The attack failed, but Muren Uchiha didn't lose his composure. He knew exactly what kind of opponents he was facing.
In the next instant, his figure vanished—taking Kushina with him.
"That guy…"
"Where's he going?"
Seeing the pitch-black Susanoo and Kushina disappear, both Minato and the old man Sarutobi grew uneasy.
Kazuyama Gekkō turned to Chōmei and Tagitsuhime for answers.
After all, one could sense chakra, and the other had compound vision. He couldn't afford to lose focus—Nagato and his five clones were still right in front of him.
"Kazuyama, that bastard's headed for your village."
"His Dōjutsu lets him close long distances. Damn it, you'd better get back there fast."
Tagitsuhime tapped into her Senjutsu chakra to search, and in the next second, her expression froze—he was already in Konoha.
What?
Damn it—what a sneaky bastard.
"Hmph! An opening!"
"Banshō Ten'in!"
"Missile barrage!"
Kazuyama was caught off guard, but Nagato wasn't. Under Banshō Ten'in, even the massive Titan Python was yanked forward in an instant.
The Asura Path's mechanical body erupted with a barrage of missiles.
Boom!
The close-range blast left Kazuyama dazed—not hurt, but the shockwaves from the chain explosions left his ears ringing.
"Kazuyama!"
"I'll help—"
Minato prepared to activate Flying Thunder God, but in the next moment, a shadow clone appeared in front of him.
It was Kazuyama's own clone.
"Minato! Old man! Get back to the village—now!"
The words had barely left his mouth when a violent explosion rocked the direction of the village.
Boom!
Fire lit up the night sky.
There was no need for Kazuyama to say anything—Minato and Hiruzen already knew where Kushina had gone.
The two Hokage's faces turned grim.
"Kushina's lost control. If she goes wild in the village, you know how bad it'll get."
"I'll handle things here. You take care of the other side."
With that, Kazuyama's clone vanished.
A second later, Minato and Hiruzen disappeared as well—one a dispelled clone, the other two warping away with Flying Thunder God.
Now only Kazuyama and Nagato remained on the battlefield.
"Nagato... now there are no more distractions."
"Come fight!"
The Titan Python let out a thunderous roar and charged again.
The missiles earlier were little more than an itch. With plenty of Senjutsu chakra, even parts blown off could regenerate quickly.
...
At the same time, far away in Takigakure, Tagorihime and Ichikishimahime appeared. After exchanging a glance, both turned their gaze south.
"The fight's begun. That's Kazuyama's aura."
"Who's the enemy? Who could make him this furious?"
It wasn't that they didn't want to go. Kazuyama had tasked them with protecting Pakura, and they trusted his strength.
"But with Tagitsuhime there, it should be fine."
"Even if we don't want to admit it, she really is more suited for battle than we are."
There was still a trace of worry in Tagorihime's eyes, but when she remembered Tagitsuhime's true nature, the unease faded.
The Three Snake Princesses usually appeared in human form. Even in battle, they rarely revealed their serpent traits—that's because they'd never gone all-out before.
If one of them ever went berserk... that would be a real nightmare.
"Kazuyama... hehehehehe…"
"I'm the only one here today. Let me show you the true power of a Ryūchi Cave Snake Princess."
"Hiss! A Rinnegan opponent—not bad!"
Tagitsuhime's voice suddenly echoed, tinged with a hint of madness.
But the next second, her red serpent form was bombarded with a storm of missiles.
"Summoning Technique!"
At the same time, the Animal Path and Human Path returned to the battlefield, destroying all of Kazuyama's marked kunai before joining the fight.
Three clouds of white smoke puffed up simultaneously.
Then came an explosion of bubbles that engulfed the Titan Python and the red snake.
Two massive pincers stretched from the smoke—it was a monstrous crab, impaled with black rods, its size utterly terrifying.
Two more figures emerged. A giant centipede began circling the two serpents.
A massive bird soared into the sky, the Animal and Human Paths standing on its back.
"Tch, troublesome summons!"
"Then I'll smash my way through!"
This was Kazuyama. With Sage Mode active, his entire fighting style shifted—now his mind was focused on nothing but killing.
"Hahahahaha!"
"All of them are food!"
"Kazuyama, move!"
"Snake-born Genesis!"
The foamy mist was suddenly blown apart as a red light exploded outward.
Tagitsuhime, now fully transformed into a red serpent, stabbed her tail deep into the ground.
The earth trembled violently.
One... two... countless streaks of red light rose from the ground.
In Nagato's Rinnegan, the battlefield was now filled with glowing red snakes.
These snakes were blood-red, each with a single black stripe along its underside—visually eerie and unnerving.
"Snake Cage Hell!"
"Devour them!"
Tagitsuhime's serpentine form twisted in fury, Senjutsu chakra pouring from her so intensely that even Kazuyama felt a jolt of fear.
He muttered to himself, "So this is the true power of a Ryūchi Cave Snake Princess…"
The Three Snake Princesses had trained for over a thousand years—what they stored within them couldn't be compared to ordinary Senjutsu users.
The entire battlefield was now under Tagitsuhime's control.
Her summoned red snakes immediately coiled around the crab and the centipede.
They bit down relentlessly, paralyzing venom rendering both powerful summons completely helpless.
"Hmph, so this is one of the Three Great Sage Lands' Sages?"
"Shinra Tensei!"
As red snakes lunged toward him, Nagato raised his hand and unleashed a Shinra Tensei.
The wave of energy slammed through the field, turning the red snakes into glowing red fragments.
But just as he thought he'd destroyed them, the fragments began to reform—each snake reconstructed perfectly.
"Don't forget me, bastard!"
"Rasengan!"
Suddenly, the ground cracked open. A blue-gray snake tail shot up, and Kazuyama burst out of it, Rasengan in hand.
He'd waited for Shinra Tensei's five-second cooldown—and now was the time.
"Hmph!"
With a snort, the Asura Path stepped in to block.
Kazuyama grinned.
It was a sinister, calculating grin.
The Rasengan struck the Asura Path—and in the next instant, a cloud of invisible dust erupted, scattering in all directions.