If asked what the natural enemy of the tailed beasts is, many would say sealing. After all, all nine powerful tailed beasts were subdued through sealing. The Four Symbols Seal bound the Nine-Tails, while the Iron Seal restrained the Eight-Tails. But if we're talking about the most terrifying seal, it must be the chain binding Chōmei right now.
Originally extracted from the Ten-Tails' body, these chains belong to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. Should they strike Chōmei, he would be utterly powerless to resist, dragged back into the statue and sealed once more. Spotting the chains approaching, Chōmei instinctively flapped his wings and soared skyward. The next instant, multiple chains shot forth from the Outer Path Demon Statue's mouth, streaking toward the heavens.
"Hmph! Though still in the sealing phase, my chains can still bind you!"
"Once we eliminate Kazuyama Gekkō, we can directly seal the Seven-Tails into the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path!"
Kazuyama Gekkō wouldn't stand idly by, of course. He had already closed in behind Nagato.
"Nagato! Watch out for that bastard's sneak attack!"
But Muren Uchiha and Kabuto had also closed in around Nagato. The former understood Kazuyama Gekkō's fighting style well. Activating Transparent Escape Technique at this moment meant he was definitely going for a sneak attack.
"Defend against me? Can you even stop me?"
"I'll send you two to drink seawater!"
Kazuyama Gekkō sneered with disdain. Under Transparent Escape Technique, he had already struck!
Within Susanoo, Muren Uchiha's eyes scanned relentlessly for Kazuyama Gekkō's position. The next instant, the scene before him shifted abruptly—from towering mountains and forests to an ocean. No, a sea of water! He'd been tossed straight into the sea?
"Damn it!"
"Bastard!"
Watching himself flung off the battlefield, Muren Uchiha cursed furiously. The ocean's pressure held no sway over Susanoo, but seawater still flooded into Muren Uchiha. With no other choice, he swallowed a mouthful before bursting out of the water. Hovering mid-air, Muren Uchiha spat out several mouthfuls of water. The salty, fishy taste choked him into a fit of coughing. Of course, it also stoked his rage.
The island was still there, but it was at least several kilometers away! That Kazuyama Gekkō was a real bastard! Actually, he was still better off. The next victim, Kabuto, suffered an even more outrageous fate.
"Next!"
Kazuyama Gekkō's actions were lightning fast. After tossing Muren Uchiha and his Susanoo into the sea, he immediately moved on to Kabuto. But this time, it wasn't the sea. It was high above the clouds.
"Damn it!"
"Where the hell am I???"
"In the air? Where are my puppets???"
Kabuto had been controlling his puppets, manipulating Iron Sand, but the next second, he realized all connection to them had been severed. His chakra remained, but the chakra threads controlling the puppets had been forcibly torn apart. Feeling the thin air and air currents, Kabuto realized he was in the sky.
"Damn it, Flying Thunder God Technique?"
"Ugh, what kind of nonsense is this?"
Kazuyama Gekkō's sneaky move had completely thrown Kabuto off. Thousands of meters up, all Kabuto could do now was descend—after all, he couldn't fly!
"Did you start?"
"Come on!"
"Kazuyama Gekkō!"
The successive vanishing of two teammates made Nagato's pupils contract, yet he showed no panic. Instead, his fighting spirit intensified. He had already marked Kazuyama Gekkō as his life's greatest enemy. In this situation, he had to settle things with him once and for all.
"Tsk tsk tsk, Nagato, wasting your vitality and chakra like this."
"Is it worth it?"
"Crystal Release: Torrential Pear Blossom Needle!"
Kazuyama Gekkō raised his hand, unleashing a torrent of needles. Strangely, these needles appeared from all directions, yet Kazuyama Gekkō himself remained unseen.
"Can he attack while in Transparent Escape Technique?"
"Hmph! If that's the case, how will you defend against this?"
"Chibaku Tensei!"
Nagato roared, a jet-black beam piercing the sky. The next instant, intense gravitational pull rippled out, hurling countless fragments skyward.
"Whoa, getting serious, huh?"
"Too bad. I'm not afraid of this either!"
"Crystal Release: String of Glory!"
Kazuyama Gekkō clasped his hands together, chakra surging wildly. Chibaku Tensei relied on its chakra core for cohesion. Piercing that core would shatter the technique. To achieve this, Kazuyama Gekkō unleashed his most explosive attack. Centered on Crystal Release, he blasted forth a beam capable of piercing anything.
The earlier battle had already left the surroundings in utter disarray—trunks and rubble littered the ground. With the emergence of Chibaku Tensei, all these fragments were sucked skyward. Within mere breaths, a colossal stone mass coalesced in the heavens, its volume rapidly expanding. Meanwhile, Kazuyama Gekkō's Crystal Release beam transformed into a laser, shooting straight toward the core of Chibaku Tensei.
"BOOM!"
The light shot straight into the stone, followed instantly by an explosion. At the same time, the rocks and trees that had been sucked into the sky began to fall. It was clear that Kazuyama Gekkō's String of Glory had shattered the core of Chibaku Tensei.
"Gotcha!"
"Die!"
But Nagato seized the opportunity to pinpoint Kazuyama Gekkō's location—after all, he couldn't move while unleashing his attack. The purple chakra dragon materialized once more, hurtling toward Kazuyama Gekkō at breakneck speed.
"Oh? Learning to exploit my openings now?" Kazuyama Gekkō said with a smirk.
"Not bad..."
"But you're a little late, buddy."
While Nagato continued his assault, a voice suddenly rang in his ear. Before he could react, excruciating pain erupted from his chest.
"Pfft!"
A crystal-bladed longsword had pierced through his torso. Nagato gritted his teeth against the agony and gathered chakra once more. With a violent motion, he hurled it behind him, sending countless black staffs descending to the ground. The earth was pounded into a cloud of dust.
"Tsk tsk. Fighting a ghost head-on?" Kazuyama Gekkō taunted. "Impossible."
"After this strike, how much longer can you hold out, Nagato?"
Kazuyama Gekkō moved with the Flying Thunder God Technique, appearing and vanishing without a trace. In just a few exchanges, he had already wounded Nagato. This strike had pierced Nagato's chest clean through, blood dripping from the blade's tip onto the ground.
"Cough... cough..." Nagato wheezed, struggling to maintain his composure.
"Damn bastard..."
Endless fury and hatred blazed in Nagato's eyes. Kazuyama Gekkō knew that gaze was fixed on him. Unfortunately, Nagato hadn't yet released his Transparent Escape Technique, so he could only direct that burning gaze around him, searching for an opening.
"Since ordinary Chibaku Tensei can't handle you..." Nagato gritted out.
"Then let's try this... I'll bury you along with this entire island..."
With a growl of frustration, Nagato grabbed the crystal blade embedded in his chest and yanked it out. Blood gushed forth as he readied himself for his next move.