakure, who outwardly boasted an illustrious military record, was now dripping with cold sweat.
A second later, a blood-red mark of the word "Sin" appeared above his head without warning.
In his mind, a memory he had deliberately forgotten surged up uncontrollably.
During the Second Great Ninja War, his squad's supplies had been cut off. To survive, he had assassinated his own teammates.
This was a secret known only to him and the heavens, but now, everyone knew.
"No! That wasn't me! It was the war..."
He tried to argue.
But the blood-red mark suddenly flared brightly, and his voice abruptly cut off.
Under the terrified gazes of thousands of surrounding eyes, his body silently turned to ash. A gust of wind blew past, and he was gone.
Terror spread through the formations.
Another red mark lit up above a Sunagakure shinobi's head, and he turned to ash under everyone's horrified watch.
He remembered how he had once secretly colluded with rogue ninjas to slaughter an innocent civilian village just to steal Chakra Metal.
One after another.
The shinobi watched helplessly as their comrades beside them were marked in red and then eliminated. Yet, they only dared to stand stiffly, not even allowing their bodies to tremble, silently praying that the terrifying red light wouldn't fall upon their own heads.
A few hours later, the tens of thousands in the allied forces had their numbers slashed by a quarter.
Those who survived felt a bone-deep chill, tormented by a mix of relief at surviving the ordeal and sheer terror.
"That's enough."
Ian's voice rang out again, bringing the purge to a halt.
"Those who survived may return to your villages."
"However, an Uchiha squad will accompany each village to continue purging the 'ordinary trash' within them."
His tone shifted as his gaze landed on Tsunade and Jiraiya.
"Especially Konoha."
"Those villagers who once bullied Naruto Uzumaki, those ignorant fools who blindly followed the crowd—dispose of them all."
Tsunade's body jolted violently.
Jiraiya's Adam's apple bobbed. He opened his mouth but didn't dare to retort, ultimately just bowing his head deeply.
Just as everyone was about to leave, Ian seemed to remember something. He suddenly looked up and smiled at an empty spot in the distance.
"Nagato, you've been watching the show for a while now. Don't you plan on coming out for a chat?"
The moment he said this, the entire crowd was shocked.
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in the cold, damp Amegakure.
Inside the high tower, Nagato, who had witnessed everything through the vision of the Six Paths of Pain, instantly felt a chill run down his spine.
He had been discovered!
Not only did the other party know of his existence, but he had even called out his name directly!
A wave of cold shot up from his spine to the crown of his head. He immediately tried to sever his connection with Pain.
However, in the next second, Ian's voice crossed space and echoed directly in his mind.
"Trying to leave? Too late."
"Since you don't want to see me, I'll just have to invite you over."
The moment his words fell.
An irresistible force instantly enveloped the high tower where Nagato was hiding!
A deafening rumble echoed!
The next second.
That high tower, filled with metal and pipes, abruptly appeared right in front of the tens of thousands of allied shinobi, crashing heavily into the center of the battlefield!
As the dust settled, the tower's structure lay wide open.
Emaciated and with his back pierced full of black receivers, Nagato was exposed to everyone in a miserable state.
Nagato stared at the scene before him in horror, his mind going completely blank.
Ian casually waved his hand.
A sharp crack rang out!
The black receivers embedded in his back shattered into pieces.
A vast, majestic life force surged into his shriveled body. His legs, which had long since necrotized and lost all sensation, recovered at a visible rate.
Nagato stumbled forward, actually standing up straight from his life-support device!
He looked at his legs in disbelief, feeling a sensation he hadn't experienced in a long time.
At that moment, a vine extended from the side, its tip wrapped around a body pierced with black receivers—it was Yahiko.
Another vine held up an unconscious Konan.
"Do you want to resurrect him?"
"If you want to bring him back, use your power to conquer the Land of Rain for me."
A soul that had long passed away was summoned back from the Underworld.
Within the radiant light, Yahiko's body gradually became full and lifelike.
Nagato looked at the familiar figure. He still had that striking short orange hair and that gentle smile.
The young man slowly opened his eyes, looked at his two best friends in front of him, and smiled as he reached out his hand.
"Nagato, Konan, I'm back."
It was Yahiko.
A living, breathing Yahiko, complete with body heat.
Konan covered her mouth, her tears instantly breaking like a dam.
Nagato looked at his resurrected best friend, then at the man in the distance who could overturn life and death with a wave of his hand.
He couldn't muster a single ounce of resistance in his heart.
His knees gave way, and he dropped to one knee in Ian's direction.
"The Akatsuki..."
Nagato raised his head, his eyes filled with nothing but fanaticism and loyalty.
"Is at your service!"