Izayoi couldn't hear the conversation between Nagato and Uchiha Obito.
Right now, he too was receiving real-time information from his Wood Clone and feeling quite surprised:
So Nagato's trump card is the same idea as mine—setting up a "nuclear-charged battery."
Only instead of capturing Yin-Kurama as Izayoi did, Nagato had seized two Jinchūriki. This final battle had deviated a lot from Izayoi's expectations.
Originally, Izayoi had planned for the showdown (final battle) to take place in Amegakure, with "Ōtsutsuki Toneri" leading an army of puppets powered by Yin-Kurama's chakra to crush the Akatsuki. But before Izayoi could don his disguise, Nagato came looking for him, making Izayoi himself one of the protagonists.
Even though there were unexpected twists, everything still proceeded under Izayoi's control. The Wood Clone had now entered Kamui Space; Obito could no longer escape via Kamui with Nagato and Tobi. Meanwhile, Nagato had shown his trump cards of the Gedo Statue and the captured Jinchūriki. Next would be the true all-out final showdown.
However, there was no way the lone Arhat Golem could withstand both the Gedo Statue and the Hundred-Armed Buddha. Izayoi's current Sage Physique and Sage Art power still weren't on the level of Senju Hashirama's Sage Art: Wood Release—True Several Thousand Hands at full scale, so he needed an ally.
So, without waiting for Nagato or Obito to make their move, Izayoi tilted his head to the bright blue sky and shouted loudly, "Hey! Ōtsutsuki Toneri! I know you're watching. If you don't come down soon, I can't win this, and I'll run off!"
"Attack!"
Hearing Izayoi threaten to run, Nagato—having just absorbed a Wood Clone to restore chakra—instantly cast Banshō Ten'in (Universal Pull).
The invisible gravity dragged Izayoi away from the Arhat Golem's head. Meanwhile, Obito and Nagato's Wood Clone flickered up to stand again atop the Hundred-Armed Buddha.
Rejuvenated, Tobi detached from Obito's body, attaching himself to Nagato's Wood Clone to pilot the Buddha and support the Gedo Statue.
Just as Izayoi was about to be pulled off the Golem's head, his figure vanished abruptly. At once, the Arhat Golem's eyes flashed brilliant gold, red eye-shadow reappearing around them.
"Ugh…"
From the viewpoint of the watching shinobi, the Arhat Golem suddenly spread its arms. Two Wooden Dragons flew out of the forest, their heads gripped in each hand, transforming into twin "Tail-Dragon Blades." The Golem then charged the Hundred-Armed Buddha and Gedo Statue.
Every step these three enormous constructs took shook the earth. The rumbling and tremors could be felt even by the ninjas stationed who-knew-how-far away.
"Is this the final push?"
"One-on-one they fought a whole day and night with no outcome. Now it's two against one—Konoha's Wood-Style shinobi is doomed!"
"Who would've guessed the Akatsuki leader still had such tricks up his sleeve?"
"That monster… Could it be the 'Gedo Statue' that Ōtsutsuki Toneri wants to reclaim?"
"Gedo Statue, a statue… Tch, hurry and pass this intel back to headquarters!"
…
Apart from Hinata and Karin, practically every outside observer believed Izayoi would lose. Yet some sharp-eyed watchers realized something was off, guessing that the statue must be the "treasure" Toneri had come to retrieve.
Just as they were preparing to send that intel back, the Hundred-Armed Buddha abruptly halted.
"Watch out—Shinra Tensei!" Nagato's Wood Clone seemed to sense something, hastily warning Obito while releasing an invisible repulsive force that blasted Obito clear. Obito, still mid-air, was caught off guard. Not far away, the air shimmered, producing a cloud of red dust. A dazzling blue light then rocketed straight toward him.
Dropping invisibility, the "blue light" was revealed to Obito's Mangekyō Sharingan: a ninja blade cloaked in Lightning Release. Its speed matched an arrow's; it aimed for Obito's chest. A direct hit would impale him. Obito didn't hesitate—he immediately triggered Izanagi and warped into Kamui Space, fleeing the battlefield.
As the red powder dissipated, Shimura Danzo appeared in mid-air, still in a backward-flying posture, using Kamui to target Nagato's Wood Clone. Space twisted around Danzo's left arm, and the Wood Clone's face fell. He flickered away just in time before a fist-sized black hole formed where he'd been. A fraction slower, and the Wood Clone plus Tobi would have been done.
"So Obito's other eye is with him…" Nagato's Wood Clone reappeared on one of the Buddha's arms, scowling at Danzo's left eye.
Failing to kill the Wood Clone and Tobi, Danzo dropped back down to the forest. As he fell, he moved Kamui's black hole to tear through the statue's lotus pedestal, unbalancing it. Then his figure vanished again via the Flying Thunder God, relocating who-knew-where.
And that alone was enough to pin down the Hundred-Armed Buddha. Such is the terror of the "strongest Mangekyō Sharingan."
Meanwhile, the Arhat Golem and the Gedo Statue had already clashed. Both "Tail-Dragon Blades" slashed down. The Gedo Statue raised its arms—each catching one blade in midair.
Boom!
A shockwave fanned out from the Gedo Statue's hands, stirring even the super-hard Mokuton forest below. Even though each "Tail-Dragon Blade" had wind-natured sharpness that could easily split mountains and land, it failed to sever the Gedo Statue's hands.
Despite the Ten-Tails having been drained of all its chakra, its body-turned-Gedo-Statue remained incredibly tough. In raw physical strength alone, it was no inferior to a complete Tailed Beast transformation—even the Nine-Tails.
Rumble…
Suddenly a crackle of thunder—but not from the sky. The ten pillar-like spikes on the Gedo Statue's back became sheathed in blue-white electricity, firing colossal lightning bolts at the Arhat Golem. The Golem quickly let go of its blades and raised its arms to shield its face, staggering backward under the lightning barrage.
"Ugh…"
Seizing the moment, the Gedo Statue let out an ear splitting roar and opened its maw, firing a purple "chakra dragon." Izayoi's expression finally changed; without hesitation, he teleported away, abandoning the Arhat Golem.
The chakra dragon pierced the golem's chest and emerged from its back. When it first entered, the dragon was only as thick as an arm; by the time it exited, it had ballooned larger than both arms combined. Most of the Golem's Sage chakra had been siphoned away.
That was the Gedo Statue's most dangerous move: a technique akin to a lethal fusion of Human and Puppet Paths. With no physical body, it ignored all attacks; anything it touched lost its chakra and soul in an instant—a "super-charged fatal blow."
But the technique had an obvious weakness. Nagato, standing atop the statue, now had multiple black rods piercing his back.
Because he'd acquired the Six Paths jutsu and Yin–Yang Release rods from Obito, he couldn't form a direct pipe connecting himself to the Gedo Statue the way Obito and Madara did.
He had to use that painful method—jabbing black rods into his body to funnel enough chakra into the statue to spawn that deadly dragon. Had it succeeded in devouring Izayoi, Nagato would have emerged victorious. Yet Izayoi bailed at the last second, so only the Arhat Golem's chakra was consumed.
Unable to recall the chakra dragon in time, Nagato could only sever the black rods linking him to the statue. Pale-faced, he flickered away just as the dragon crashed to the ground with a roar. The next instant, brilliant white light filled the area.
BOOOOOM—
A monstrous explosion sent a huge mushroom cloud skyward. The blast wave obliterated half the forest, rolling outward in all directions. Within a few breaths, it reached the onlooking shinobi. Any who hadn't anchored themselves to the ground were flung through the air, slamming into rocks or trees, coughing blood. Even those who braced themselves, arms raised, were forced back.
When the gale finally subsided, they gazed at the towering mushroom cloud—its ferocity exceeding even a Tailed Beast Bomb. Faces went white, minds wavered. Their legs shook involuntarily.
"Th-this is insane! I nearly died—and we're so far away! This is a 'super-tier' fight?"
"What was that dragon technique? Why so terrifying after the blast?"
"No wonder Ōtsutsuki Toneri wants to seal away the Gedo Statue. That thing's more horrifying than a Tailed Beast!"
…
Steeling themselves, the ninja watchers retreated further. Little did they realize the explosion's power was magnified because the chakra dragon had devoured so much of the Golem's Sage chakra.
The more it absorbed, the stronger the detonation. Had Nagato reclaimed the chakra dragon, he wouldn't have lost anything—and might have gained more chakra. But focusing on killing Izayoi, he forgot about Danzo. Since the Puppet Path can't absorb Kamui's space-warp, Nagato had to flee or die.
Rumble…
Within the dust-choked aftermath of the giant mushroom cloud, the ground convulsed again. Gusts swept the debris away, revealing the three giants. They looked far less imposing now.
Having lost most of its Sage chakra to the dragon, and bearing the brunt of the explosion at ground zero, the Arhat Golem had protected both the Buddha and the Gedo Statue from the worst.
Thus the Arhat Golem was half obliterated—its backside and entire left half gone, leaving only its legs and right half. Not too far off, the Hundred-Armed Buddha was covered in cracks yet not severely damaged. With some chakra, it could repair itself.
Meanwhile, the Gedo Statue was completely unscathed—being the Ten-Tails' empty shell, even Tailed Beast Bombs, five-element combos, or Dust Release can't harm it. Only a Six Paths–tier power, or space–time ninjutsu, or a taijutsu/senjutsu strong enough to hurt a Six Paths–level foe could physically destroy the statue. That is how the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki gains immunity to lesser attacks.
At the moment, the Gedo Statue looked slightly awkward, bound with thick wooden branches and pinned to the ground by large red loops. "Neck clamps" locked its limbs and throat in place.
"Leader, maybe we should run too?" Tobi, now back on Nagato, saw Izayoi standing atop the statue along with Danzo lurking somewhere. He timidly proposed leaving. Gone was Tobi's carefree persona—he now showed a more cowardly side.
Nagato, who had pulled out the black rods in his back, letting Tobi heal him, gave a faintly pale smile. "Tobi, I can hold them off. You should leave alone."
"Eh? Leader, you're not coming?" Tobi exclaimed.
"I'm already stuck here," Nagato admitted. "One misstep and the whole plan collapses. To fight this final battle, I prepared thoroughly—lost or won, it's all thanks to Kamui. If not for Kamui Space storing Jinchūriki for us to drain, or giving us an escape route, we'd have done something else. But ignoring that left eye of Obito's, plus forgetting to retrieve Kakashi's Sharingan to defend…that one hole destroyed me. The route out is blocked, so all that's left is a final fight. Tobi, you can go; no need to die with me."
Hearing this, Tobi stayed silent but didn't depart. He signaled an update to Black Zetsu. Far away, Black Zetsu, who had been cursing Obito in his mind, suddenly broke into a crafty grin. Then he sank beneath the earth, vanishing without a trace.
~~~
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