"Leader, what is the meaning of this?"
From behind the coffin, Black Zetsu's head emerged, his black-white face twisted in anger.
Even with his millennia of experience, he couldn't help but feel furious. After all, from what he saw from the power of the Shinra Tensei, it was clear that Pain hadn't held back.
Deva Path's expression was icy, his killing intent unmistakable.
"Black Zetsu, you and that masked man have been playing quite the elaborate game, haven't you?"
Hearing this, Black Zetsu's heart sank.
'Had their plan been exposed?'
"Leader! I don't know what you're talking about..."
"You don't know? Then I'll see for myself whether you know or not."
Deva Path gave Black Zetsu no chance to explain. His right hand rose again, aiming directly at Black Zetsu.
"Bansho Ten'in!"
Deva Path manipulated gravity, directly pulling Black Zetsu toward him.
'Damn it!'
Black Zetsu cursed in his heart. The branches on his body plunged into the ground again, trying to anchor himself and resist the pull. But he was no match for Deva Path in combat.
In an instant, the branches snapped, and Black Zetsu was yanked forward, his neck caught in Deva Path's grip.
"L-Leader, I..."
Black Zetsu tried to speak, but another figure appeared beside them, causing his expression to twist in panic.
Human Path!
The Human Path wasn't one of the combat-oriented bodies among the Six Paths of Pain. Instead, it specialized in intelligence gathering.
Its ability, Soul Removal, allowed it to extract memories by placing a hand on an enemy's head, which is a ridiculously overpowered skill.
'Damn it!'
For the first time in his long life as the mastermind of the Ninja World, Black Zetsu wanted to curse.
'How had Nagato found out about our plans? And why was he attacking so ruthlessly, without any warning?'
'But at least for now, it seemed Nagato didn't know the full extent of my plans and he only thought that I was scheming something.'
Black Zetsu wasn't afraid of being attacked, but the information about his mother absolutely could not be revealed!
He glanced at the two cracked coffins below. He knew Hiruko's Edo Tensei had already been activated. All he needed to do was buy some time.
Human Path's hand was about to land on his head.
In a flash, Black Zetsu's head split into black and white halves, but he still couldn't break free from Deva Path's grip.
Human Path paused for a moment, then reached for the black half of Black Zetsu's head.
To everyone's surprise, half of Black Zetsu's body turned into a sludge-like substance, enveloping Deva Path's arm.
In an instant, Nagato felt his control over Deva Path waver slightly, no longer as smooth as before.
Even with the help of the black rods, Nagato was still affected by Black Zetsu.
Yin-Yang Release: Body Coating!
This is the ability to possess others.
Black Zetsu was fighting Nagato for control of Deva Path.
"Pain!"
Konan cried out in alarm. Everything had happened too quickly… from Black Zetsu being captured, to his head splitting, to him turning into sludge and attaching himself to Deva Path. It had all occurred in the blink of an eye, leaving her no time to react.
Konan quickly distanced herself from Deva Path, not daring to intervene recklessly. She had no idea what Black Zetsu even was, but he certainly didn't seem human.
"Paper Shuriken Technique!"
Several sheets of paper floated around Konan, folding into shuriken shapes mid-air and shooting toward Black Zetsu's head on Deva Path's shoulder.
"Shinra Tensei!"
However, before the paper shuriken could reach Black Zetsu, Deva Path raised his hand and repelled them. At the same time, White Zetsu's body that had been held by the Deva Path was flung away.
"This..."
Konan was a little confused. Before she could overthink, Human Path spoke up.
"Black Zetsu is using some method to fight for control of Deva Path. But don't worry, it'll be resolved soon."
"Shinra Tensei!"
Black Zetsu couldn't hold out against Nagato's Chakra for long. After a brief struggle, a repulsive force erupted from Deva Path's body, blasting the sludge-like Black Zetsu away.
During the Fourth Ninja World War, Black Zetsu had succeeded in his backstabbing attempts because Obito and Madara had been caught off guard.
But facing Nagato head-on was a different story. Nagato seized the moment and used Shinra Tensei to repel Black Zetsu.
"Are you okay?"
Konan returned to Deva Path's side, her voice filled with concern.
Deva Path simply shook his head, not saying a word.
Instead, he turned his gaze back to the sludge-like Black Zetsu on the ground, now with a head.
"It's really a dangerous ability."
Deva Path's voice was even colder, his killing intent intensifying. Black Zetsu's ability could even control him. If he weren't careful in the future, he might truly fall under Black Zetsu's control, allowing him to achieve his goals.
A black rod appeared in Deva Path's hand as he prepared to strike again.
Crack!
At that moment, the sound of wood splintering echoed through the air.
Everyone turned toward the source of the noise.
At this time, one of the coffin lids was slowly opening.
As the coffin lid slowly opened, fragments of wood broke off and fell to the ground due to the earlier impact.
Boom!
Just as one coffin began to open, the lid of the other coffin was violently kicked open, sending the entire lid flying.
As the coffin lid shattered, two figures stepped out simultaneously.
Both had long black hair and dark eyes, their hair reaching down to their waists. They wore black, form-fitting combat attire with red layered armor over it.
One had a gentle and calm demeanor, while the other's domineering aura was evident from the way he had kicked open the coffin lid.
"Senju Hashirama?!"
"Uchiha Madara?!"
Pain and Konan both wore expressions of shock and disbelief.
These two were legendary figures in the Ninja World, and the Akatsuki had naturally gathered intelligence on them.
Especially regarding Madara, as they had always believed that the masked man was Madara. But now, they realized there was indeed a deeper conspiracy at play.
"What is this?"
The first Hokage, Senju Hashirama, who had just recovered from his confusion, suddenly saw Madara next to him. He was momentarily stunned, then burst into exaggerated laughter.
"Hahaha, Madara, I didn't expect to see you here too."
Madara, still regaining his bearings, looked at Deva Path, Human Path, Konan, and the slowly reforming Black Zetsu on the ground. His brow furrowed.
'This was clearly not the right time for my resurrection.'
'I was brought out with Edo Tensei in advance.'
Madara quickly deduced the situation, and his mood soured instantly.
And now, hearing Hashirma's foolish laughter, his expression darkened further.
"Hashirama, you idiot, your laughter is unbearable!"