However, despite Hanzo and Danzo's combined commands, their forces were unable to prevent the colossal Gedo Statue from appearing.
The earth trembled under its weight as it emerged, its roar resonating like thunder through the clearing.
Konan cried out to Nagato, pleading with him not to utilize "that" power. But Nagato, consumed by a mix of grief and fury, did not heed her warning.
As he completed the summoning, black, chakra-conducting rods shot out from the statue, impaling Nagato in the back and binding him to the behemoth as a conduit for its fearsome power.
A terrifying energy burst forth from the statue, and Nagato unleashed the statue's ability to absorb souls.
The spectral form of a dragon emerged, its gaping maw sucking in the souls of the opposing shinobi with chilling efficiency.
Each soul captured was marked by a shinobi's sudden collapse—life extinguished in an instant.
The speed and ferocity of the attack left no room for escape. Seasoned Root and Amegakure ninjas alike found themselves powerless to dodge the swift, soul-stealing strikes of the spectral dragon.
One by one, they fell, their lives cut short as their souls were violently drawn into the statue's insatiable hunger.
Amidst this chaos, Nagato's expression was one of sheer rage and pain, a stark testament to the depth of his transformation.
His power was immense and horrifying, a direct manifestation of his fury and the ideals he felt were betrayed.
Meanwhile, positioned on a neighboring mountain, Obito and Black Zetsu watched the chaos unfold below, inside the valley, through the scope of their current heightened vantage point.
"Madara-sama's Rinnegan and the Ten-Tails' husk, even without external chakra support as we're seeing now, are truly formidable. Let's observe how Danzo handles this. Madara-sama mentioned that the more Nagato uses this power, the more it will drain him, crippling his future capabilities.",
"It's in our interest to let him exhaust himself, reducing his vitality and capping his upper potential for the future. But remember, he had exceptional strength to begin with; we can't afford to weaken him too much as we still need him strong, just not overwhelmingly so...", Obito analyzed, keeping a keen eye on the unfolding chaos.
Black Zetsu nodded, adding, "At just 15 years old, to harness someone else's Rinnegan's power to this extent, Nagato is indeed extraordinary. It speaks volumes about his clan's robust vitality. Take note, Obito. This is a reminder that the Uchiha are not the sole giants in this world."
Their strategic observation from the mountain provided them with a clear, uninterrupted view of the battle's impact, allowing them to assess and plan their moves with precision.
However, internally, Black Zetsu still mused on the extraordinary display of power and resilience from Nagato,
'Seeing him in action like this, managing to power the Ten-Tails husk itself temporarily... And he still looks robust despite having his entire back pierced by rods and his feet blown out...',
'Could this boy truly possess a natural perfect 'Sage Body'? They are akin to the Senju, after all. No, it can't be. It must simply be his vitality and nothing more, I'm overthinking it...', Black Zetsu pondered, reconciling Nagato's physique with his knowledge of shinobi physiology.
Black Zetsu then recalled the reason why Nagato, out of all the Uzumaki orphans and hidden descendants scattered worldwide following their village's destruction, was selected to be the container for Madara's Rinnegan.
Among all potential candidates, only Nagato had shown the requisite vitality and life essence required for nurturing Rinnegan's pristine "health", and keeping it in the perfect state without its original host as well as enough physical power and chakra to keep fueling its exogenous use successfully and eventual Rinne-Rebirth for Madara.
This conclusion was validated by Madara's extensive search, which ended when he found young Nagato.
He then didn't waste any time secretly implanting his eyes in the boy, not only for his own protection but also to have the rest of his body acclimate easier to it by starting from a younger age.
Judging by all common standards in Black Zetsu's mind, Nagato's innate gifts might've been one of the rarest in history, albeit they were probably squandered by Madara and them now.
There was no way someone else could ever use external Rinnegan like what he was seeing. He was not sure what Nagato's natural peak otherwise would've been without this Rinnegan.
In Black Zetsu's opinion, the Rinnegan was perhaps the most demanding physical organ to maintain currently in the world.
From the start, Madara had specifically considered the Uzumaki clan for this task due to their renowned vitality, which was required for keeping his dojutsu in perfect condition and health and 'nurturing' it until he came back.
Madara considered Uzumakis the only candidate from the start because he knew that although the Senju had the same powerful physiques and chakra reserves as Uzumakis, required for theoretically powering the Rinnegan, they lacked the vitality aspect to "keep it brand new" for him.
But, while Uzumaki had way more amazing vitality, the Senju were known for their strong gift at forming chakra affinities easier and hence had a myriad of ninjutsu in their arsenal; the Uzumaki had built amazing expertise at more auxiliary-like techniques concerning fuinjutsu, sensing, and medical jutsu, which perhaps even led to their demise. So, although they were cousin clans, they were not the same.
Meanwhile, Danzo and Hanzo maneuvered swiftly below, using their less agile troops as shields against the deadly soul-sucking dragon. They managed to evade the immediate threat shortly.
However, as the chaos momentarily settled and they regained their footing, their attention was drawn back to the source of this unprecedented power.
The red-haired teenager stood at the epicenter of the destruction, his rage manifesting through the terrifying statue towering over them.
Amidst the ongoing turmoil, a crucial detail that had previously escaped their notice due to the boy's disheveled appearance and the chaos of battle became apparent.
As his face, now gaunt from the exertion of his power, became more visible, they saw his eyes—those distinctive, ripple-patterned eyes that were the hallmark of the legendary Rinnegan.
This revelation profoundly shocked both Danzo and Hanzo. The Rinnegan was a dojutsu spoken of only in myths and ancient texts, a mystical power believed to be wielded by the Sage of the Six Paths, the progenitor of all modern ninjas.
It was staggering to see such an ancient and formidable power not only exist but actively wielded with such devastating effect.
For a moment, both seasoned shinobi were united in their astonishment, their strategies and calculations overshadowed by the raw display of a power they had only known through legend.
Therefore, Hanzo suddenly quickly shouted toward Danzo, his voice laced with urgency, "Danzo, that's Rinnegan! We have to escape now! All of our people have been taken out already. Let's work together to create some kind of diversion first!",
The gravity of his situation was clear: power had decimated their entire forces already, leaving them with few options.
Hanzo's usual confidence was shaken, replaced by a tactical instinct for survival for the first time in his life.
He already assessed the red-haired teen's power level to have climbed to the peak Kage level, whereas he was only Middle Kage level now due to his age and his body succumbing to all the poison use he did for years.
However, amidst the chaos, Danzo's voice suddenly rang out with manic conviction, echoing across the battlefield, surprising Hanzo in a negative kind of way, "Rinnegan, you are mine - Danzo Shimura's! This is destiny! I'm going to rule the ninja world from today, hahaha!",
His expression twisted with greed and madness as he clapped his hands together, summoning two coffins to the ground in front of him.
Hanzo watched, stunned, as Danzo continued his rant, heedless of the deadly dragon descending upon them and was about to swallow them.
Hanzo, witnessing this, felt a surge of disbelief and urgency, "Damn, why did this idiot have to go crazy now! Not good, I have to get out of here; why did I even wait for that second to see what the idiot would do!",
He cursed under his breath. Recognizing that Danzo had completely succumbed to the madness induced by seeing the power of the legendary Rinnegan firsthand.
"Boy, I think I might have brought you some of your relatives to meet for the last time before you go on your way and leave me with this incredible gift.",
"Consider this repayment for what we did to your precious friend! Meet the two most esteemed Uzumaki clan members of all time! Mito and Ashina Uzumaki!", Danzo's voice was fevered, spittle flying as he spoke.
As the spectral dragon bore down on them, Danzo hurriedly placed talismans on the foreheads of the figures emerging from the coffins.
The scene was surreal—just as the dragon's maw reached them, it seemed as though their souls were consumed, but then, in a baffling reversal, both Danzo's soul and the souls of the Uzumaki elders were drawn back into their bodies as if repelled by some unseen forces.
As the surreal events unfolded, Hanzo found himself doubting his own senses. Danzo and the legendary Uzumaki figures—Mito and Ashina—stood disoriented, seemingly unaffected by the soul-devouring dragon that had roared through the area moments earlier and ate their souls cleanly.
It was also as if Danzo had never been touched by the dragon's lethal power, his presence unsettlingly normal amid the chaos, like his soul wasn't in that dragon's mouth for an entire second back then
Nagato, still seething with rage but now gripped by a sudden dread, took a moment to glance back at Konan.
The reality of their perilous situation sank in—there was a real possibility that today could mark the end for all of them, possibly joining Yahiko in a tragic and untimely demise. Konan, standing slightly behind Nagato, shared in his fear.
Both of them could feel the immense chakra emanating from the figures before Danzo, confirming that these were not mere illusions or summons without substance but real and potent presences revived through some unknown means.
Meanwhile, Obito and his team, observing from a distance, were equally taken aback. Their expressions of shock mirrored the gravity of the situation.
As reality set in, they began to blur, indicating that Obito was preparing to use Kamui. His intention was clear: to possibly extract Nagato and Konan from this dire scenario, prioritizing their safety as essential to their larger plans.