Time passed slowly… The Phantom Dragons Nine Consuming Seals neared completion, and the three Jinchūriki, whose chakra had been steadily drained, were now on the verge of death.
By the evening of the sixth day since the sealing began, the last remnants of Tailed Beast chakra were drawn from the bodies of the three Jinchūriki. The sealing was complete.
All the chakra converged back into the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path's mouth, which then slowly closed. Its eyes began to open, three more this time.
Of the nine eyes, eight were now open. Each was bloodshot, threaded with fine red veins, giving the statue's monstrous face a gruesome expression.
With a thud, the three Jinchūriki, now empty vessels, collapsed to the ground as lifeless corpses.
Nagato, visibly fatigued, glanced at their bodies and said calmly, "The sealing is done. You may all go rest."
"Finally over…" Kakuzu muttered, stretching his arms and cracking his shoulders audibly. After six full days and nights without sleep, he was utterly drained.
And it wasn't just him, everyone except Ye Zi and Nagato looked thoroughly exhausted. All they wanted was a proper rest.
Had they been able to recover properly after the Kirigakure mission, even this grueling sealing ritual might not have worn them down so badly.
As Nagato silently watched, Konan and the others slowly left the underground chamber, each returning to their rooms for rest.
Ye Zi glanced at White Zetsu before turning to leave as well.
White Zetsu didn't follow. Instead, he hopped over to the three corpses and said, "I'll handle these bodies."
Nagato gave a faint nod and turned back to look at the statue, its eight open eyes filling him with excitement. Then he too departed, leaving White Zetsu alone in the chamber.
These three corpses were valuable Edo Tensei materials Ye Zi had requested, were rare and powerful assets. White Zetsu absorbed them into his body.
Now alone in the chamber, he scanned the surroundings briefly before sinking into the ground, off to find Ye Zi.
A moment later, White Zetsu arrived in Ye Zi's room and regurgitated the three corpses before him.
Ye Zi pulled out a scroll and sealed the corpses within it. He had no time right now to use Edo Tensei, what he needed was proper rest to recover mentally and physically for what lay ahead.
Once the bodies were stored, Ye Zi lay down on his bed. Within seconds of closing his eyes, he fell into a deep sleep.
White Zetsu, who didn't need sleep, smiled silently and melted into the wall, heading off to monitor Nagato. If Nagato made any sudden moves, White Zetsu would rush back to notify Ye Zi immediately.
Within the hour after the sealing was completed, everyone, including Nagato, remained in their rooms resting.
Nagato knew that capturing the Nine-Tails was urgent, but even he couldn't deny the toll the sealing had taken on him. Before heading to Konoha, he needed to restore himself.
By the next day at noon, Nagato awoke and immediately began preparing to depart for Konoha.
Konan, however, had already awakened earlier and prepared a meal for him.
After freshening up, Nagato sat down calmly and ate the food she had laid out.
The modest meal didn't take long to finish. Once done, Nagato looked at Konan and said softly, "You haven't had enough rest. You don't need to come this time."
Konan gently shook her head. "I'm going." Her voice was firm.
Nagato fell silent for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Get ready. We leave in ten minutes."
"Okay." Konan smiled faintly, knowing he had accepted her decision.
Ten minutes later, the two left Amegakure together, silently, swiftly, and without alerting anyone. They were heading for Konoha.
At this time, Shin and the others were still in deep sleep. After the mission to Kirigakure and six straight days of sealing, they likely needed another three days of rest just to recover. Konan's insistence on following Nagato clearly showed how firm her will was.
Nagato recognized that resolve. That was why he didn't stop her. Under pouring rain, the two of them moved swiftly through the storm.
"Konan, we're only one step away from realizing our dream," Nagato said, eyes full of hope as he gazed forward.
"Yes… just one step more," Konan replied softly, though her voice carried a note of sadness. "If only Yahiko were here…"
Nagato remained silent.
He and Konan had built a bridge toward peace, one last step remained before it was complete. But the people who were meant to walk that bridge alongside them… were all gone.
There should have been many, many others with them. But they were all dead.
He thought back over the past decade. The memories drifted like falling petals, and the first day they met felt like it had only happened recently.
Looking back, the ten-odd years seemed painfully long. But now, finally, it was almost over.
"After everything we've endured, we both know creating a peaceful world isn't easy. Sacrifices… are inevitable," Nagato said, voice heavy.
Konan didn't reply. She just remained silent.
Because she knew, the one who was supposed to be sacrificed…had always been her.
Nagato had no idea what Konan was thinking. Staring into the endless curtain of rain ahead, he spoke with firm and resolute conviction.
"We're only one step away from success. I cannot afford to fail."
"Mm." Konan nodded firmly.
Even if it cost her life, she was determined to help Nagato succeed.
They had lost too much, endured too much sorrow, all for the sake of reaching the world they dreamed of.
A beautiful world, one that had only ever existed in imagination. But now, thanks to their efforts, that imagined world was about to be projected onto reality, to replace the current world full of war and cruelty.
"We will succeed," Konan thought silently.
Before departing, she had purposely gone to check on Ye Zi. Seeing that he was still sound asleep gave her some peace of mind before she followed Nagato.
At their current pace, it would take about three days to reach Konoha. If they traveled without rest, they would need at least one full day to recover before they could launch the attack in peak condition.
Whether it ended in success or failure, the result would be known five days from now.
Shortly after Nagato and Konan departed, White Zetsu arrived at Ye Zi's room.
Before he even reached the door, Ye Zi opened his eyes, turning his head calmly toward White Zetsu and asking, "They've left?"
White Zetsu nodded slowly.
"Just him?" Ye Zi asked.
"Two. That woman went with him." White Zetsu replied.
"I see." Ye Zi narrowed his eyes.
In her condition, instead of staying behind to rest, she insisted on going with him, what an irrational woman.
Ye Zi got out of bed, still in no rush. He first washed up briefly, then took out some dried meat and began eating it with fresh water.
Because Konan was a sensory-type ninja, he couldn't follow too closely, he had to trail them from a distance.
So there was no need to hurry; better to eat and regain some strength first.
This journey required stealth, he couldn't let Nagato or Konan discover him. But since he already knew their destination was Konoha, even leaving half a day later wouldn't make a difference.
Konoha wasn't a weak village. Even for someone like Nagato, capturing the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki from Konoha wasn't going to be easy, especially without intel support, and with Konoha's barrier system in place, locating the Jinchūriki right away would be far from simple.
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Currently on Chapter 577 - The Final Dance of the Seedling Fern