Chapter 275: Black Zetsu Feels Melancholy
The Tamako had already warned him, but he hadn't taken it to heart. Nagato couldn't help but regret his past actions.
But Bai Shi wasn't going to give him time to regret. The pitch-black shadows spread swiftly from beneath his feet, silently engulfing the entire forest like a living entity. Wherever the shadows passed, trees and rocks were devoured, as if swallowed by endless darkness.
Nagato's heart trembled, and the remaining power of his Rinnegan surged forth.
"Shinra Tensei!"
A powerful repulsive force erupted from him, repelling the surrounding shadows. However, the strength of the shadows exceeded his expectations, and the repulsion only paused them for a moment before they surged forward again.
Nagato felt the weight in his heart. Shinra Tensei alone couldn't dispel these shadows.
So he quickly shifted his strategy, forming hand seals and shouting, "Chibaku Tensei!"
A small black sphere appeared in the air and shot towards Byakushi.
The ground began to tremble violently as massive stones and chunks of earth were drawn by the gravitational force of Chibaku Tensei, madly converging towards the black sphere, forming an ever-expanding spherical structure.
A powerful gravitational force exploded from the sphere, attempting to pull Bai Shi in. Byakushi frowned slightly, feeling the immense pull, but he didn't panic.
He looked up at the rapidly forming gigantic sphere in the sky, the corners of his mouth curving into a faint, disdainful smile before his figure merged into the black shadows, disappearing without a trace.
The earth and trees continued to be sucked up by Chibaku Tensei, but Byakushi's figure remained absent.
Nagato vigilantly observed his surroundings. After merging into the shadows, his opponent became as hard to detect as White Zetsu merging into the ground.
Nagato's remaining Rinnegan scanned up, down, left, and right, as if sensing something, and he split off a clone.
In the next moment, a hole suddenly appeared on Nagato's body, and Byakushi's hand reached through, aiming directly for his remaining right eye. Without surprise, Nagato's clone grabbed Byakushi's hand and yanked it backward. Caught off guard, Byakushi's body was dragged out by the clone and thrown violently.
Previously, Byakushi had used this very technique to snatch his left eye. This time, Nagato wouldn't let him succeed.
Simultaneously, Nagato suddenly turned swiftly, arms outstretched.
"Chibaku Tensei!"
In midair, Byakushi recovered from his surprise, still wearing that disdainful smile.
"Hmph, quick reaction. Karma seal!" Byakushi sneered, swinging his claws to create a band-like structure formed by the mix of his chakra and the iron elements in his blood, attempting to transfer himself to another location and escape Chibaku Tensei's gravitational pull.
This was a divine technique granted by Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, allowing him to move himself or others between different locations using the claw marks. It could be used to gather intelligence and launch surprise attacks, somewhat similar to the Flying Thunder God Technique but with differences.
Nagato's Rinnegan had been stolen using this technique, but obviously, it wouldn't be as easy the second time, especially since Nagato had already anticipated his move.
"Shinra Tensei!"
Nagato quickly changed tactics, shouting. A strong repulsive force burst from him, stopping Byakushi's escape.
"Boom!"
Byakushi was hit by the force of Shinra Tensei, his body jolted back several steps, but his face still showed no sign of panic.
He gently raised his hand, and the shadows surged again, transforming into countless sharp blades that attacked Nagato during the brief interval after Shinra Tensei.
Nagato's heart tightened, and he quickly dodged, but the shadows at his feet wriggled, and shadow blades rose, aiming for his throat.
Nagato leaned back to avoid a fatal strike, the shadow blade slicing across his cheek and leaving a scar.
Blood immediately seeped out, trailing down Nagato's face, but he didn't have time to wipe it away. His cold eyes locked onto Bai Shi, hands clasped together, and he shouted.
"Summoning Technique! Gedo Statue!"
The air was filled with intense chakra waves as a giant shadow slowly rose from the ground.
"Roar!"
The Gedo Statue let out a deafening roar, its massive body standing between Nagato and Byakushi.
Byakushi looked up at the Gedo Statue, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.
"The Ten Tails' shell? Hmph, no wonder even the master desires this power. Interesting."
He sneered coldly, and the shadows surged again, transforming into countless blades that attacked the Gedo Statue.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The shadow blades struck the enormous body of the Gedo Statue, producing muffled sounds but causing no substantial damage.
However, the Gedo Statue was pushed back a step by the massive impact, though it soon regained its footing, letting out a roar as ten pillar-like protrusions fired powerful lightning beams towards Byakushi.
Byakushi's pupils shrank, and he quickly dodged.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The lightning struck the ground, creating massive craters, dirt flying, and stones scattering.
"…"
Black Zetsu, hidden in the shadows, watched the battle between the two with a heavy heart.
The Rinnegan had been stolen… stolen.
He had spent a thousand years obtaining those Rinnegan, believing everything was proceeding according to plan, only for them to be taken by someone completely unknown…
Nagato, you reckless fool! Couldn't you be more careful?! While inwardly scolding Nagato for his recklessness, Black Zetsu pondered how to protect Nagato and prevent the remaining Rinnegan from being taken.
As for the one that was stolen, there was no point dwelling on it. The opponent's ninjutsu was similar to space-time ninjutsu, and a clone had taken the Rinnegan, leaving no time to stop it. The priority now was to safeguard the remaining one.
As long as there was one Rinnegan, even if only one, it could be used to become the Ten Tails' Jinchuriki. Although it might prevent his mother from being revived in her prime, continuing the plan was enough.
In just a few years, the world had become unrecognizable to Black Zetsu, who no longer hoped for his plan to proceed perfectly, only desiring his mother's resurrection.
Fortunately, now that the battle on all sides had ended, members of the Akatsuki could lend a hand. Without waiting for Black Zetsu to inform the others, Konan, worried about Nagato, brought Madara and others over.
For a moment, Obito, Madara, Nagato, Konan, and Shinno surrounded Byakushi.
"…"
Seeing himself surrounded by formidable enemies, Byakushi recalled Isshiki's instructions, deciding not to force it and swiftly used the claw marks to retreat from the scene.
In such a situation, taking the other eye was impossible; self-preservation came first.
As the enemy retreated, Madara's gaze shifted, landing on Nagato's single eye, his face instantly darkening.
The eye? Where's my Rinnegan?! I just revealed that the Rinnegan was mine, and now you've lost it? Did you do it on purpose, Nagato?! ...
"That artificial human possesses an ability to transfer through band-like structures."
On the moon, Hyuga Fuji slowly opened his eyes, his blue Tenseigan shimmering, like two deep blue stars.
A divine technique, Karma seal, huh?
As expected, the corpse of the Ōtsutsuki god had long been in Isshiki's hands!
(End of Chapter)