The Amegakure ninja pressed forward relentlessly, the wounds on Yahiko and Konan's bodies multiplying, their clothes thoroughly soaked in blood.
Nagato saw it all, yet could do nothing.
He could only shrink behind Konan, desperately trying not to burden the two of them.
But reality left no room for respite; all three were nearing their limits.
Konan's face was deathly pale when she suddenly exposed a fatal opening.
Her paper shuriken were exhausted, leaving a large blind spot in her defense to the right front.
A Rain ninja immediately seized the gap, charging fiercely and delivering a vicious horizontal kick that slammed hard into Konan's abdomen.
"Ugh—"
Konan groaned in pain, her entire body sent flying to crash heavily into the muddy ground.
Before she could struggle to rise, three or four Rain ninja pounced like starving wolves, kunai and short swords raised high, ready to cut her down on the spot!
"Konan!"
Yahiko kicked away the enemy before him, turning like a madman to rescue her.
But the moment he turned, a tearing, intense pain erupted across his back.
A ninja's long blade slashed viciously, instantly staining his back crimson.
Yahiko, his Chakra completely depleted, staggered and fell to his knees.
He desperately tried to stand, but his body no longer obeyed.
Nagato's mind went blank, his vision rapidly darkening, leaving only the sight of Konan and Yahiko lying motionless on the ground.
"Konan, is Yahiko going to die?"
"No—!!"
A tightly wound string in Nagato's mind snapped with a thunderous crack.
He threw his head back, letting out a roar, and violent Chakra erupted from within him.
He slapped a hand against the ground.
"Summoning Technique: Gedo Statue!"
The earth trembled violently as a colossal, earthen-yellow statue burst forth from the ground. Its eyes were covered with thick cloth, several massive pillars rising menacingly from its back. It tilted its head skyward and released a deafening roar, its terrifying pressure sweeping across the entire battlefield.
The Rain ninja who had closed in all froze in place, faces filled with terror.
"Wh-what is that thing?!"
"Such a dreadful aura!"
"Quick, kill that red-haired one!"
The next moment, several black rods shot out from the Gedo Statue's chest, piercing fiercely into Nagato's neck and back.
Nagato's entire body shuddered violently, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, yet he stubbornly straightened his posture, refusing to fall.
His Rinnegan glowed with a faint purple light, resonating subtly with the statue behind him.
Gasping heavily, his gaze fell upon the fallen Yahiko and Konan.
"Ah!!"
With Nagato's furious roar, the Gedo Statue slowly raised its massive arms.
One sweeping palm sent the Rain ninja surrounding Konan and Yahiko flying instantly.
Another arm slammed down, crushing two Rain ninja who had charged forward into a bloody pulp, flesh and blood splattering everywhere.
A faint scent of blood began to permeate the valley.
"Nagato!"
Konan struggled to prop herself up, shouting anxiously, but received no response.
Nagato's expression at this moment was twisted and terrifying, completely deaf to any sound.
"This is bad!"
Yahiko coughed up a mouthful of blood, his heart turning to ice. "Nagato has lost his senses!"
This scene was not the first time it had happened.
Back when the three were still young, they had been cornered by rogue ninja.
To protect him and Konan, Nagato had erupted with similarly suffocating, terrifying power.
And not long ago, when they were ambushed by Iwagakure ninja and he and Konan were once again pushed to the brink, Nagato had also summoned the Gedo Statue, slaughtering every ninja on the scene.
Only, Yahiko did not know that those so-called "Iwagakure ninja" were all Root members under Danzo's command in disguise.
All he knew was that Nagato had lost control.
Before his power was completely exhausted, he had utterly transformed into a machine existing solely for slaughter.
Nagato's consciousness was fading bit by bit.
Overwhelming feelings of helplessness and fear had completely shattered his mind, leaving only one obsessive thought: protect Konan, protect Yahiko, kill all the enemies.
Under this twisted fixation, everyone except Yahiko and Konan clutched their ears in agony, desperately resisting.
The Gedo Statue slowly spread its arms, Chakra erupting wildly as the entire statue forced itself up from the earth, releasing another deafening roar to the sky.
A bizarre, demonic sound wave swept across the battlefield, everyone clutching their ears in pain, struggling to resist.
Suddenly, a pale pink, dragon-shaped energy wave surged from the statue's mouth.
The energy dragon rampaged through the valley, instantly sweeping past over a dozen Rain ninja.
Those ninja's eyes rolled back, and they collapsed stiffly, their bodies showing no obvious wounds.
But where the energy dragon passed, human-shaped phantoms drifted up from their bodies—souls forcibly ripped out.
The ninja whose souls were extracted died on the spot.
"Run!!"
The Amegakure ninja were utterly terrified, scattering in a mad frenzy.
But no matter how fast they ran, they couldn't outpace that pink energy dragon.
Rain ninja fell one after another, yet the energy dragon showed no sign of stopping. It charged directly toward Fugaku and Danzo's direction, seemingly intent on annihilating everyone present.
Danzo, who had been confronting Fugaku, couldn't hide his shock at the sight.
"Is this the true power of the Sage's Eye?"
He had previously secretly sent men to assassinate Nagato's group, only to be defeated by this power of the Rinnegan.
Such terrifying power was absolutely not something he could face head-on.
Seeing the situation spiral completely out of control, Danzo's mind began to entertain thoughts of retreat.
"Damn it! We can only retreat for now."
His face dark, he gazed at the out-of-control statue from afar, then shifted his gaze to Fugaku, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
Perfect timing to leave Fugaku here.
As long as he dies, the Uchiha Clan will inevitably fall into internal strife. My plan can still proceed.
Fugaku likewise had no desire to clash head-on with that bizarre energy dragon.
Such a strange technique, even with his extensive experience, he had never seen before.
He immediately turned sideways, preparing to withdraw from this dangerous place.
But the moment he moved, Danzo suddenly waved his hand. Several Root ninja instantly emerged, surrounding Fugaku.
"Danzo, what are you trying to do?!"
Danzo snorted coldly. With the cooperation of the Root ninja, his hands flew through a series of hand seals.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Wave!"
He opened his mouth wide, Chakra transforming into countless wind blade bullets that shot straight for Fugaku's face.
Meanwhile, the soul-devouring energy dragon closed in right behind, showing no mercy simply because Fugaku had briefly fought alongside Nagato's trio.
In an instant, Fugaku was caught between the energy dragon and the wind blades.
The killing intent within him instantly peaked.
At this most critical moment, he had still been tricked by that old fox Danzo.
Fugaku's eyes snapped open, his Sharingan spinning and transforming rapidly, finally taking on the shape of a cross-star.
After clearly discerning the trajectory of the Vacuum Serial Wave, his figure flickered repeatedly, dodging both the energy dragon's devouring assault and most of the wind blades.
But he couldn't avoid them all. Three Vacuum Serial Wave bullets pierced his right arm viciously, instantly mangling the flesh.
The energy dragon brushed past Fugaku, then suddenly turned and doubled back, charging at him madly once more.
Gritting his teeth, Fugaku focused his right eye sharply, fixing his gaze on the colossal statue.
"Amaterasu!"