Obito also saw through the two women's intentions and hurriedly looked toward the Gedō Mazō. He arrived just in time to see the statue swallowed by a torrent of fire, and his heart couldn't help but skip a beat.
With flames that strong, it'd be bad if the Gedō Mazō actually got burned to death.
Then the statue's agonized roar rang out.
The gigantic "tree stump" suddenly started sprinting through the base, its whole body wreathed in flames, trampling who knew how many White Zetsu to death along the way.
Jiraiya and Gamabunta immediately gave chase.
Obito tried to pursue as well, but Konan instantly flung out a mass of explosive tags, detonating them to block his way. Unfortunately, she couldn't really stop him.
He just activated Kamui (Warping Space), ran forward in his intangible state, and simply ignored all the damage.
"This intangibility is seriously a pain!"
Samui swore under her breath, then quickly went after him alongside Konan.
Over on that side, Shino was still slaughtering White Zetsu with his insects when he suddenly saw an enormous, bizarre tree-stump-like thing charge out, covered in flames. He immediately knew that was the Gedō Mazō, and decisively ignored the White Zetsu to rush straight at it.
"Kidaichū!"
Shino slapped a palm against the Gedō Mazō's foot and then immediately backed off.
However, he was very dissatisfied. It seemed his Kidaichū hadn't even managed to bite through the Gedō Mazō's outer shell, so they couldn't parasitize it at all.
The Gedō Mazō noticed Shino and swung a massive fist down at him in fury. Shino could only keep dodging over and over. He sent wave after wave of bugs to gnaw at it, but the effect was minimal.
"As expected of the Jūbi's husk. If Fū were here instead, her Seven-Tails chakra-raised insects might actually be able to break through that defense."
In Shino's mind, the bugs raised on Fū's Seven-Tails chakra were the strongest of all. Just their jaw strength alone was absurdly powerful. If she unleashed a true "ten-thousand insects devouring bite," they might really chew this thing to death.
But thinking about that was pointless right now. Since he couldn't deal with the Gedō Mazō directly, protecting his teammates became the priority.
At that moment, Jiraiya and Gamabunta caught up and continued their assault.
The furious Gedō Mazō swung its fist at Gamabunta, the shockwaves from its punches dangerously explosive. Even Gamabunta didn't dare take them lightly and could only dodge.
"Jiraiya-dono, what do you need me to do?"
While mopping up White Zetsu, Shino yelled out a question. He genuinely wanted to help.
Jiraiya spared a moment to answer. "Go help Konan and Samui! They're holding Obito back. Make sure they don't get hurt!"
"Understood!"
Shino didn't hesitate for even a second and sprinted inward.
He just happened to run into Obito phasing his way out, with Konan and Samui chasing behind him. After confirming his two teammates were safe, Shino finally relaxed a little.
Then he immediately unleashed a massive swarm of insects, completely surrounding Obito.
Shino knew full well that this guy could turn intangible, but that was fine. There was a time limit on that. His swarm would be able to bite him the moment his intangibility ended.
"Nice work, kid from the Aburame clan!"
Samui gave him a thumbs up, then she and Konan moved to Shino's side. The three of them were ready to block Obito together.
Obito only felt more and more irritated. He immediately fired off a Shinra Tensei (Almighty Push), blasting the insect swarm away and forcing all three of them back. Right after that, he used Banshō Ten'in (Universal Pull) and yanked Shino straight toward him.
"Shino!"
Konan cried out in alarm and moved to help, but Shino's hand clamped down on her shoulder.
Huh? Shino was here… so the one over there—
Bzzz bzzz bzzz!
The "Shino" being pulled in exploded into a cloud of insects the moment it reached Obito. It was clearly a Mushi Bunshin (Insect Clone Technique), and in the blink of an eye a huge swarm once again engulfed Obito.
Luckily for him, his Kamui (Warping Space) intangibility was already active. Otherwise he probably would've been stripped down to bare bone in an instant.
Never underestimate the power of an insect swarm.
By now, Akatsuchi had completely blocked off the exit. Using his burly frame like a battering ram, he crashed through a mass of White Zetsu and forced his way inside.
He saw Jiraiya and the giant toad battling that enormous tree-stump-looking thing and knew at a glance it was the Gedō Mazō. Without hesitation, he used Doton (Earth Release) to upheave the ground and tilt it, directly knocking the Gedō Mazō's legs out from under it.
The Gedō Mazō lost its footing and immediately face-planted in a spectacular fall.
"Nice one, Akatsuchi!"
Jiraiya praised him, tactical ideas flashing rapidly through his mind—until one suddenly clicked into place. His eyes lit up.
He pulled out a sealing scroll and, after opening it, flung out a mass of black flames from within.
The black flames fell onto the Gedō Mazō's body and instantly made it scream in agony, rolling wildly on the ground.
But no matter how much it rolled, the flames didn't go out. They even started to ignite the floor.
That's right. This was the Amaterasu (Heavenly Illumination Black Flames) Jiraiya had sealed away previously.
Even though Itachi was dead, the black flames of Amaterasu were an unquenchable fire that would keep burning until they consumed their target. Since Jiraiya had sealed them back then, it was the perfect time to put them to use now.
The Gedō Mazō's screams were so heart-wrenchingly shrill that everyone nearby couldn't help but shiver.
Obito, still being harassed and blocked by the others, heard the sound and had a terrible premonition. He immediately activated his intangibility and rushed ahead, ignoring everything else. What he saw when he arrived was the Gedō Mazō being burned by black flames.
"Itachi's Amaterasu? No… Itachi's already dead. That flame must be what Jiraiya sealed away before."
Obito put it together in an instant. He didn't dare waste any time. He flashed right up next to the Gedō Mazō and used Shinra Tensei (Almighty Push) to blast the black flames away. Only then did the Gedō Mazō get a chance to "breathe."
"…Even flames like that can be repelled? The Rinnegan really is no joke."
Jiraiya frowned. For the moment he had no idea how else to destroy the Gedō Mazō, and he also had no surefire way of dealing with Obito.
Shino, Konan, and Samui rushed over as well. Seeing the current situation, they were equally at a loss. It was Samui who muttered, "If we had the Kohaku no Jōhei (Amber Purifying Pot), we might be able to seal that thing away."
"That's it!"
Shino's eyes lit up. "Maybe only Rikudō Ningu (Six Paths Tools) can subdue that monster. Those were treasures left behind by the Rikudō Sennin (Sage of Six Paths). Taking care of a mere Ten-Tails husk should be no problem at all."
He wasn't wrong. The problem was they didn't have any of the Six Paths Tools on them right now.
And the Kohaku no Jōhei required the target to respond verbally to the holder before it could seal them. There was no way something like the Gedō Mazō would respond properly.
But Shino and Samui weren't thinking about exactly the same thing.
What Shino actually had in mind was Tenten's Benihisago (Crimson Gourd). That gourd had even managed to seal Samehada (Sharkskin Greatsword). That meant that as long as it was a living being, there was a chance it could be sealed.
So this operation was likely going to fail.
But next time, they could send Tenten out to join the fight.
This failure would just mean they hadn't known how strong the Gedō Mazō was at the start. They could treat everything that happened as intel-gathering. Figuring out that using the Six Paths Tools to seal it might work was also a very important discovery, wasn't it?
"As expected of one of the legendary Sannin. You really are strong."
Obito gave his grudging praise. "However, since you all dared to come here today, be prepared to stay for good. None of you are getting out of here alive. Gedō Mazō, kill them all!"
The Gedō Mazō seemed to understand him. It threw its jaws open with a roar—only to vanish with a poof the next second.
Obito: …
Jiraiya and everyone else: …
Not good. Someone had just used Kuchiyose (Summoning Technique) to summon the Gedō Mazō away.
(End of Chapter)
[Get +20 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]
[Every 500 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]