Yahiko stood frozen, his eyes wide with horror as he watched his comrades being slaughtered by Rain Village shinobi—the very same ninja he had considered allies. The betrayal was too sudden, too shocking for him to react.
"Why? Why is this happening? Why are you attacking us?" Yahiko's voice cracked with disbelief.
"Yahiko! Get out of the way!" Konan shouted, pushing him aside just in time to dodge a kunai aimed at his heart.
In the next instant, a Rain shinobi appeared behind Konan using the Body Flicker Technique. He grabbed her and leapt backwards, taking her hostage.
"Konan!" Nagato clapped his hands together. "Wind Style: Fire Wind Palm!"
A compressed gust of violent wind shot toward the shinobi who had captured Konan, but it was too late. The Rain ninja had already vanished with her.
"Yahiko, snap out of it! They've taken Konan!" Nagato shook Yahiko hard, finally breaking him from his stupor.
"We have to chase after them!"
With their companions slaughtered behind them, Yahiko and Nagato could only pursue the shinobi who had kidnapped Konan. Their desperate chase led them to a valley—the very location where the Three Kingdoms Negotiations were supposed to take place.
What they saw made their hearts sink with despair.
Atop the mountain stood Danzo, Sora, and the Root ninja, alongside Hanzo of the Salamander and his men. They all stared down at Yahiko and Nagato with cold, calculating eyes.
Sora's gaze lingered on Nagato's eyes. This was his first time seeing the legendary Rinnegan in person. The eyes were truly remarkable, though their current wielder seemed to lack proper mastery.
"Why?" Yahiko's voice was thick with emotion. "Master Hanzo, weren't we working together for peace? Why would you betray us like this?"
Hanzo of the Salamander gripped Konan's arm roughly and shoved her forward. He looked down at Yahiko with contempt. "Your organization has become too much of an obstacle for me. Yahiko, as the leader, you will die here today. If you resist, this woman dies as well."
The legendary salamander summoner tossed a kunai that landed in front of Yahiko and Nagato.
Hanzo then turned his attention to Nagato. "You, the red-haired one—use this to kill Yahiko! Only then will I allow you and the woman to live."
"Stop!" Konan shouted desperately. "Nagato, don't listen! Leave me and run away, both of you!"
Nagato stared at the kunai on the ground, his body beginning to tremble uncontrollably.
Yahiko took a deep breath. "Nagato," he said calmly, "kill me."
Nagato felt as if someone was choking him. His breathing grew heavier with each passing second.
"Nagato!" Yahiko shouted.
"Stop it!" Konan screamed.
"Hurry up," Hanzo urged impatiently. "Or doesn't this woman's life matter to you?"
Moving like a man possessed, Nagato picked up the kunai from the ground. The weapon felt impossibly heavy in his hand as he stared at its sharp edge, his breathing becoming more laboured.
Yahiko and Konan were the two people he had sworn to protect with his life, but now he was being forced to choose between them.
Nagato looked at Konan being held hostage and whispered, "Konan..."
Then he turned to Yahiko. "I..."
Before he could finish, Yahiko suddenly rushed forward, deliberately impaling himself on the kunai Nagato held. He slumped against Nagato's body, resting his chin on his friend's shoulder.
With a smile, Yahiko whispered, "You and Konan must survive, no matter what. You are the savior of this world. It is you... actually..."
His voice trailed off as he collapsed to the ground, unable to finish his final words.
"YAHIKO!" Konan's agonized scream tore through the air.
Nagato stood motionless, the bloody kunai clutched tightly in his hand, his Rinnegan eyes wide with shock.
Sora narrowed his eyes as he observed Yahiko's fallen form. The kunai had only penetrated Yahiko's abdomen. While a serious injury, it shouldn't have killed him so quickly.
It was clear that Hanzo had no intention of letting Nagato and Konan go. "Finish them," he ordered coldly.
The Rain shinobi launched a barrage of kunai at Nagato.
In that moment, Nagato remembered Yahiko's words: "If this world remains trapped in endless war and chaos, I will become the god of this world!"
Something shifted in Nagato's demeanour. He raised his right hand, and all the kunai flying toward him suddenly changed direction, deflected by an invisible force.
The Rain shinobi watched in disbelief.
"How did they all bounce away?"
"What kind of jutsu is that?!"
Nagato leapt toward Hanzo and Konan, his movements fueled by rage and determination.
Seeing this, Hanzo quickly abandoned Konan and retreated, pressing one hand against the ground.
As Nagato reached Konan, explosive tags suddenly appeared on the ground beneath them, wrapping around Nagato's legs.
"Fire Style: Detonating Flame Array!" Hanzo called out.
The explosion was instantaneous. Rocks shattered into fragments as smoke and dust filled the air.
"Did it work?" Hanzo muttered, peering into the smoke.
When the dust cleared, Nagato had somehow appeared beside Yahiko's body, placing Konan next to him. The flames still licked at Nagato's legs, which were severely burned once the fire finally dissipated.
"Nagato..." Konan looked at him with concern.
"Konan, hold Yahiko and don't move," Nagato instructed, his voice eerily calm.
Hanzo regarded Nagato with grudging respect. "You're quite capable, kid. You were hit by my Fire Style and still managed to escape."
Nagato's cold Rinnegan eyes fixed on Hanzo, who suddenly felt uneasy under that otherworldly gaze.
Danzo glanced at the Root ninja behind him, who immediately rushed toward Nagato.
Consumed by fury, Nagato pressed one hand to the ground. "Summoning Technique: Gedo Statue!"
A giant hand burst from the earth, swatting several Root ninja away like insects. Then half of the Gedo Statue's enormous body emerged, letting out a deafening roar that shook the very air.
"What is that thing?" Hanzo stared in disbelief.
Even Danzo regarded the statue with serious concern, wondering what monstrosity Nagato had summoned.
Sora's heart raced. Though the Ten-Tails had yet to absorb any tailed beasts, the pressure emanating from the statue was still terrifying.
"Nagato, you can't use that!" Konan pleaded, but Nagato, consumed by rage, couldn't hear her warnings.
"AAAARGH!" As Nagato roared, sharp black chakra rods erupted from the Gedo Statue's body, piercing through Nagato's own flesh.
His chakra connected to the statue, Nagato's body visibly withered, growing gaunt before their eyes.
The Gedo Statue opened its mouth and released a purple chakra dragon. Every ninja touched by the ethereal beast had their chakra drained completely, dropping dead where they stood.
Danzo turned to Sora. "Go out and deal with him."
"Yes, Lord Danzo," Sora responded, resting his elbow on his ninja sword. He jumped down from the cliff and landed directly in front of Nagato, ready to confront the wielder of the legendary Rinnegan.
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