"What should we do? Can we really defeat him?" Luo Sha asked nervously, his voice trembling with unease.
Uchiha Fugaku's face was tight with frustration as he gritted his teeth. "Damn it. If the Mangekyō Sharingan was still with me, maybe we would still have a chance." His tone was low but heavy with regret.
Since losing the Mangekyō Sharingan, Fugaku's strength had significantly diminished, and the dream of defeating Nagato felt more distant than ever—almost impossible.
"We seriously underestimated the enemy," Ohnoki said with a sigh, shaking his head slowly. "If we had known the truth earlier, we should have sent far more shinobi to prepare."
His words carried the weight of painful hindsight. The arrogance of the Five Kage was now laid bare—each believing they could easily dismantle the Akatsuki's forces.
Especially the reckless Fourth Raikage, whose rashness had cost him his life at Nagato's hands…
Not only that, but Mizukage had been forced to retreat, recuperating after sustaining critical injuries in a desperate attempt to save him.
Ai's betrayal was glaring—he had led Mizukage right into the enemy's trap at the very start of the battle.
---
Nagato's cold voice cut through the tense air like a blade. "Since you want to start a war, then stay here."
Without hesitation, his body shot forward at a terrifying speed, cutting through the battlefield with a sharp whistle in the wind.
Ohnoki's eyes narrowed, determination sparking in his gaze. "Fight him!" he shouted, hands swiftly forming seals.
"Dust Release—Original World Separation Technique!"
Before his words had even finished echoing, a blinding white beam shot forth from his palm like a laser aimed directly at Nagato.
This was Ohnoki's signature ninjutsu—the Dust Release. Its devastating power could disintegrate objects down to their atomic state, reducing them to mere ashes.
---
Nagato, of course, understood the destructive potential of this technique. Yet, his face showed no trace of fear.
As the Dust Release hurtled toward him, he calmly whispered, "Shinra Tensei."
A mighty repulsive force exploded outward from Nagato's body, violently pushing the attack back in an instant.
The Dust Release, turned against its own origin, sped uncontrollably toward the ranks of the Allied Ninja Forces like a missile without guidance.
"No! Move out of the way!" Ohnoki cried out in horror.
But his warning came too late.
---
The attack tore through several Rock shinobi. Before they could react, they were instantly reduced to nothing but a cloud of dust, disappearing into the wind.
"Even that old man Ohnoki's Dust Release couldn't touch him..." Luo Sha whispered, disbelief coloring his voice.
He had believed in his own strength, thought it enough to hold back such a foe, but Nagato's power was far beyond anything he could have imagined.
Before Luo Sha could process this shock, Nagato was already behind him—silent as a specter.
His cold voice came like a death sentence from the underworld. "Die."
---
Nagato's hand shot forward and gripped Luo Sha's back with unnatural force.
Luo Sha's body froze in place, and in a terrifying instant, Nagato began pulling at something unseen—extracting Luo Sha's very soul from his body.
Horror filled Luo Sha's wide eyes as he desperately struggled against the invisible grip, shouting, "Stop it, you bastard!"
But Nagato was merciless. The soul was torn free completely, leaving Luo Sha's body limp and lifeless.
His neck slumped, and his once vibrant eyes glazed over as darkness claimed him.
In his final moments, Luo Sha's heart was heavy with regret and resentment.
He thought of his captured friend Obito, still held prisoner by the Akatsuki, and the desperate hope to one day save him.
But with Nagato's overwhelming strength before him, he knew that hope was gone.
The endless regrets flooded his mind as his eyelids slowly closed—and eternal darkness swallowed him whole.
---
Nagato looked down at the fallen body with contempt and sneered, "Is this the strength of the Five Kage? Nothing special."
He carelessly tossed Luo Sha's body aside, his disdain filling the air.
---
Meanwhile, Ohnoki and Uchiha Fugaku were gripped by despair.
Neither could fathom the immense gap between themselves and Nagato's power.
They felt powerless—helpless to mount any meaningful resistance.
Ohnoki's heart pounded with fear unlike anything he had ever felt, even greater than when he faced Uchiha Madara all those years ago.
His legs trembled uncontrollably, and finally, he collapsed to his knees, utterly defeated.
---
Nagato ignored the fallen Ohnoki and turned toward Uchiha Fugaku, who was standing nearby.
With ease, he launched a brutal assault.
Though Fugaku was a master of formidable skill, he appeared fragile and vulnerable against Nagato's overwhelming force.
After only a few moves, Fugaku was subdued.
Nagato grabbed him by the throat, his grip tightening like an iron vice.
"You know," Nagato said coldly, "I wanted to do this to you last time. But you slipped away—luckily for you. Not this time, though."
---
With terrifying strength, Nagato crushed Fugaku's windpipe, choking off his air supply.
Fugaku struggled, gasping for breath, but Nagato's power was far beyond his endurance.
Using his Human Path ability, Nagato reached out and ripped Fugaku's soul from his body.
Fugaku's body went limp, drained of all vitality.
He collapsed beside Luo Sha, staring blankly at the sky above.
---
So far, four of the Five Kage had fallen before Nagato's might.
At a distance, Shisui, fighting alongside Kakashi against Orochimaru, saw Fugaku fall and panicked.
"Master Patriarch!" he cried.
But the moment his attention wavered, Orochimaru seized the opportunity.
"How dare you be distracted in battle!" Orochimaru hissed and swung his fist hard into Shisui's abdomen.
---
Shisui doubled over, blood erupting from his mouth in a gruesome spray.
Orochimaru pressed the advantage mercilessly, sweeping his leg in a brutal kick that knocked Shisui unconscious.
"Shisui!" Kakashi shouted in horror.
Orochimaru's twisted smile grew wider.
"You should take care of yourself first, Kakashi," he mocked before charging at him with lightning speed.
---
Facing such a relentless assault, Kakashi gritted his teeth, summoning every ounce of strength to defend himself.
He was known as the "Fifty-Fifty," and that title was the only thing keeping him alive in this desperate moment.
---
Elsewhere, the Red Sand Scorpion casually killed a ninja with a bored yawn.
"I didn't expect them to be this weak," he remarked. "If I'd known, I wouldn't have wasted money on nuclear bombs."
"Exactly," Kakuzu agreed, shaking his head. "Can't spend ten billion in several lifetimes."
---
"Now, all that's left is for the leader to take out the Tsuchikage, and this battle will be over. Honestly, this is pretty relaxing," Biwa Juzo said with a lazy grin.
"Don't be careless," Konan warned sharply. "Watch for their counterattack before they die."
---
On the other side of the battlefield, after easily dispatching Uchiha Fugaku, Nagato's gaze fell upon the trembling figure of Ohnoki, still kneeling on the ground..
"Tsuchikage," Nagato said coldly, a deadly smile creeping onto his lips. "It's your turn…"
---
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