Kabuto Yakushi's hideout had been reduced to ruins following the explosion.
Several kilometers away, Kimimaro, reanimated through Edo Tensei, poured fresh blood from a bottle he carried—a contingency plan left by Kabuto Yakushi in case of emergencies.
He formed the Summoning Jutsu seal and pressed his palm against the ground.
Boom!
With a massive plume of smoke, a colossal summoned snake corpse, far larger than Manda, lay sprawled on the ground.
Rustle... rustle... rustle...
From the snake's open mouth emerged Kabuto Yakushi and Sasuke Uchiha.
Sasuke stared at the snake's corpse in shock.
"Is that Manda? Wasn't he already dead?"
Kabuto's expression turned grim.
"This is the second-generation Manda, painstakingly cultivated using Manda's cells. It surpasses the original Manda in both size and strength. And now it's wasted—damn that Deidara! He blew himself up without any warning. I'll make sure to strip away his consciousness and turn him into a completely obedient pawn someday."
Sasuke frowned.
"What about Naruto?"
Kabuto adjusted his glasses and replied,
"He knows the Flying Thunder God Technique and can come and go as he pleases. Even an explosion ten times stronger wouldn't be able to harm him."
Hearing this, Sasuke's furrowed brows relaxed.
Kabuto's mind raced.
"Not only the Seven Ninja Swordsmen's weapons but also the Six Paths tools of the Gold and Silver Brothers have fallen into Naruto's hands? Fine. The Nine-Tails chakra inside the Gold and Silver Brothers is irreplaceable and can't fully unleash the tools' power anyway. Letting Naruto take them might even help intensify tensions between him and the Hidden Cloud Village."
"Wait a minute... How did I miss this? The Edo Tensei connection between me and Sasori has disappeared? Could it be... he was defeated by Naruto just now? Did his pride take such a hit that he released himself from Edo Tensei?"
"That's why I can't stand these self-proclaimed artists."
"And Naruto... Knowing that Kotoamatsukami wouldn't work on Edo Tensei's Nagato, he still insists on targeting him? There's only one explanation—Naruto sees Nagato as a potential threat and wants to eliminate him!"
"There's no other explanation!"
"Hmph. Both wielders of the Rinnegan, but Naruto only transplanted a single eye, while Nagato has both. Their capabilities aren't even on the same level."
"Besides, during Sasuke's previous battle with Nagato, I took the opportunity to analyze Nagato's abilities. This time, under my direct control, I won't lose to Naruto!"
Rustle... rustle... rustle...
On the battlefield, amidst the ruins, Edo Tensei reanimated figures began to take form. The Flying Thunder God markers couldn't survive such an explosion, but Edo Tensei reanimated bodies were an exception. When Naruto retrieved the Six Paths tools, he had left Flying Thunder God markers on the Gold and Silver Brothers. As their bodies regenerated, Naruto teleported in and swiftly used the Human Path to extract their souls.
Deidara also regenerated. Looking at his restored body, he grumbled,
"Tch! Not even self-destruction can kill me! This body goes completely against my art—it's infuriating!"
Upon spotting Naruto, Deidara frowned.
"Still alive? Space-time ninjutsu? When did that Uzumaki Naruto master so many techniques? Damn it, I've run out of explosive clay. Creating more under his watchful eyes would be impossible. At this point, I might as well—"
After weighing his options, Deidara turned and fled!
Kabuto, entirely focused on Naruto, paid no attention to Deidara. He even wished Deidara would run far away and not cause trouble. He could deal with retrieving him later after the battle.
Staring at the corpses of the Gold and Silver Brothers, Kabuto muttered,
"Useless Edo Tensei reanimations... They'll only end up having their souls extracted by Naruto. I might as well take back what I can."
Clap! Nagato clasped his hands together.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Coffins rose from the ground, sealing away the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and Troi before disappearing.
Left on the battlefield were only Nagato and Itachi Uchiha.
However, Nagato's mobility was limited. Summoning some creatures would help. Let Itachi lead the charge and buy me some time!
Swish! Itachi moved to Nagato's front, directly facing Naruto.
Since the moment he was summoned, Itachi had silently observed the battlefield, particularly Naruto's actions and demeanor.
By now, he had gathered enough information.
Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Flower Claw Crimson!
Whoosh!
Under the influence of Edo Tensei, Itachi was forced to form seals, combining shuriken with the Phoenix Sage Fire Technique to create dazzling flames resembling phoenix blossoms.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Naruto swung his Gunbai, deflecting the kunai!
Though Itachi's body moved against his will, his mind was racing.
"Nagato's Rinnegan and Shisui's right eye are both in Naruto's possession. Coupled with what I observed through Sasuke's eyes during my dormant state, I can piece together the cause and effect."
"He truly is Naruto. Moreover, such a drastic personality shift in a short time can only mean one of two things: Either his past demeanor was a facade, much like how I acted in front of Sasuke, or he experienced some significant event."
"It must be the latter. I trust my ability to read people."
Thud! Thud! Thud!
After a brief exchange of blows, the two separated.
Itachi probed,
"Naruto, what happened to you?"
Naruto glanced at Nagato, whose body was being puppeteered by Kabuto and continuously summoning creatures.
He spoke startling words:
"Itachi, use Amaterasu on me."
"!?" Itachi's gaze sharpened, then turned contemplative.
"Are you serious?"
Naruto smiled.
"I'm always serious."
Itachi's lips curled into a faint smile.
"Then I can rest assured."
Shhh!
Itachi's right eye transformed into a Mangekyō Sharingan.
Amaterasu!
Drip! Blood trickled down.
Gurgle... gurgle... gurgle...
Naruto's throat made a choking sound as he opened his mouth. A hidden crow finally emerged, carrying Shisui Uchiha's left eye, seeing the light of day once more.
Shhh!
As their gazes met—
The pre-set Kotoamatsukami tied to protecting the Leaf Village activated!
Buzz!
Itachi Uchiha broke free from Edo Tensei's control!
He turned his gaze, unleashing the prepared Amaterasu to ignite Nagato!
"What!?" Several miles away, Kabuto's face turned pale in an instant.
Cold sweat dripped down his cheeks.
"How could this be? Naruto's Kotoamatsukami was already used on Kakuzu, wasn't it? Even with Hashirama's cells, he shouldn't be able to use it again so soon!"
"Could it be... That crow carried Shisui's left eye!?"
"Why!? Naruto knew all along that Shisui's left eye was hidden within him!?"
"So, he wasn't targeting Nagato? He was targeting Itachi!?"
"If that's the case..."
Kabuto realized things were spiraling out of his control.
Caw! The crow, having completed its task, perched on Naruto's shoulder before flying over to Itachi's outstretched hand.
Snap!
But Naruto reached out and grabbed the crow!
Itachi raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Itachi, I need this eye."
Naruto calmly stated, extracting Shisui's left eye from the crow's socket and placing it into a prepared container.
Itachi slowly lowered his hand, speaking calmly,
"You'll explain everything to me later."
Naruto smiled.
"Of course. I'll tell you everything."
Whoosh!
Itachi turned his attention to Nagato, who had absorbed the Amaterasu using the Preta Path, and asked Naruto,
"Do you need my help?"
Naruto nodded.
"Yes, track down Deidara for me. He's two kilometers away at six o'clock, preparing a second self-destruction. If he succeeds, it'll be troublesome."
"Alright, leave it to me."
Itachi Uchiha dashed towards the horizon!
Nagato rose, his eyes blazing with fury, as Kabuto roared:
"Naruto!!!"
"Now, I can finally focus on dealing with you. Nagato is someone I respect as a senior—I won't let you treat him like a pawn, Kabuto!"
Clap! With those words, Naruto clasped his hands together.
Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!
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