Compared to Konoha, which had not come, Rasa had actually arrived long ago.
He was hidden in the shadows, waiting for the right opportunity to move.
"It's about time."
Rasa took out a kunai and stabbed it fiercely into his own chest.
Puchi!
Immediately, the kunai sank deep into Rasa's heart.
"Body Separation Technique!"
Then, Rasa's body split apart like the split hound, dividing into two separate halves.
This was not a clone technique. It was a true separation of the body.
Both bodies were flesh and blood.
"This way, even the Rinnegan will not detect anything wrong."
One half of Rasa walked out and appeared high in the sky.
A sharp-eyed Sunagakure ninja saw him.
"Kazekage-sama has appeared!"
"Is Kazekage-sama going to make his move?"
A Kumogakure ninja frantically looked to the side.
"Where are the Konoha ninja? Is Hiruzen Sarutobi going to act too?"
Nagato raised his head and looked at Rasa in the sky.
"Rasa…"
The moment he saw Rasa appear, most of Nagato's attention fell onto him.
"Couldn't wait any longer?"
"You were hiding in the shadows, wary of Konoha's ninja making a move. But after waiting and seeing nothing, you finally lost patience?"
"But Konoha's ninja were never going to come."
"That is why, from the very beginning, I prepared to deal with you, Rasa!"
"Rasa, your strength is above Jiraiya's."
A complicated look appeared in Nagato's eyes.
"For one person to lead Sunagakure from such a terrible state to what it is now—even I must admit your excellence. You are stronger than the vast majority of people in this world."
"But you have not seen through the essence of this world."
"You have also brought a great deal of pain to this world."
"That is why I must make you feel pain as well."
"Only then can the shinobi world welcome peace."
At that moment, the other half of Rasa arrived at a sand dune.
Through his earlier Situational Awareness, Rasa had confirmed Nagato's position.
Now, Rasa did not use any sensory ability. He did not even use the Byakugan. This was to lower Nagato's vigilance to the absolute minimum.
Only then would his move become easier.
Rasa did not believe his strength was below Nagato's.
He had the Rinnegan too.
And Nagato's Rinnegan had been transplanted into another person.
It was not compatible with him at all.
It was similar to Kakashi's transplanted Sharingan.
Every use placed a tremendous burden on the body.
Since there was a simpler and lower-risk method, there was no need to take unnecessary risks.
"I originally wanted Sasori of the Red Sand to find an opportunity to strike Nagato once, but Nagato clearly doesn't trust Sasori at all. Sasori doesn't know where Nagato is hiding."
Rasa looked ahead.
"It's here."
"Then let's begin."
"Byakugan!"
One of Rasa's eyes turned white. In an instant, everything around him was taken into his field of vision.
Nagato's figure was there as well.
"Found you."
At that exact moment, Nagato also sensed something was wrong.
But with most of his attention focused on the other half of Rasa, he had no time to react.
"Silver Chariot Requiem!"
A silver figure appeared beside Rasa.
Immediately afterward, a hypnotic power descended.
It fell upon Nagato.
Nagato felt his body slip beyond his control. His consciousness began sinking into sleep.
"Who?"
"What ability is this?"
"No, I can't sleep!"
"If I fall unconscious, the plan will absolutely fail."
"The shinobi world will forever sink into the pain of war!"
"My dream, Yahiko's dream, Konan's dream—none of them will ever come true."
"No!"
Nagato did everything he could to resist that power.
But resisting it was not easy. After all, this too was an ability of the Rinnegan.
"True Quicksand Displacement!"
Rasa's figure appeared instantly behind Nagato.
A momentary spatial movement.
There was no time for Nagato to react.
"Designated Body Transformation Technique!"
"Sloth!"
Nagato's body changed.
With the combined effect of the two powers, coupled with the fact that Nagato had used most of his energy controlling those six puppets, he had no way to block Rasa's attack at this moment.
The instant Nagato's body transformed into a sloth—
Rasa moved.
His hand reached toward Nagato's eyes.
Puchi!
Puchi!
In one motion, he removed the pair of Rinnegan from Nagato's eye sockets completely.
Afterward—
"True Quicksand Displacement!"
Nagato broke free of the control and attacked fiercely behind him.
But it was already too late.
Rasa's figure had vanished.
Not far away, Rasa reappeared. He took out a glass container and placed the pair of Rinnegan inside, soaking them in nutrient solution to preserve their vitality.
Nagato's attack struck nothing, only blasting a crater behind him.
"Spatial abilities really are useful."
"Absurdly fast."
"And my True Quicksand Displacement Technique is both fast and convenient."
"As long as there is sand, I can move freely."
Rasa stored the Rinnegan in his hand, a smile appearing on his face.
On the other side—
The moment Nagato lost the Rinnegan, the six puppets immediately lost control.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Before Jiraiya's attacks could even land, all six puppets collapsed.
Rasa once again appeared before Nagato.
Having lost the Rinnegan, Nagato's strength had not merely dropped a little.
The power of the Rinnegan was gone, but the physical damage caused by using it remained completely.
His entire body was unbearably weak.
"Who?"
"Who exactly are you?"
With a thought from Rasa—
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust!"
The next moment, a vast amount of Gold Dust swept forward, wrapping Nagato's body tightly.
"Sasori, retreat!"
A voice sounded beside Sasori of the Red Sand's ear.
The moment Sasori saw the Six Paths of Pain collapse, he immediately withdrew.
He even deliberately left behind more than a dozen puppets as cover.
But the others were not so fortunate.
Especially Kakuzu.
One half of Rasa brought Nagato back to Sunagakure and imprisoned him inside another underground prison beneath a Sun Disk.
The other half of Rasa launched a full assault on Konan.
The Akatsuki's accumulated assets were basically all in Konan's hands.
In addition, many of Nagato's secrets were known only to Konan.
Seeing Rasa take the initiative to take over Konan as his opponent, Onoki let out a slight breath of relief.
Dust Release was indeed powerful, but Onoki was old after all. His stamina could not compare to younger ninja.
However, he did not stop fighting.
After resting briefly, he joined the others in attacking Kakuzu.
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
A cube enveloped half of Kakuzu's body.