Only a few seconds had passed in the real world.
In Konan's eyes, most of Hanzo's soul had already been torn away, and he was about to become an empty shell. Victory seemed to be firmly in Pain's grasp.
But at that moment, Deva Path, Asura Path, and Human Path suddenly froze in place.
The soul extraction by Human Path came to a sudden halt, and the hand pressed against Hanzo's head began to spasm violently. Heavy thuds followed as all three figures crashed to the ground like birds with broken wings.
"Pain!"
Konan, who had been silent all this time, felt her pupils shrink in shock. Without hesitation, she spread the paper wings on her back, sending countless sheets to wrap around Deva Path, Asura Path, and Human Path.
Taking advantage of the moment when Hanzo's spirit had not fully stabilized inside his body, she swept up the three bodies and flew away from Amegakure without looking back. More clearly than anyone, Konan knew that this sudden state of Pain could only mean something had gone wrong with Nagato's real body.
Was it Zetsu? Or was it Madara?
As expected, those two ill-intentioned figures from Root had never been trustworthy. Neither Hanzo nor Amegakure mattered to her anymore, and she did not believe Hanzo alone could push Pain this far. Her only thought was to reach Nagato immediately.
"Hah… damn it!"
Hanzo was forcibly dragged back from the edge of having his soul torn out, gasping for breath as he staggered. Fear and the disbelief of survival still lingered in his eyes.
He struggled to his feet, pressed a hand to his head, shook it hard, and glared into the distance with anger. "Trying to run?"
Just as he was about to give chase, a voice reached his ears.
"Don't rush."
Hanzo looked up and saw Ryuji Hyuga standing atop the salamander's head. Ryuji Hyuga glanced after the departing Konan, then looked down at Hanzo with a faint smile.
"Let me tell you first what they went through," he said. "Then it will be your turn to make a choice."
At the same time, more than ten kilometers away from Amegakure, there was a cave sealed by layers of rock.
If anyone tried to touch the stone, they would notice how strange its texture felt. It was Konan's Divine Paper Emissary, paper transformed and disguised into solid matter that even the Sharingan could not detect.
Deep in the dark and damp cave, Nagato stood inside a crude wooden device, so thin he looked like little more than a skeleton. Countless Black Rods were embedded deep in his back.
On the other side, a spiral-patterned White Zetsu called "Tobi" sat cross-legged on the ground. "Ah, honestly, Madara Uchiha only knows how to order people around. What danger could Nagato possibly be in?"
It swayed back and forth, muttering to itself in boredom. "Come to think of it, are White Zetsu plants or people? If plants, why can't they decompose poop? If people, why can't they poop? Hmm…"
While Tobi's thoughts wandered off in all directions, a sharp hum filled the air.
Nagato opened his eyes, and his deep Rinnegan widened abruptly. A violent mental shock, unlike anything before, surged through the Chakra link connected to Human Path via the Black Rods.
It poured into his soul like a breached flood.
"Gahhh!"
The scream echoed through the entire cave, making even Tobi shudder and jump to its feet as it turned toward Nagato. His gaunt face twisted in unbearable pain, and his body shook uncontrollably as his head snapped back.
The pain felt like it was tearing his soul apart. It was sudden and far beyond imagination.
Nagato felt as if countless red-hot iron rods were being churned through his mind. In his struggle, the device restraining him snapped apart, and blood immediately poured from the wounds.
"Huh? What's going on? What's going on?!"
Although Tobi's faceless head showed no expression, its frantic circling made its panic obvious. When Nagato spat out a mouthful of hot blood, staining both his body and the cold device beneath him, Tobi rushed in and out of the cave, unable to find any enemy.
"Damn it! Didn't Zetsu tell me to watch out for enemies? Where are they?!"
Seeing Nagato's already pale face grow even whiter, it jumped in place and shouted, "If Nagato dies, Madara Uchiha will definitely feed me to wild dogs and turn me into poop!"
With no time to think further, it leaped onto Nagato's device. Its spiral body unfolded like a blooming flower and wrapped tightly around the bleeding Nagato.
At that moment, Konan appeared inside the cave, immediately catching the smell of blood and seeing Nagato wrapped by the White Zetsu. "Damn it! What are you doing?!"
Her suspicion was instantly confirmed, but fearing she might hurt Nagato, she did not dare use Ninjutsu. She rushed forward with a furious shout.
When she tried to pull Tobi off Nagato, her wrist was suddenly caught. Then she heard Nagato's strained voice, heavy with pain.
"Calm down, Konan. This White Zetsu is helping me."
"What?"
Startled, Konan forced down her anger and looked more closely. Only then did she notice that Nagato's labored breathing and trembling body were actually beginning to ease.
Nagato could feel a powerful vitality suppressing his injuries and dulling the pain within his soul. His body, long deprived of life, slowly filled with strength again, and even his Rinnegan felt far more stable.
"White Zetsu can do this too?"
There was no joy in Nagato's heart, only a deep chill. As if sensing his unease, Tobi loosened its hold and revealed his skeletal body once more.
"Ahaha, it's finally over!"
Tobi hopped away, scratching its head and speaking innocently. "As long as you're fine, Nagato-sama. Otherwise Madara Uchiha would really feed me to wild dogs and turn me into poop."
Nagato said nothing and did not stop it, only casting a cold glance its way. He was not yet sure whether this White Zetsu could interfere with him in return, and his conflict with Amegakure and Hanzo was not truly over.
pata… pata…
Clear, unhurried footsteps echoed through the cave. The distracted Konan immediately stepped in front of Nagato, her pupils tightening as she stared toward the dark entrance.
Hanzo and Ryuji Hyuga emerged from the shadows, their gazes locking at once onto the gaunt figure standing within the strange device at the center of the cave.