Chapter 14: Lament
"Gedo Statue!"
From a distance, the massive creature loomed like a mountain, leaving Yusuke in awe. He had seen enormous tailed beasts and summoning creatures on the battlefield before, but none could compare to the sheer size of the monstrous figure before him. Despite still being a fair distance away, he could already feel the overwhelming pressure emanating from the Gedo Statue.
"So Danzo's recent movements were to collaborate with Hanzō… in order to strike against the Akatsuki before they could fully form?"
Seeing the Gedo Statue made things clear—Danzo and Hanzō had been secretly preparing this offensive all along.
Without hesitation, Yusuke increased his speed, rushing toward the location of the Gedo Statue. According to the original timeline, Yahiko should already be dead by now. Still, he couldn't help but hold on to a sliver of hope that some miracle had occurred.
Yusuke had always sympathized with Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan. Their dreams had been pure and simple, but persecution from Hanzō and Danzo had twisted their path. Of course, Yusuke also knew that Obito had been manipulating events from the shadows all along.
There was no time for deeper reflection. In less than a few minutes, Yusuke had reached a vantage point overlooking the battlefield where the Gedo Statue stood. From the high ground, he could see nine translucent, pale-blue dragon-like apparitions weaving through the valley, mercilessly hunting down Rain ninja and members of the Root.
His gaze quickly found Nagato, Konan, and the lifeless body of Yahiko lying between them. Yahiko's eyes were wide open, his chest still—clearly, he was already dead.
Yusuke let out a quiet sigh. There was no longer any need for him to intervene in the fight. He remained hidden, silently observing the unfolding battle.
The Rain ninja and Root members tried every possible method to attack the dragon apparitions—ninjutsu, physical strikes—but nothing worked. Their attacks passed right through the phantom forms, failing to hinder or harm them in any way.
Yet when those spectral dragons touched someone, they extracted what looked like a humanoid form of pure energy—the soul itself. Every person struck by them dropped dead instantly. There were no survivors.
The shinobi caught in the chaos didn't understand what they were dealing with, but Yusuke did. These were the phantoms of Demonic Statue of the Outer Path: Illusory Dragon Nine Seals, an ultimate sealing jutsu performed using the Rinnegan in conjunction with the Gedo Statue.
The jutsu forcibly extracted the soul from any living being it touched and sealed it within the Gedo Statue. In the original timeline, it was used by the Deva Path to extract Tailed Beasts from Jinchuriki.
In Yusuke's eyes, this jutsu was even more terrifying than the Reaper Death Seal. Even he had no idea how to defend against it—his best chance would be to simply avoid the phantoms altogether.
Nagato, now twisted with rage and pain, controlled the dragon apparitions as they harvested lives across the battlefield, relentlessly pressing Hanzō and Danzo. Realizing that their attacks were useless, both turned to target Nagato himself, hoping to disrupt the jutsu.
But every assault was blocked by the massive Gedo Statue looming behind him. They couldn't lay a finger on Nagato.
Danzo's loyal subordinate, Yamanaka Rei, attempted to use the Mind Transfer Jutsu to take control of Nagato. However, the Rinnegan's natural resistance to genjutsu rebounded the technique. Not only did it fail, but Rei died on the spot—blood seeping from every orifice.
The battlefield had become a slaughterhouse. Both the Rain ninja and the Root had lost most of their forces in mere minutes. Even Hanzō and Danzo, both Kage-level combatants, had barely managed to avoid the phantoms several times.
With a glance exchanged between them, the two men made a silent decision: retreat immediately. They weren't a match for the Rinnegan. If they stayed any longer, they'd only be throwing their lives away.
Nagato, meanwhile, was in a miserable state. His legs had been nearly destroyed by one of Hanzō's explosive tag traps. His back was pierced by over a dozen black rods that extended from the Gedo Statue's chest. His chakra was almost completely drained, and his face was gaunt and sunken—like a malnourished addict in the final stages of collapse.
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As Danzo and Hanzō scrambled to evade the relentless assault of Nagato's dragon-shaped chakra projections, a crazed expression twisted across Nagato's face. He concentrated his energy, directing all nine ethereal dragons to surround and corner the two as they attempted to flee.
Unfortunately, both Danzo and Hanzō were Kage-level shinobi—cunning and powerful. Though no match for Nagato in a direct confrontation, escaping from a crippled opponent who had lost all mobility wasn't beyond their abilities.
Once the members of Root and the Amegakure forces had fully retreated, Nagato severed his connection with the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. The black metal rods embedded in his back snapped with a sharp crack, and the massive statue, deprived of chakra, dissolved into a swirl of white smoke.
And so, the curtain fell on this vile, despicable war of deception. The rain still drizzled from the gray sky, a cold veil draping over the blood-soaked valley. All that remained among the dead were two young souls—both hollow-eyed and drowning in despair.
Realizing the danger had not yet passed, Konan forced herself to stay composed. She wrapped Yahiko's body in layers of paper, mummifying him with reverent care. Then, supporting the utterly exhausted Nagato, she helped him toward a hidden cave deep in the mountains.
Inside the dim cavern, Konan gently laid Yahiko's body down and slumped against the cold stone wall, tears silently streaming from her eyes.
Just a day ago, everything had felt so full of hope. Yahiko stood before her—alive, full of spirit, dreaming of a better future. And now… he was gone. All that remained was a cold corpse. Dreams, ambitions, a brighter tomorrow—nothing was left.
"I was wrong. Yahiko was wrong. The entire world is wrong!" Nagato slammed his fist into the ground. Blood poured from his knuckles, but he didn't care.
"There is no such thing as peace... No such thing... No such thing..." he howled at first, then repeated the words over and over, his voice sinking to a broken murmur.
Just then, faint footsteps echoed within the cave.
The sound drew closer—slow, deliberate. Someone was approaching. At that moment, Nagato and Konan knew: whoever it was, they came with ill intent.
Nagato tried to stand, but his battered legs gave out beneath him. Breath ragged, he collapsed again, wracked with coughing—completely drained of chakra and strength.
Konan, though relatively unharmed during the earlier battle, immediately stepped forward, placing herself protectively in front of Nagato, eyes locked on the cave entrance.
A figure emerged from the shadows—young, perhaps fifteen. He had black hair, sharp features, and wore the standard Konoha shinobi uniform. Blood stained his right shoulder, evidence of a recent wound.
It was Yusuke, who had secretly followed them to the cave. His expression remained calm as he surveyed the scene—Nagato, coughing violently, eyes wild with grief and madness; Konan, tense and defiant, brimming with sorrow and resolve. Yusuke could tell—she was ready to sacrifice herself for him.
So that's the Rinnegan... he thought, noting the ripple-patterned eyes glowing faintly in Nagato's face. If this were a fair fight, I wouldn't stand a chance.
Sensing Yusuke's eyes fixed on Nagato, Konan's heart raced. She had already lost half her world—she would not lose the other half now.
"Paper Style: Shuriken Barrage!"
With a flash of hand signs, Konan unleashed a swarm of razor-sharp paper shuriken toward Yusuke.
Without hesitation, Yusuke released the shikai of his zanpakutō—Ryūjin Jakka. A blade wrapped in flames appeared in his hand. With a single swing, a wave of fire roared forth, trailing embers. Every paper weapon was incinerated midair, reduced to ash.
Konan, who had loved origami since childhood, had developed her Paper Style jutsu through passion alone. While incredibly creative, her technique had many vulnerabilities she had overlooked. If she had mastered another chakra nature, she might have been able to hold her own. But against someone like Yusuke, who wielded powerful fire-based techniques, her paper was utterly useless.
Despair filled her face. She knew she couldn't defeat this boy.
Yusuke dismissed the flames from his sword and slowly pointed the tip at Nagato, whose expression was empty and broken.
Konan instantly stepped between them, placing herself between the blade and Nagato. The latter tried to pull her behind him, but his strength had long since vanished.
"You want the Rinnegan, right?" Nagato rasped. "Then let her go. Do whatever you want with me."
Konan said nothing. She simply closed her eyes, standing firm. The blade pressed lightly against her chest, but she didn't move. Her message was clear: You'll have to kill me first.
Yusuke remained silent, but his mind was torn. If Yahiko were still alive—if Nagato had not been consumed by grief and vengeance—he would never consider hurting them. But now… now, Nagato's heart was twisted by pain. He could become a threat—one that might endanger everything Yusuke cared for.
The three stood motionless, not a word exchanged. In the silence of the cave, the drip of water from stone echoed like thunder. Time itself seemed to freeze.
At last, Yusuke let out a long, quiet sigh. He had made his choice.
No longer hesitating, his eyes glinted with killing intent. His blade flashed—a cold, merciless arc of steel—and a head soared silently into the air.
"NO!!!" Nagato's cry tore through the cave, raw with anguish.