I clearly told you not to force the confrontation, and what happened?
That stubborn Tagitsuhime had to go and test it anyway.
Result? She tried it and died instantly.
The moment the purple dragon touched the red one, its size began to grow wildly—a transformation triggered by absorbing chakra.
What was once a mere dragon had now become a colossal beast.
"Coiling Serpent Technique! Retract!"
"Tagitsuhime! Withdraw all chakra!"
Kazuyama Gekkō had already used Flying Thunder God Technique to reach the other side of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. Landing, he hastily formed hand seals.
The Coiling Serpent Technique was his link to the Snake Princess. Through this technique, he could forcibly recall the Snake Princess connected to him back into his body.
At this moment, Tagitsuhime was utterly powerless against the purple dragon's absorption of her chakra.
She had no choice but to obey Kazuyama Gekkō's command, forcibly withdraw her chakra, and then sense his summons.
The crimson chakra on the battlefield rapidly dissipated, while Tagitsuhime transformed into a small red serpent, coiling back around Kazuyama Gekkō.
"Hmph! That's what you get for disobeying me."
"Had to try it yourself, didn't you? How does it feel? Enjoyable?"
Tagitsuhime was speechless. Wasn't ignorance an excuse?
Who knew that this Demonic Statue of the Outer Path was so terrifying? Earlier, it had been bound by her crimson serpent form. Who could have imagined that once it acted, it would be so ferocious?
The purple dragon continued its pursuit, but its target had shifted to Chōmei, who was now flying at high speed through the sky.
"Fire Release: Flowing Fire Technique!"
"Take this spear!"
"Kazuyama Gekkō, without Senjutsu, I'll see what you can do!"
"Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets! This is my final puppet!"
At that very moment, Muren Uchiha returned with Kabuto.
The two immediately engaged upon reaching the battlefield.
Kabuto commanded a swarm of puppets to encircle Kazuyama Gekkō, while Muren Uchiha enveloped his Lance of Longinus in Fire Release.
Susanoo plunged swiftly from the sky.
"You want to fight me?"
"Did you sleep in?"
Facing the descending attack, Kazuyama Gekkō remained utterly composed, even mocking his opponent.
The next instant, Flying Thunder God Technique activated, vanishing him from the encirclement.
"Hmph! Kabuto, find the kunai with the seal! Otherwise, relying on Flying Thunder God Technique alone, we won't even catch him!"
Muren Uchiha's eyes darted around the battlefield.
Only two individuals in the entire Ninja World mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique: the Yellow Flash and the Black Phantom.
The former wielded it with ruthless precision; the latter? He used it to execute the most underhanded tactics imaginable.
Without first neutralizing his Flying Thunder God Technique, eliminating him was nothing short of a pipe dream.
But who was Kazuyama Gekkō? He was the man who had perfected the art of sneaky tactics.
His technique had already established crystal coordinates around him using Crystal Release. The crystallization of his clone moments ago was precisely for this purpose.
It could be said that from the very beginning, Kazuyama Gekkō had been steadily laying his plans.
As the epitome of caution, he would never place himself in danger.
Heh heh heh. Nagato can hold out for a while, but he won't last long.
As for me... can you handle me?
After breaking free from the encirclement, Kazuyama Gekkō activated his Transparent Escape Technique without hesitation. He erased his aura and vanished. This move left Muren Uchiha and Kabuto utterly dumbfounded.
"That damn bastard—I forgot he had the Transparent Escape Technique Kekkei Genkai."
"Kabuto, can you still use Iron Sand?"
"His Transparent Escape Technique erases his aura, making him undetectable. But if we search with physical entities, we can still find him!"
Muren Uchiha watched Kazuyama Gekkō slip into stealth mode without flinching. He had already marked Gekkō as a target for elimination, so he possessed countermeasures against the shinobi's various techniques. Kabuto nodded at his words, then summoned the Third Kazekage before him. Large quantities of Iron Sand began scattering outward, attempting to physically locate Kazuyama Gekkō's whereabouts.
"Gekkō, can you see that?"
"Those two idiots are still searching for you."
"Yo! Damn Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, trying to catch this old man! I'm flying!"
Chōmei spoke to Kazuyama Gekkō through telepathy while soaring through the air. As for where Kazuyama Gekkō was at that moment? Needless to say, he was inside Chōmei. In his Transparent Escape Technique, seated cross-legged, he watched with amusement as Muren Uchiha and Kabuto searched desperately below.
"Kazuyama, what about this Demonic Statue of the Outer Path?"
"It's no good having this thing constantly chasing me."
Chōmei glared at the purple dragon relentlessly pursuing him from behind, thoroughly annoyed. Kazuyama Gekkō knew well that breaking the deadlock required dealing with the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path first. But this thing was the Ten-Tails' shell—its defenses were staggering, not something he could simply shatter at will. The Titan Python hadn't destroyed it. Tagitsuhime hadn't destroyed it. Even Crystal Release probably wouldn't work. This was genuinely stumping him. Left with no choice, he could only shift his focus to Nagato. As long as he took out Nagato, the puppeteer, it would be enough.
"Chōmei, fire a Tailed Beast Ball. Disrupt his chakra."
"After that, I'll deal with Nagato."
Facing relentless attacks, the best counter was a direct strike. Chōmei's flight speed was swift; forming a Tailed Beast Ball mid-flight was simple for him.
"No problem."
"Leave it to me!"
Chōmei accelerated sharply, swiftly breaking out of the enemy's attack range before gathering vast amounts of chakra. The Tailed Beast Ball coalesced in the blink of an eye.
"Think you can chase this old man? Take this Tailed Beast Ball!"
Chōmei abruptly pivoted, launching the Tailed Beast Ball straight at the purple dragon.
"BOOM!"
Both chakra forms collided mid-air, exploding instantly. The Tailed Beast Ball's violent chakra detonated upon contact with the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path's purple dragon. The intense blast even sent Kabuto's Iron Sand flying.
Simultaneously, Kazuyama Gekkō sprang into action. He landed via Flying Thunder God Technique and charged toward Nagato. At that moment, Nagato was completely absorbed in controlling the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, utterly unaware that a sinister hand was already reaching out for him.
"Hmph! Don't think a Tailed Beast Ball can stop the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path."
"Sealing Chains!"
The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path's assault continued unabated. Its chakra vanished, replaced by several chains coiled with chakra. These chains moved with terrifying speed, lunging directly toward Chōmei in midair.
"Damn it! That's too much!"
"Those are Sealing Chains!"
"Kazuyama! Hurry!"
Chōmei recognized these chains, which could suppress Tailed Beast chakra, and immediately signaled his brother.