Hashirama also noticed Konan and Kisame leaving but chose not to intervene.
He continued to watch the battle between Madara and Pain with great interest.
Black Zetsu, however, grew wary as he saw Konan depart. After thinking calmly, he realized that the change in Nagato's behavior must have been due to Konan.
But the root cause was likely the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
'Konan, who was supposed to be in the Land of Waves dealing with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, had suddenly returned to the Land of Rain. Shortly after, Nagato had turned on me. It was clear that Konan had obtained some critical information in the Land of Waves.'
This reminded Black Zetsu of what had happened in Konoha. 'The Uchiha and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki must have formed an alliance, which was why the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki had revealed Obito's Mangekyo ability to the Uchiha.'
'Asura reincarnation... Hagoromo Otsutsuki, is this also your back-up plan!?'
Black Zetsu gritted his teeth as he stared in the direction Konan had gone to.
He quickly thought of something else, his expression growing even more serious.
'The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki can use Flying Thunder God Technique!'
'We needed to end this battle quickly!'
Black Zetsu glanced at Hashirama, who was still watching the fight as if it were a spectacle, almost as if he were waiting for popcorn, and he clenched his teeth in frustration.
If Hashirama refused to act, there was nothing Black Zetsu could do to force him. Only the caster of the Edo Tensei could control the reincarnated individuals.
The barrier that Pain had maintained had already shattered during the battle between Madara and Pain, allowing Black Zetsu to use his abilities again.
He immediately began sensing his surroundings, searching for Hiruko's location in the rubble. He quickly found him, but Hiruko was clearly unconscious.
The sudden eruption of Deva Path's Shinra Tensei had caught Hiruko off guard while he was performing the Edo Tensei. Unable to defend himself, he had been blasted away and knocked out.
Without hesitation, Black Zetsu rushed toward Hiruko's location.
He needed to take control of Hiruko first, and then use Hiruko to control Hashirama!
---
Konan spread her snow-white paper wings, flying through the skies of the Land of Rain. However, her frantic pace made her appear somewhat disheveled.
Moreover, the residents below were already in a state of panic due to the sudden battle. The sight of the towering Susanoo in the distance only heightened their fear, and they fled instinctively, trying to escape the area.
No one noticed the disheveled angel in the sky.
But Konan saw the terrified expressions of the people below.
Her heart ached, but she could only feel a sense of helplessness.
Countless pieces of paper fell from her wings, transforming into paper cranes that guided the fleeing residents to a relatively safe place.
When Konan finally reached Nagato, he was sitting with his hands clasped together, his eyes sharp and his expression serious.
"Nagato, we... we need to escape..."
Though it was demoralizing, escaping was their best option now. Madara, with Edo Tensei body, couldn't be killed, and his Chakra was also limitless.
In contrast, Nagato, due to overusing the Rinnegan, was running low on Chakra. If this continued, he would likely die from Chakra exhaustion.
Nagato shook his head and said, "If the Pains aren't holding him back, Madara will come after us immediately."
"The Edo Tensei body has infinite Chakra. We can't escape."
"There's only one way to deal with them now."
Nagato slowly opened his clasped hands, revealing a small black sphere glowing faintly in the dim room.
Seeing this, Konan's face changed drastically, and he said in panic: "Nagato, if you use that Jutsu here in the Land of Rain, the civilians..."
"The area over there has few residents, and the commotion from the battle has already driven most people away. There won't be many casualties."
"Besides, no matter how many times I injure him, his Edo Tensei body will recover. Neither Taijutsu nor Ninjutsu will work. Only Sealing Techniques can deal with him."
"At this point, I can't afford to worry about right or wrong. If this succeeds, we'll achieve victory at the smallest cost."
The black sphere floated upward, drifting toward the sky above the battlefield where Madara and Pains were fighting.
"Chibaku Tensei!"
When the sphere reached the right position, Nagato let out a roar, clasping his hands together again.
The black sphere rapidly expanded, transforming into a massive gravitational sphere. A terrifying gravitational force erupted.
The ground began to shake violently, and countless buildings and structures were destroyed, their debris being pulled toward the gravitational sphere.
Below the sphere, Madara had already entered the second stage of Susanoo.
The skeletal arms now each held a long sword.
He was fending off the giant creatures summoned by Animal Path while defending against Asura Path's rocket attacks.
At the same time, he was suppressing the Deva Path, preventing it from charging up another Shinra Tensei.
In just a short while, the battlefield was littered with the remains of summoned creatures, which twitched for a moment before disappearing in puffs of smoke.
Madara's Fire Release Ninjutsu, which resembled natural disasters, forced even Naraka Path and Human Path, who were providing surveillance from a distance, to retreat.
This left Naraka Path with no opportunity to repair Preta Path.
However, Madara wasn't taking the fight seriously. What adult would get angry at a child's antics? To him, battling Pain was like playing a game with a child.
"What's this?"
After dispatching the last of Animal Path's summoned creatures, Madara was about to swing his sword at Deva Path when he noticed something unusual.
A sudden gravitational force began to act on him.
No, it wasn't just acting on him, it was affecting the entire area.
The ground beneath his feet began to crack and rise, lifting Madara's massive Susanoo into the air.
"Chibaku Tensei? Not a bad move."
Aside from the caster voluntarily dispelling it, the best way to deal with the Edo Tensei was through Sealing Techniques.
However, Madara still wore a faint smile. Facing the Rinnegan's most powerful Sealing Technique, he showed no signs of panic.
Madara didn't resist the gravitational pull from above, allowing his body to float toward the black sphere in the sky.
"Hey, Madara, this technique seems pretty impressive."
Madara heard Hashirama's voice again.
It's because Hashirama was also within the range of Chibaku Tensei, as were Black Zetsu and White Zetsu.
However, Black Zetsu had once again transformed into a sludge-like substance, covering Hiruko's body.
"Hmph!"
Madara merely snorted, giving Hashirama a disdainful glance before falling silent.
Hashirama, seeing that Madara was ignoring him, wanted to say more but suddenly froze in place, as if something unclean had taken control of his body.
After a long moment…
"Is it... over?"
Konan stared in shock at the massive rock sphere in the sky, which now blocked out the sun. This was truly a feat only god is capable of.
Nagato's expression was also filled with doubt. He felt everything had gone too smoothly, it was as if Madara had allowed himself to be sealed.
And indeed, that was exactly what had happened.
Boom!
A deafening roar erupted from within the massive rock sphere that blotted out the sun, echoing across the entire Land of Rain.
Countless pieces of rubble rained down like a meteor shower, and a dazzling blue-purple blade of light, like a bolt of lightning, sliced through the sky, cleaving the rock sphere in two from the inside.
At the same time, several colossal wooden dragons, their bodies unimaginably vast, burst out of the rock sphere with a roar. They twisted and coiled in the air, their towering forms casting an indescribable sense of oppression.
Nagato's eyes widened in utter disbelief, while Konan immediately sent a distress signal to Naruto through her ring.