Hyuga Shinichi, having swiftly peeled White Zetsu off Konan, showed no intention of holding back. Within the relatively narrow confines of Gedo Mazo's mouth, he launched a small Tailed Beast Ball directly at White Zetsu.
The moment that ultra-high-density compressed chakra appeared in the space, both Minato and Black Zetsu sensed it instantly.
Minato's expression flickered, but with no time to hesitate, he activated the Flying Thunder God Technique and vanished from the mouth of the Demonic Statue.
Simultaneously, Shinichi cast a hurried glance at Nagato, who was now enveloped by Black Zetsu, before grabbing Konan and flashing away.
The small Tailed Beast Ball landed squarely on the White Zetsu, whose chakra points had been sealed. Shinichi's chakra detonated instantly.
BOOM!!!
A surging torrent of fire swept out from the Gedo Mazo's mouth. From the outside, it looked as if the statue itself were performing a Fire Style jutsu. The entire Gedo Mazo shuddered violently upon impact, shaking loose dust and debris from its massive stone frame.
On the open ground a hundred meters away, Namikaze Minato and Hyuga Shinichi materialized from the void. Shinichi, holding Konan by the waist, watched the flames belching from the statue's maw and set her down on the ground without a word.
"Nagato!!!"
It was only then that Konan snapped back to reality. Realizing she had been pulled to safety, she stared at the intense fire in the statue's mouth and let out a low cry of anguish, her eyes filled with terror for Nagato's life.
"Damn it, you..."
Konan didn't believe that Nagato, controlled by Black Zetsu, could survive such an attack. Tears streaming down her face, she turned and glared at Shinichi with raw hatred.
However, Shinichi gave her no room to vent. He reached out to unseal her chakra points while tilting his chin toward the Gedo Mazo.
"Don't look at me like that," he said. "The enemy isn't that easy to deal with. Nagato isn't dead. On the contrary... we're in big trouble."
Shinichi's tone was heavy. Even as the flames began to recede, his Byakugan could clearly see the scene inside the statue's mouth.
The White Zetsu he had pinned and blasted was gone—only scorched fragments of organic tissue remained on the inner walls. It was dead as dead could be.
But Black Zetsu and Nagato had survived. In the critical moment of the explosion, Black Zetsu had forced Nagato to use Shinra Tensei (Almighty Push). The repulsive force had held the explosion at bay, leaving the two within completely unscathed.
The Monstrous Hybrid
Inside the statue's maw, Nagato—half his body now coated in black—slowly stood up. Half of his mouth curled into a slight, mocking smirk.
However, the real Nagato was internally frantic about Konan's safety and realized he had fallen into a trap set by Black Zetsu and "Madara" (Obito).
His despair manifested as a deep frown on the other half of his face. The result was a grotesque, asymmetrical expression: half-smiling, half-grieving. It was hauntingly dissonant.
"I didn't expect Konoha's reaction to be this swift," Black Zetsu's sharp, raspy voice echoed in the dark chamber. "To investigate the Akatsuki and even see through Obito's disguise... where is that brat now, anyway?"
Black Zetsu looked around at the splattered remains of White Zetsu with a mix of annoyance and rage. The competence of the Konoha ninjas had exceeded his expectations.
Likewise, Nagato was proving to be a disappointment. Not only had he failed to expand the Akatsuki quickly, but his very existence had been exposed. Worse, under Minato's influence, Nagato was showing signs of "betrayal."
For Black Zetsu, Nagato was no longer a useful tool. Rather than letting an unstable element keep the Rinnegan, he decided to shift gears.
It's time to revive Uchiha Madara!
These "pawns" were unreliable. The work of gathering the Tailed Beasts would be done better by Madara himself.
Black Zetsu knew Madara's original body was hidden elsewhere, but the Rinne Rebirth technique had a range.
He needed to pilot Nagato out of here and toward the Land of Water. But "seeing" through Nagato's senses, he knew Minato and Shinichi were still waiting outside.
Clap!
Under Black Zetsu's control, Nagato's hands formed the "Snake" seal. White Zetsu was a byproduct of the Divine Tree; Black Zetsu didn't care about the loss of one clone. Instead, he used the remaining biological fragments of White Zetsu as a bridge.
Being a product of the tree, White Zetsu had a natural affinity with the Gedo Mazo. By fusing Nagato's Uzumaki chakra with the statue's frame through the White Zetsu tissue, the connection became stronger than ever.
As the seal held, the black receivers previously broken by Minato regrew instantly, thick and jagged, piercing back into Nagato's spine and connecting him directly to the statue's core.
The Gedo Mazo let out a sky-rending roar. A shockwave of pure chakra and sound exploded outward, flattening the surrounding terrain.
The Heart-Wrenching Request
"Huu—"
Minato's white Hokage cloak whipped in the gale. He tightened his grip on his Flying Thunder God kunai. After a brief silence, he made his decision.
"Shinichi, I'm going to save Nagato. Whatever Black Zetsu is planning, we can't let it happen. His goal is the Rinnegan. My gut tells me if those eyes stay in the enemy's hands, Konoha faces total destruction."
"Understood," Shinichi nodded. The situation had spiraled far beyond the "original plot." His meta-knowledge was fading in utility, but his sheer strength remained a decisive factor. "The enemy wants the Rinnegan. That makes it our most important objective."
"I left a mark in there," Minato said. Shinichi instantly grabbed Minato's arm, linking their chakra.
In a flash, they were gone.
They reappeared inside the statue's mouth, standing upside down on the ceiling, looking down at the hybrid entity. Nagato was conscious but had zero control over his limbs. He was a passenger in his own body.
"Fourth Hokage!" Nagato managed to choke out. He had realized he was now a piece on a board he no longer controlled. His pride would not allow him to be a puppet for the destruction of the world. "Please... do me a favor. Kill me!"
Minato's expression shifted. He realized Nagato was ready.
"Jiraiya-sensei and I will take care of Konan," Minato promised solemnly. "Konoha will protect the Rain and bring it peace."
Minato was never one for indecision. He blurred into a flicker, appearing above Nagato. His kunai dived toward Nagato's skull.
"Hee hee..."
Black Zetsu let out a dry laugh. Nagato's hand shot up automatically.
Shinra Tensei!
The repulsive force blasted Minato back toward the ceiling, but he vanished before he could hit the stone. Simultaneously, Shinichi fired two kunai at high speed. One aimed for the head, one for the heart. Both were coated in lightning chakra.
Just as the blades were about to strike, white organic matter erupted from Nagato's shoulders and torso. Two White Zetsu clones "grew" out of him like tumors, reaching out to catch the blades.
Though the lightning-enhanced kunai pierced the Zetsus' palms, the interference was enough to deflect the trajectory. The blade aimed for the head grazed Nagato's cheek, while the one meant for the heart pierced his shoulder and pinned him to the floor.
Blood spurted from the wound, but the White Zetsu on his shoulder immediately "melted" into the injury, merging its cells with Nagato's to seal the wound and heal the tissue instantly.
Shinichi's eyes narrowed, his expression dark. This was going to be much harder than he thought.
🌟 The story is already written… waiting to be unleashed. Claim early access on Patreon: Patreon.com/kazama677
🔓 You hold the keys to bonus chapters:💬 10 reviews ignite 1 bonus chapter🔷 60 Power Stones summon another
🔥 Your power determines how fast the tale unfolds.