As members of the Akatsuki organization appeared, the battlefield fell into an eerie silence.
Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that, against the Akatsuki's lineup, the average Jōnin stood no chance. If a real fight broke out, the outcome would hinge on the efforts of the Three Kage and Uchiha Yagami.
Judging by the visible power on each side, the coalition forces were at a clear disadvantage. During the Five Kage Summit, no one had anticipated that a single pair of Rinnegan could manifest six powerful paths of Pain.
"Be careful. We haven't fully understood the abilities of the Rinnegan yet. From the earlier exchange, we know it can deflect physical attacks, but we're uncertain if it can also counter ninjutsu."
The Fourth Raikage rose from the rubble and spoke solemnly to Ōnoki and Terumi Mei. His warning was also directed at Yagami.
"Orochimaru and Kakuzu haven't shown themselves yet, so remain vigilant!"
Yagami added. Although he had some understanding of Orochimaru's and Kakuzu's whereabouts, it was necessary to highlight this potential threat in the current situation.
"There are many targets; let's split them up. Raikage-dono and Tsuchikage-sama will deal with the six paths of Pain. Uchiha Obito and the rest will be handled by us of Kirigakure. If we succeed in capturing the Rinnegan, Kirigakure will withdraw from any further competition. How about that?"
Terumi Mei suggested, her calm tone belying her personal resolve. While the Akatsuki organization was a mutual enemy, her focus remained on Obito. Deep down, her primary objective was him.
"Agreed!"
The Fourth Raikage and Ōnoki exchanged glances. The two of them facing the six paths of Pain would be a daunting task, but they were not afraid.
Though they would be up against six opponents, Terumi Mei and Yagami only had to handle two. It might seem imbalanced, but factoring in Rinnegan's abilities, the division of responsibilities felt fair.
While the coalition forces finalized their strategy, the Akatsuki organization also began to move. The first to act was the Animal Path of Pain.
With the Summoning Technique, colossal creatures such as the Hellhound, Chameleon, and Rhinoceros materialized on the battlefield.
Naturally, it didn't require all four Kage-level shinobi to handle these Summoning beasts.
Though the coalition had suffered heavy losses, not all their forces were wiped out. The remaining elites from each village could still band together to hold off the summoned creatures.
Without waiting for Terumi Mei's instructions, Yagami directed his attention to Obito and Black Zetsu. His primary concern was Obito—a wild card who could unleash something catastrophic and ruin the coalition's hard-won opportunity. Engaging Obito directly was the safest course of action.
There was also the matter of Terumi Mei's safety. Despite her formidable strength, Yagami wanted to ensure she wouldn't suffer losses in a confrontation. As the Mizukage, her Lava Style and Boil Style were excellent counters to both Konan and Sasori.
Moreover, Terumi Mei's overall strength as Mizukage, beyond her bloodline limits, was unquestionable.
Feeling Yagami's watchful gaze, Obito's expression darkened. His irritation was palpable as he cursed inwardly.
Obito's plan was straightforward: after persuading Nagato to abandon Amegakure, they would deliver a devastating blow to the five great shinobi villages. Once their message was clear, he intended to use Kamui to extract everyone and retreat to a new location to continue their development.
There was no arrangement in Obito's plan for engaging in battle, let alone specifically clashing with Uchiha Yagami.
Since the last time Yagami cracked his Kamui, Obito had developed a psychological shadow regarding Yagami. This fear deepened after failing to reclaim his missing Sharingan.
The ninja world is vast, but the last person Obito ever wanted to encounter was Uchiha Yagami. Unfortunately, fate had other plans, and now, Yagami was locked onto him.
Thus, the battle between Yagami and Obito with Black Zetsu turned out to be bizarre. Obito fought while retreating, occasionally enduring Yagami's attacks and using Hashirama cells to heal, but he never resorted to his Kamui for evasion.
Obito couldn't explain why, but when facing Yagami, he felt an inexplicable reluctance to use Kamui, even though he knew Yagami's dōjutsu had no direct connection to his dimensional ability.
On Yagami's end, frustration was mounting. It had been so long since their last encounter, yet Obito still felt underwhelming. The sound of their skirmish could even be mistaken for a staged fight.
As for Black Zetsu, his contributions were negligible. His attempts at Wood Release were so feeble that they couldn't even qualify for landscaping. Yagami couldn't help but think: could these two put up a better fight?
Meanwhile, the battle on Terumi Mei's side was much more intense. Although her Lava Style countered Konan's Paper Release, the presence of explosive tags in the paper created multiple close calls for Terumi Mei.
Adding to the challenge were Sasori's puppets, which at one point forced Terumi Mei into a disadvantage. Yagami even considered switching opponents with her; after all, the ones he was facing seemed utterly ineffective.
"The power of Yin and Yang! You actually know the power of Yin and Yang!"
Yagami forced Obito back and delivered a devastating punch to Black Zetsu. His fist, imbued with Yang power, obliterated Black Zetsu's head, reducing it to a pulp.
Black Zetsu tried to recover by reassembling his scattered body, but to his horror, he found that the disintegrated parts could not reunite.
Upon further sensing, he recognized the power Yagami had used—it was akin to the force employed by the Sage of Six Paths brothers when they sealed Kaguya. Though Yagami's attacks weren't overwhelming in strength, the purity of the Yin-Yang power was undeniable.
Black Zetsu let out a strange, panicked scream. Knowing the stakes, he quickly detached from White Zetsu's body and burrowed into the ground to escape.
Obito, still locked in combat with Yagami, was stunned. In his understanding, Black Zetsu was the embodiment of Uchiha Madara's will. How could someone like Madara react such a way?
It was unthinkable! Black Zetsu had always been fearless, confident in his immortality. No one in the ninja world could kill him—at least, that's what he believed.
But now, he had learned that the pure power of Yin and Yang could disintegrate his form completely. If every fragment of his body were broken down, he would be as good as dead.
Faced with the prospect of true death, Black Zetsu prioritized survival over his ambitions to resurrect Kaguya. Decades of planning were preferable to losing everything.
Although Black Zetsu's strength was minimal, his presence as a teammate helped ease some of Obito's burden. Now that he had fled, Obito was left to face Yagami alone, a situation that filled him with dread. If possible, he would have strangled Black Zetsu for abandoning him.
Noticing Obito's predicament, Konan exchanged glances with Sasori before moving to assist him.
Meanwhile, the battle between Pain's Six Paths and Ōnoki raged on, and the battlefield grew increasingly chaotic. For now, the coalition forces and the Akatsuki organization were evenly matched.
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