In the sky, the golden sword of light slashed downwards once more.
RUMBLE!
On the ground, the Gedo Statue roared as it dodged the attack.
Shinra Tensei!
Standing on the Gedo Statue's shoulder, Tendo Pain extended his right hand, and an invisible, powerful repulsive force erupted, barely deflecting the golden sword of light. The golden sword of light slammed into the ground, carving out another long, deep trench. A maelstrom of light and an immense cloud of dust and debris billowed upwards, quickly engulfing the entire battlefield.
At this moment, the battlefield at the edge of the Forest of Death was a scene of utter devastation, littered with countless intersecting trenches and sword marks. Faced with Suijin, who was channeling the power of the Giant Tenseigan, Tendo Pain, controlled by Nagato, was already struggling to hold his ground. After all, the Rinnegan he wielded was not originally Nagato's own; he still couldn't unleash its full potential.
Cough, cough, cough~
In the distance, within a massive, upright tree trunk that concealed a hidden space, Nagato, his body already withered and skeletal, continuously coughed up blood. Although the Uzumaki clan's constitution was strong, it couldn't withstand the constant, debilitating drain of the Rinnegan and the Gedo Statue over so many long years.
"Nagato!" Beside him, Konan looked at Nagato with deep concern. Seeing Nagato in such pain, Konan desperately wanted to persuade him to give up on everything. But she also knew it was impossible. For this singular goal, Nagato had already gambled everything, including his own life. That unwavering, all-consuming conviction was the only thing keeping him alive. Watching Nagato, his hands forming seals even as he spat out blood, Konan's heart ached with anxiety. She couldn't intervene in the battle outside.
Perhaps, she thought desperately, I can try to capture those three Tailed Beasts first. Thinking this, Konan left behind a paper clone, then her real body flew towards the tournament arena.
There, a colossal blue giant stood—a Susanoo. That person… it was the Uchiha from the Divine Court! Not far from the Susanoo, several Akatsuki members, including the masked Obito, were engaged in a fierce battle with Jizo and the others. The situation was clearly unfavorable for Akatsuki.
Faced with Jizo, Obito and his group had no effective countermeasures. Previously, Obito had attempted to use Kamui, at the cost of expending a large amount of his ocular power, to try and eliminate Jizo's Susanoo. But Jizo was very familiar with Obito's fighting style; the moment the Kamui's spatial distortion appeared, Jizo had proactively dispelled his Susanoo and then used the Flying Thunder God Technique to quickly dodge the attack. After several such exchanges, Obito had consumed a significant amount of his dojutsu power but had failed to inflict any substantial damage on Jizo.
Jizo, for his part, wasn't focused on defeating Obito; he only needed to keep him occupied. Meanwhile, Kisame Hoshigaki and Uchiha Hiroomi were being effectively held back by Kagutsuchi and several of his clones.
Near the dueling groups, Fu had already been moved to a protected location. Now that their opponents' objective was clear, they wouldn't allow them to succeed so easily. As for Naruto, he had already retreated to the side under the protection of Jiraiya and Orochimaru.
With all the members of the Divine Court now fully engaged in the battle, the Konoha ninja had, for the most part, withdrawn from the direct confrontations with the most powerful Akatsuki members.
Konan flew through the sky, intending to bypass the main battle and directly attack the Jinchuriki who were being guarded. However, though her idea was sound, its execution was impossible. The moment Konan flew past, a glob of yellow oil shot towards her. It was Jiraiya who had attacked. The moment Konan's real body had appeared, Jiraiya had locked onto her. Konan hastily dodged the attack. By the time she had evaded the Toad Oil Bullet, Jiraiya, now in Sage Mode, had already appeared before her, blocking her path. A moment later, the two of them were fiercely engaged in combat.
Atop the forest of bone spikes, Sasori, Deidara, Kakuzu, and Hidan, who had remained stationary and hadn't rashly joined the fray, all wore strange expressions. In the past, this group had always considered themselves to be among the top-tier powerhouses of this world. But today, they had truly witnessed what real, overwhelming strength looked like.
"Hey! Sasori, my man, what should we do now, un?" Amidst the stunned silence, Deidara's lips twitched slightly as he muttered to Sasori beside him.
Sasori didn't answer. They simply couldn't interfere in the battles raging around them; the power levels were too high. However, over there…
Sasori leaped into action, heading towards the tournament arena. Deidara, stunned for a moment, quickly followed. "Hey! Sasori, my man, wait for me, un!" Kakuzu and Hidan exchanged a look, then also followed. Soon, the four of them arrived at the tournament arena.
At this moment, two fierce battles were raging within the arena. Sasori didn't hesitate, immediately choosing to go and assist Konan. After all, it was Konan who had recruited him into Akatsuki. Soon, the tournament arena also descended into a chaotic, multi-fronted melee.
While the battle in the Forest of Death raged uncontrollably, within the tree trunk space where Nagato was concealed, the black, viscous form of Black Zetsu slowly emerged. Black Zetsu didn't appear with his usual Venus flytrap appendage this time; instead, he moved like a sludge seeping out from the earth, appearing directly at Nagato's feet. Then, the black substance rapidly began to spread, engulfing Nagato's entire body.
"Zetsu?" Nagato's expression changed drastically. Black Zetsu's ability and this particular action were completely beyond his expectations.
"Nagato, your task is complete. Now, it is time for me to fulfill my mission," Black Zetsu's voice echoed, chilling and devoid of emotion.
"Your mission?" Nagato's voice was filled with a mixture of terror and furious indignation. He tried to sever his control over Tendo Pain and use Shinra Tensei to directly repel Black Zetsu, but he found that his body was no longer under his own command. Nagato didn't fear death, but he was unwilling to be manipulated like a puppet like this! Moreover, he had always maintained a sufficient level of vigilance towards Obito and Zetsu, yet he had still failed to escape their machinations in the end.
A few moments later, the black substance had completely enveloped Nagato's body.
"Rinne Tensei no Jutsu!" Under Black Zetsu's control, Nagato's hands formed a seal before his chest, and he slowly uttered these words.
As his voice fell, the terrifying, demonic King of Hell was summoned forth. It opened its gaping maw, and from within, a ball of white light emerged. This ball of white light flashed on the ground and then dissipated, revealing the figure of a young Madara Uchiha lying there. Large amounts of white steam continuously emanated from his body, and a powerful surge of life force began to gradually reawaken within him.
Suddenly, Madara Uchiha, lying on the ground, snapped his eyes open. In his eye sockets, there was nothing—just empty, dark voids, a truly horrifying sight.
Beside him, the black substance covering Nagato's body began to slowly recede. As Black Zetsu withdrew, the two Rinnegan eyes detached from Nagato's lifeless form. Soon, Black Zetsu appeared beside Madara Uchiha, holding the two Rinnegan in his hand.
Madara Uchiha extended his right hand, took the two Rinnegan, and then pressed them into his own empty eye sockets. He removed his hand, and the two Rinnegan were now perfectly embedded in Madara Uchiha's eyes.
Madara Uchiha slowly stood up. He looked at Nagato, whose body was now almost completely drained of its last vestiges of life force, and said, "It seems the plan has proceeded smoothly." As he spoke, Madara Uchiha shifted his gaze towards the direction of the raging battle. Over there, he could already sense many… interesting things.