Chapter 130: A Calculated Defeat
At Danzo's command, Kagenori entered the fray. Seeing this, Hanzo swiftly retreated to Danzo's side, content to observe the clash from a safe distance.
Kagenori assessed the situation: the emaciated Nagato and the colossal, roaring Gedo Statue. His hands flew through a series of seals. "Earth Release: Heaven Concealment!"
A massive slab of rock materialized in the air above the statue and crashed down upon it. The Gedo Statue simply raised a giant hand and shattered the falling rock to dust.
Undeterred, Nagato sent the chakra dragon streaking toward Kagenori, seeking to drain him dry. Kagenori became a blur of motion, effortlessly evading the spectral beast while his hands formed another sequence of seals. "Earth Release: Sticky Earth!"
A torrent of viscous, clay-like mud poured from a dimensional rift above, coating the Gedo Statue's torso and limbs.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!" Kagenori followed up instantly, unleashing a tidal wave of flame that engulfed the statue. The intense heat baked the clinging mud into a hard, ceramic shell.
Nagato, protecting Konan and Yahiko's body, threw out his hands. "Shinra Tensei!" The repulsive force deflected the wall of fire meant for them.
Hanzo and Danzo watched intently. Was it contained?
A network of cracks appeared in the ceramic shell encasing the Gedo Statue, and it exploded outwards as the demonic construct roared its fury. It swung a fist the size of a small house at Kagenori, who vanished with a Body Flicker just before impact. The fist cratered the ground, the resulting shockwave hurling Konan and Yahiko's body through the air.
Good. They're away from the immediate danger zone, Kagenori thought, hidden within the billowing dust. He made a quick, subtle hand sign.
As the dust settled, he was revealed, running parallel to a rock wall, his feet finding perfect purchase. "Fire Release: Dragon Flame Singing Projectile!" Four roaring fire dragons shot from his mouth, converging on Nagato from all sides.
Nagato spread his arms wide. "Blocking Technique Absorption Seal!" A shimmering barrier appeared before him, swallowing the fire dragons and their chakra whole.
Not missing a beat, Kagenori's body tensed. "Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash!"
He became a bolt of lightning, closing the distance to Nagato in an eyeblink, his ninjato a silver arc aimed at the boy's neck.
Nagato's Rinnegan tracked the movement perfectly. His Uzumaki senses, combined with the divine eyes, locked onto Kagenori's chakra signature.
"Shinra Tensei!"
The repulsive force erupted just as Kagenori's swing began, hurling him backward. He skidded across the ground for dozens of meters before regaining his footing.
Nagato was panting heavily. Controlling the Gedo Statue for the first time was an immense strain, and Kagenori's relentless, high-level assaults were pushing him to his absolute limit.
Kagenori glanced toward where Konan had landed. His eyes narrowed slightly. Yahiko's body is gone. Konan, now under attack from Rain and Root ninjas, was frantically searching for it, forced to defend herself.
Nagato watched Kagenori ready himself for another charge. If this continued, he and Konan would both die here. He couldn't let that happen. Yahiko's last wish—to protect Konan, to fulfill their dream—echoed in his mind.
With a final, monumental effort of will, he gave the Gedo Statue one last command before gripping the chakra rods impaling his back and wrenching them free, severing the connection.
The Gedo Statue roared and unleashed two more chakra dragons at Kagenori. Seizing the distraction, Nagato, ignoring the searing pain in his burned legs and the profound weakness from chakra depletion, lunged toward Konan.
"Shinra Tensei!" He blasted the attackers away from her. "Konan," he coughed, blood speckling his lips, "we have to run!"
Konan cast one last, desperate look around for Yahiko's body, but seeing nothing, she hooked Nagato's arm over her shoulders and they fled into the misty landscape.
Kagenori evaded the chakra dragons and made a show of pursuing, but the now-uncontrolled Gedo Statue took a final, wild swing, blocking his path. By the time the construct dissolved into smoke, Nagato and Konan were gone.
Kagenori let out a quiet sigh of relief. With Danzo watching, he had been forced to fight, but killing Nagato would have been a catastrophic mistake. The system's warnings about "fixed events" were clear. If Nagato died, some unknown variable would inevitably arise to take his place, throwing all of Kagenori's future knowledge into chaos. It was far better to let the devil he knew survive.
And besides... he had secured a valuable prize.
While Konan and Yahiko had been separated by the shockwave, Kagenori had used the cover of dust to summon a small white snake from Ryuchi Cave. Under his mental command, it had swiftly swallowed Yahiko's body and returned to the serpent dimension.
Yahiko was now in his possession. The boy's importance to Nagato was immeasurable. He was a potential lever, a key to future negotiations or manipulations. Of course, this was only viable if Yahiko could be kept alive and compliant. If he became a liability, he would be disposed of.
Kagenori returned to Danzo's side. "My apologies, Lord Danzo. I failed to eliminate him."
Danzo waved a dismissive hand. "The fault is not yours." The appearance of the Gedo Statue and the power of the Rinnegan had been unforeseen. From his perspective, Kagenori had fought admirably and with overwhelming force. The failure was one of intelligence, not execution.
He turned to Hanzo. "Who was that red-haired boy?"
Hanzo shook his head, his expression grim. "I know little about him. This... was an unexpected variable."
"Our part of the bargain is complete," Danzo stated. "The Akatsuki leadership is broken."
"I understand," Hanzo replied. "You will have my full support from this day forward."
Danzo's gaze swept over his remaining Root operatives. "Secure the area. Recover our dead. We return to Konoha!"
The Root ninjas moved with practiced efficiency, gathering the bodies of their fallen comrades. Leaving them behind was not an option; their minds contained too many of Root's secrets, vulnerable to any skilled Yamanaka.
With the grim task complete, Danzo led his force, Kagenori included, out of the Land of Rain. The mission was a success, but the image of the Rinnegan and the demonic statue was now burned into Danzo's mind, a new and troubling piece on the world's chessboard.
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