When Shadow saw the two figures in the sky, he immediately realized that the prey had delivered themselves to him. He remembered very clearly that the Ohtsutsuki clan members who died on the moon, including Ohtsutsuki Hagoromo, had not had their souls enter the Pure Land. Hinata Hyuga would later see Ohtsutsuki Hagoromo, and the countless souls of deceased Ohtsutsuki clan members. Those were not the souls of ordinary ninja; they were high-quality Ohtsutsuki clan souls.
This meant…
"If I can collect all those souls, how many Intermediate or even Advanced Hollows can I cultivate, saving how many points?" A smile appeared on Shadow's face. Confronting the entire ninja world in the future was an inevitable outcome. The Old Man of Six Paths, after all, possessed the souls of all the strong individuals in the Pure Land. If he chose to intervene, it would be a huge problem. Therefore, in addition to gaining more points and strengthening himself, he also needed more subordinates to help him deal with troublesome individuals. This would ensure stability when facing the Sage of Six Paths or even stronger enemies in the future. The souls of those Ohtsutsuki clan members on the moon were excellent consumables.
Although it was impossible to go to the moon and face Ohtsutsuki Hagoromo now, since they had delivered themselves, there was no reason to refuse.
Thus, Shadow appeared in the center of the Leaf and Sand Village battlefield, beside Nagato, Kakuzu, and Mui.
"…Shadow?"
Nagato, instinctively wary, subconsciously turned his head. Only upon seeing Shadow did he retract his arm, frowning as he asked, "What are you doing here?"
He and Hanzo had long ago established their division of labor: Hanzo was to infiltrate the Sand Village's rear camp for a decapitation strike, while he and the other Akatsuki members were to go to the front lines, hiding among the Rain Village ninja to slaughter Sand and Leaf ninja, and simultaneously search for the One-Tail Jinchuriki's location to seize it. Akatsuki's ultimate goal was still to capture the Tailed Beasts; it was currently impossible to fully expose themselves to the Five Great Nations, so Nagato had not used his full power. However, Shadow's appearance here was somewhat unexpected for him.
Was this mysterious fellow planning something again?
Pfft!
Beside them, the masked Mui raised the long bow ninja tool he had retrieved from the underground palace. He condensed chakra into an arrow and shot down several Sand Village ninja rushing towards them. This long bow ninja tool, named "Divine Annihilation Arrow," possessed the special ability to condense chakra into arrows. Earlier, before Hanzo appeared at the Sand Village troop camp, it was with this move—shooting chakra arrows into the sky—that he had killed several unsuspecting Sand Village ninja.
At this moment, Mui and Kakuzu also noticed the commotion here and instinctively moved closer to Nagato and Shadow's position.
"Shadow." Kakuzu's voice was hoarse and muffled. "Has Hanzo's situation been resolved?"
Shadow did not answer his or Nagato's question, instead looking up at the thick black clouds.
"Nagato," he began with a smile, "I'm here to clear the field for you."
"And also to let you see what Universal Pull can achieve, in addition to Almighty Push's repulsive force."
Hearing this, Nagato paused, then his brows furrowed tightly.
Shadow paid no mind to Nagato's confusion, merely raising the Box of Ultimate Bliss in his hand.
Tear!!
A harsh sound, as if space itself was being forcibly torn apart, exploded without warning in the void before Shadow!
He saw that space, like a canvas torn by an invisible giant claw, suddenly split open into an irregular, terrifying rift! Deep within the rift, a heart-pounding darkness and stillness surged, and a chilling aura surged out from the rift like a cold tide!
"What is this?!"
Mui's eyes widened in shock and uncertainty as he watched this incredible scene. Kakuzu instinctively took a step back.
"This is a 'Garganta,'" Shadow said calmly. "It should be considered a space-time ninjutsu."
He had spent fifteen thousand points to modify the "Box of Ultimate Bliss"; now he only had a paltry 23,000 points left. Aside from its previous function of incubating Hollows, the Box of Ultimate Bliss now also served as an independent space, accessible through a "Garganta" portal. Hyuga Kawa and this Shadow clone, holding the Box of Ultimate Bliss, could tear open space anywhere, using the "Garganta" to teleport or summon "Greater Hollows."
Just like this…
The next moment, in the center of this Garganta, which tore through space and connected to the Box of Ultimate Bliss, a slender white figure, exuding a chilling aura, stepped out! It was none other than Espada #0, Uzumaki!
The temperature of the entire battlefield seemed to drop by several degrees. Even the ceaseless slaughter between the Sand Village ninja and Leaf Village ninja experienced a brief halt due to this chilling sensation. And its completely abnormal appearance made the pupils of Nagato and the other two contract.
"Master."
Uzumaki placed a hand in front of him, bowing slightly to Shadow. Shadow slowly raised a finger and pointed upwards, not at all concerned if it could see, merely smiling:
"They stand too high."
Upon hearing this, Uzumaki looked up at the thick, dark clouds, his crimson gaze locking onto the two figures. At the same time, Toneri's father also felt the source of this chill, piercing through the heavy rain to pinpoint the two figures on the ground.
However, the moment he locked onto Shadow and Uzumaki, the latter raised the hand with the deep hollow.
Crack! Rattle!
Several pitch-black chains, inscribed with red runes, shot out like living venomous snakes from the hollow in Uzumaki's palm! The chains moved with incredible speed, almost instantly covering hundreds of meters the moment they left the hollow, emitting a piercing screech as they tore through the air! Their target was perfectly clear: the father and son of the Otsutsuki clan hovering high in the sky!
"How is this possible? At this distance, they actually saw us?!"
Seeing this, Toneri's father was greatly shaken. He quickly manipulated his flying ninja tool to accelerate sharply, attempting to gain altitude and escape the chains. But those chains seemed endless, like maggots clinging to bone, extending and pursuing them wildly at a terrifying speed far greater than their flight! These chains didn't shoot straight; instead, they strangely twisted, coiled, and intertwined in the air. That bizarre speed and extending characteristic completely exceeded Toneri's father's understanding of the ninja world's power!
"Inferior ninja, you are courting death!!"
Seeing the several ominous chains about to entangle them like tentacles from hell, Toneri's father's eyes flashed with cold light. He abruptly raised his hands to form hand signs, as if connecting to something.
Meanwhile, deep within the moon, the giant Tenseigan, suspended in the center of the vast temple and radiating immense power like a sun, suddenly erupted with unprecedented light!
Whirrrr!!
A torrent of pure, colossal chakra, disregarding spatial distance, instantly crossed the planetary divide and poured into Toneri's father's body. His body became enveloped in a blue-green chakra shroud. He then thrust his palm towards the black chains pursuing them from below!
Boom!
Under Nagato's suddenly narrowed pupils, a terrifying repulsive force exploded in a fan shape!