Chapter 2: Summoning! The Gedo Statue Descends!
In that instant, Konan's mind went blank.
One second it was a certain-death situation, and the next, the Root elite who was supposed to drive a Kunai into Yahiko's heart had a bowl-sized blood hole blasted through his chest out of thin air.
Without even letting out a scream, the corpse collapsed to the ground like a tattered sack.
"Yahiko... what just happened?" Konan's voice was trembling, her teeth chattering.
Nagato, dragging his legs that had been mangled into a bloody mess by the exploding tags, desperately crawled over. Those legendary Rinnegan eyes were currently filled with bewilderment.
He was of the Uzumaki Clan, and his sensory abilities were among the best in the Ninja World. But he would bet his life that just now, there wasn't even a ripple of Chakra from Yahiko's body!
"A Kekkei Genkai awakened at the brink of death, probably a family inheritance."
Yahiko made up a random excuse, directly cutting off any further explanation. "The point right now isn't that; it's getting out of here alive."
He looked up, his gaze passing over the shoulders of the two and toward the top of the valley.
There, the Ninja World's Demi-god—Hanzou—saw his expression shift from that of a cat playing with a mouse to one of piercing coldness.
As a Demi-god who had fought on battlefields for decades, his sense for danger was sharper than that of a wild beast.
That orange-haired brat was a bit off.
Such an uncontrollable variable had to be crushed into the dirt!
"Attack. Leave no survivors."
Hanzou's voice was as cold as ice shards.
At his command, the Rain Ninja elites and Root Ninjas were like hungry wolves smelling blood; dozens of dark shadows, carrying a pungent killing intent, poured down from the heights!
"Quickly, take Yahiko and go!!"
Nagato let out a roar that didn't sound human, suddenly shielding the two of them.
Yahiko had just recovered from a mortal wound, and Konan's Chakra was exhausted. He was the only one who could fight!
Clapping his hands together, he bit his thumb hard, and blood splattered.
The formula for the Summoning Jutsu instantly spread across the water-logged ground.
"Summoning Jutsu: Gedo Statue!!"
BOOM—!!!
The earth was torn open as if by a giant hand, and dust blotted out the sun.
A withered, gargantuan, and terrifying statue emitting an ancient, ferocious aura erupted from the ground. That single roar shattered the curtain of rain falling from the sky!
"Nagato!!" Konan screamed in terror.
Pfft! Pfft!
Several thick black rods shot out from within the statue, mercilessly piercing Nagato's back!
Nagato's previously full muscles withered at a speed visible to the naked eye as his life force was greedily drained by the statue as if it cost nothing.
"Stop! Stop it! You'll die!" Konan's tears burst forth, and she tried to rush over like she was crazy, only to be held back firmly by a hand like an iron vise.
It was Yahiko.
"Dry your tears, Konan."
Yahiko's voice was calm, even somewhat cold. "This is a necessary sacrifice."
"What did you say?!" Konan looked back in disbelief, her gaze as if she were looking at a stranger.
Yahiko didn't explain, nor could he.
His Stand [Epitaph] had already projected the images directly into his mind.
In the future thirty seconds from now—Nagato would still be standing, while the enemies before them would all be corpses.
"Go, don't become a burden to him." Yahiko forcibly dragged Konan toward the exit of the valley, his tone brook no argument. "Trust me, this is not where his fate ends."
The next second, the slaughter began.
Having received nourishment, the Gedo Statue roared at the sky, its giant mouth opening as if opening the gates of hell.
ROAR—!
A giant purple Chakra dragon gushed out, sweeping through the crowd in the front like a Shinigami's harvesting scythe.
There was no Ninjutsu clash, no Taijutsu exchange.
This was a dimensional suppression!
Any Ninja touched by the dragon's body didn't even have time to scream before their souls were forcibly stripped away, their bodies slumping to the ground.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
A rain of blood began to fall from the sky.
The previously arrogant Root elites were now like chickens and ducks waiting for slaughter, falling in swathes. Their Ninjutsu hit the giant dragon like stones sinking into the ocean, failing to even create a ripple.
This wasn't a battle.
This was a one-sided massacre!
...In the shadows.
"It has finally appeared, the husk of the Ten-Tails."
White Zetsu's raspy voice carried a hint of perverted excitement.
Uchiha Obito, wearing a whirlpool mask, narrowed his single eye and took a deep look at that retreating orange-haired silhouette.
"The Rain Ninja and Root are finished."
Obito's voice was low, with a hint of amusement. "Let's go. That Yahiko, who luckily survived, has made things interesting."
Space distorted, and the two figures vanished into thin air.
At the other end of the battlefield.
Danzo Shimura watched his carefully cultivated subordinates fall like wheat being harvested, his face turning as black as the bottom of a pot.
"Hanzou, that useless waste! He can't even handle three green brats!"
Danzo turned around without hesitation, ready to slip away. "Retreat!"
Konoha's Root must never be broken in a godforsaken place like this... In the center of the valley.
After clearing out the fodder, the purple Chakra dragon spiraled upward, its hollow, lifeless eye sockets locking onto the sole survivor—Hanzou.
That invisible pressure made the Demi-god's scalp tingle.
"It seems you are the Akatsuki's true trump card."
Hanzou spoke through his respirator, his voice dry. "The Rinnegan... you hid it well!"
His answer was Nagato's hysterical roar.
"Go to hell!!"
Boom!
The massive dragon head, carrying an aura that could destroy heaven and earth, slammed down toward the cliff!
This strike was enough to shatter mountains and split the earth!
At the critical moment, Hanzou's hands formed seals so fast they left afterimages.
"Body Flicker Technique."
RUMBLE—!!
The cliff collapsed, and rubble flew through the air. The massive impact made the entire valley tremble as if the apocalypse had arrived.
When the dust cleared, only a terrifying giant crater remained, but Hanzou's body was nowhere to be seen.
"Huff... huff..."
Nagato knelt on one knee, panting heavily. He was now as thin as a rail, looking like a gust of wind could knock him over. The statue vanished into smoke, leaving only the shocking black rods in his back.
Is it over?
Nagato painfully lifted his head, his vision blurred as he looked in the direction where Yahiko and Konan had left.
It was this very glance that made his soul nearly leave his body!
A dark shadow, moving so fast it was a blur, was hugging the ground like a life-taking demon, silently rushing toward the two defenseless people!
The Body Flicker Technique wasn't for escaping.
It was to get behind them! To launch a sneak attack!
This was the battle experience of the Ninja World's Demi-god! Even a lion uses its full strength when hunting a rabbit!
"Yahiko! Behind you!!"
Nagato used his last ounce of strength to roar, blood and froth gushing from his mouth.
The sound was too faint due to the storm and the distance, but Hanzou heard it.
The cold sneer on his face bloomed under his mask, his speed exploding once more, the scythe in his hand flickering with a ghostly green poisonous light.
It wasn't until the killing intent became bone-chilling and her hair stood on end that Konan turned back in shock.
Her pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks.
There was no time to counterattack!
Kenjutsu: Iai Slash!
That poison-coated scythe cut through the rain and sliced through the air, and from the back of Yahiko's neck—
It was only a foot away!