In the distance, atop a mountain, Uchiha Itachi squinted his eyes, looking at Nagato, who appeared on the Yatagarasu.
"So that's the leader's true form," he muttered.
Aside from Tobi and Sasori, the other Akatsuki members stared curiously at Nagato on the Yatagarasu. It was their first time seeing the leader's true form.
On the Yatagarasu, Nagato placed Deva Path Pain inside the bird and jumped to the ground. He commanded the Yatagarasu to leave, then turned to Shishou and said,
"Thanks to your last surprise attack, I realized that the Six Paths of Pain have their limitations. So, I had Sasori make me a pair of puppet legs. They aren't as good as real legs, but with modifications from the Asura Path, they're good enough."
Nagato finished speaking and revealed rocket thrusters on his legs, flying up to a thousand meters in the air. He clasped his hands together, revealing a black sphere the size of a fist in his palm, much larger than the one in the original story.
"Chibaku Tensei!!!"
In Death Valley, the area within a ten-kilometer radius had been plowed by the Super Shinra Tensei, destroying any Flying Thunder God marks Shishou might have left. This meant Shishou had to either withstand the Chibaku Tensei or escape the ten-kilometer range, thereby losing the duel.
Moreover, after absorbing the chakra of the Four-Tails and Five-Tails, the power of Nagato's Chibaku Tensei was tripled, covering an area of over ten kilometers.
Rumble!!!
Terrifying gravitational force emanated from the black sphere, splitting the ground and causing mountains to collapse. Countless rocks and debris were pulled towards the black sphere in the sky. Even the mountain where the Akatsuki members stood began to collapse under the gravity, forcing them to flee. Fortunately, Nagato controlled the direction, avoiding harm to the Akatsuki members.
Tsunade and the others, heeding Konan's warning, had already moved far away and were safe.
Shishou stood within the rising shield, watching the approaching Chibaku Tensei and muttered,
"The power is much stronger than when capturing Naruto in the original story. But you won't seal me with this."
Shishou said, clasping his hands together.
"Wood Release: Wood Human Technique: Four Bright Kings!"
Four wooden giants appeared around Shishou, forming a protective circle. Shishou then took out insect armor, and the wooden giants turned pitch black, looking majestic and menacing like hellish kings.
Boom!!!
The four wooden giants collided with the forming Chibaku Tensei, creating a massive impact but were quickly buried by the subsequent onslaught of rocks and debris.
Nagato clasped his hands together, and his Rinnegan eyes trembled.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
Countless rocks and debris continued to fly towards the Chibaku Tensei, expanding it to a massive two-kilometer diameter, forming a colossal satellite.
"This is the leader's true strength?" Kakuzu muttered, staring at the massive satellite in the sky.
"He didn't use the Flying Thunder God to escape. Looks like he's dead for sure," Juzo Biwa sighed.
The other Akatsuki members nodded in agreement, except Uchiha Itachi, who remained calm.
In the air, Tsunade and the others watched the giant satellite with concern.
Nagato landed in the deep crater formed by the Chibaku Tensei and looked up at the sky.
Shishou, with the Flying Thunder God, could have easily escaped, but he didn't expect him to adhere so strictly to the duel rules, willing to be sealed rather than escape beyond the designated range.
"You really want to defeat me..." Nagato murmured, turning to leave.
Crack!!!
A faint sound came from the sky.
Nagato looked up suddenly.
The next second, a massive tree sprouted from the surface of the Chibaku Tensei, with Shishou appearing on top of it.
Having withstood the initial pressure of the Chibaku Tensei, Shishou continuously nurtured a giant tree, growing it bit by bit, eventually breaking through the surface. Using the Camouflage Technique, a technique he learned from White Zetsu, he escaped the underground.
"Camouflage Technique!" Uchiha Obito gritted his teeth, staring at Shishou atop the satellite.
In the air, Tsunade and Mei Terumi breathed a sigh of relief seeing Shishou reappear.
"No matter how harsh the environment, life finds a way," Shishou said, approaching Nagato.
Behind him, the Chibaku Tensei began to collapse, rocks and debris falling to the ground, creating loud crashes and tremors.
"Your strength exceeded my expectations," Nagato said, "But even so, the weak cannot defy the will of God!"
Nagato pressed his hands to the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu: Gedo Statue!"
Roar!!!
The Gedo Statue emerged, letting out a fearsome roar, exuding an intimidating aura. Though its body was only slightly larger than a normal tailed beast, its power surpassed them, being the shell of the Ten-Tails, making it almost immune to most ninjutsu.
"What is that thing..." Anko and Karin, hovering in the air, stared in shock at the giant, nine-eyed, tree-like monster below.
"That's the Gedo Statue?" The Akatsuki members exclaimed, recognizing it. Although familiar with the statue, they didn't know it could be animated.
Uchiha Obito remained unfazed, only Konan looking worriedly at Nagato.
Boom!
The Gedo Statue swung its massive arms, aiming a powerful strike at Shishou.
Shishou vanished, using the Flying Thunder God to reappear on the collapsing Chibaku Tensei, smirking.
"Nagato, you better dodge this attack," Shishou warned, forming hand seals.
Nagato's eyes narrowed, readying himself.
"Summoning Jutsu: Turtle Island!"
Boom!!!
A giant turtle appeared atop the Chibaku Tensei, crashing down with overwhelming force towards the Gedo Statue below.
"Here comes the giant turtle!!!"
If you enjoyed this chapter, please remember to add it to your library and follow for more updates. You can read up to chapter 400 at patreon.com/Betek