Gen Takuya watched the chakra dragon lunge toward him.
He released his Earth Release concealment and vanished with Body Flicker.
The dragon tore through empty space.
Then Gen Takuya reappeared at a distance, eyes fixed on Nagato.
As expected.
Summoning the Demonic Statue…
Maintaining that chakra dragon…
The cost was monstrous.
Nagato's chest rose and fell violently. His breath came ragged.
He was running on fumes.
Konan stared at the black-clad, fox-masked man in the distance, shock in her eyes.
"There was… someone else hiding?" she muttered. "When did he get here? He's not the same masked man from before…"
Gen Takuya glanced toward Nagato, curious.
"I'd like to ask the same thing," he said, voice warped into something neither clearly male nor female. "How did you notice me? Even the Rinnegan can't see everything."
The Rinnegan was terrifying, yes.
But it wasn't omniscient.
If someone watched you for a long time—like his crow network—being discovered was normal.
But he had only arrived recently.
Even Nagato shouldn't have noticed him so quickly.
Nagato's eyes narrowed, voice icy.
"The power of the Rinnegan isn't something you can imagine."
He was bluffing.
Desperation made people bluff.
Gen Takuya didn't bite.
Instead, he thought quietly—and the answer came.
"It was the Demonic Statue," Gen Takuya said lightly. "When it rose, the ground shook. My Earth Release concealment must've cracked for an instant, and you caught it."
Nagato fell silent.
His gaze sharpened.
Because Gen Takuya was right.
"Looks like I guessed it," Gen Takuya said with a shrug.
Nagato's expression hardened.
"Leave, and I'll spare your life."
Behind him, the chakra dragon writhed and roared like it could devour the world.
Gen Takuya's tone stayed mocking.
"If this were the moment you first summoned it, I'd agree—I'd avoid you."
"But right now?"
"That thing is just a paper tiger."
"It looks fierce, but it's hollow."
"So tell me… how long can you keep feeding it?"
Nagato's fingers trembled.
Silence.
Then—finally—
The dragon dispersed.
Because its existence alone was consuming him.
The lunge at Gen Takuya had been its last meaningful strike.
Now it was only bleeding Nagato dry.
Gen Takuya didn't relax.
He hadn't been sure.
He couldn't gamble his life on certainty.
But Nagato's threats made it clear.
If Nagato still had enough power to kill him…
He would've done it.
He wouldn't have warned.
He wouldn't have negotiated.
He would've erased him.
Nagato's body jerked as the black rods connected to the Demonic Statue snapped.
He fell away from it, swaying—
And nearly collapsed.
Konan caught him, her face pale as she looked at what remained of his legs.
"Nagato…"
The damage was horrifying.
Explosive tags at point-blank range.
His flesh was nearly gone.
Even the greatest medic couldn't conjure legs from nothing.
Nagato shook his head at Konan—now wasn't the time.
He stared at Gen Takuya.
"What do you want?"
Gen Takuya's warped voice carried a hint of amusement.
"I'm just a collector," he said. "I like strange creatures."
His eyes flicked to the Demonic Statue.
"And that thing behind you… interests me."
"It looks like stone… but it carries the trace of life."
"Fascinating."
Nagato's eyes narrowed.
"You're lying. You were already hiding before I summoned it."
Gen Takuya sighed.
"I'm not lying. But yes—that's a flaw in my story."
Nagato's voice turned colder.
"You speak nonsense. None of it is true."
Even as he spoke, Nagato was forcing chakra from his ruined body.
His lineage—Uzumaki vitality—let him squeeze out more than most.
And then—
Nagato's eyes opened fully.
The Rinnegan, exposed without restraint.
"Almighty Pull."
The sudden attack didn't surprise Gen Takuya.
He felt the gravitational tug…
But his body didn't move.
It was as if he had taken root in the earth.
Because Gen Takuya was an Earth Release shinobi at his core.
And Earth meant weight.
Stability.
He was anchored.
Nagato's pupils tightened.
He inhaled sharply, poured more chakra into the technique—
The pull intensified.
The ground beneath Gen Takuya began to crack and break apart.
Not his technique failing—
The earth itself was being torn loose to drag him forward.
Gen Takuya clicked his tongue.
"So you're still trying to fight."
"Then let's see how much chakra you really have left."
He slammed both hands onto the ground.
Earth trembled.
A wall of massive boulders erupted upward between him and Nagato.
If Nagato wanted to pull him—
Then pull them too.
Gen Takuya knew that at full strength, this would mean nothing to an Uzumaki with the Rinnegan.
Just more chakra.
But right now?
For Nagato, it was unbearable.
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