In the past, the ANBU might not have listened to Kazuyama Gekkō.
But ever since he became the ANBU's training officer, he had become the stuff of nightmares for them. After all, he would use One Thousand Years of Death at the drop of a hat—truly terrifying.
Even Sakumo Hatake, the jutsu's original creator, probably never imagined his prank technique would end up motivating ninjas to improve.
The moment they heard Kazuyama's voice, the ANBU didn't hesitate for a second before scattering in all directions.
To them, even a second's delay meant neglecting their own well-being.
"Hmph, the small fry are gone?"
"Good. Kazuyama Gekkō, come out and fight!"
Nagato was multitasking, pushing his and his five paths' combat strength to the limit.
The Asura Path and Preta Path charged at the front.
The Animal Path and Human Path fanned out, clearly targeting the kunai scattered around the area—left behind by Kazuyama.
The Hell Path remained in the center, while Nagato stood guard in front of it, fully alert.
All six pairs of Rinnegan eyes searched for any sign of Kazuyama.
With the Transparent Escape Technique, as long as Kazuyama didn't make the first move, he remained undetectable.
But under the current circumstances, he couldn't hide forever.
He glanced at the other side—Kushina, already manifesting her fifth tail—and a bad feeling suddenly hit him.
The Nine-Tails' chakra was surging wildly, and he felt like he was being sensed.
The Nine-Tails was undeniably powerful, and its sensory abilities were a big part of that. The Nine-Tails' perception... was deadly.
"Kushina! Stop!"
"Damn it! Bastard! Let go of my son!"
It wasn't just Kushina—Minato Namikaze was also overwhelmed. His son had been kidnapped, his wife was on a rampage... Tonight just couldn't get any worse.
As for the old man Hiruzen Sarutobi, he was chasing Minato with the Adamantine Staff. He wasn't about to stay out of it either.
"Isn't anyone going to help me out?"
"Chōmei, can you feel the Nine-Tails scanning us?"
Kazuyama's caution forced him to check with his old partner. If he exposed himself now, who knew if the Nine-Tails would pick up on him?
"Nope. I don't sense that damn fox's chakra heading our way."
"Should be safe."
"I'll suppress my chakra. You use Ryūchi Cave's Senjutsu—hide me with its energy."
Chōmei broke it down rationally. Coincidentally, that was exactly what Kazuyama had planned.
In Transparent Escape mode, Senjutsu chakra had already begun gathering wildly around him.
"Tagitsuhime, it's on us this time."
"Hmph, I know. Tagorihime and Ichikishimahime are protecting your wife and kids, right? Figures. When it comes to fighting, I'm the one who has to step up!"
"Hahaha! Then let's go!"
"Hiss... hiss... Titan Python, let's go, Kazuyama!"
Just as Nagato was still scanning for Kazuyama, two beams of light suddenly lit up in the sky—one ghostly blue, the other crimson red.
The next second, a massive Titan Python and a red snake appeared, mouths wide open, lunging straight down.
"Nagato, you've taken a stand against me—then step aside!"
"Sage Art: Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes!"
The Titan Python slammed into the Asura and Preta Paths, knocking them away with brute force, then opened its jaws.
A flood of snakes surged from its mouth.
Enhanced by Senjutsu, this Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes was far more powerful in both number and force.
"Sage Art: Snake Fire Transformation!"
A red flash lit up the scene. The summoned snakes ignited as if spontaneously combusting, but the crimson flames didn't burn them away. Instead, they seemed to empower them.
It was Tagitsuhime's fire poison.
"Hmph! Shinra Tensei!"
Nagato snorted coldly and extended a hand. An invisible force shattered the wave of snakes before him.
Kazuyama clicked his tongue. Shinra Tensei really was a cheat move. It repelled everything—people, jutsu—within range, and packed serious power.
The shockwave spread out, even engulfing the Titan Python Kazuyama had transformed into.
But Kazuyama didn't back down. Hands clasped, the Titan Python charged in head-on.
"It's just a shockwave!"
"You think I'm scared of you?!"
Boom!
The impact of Shinra Tensei slammed into the Titan Python, but it tanked the blow with brute strength and immense Senjutsu chakra.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
With a five-second cooldown on Shinra Tensei, Kazuyama wasn't wasting a second.
The Titan Python opened its jaws again, unleashing a massive sea of flames.
The inferno engulfed the Asura, Preta, and Hell Paths—Nagato included.
Now the Preta Path's ability came into play. Its chakra absorption let it block in front and start absorbing the fire directly.
"I'm not done yet."
"You want to absorb it? I'll swallow you whole!"
As the Preta Path kept absorbing chakra, the Titan Python opened its flaming mouth wide and swallowed it whole.
"Stay put, would you!"
"Kusanagi Sword!"
Inside the Python, Kazuyama drew the Kusanagi Sword one-handed, stabbed straight through the Preta Path, and followed up with a powerful kick.
Boom!
The impact pinned the Preta Path to the ground with the Kusanagi Sword.
Without pausing, the Titan Python lunged at Nagato again.
In just five seconds, Kazuyama unleashed overwhelming power.
But just as he was about to reach Nagato, something changed.
The space in front of him distorted—suddenly, a crimson figure stood in his path.
"Shit!"
"Kushina?!"
Kazuyama cursed.
At the same time, a pitch-black skeletal frame and a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan appeared.
"Long time no see, bastard."
Muren Uchiha sneered as he used his dōjutsu to teleport himself and Kushina directly in front of Kazuyama.
The Titan Python couldn't stop and crashed right into the semi-Tailed Beast state Kushina.
"Die!"
Susanoo hurled the Lance of Longinus straight at the snake and the One-Tailed form.
Muren aimed to pierce them both in one shot.
"No chance!"
Swish!
The sudden shift in the battlefield brought another flash of yellow. A hand touched the Lance of Longinus—and the figure vanished in an instant.
A loud boom echoed not far from the battlefield.
"Well done, Minato!"
"Good thing I took one of your kunai!"
Yes—it was Minato Namikaze who averted the crisis. Well before the due date, he and Kazuyama had exchanged kunai as a contingency plan.